This talk by Professor Kathryn Morgan, Chair of the UCLA Department of Classics, explores the origins and some of the development of the myth of the lost island of Atlantis, from Plato to contemporary video games. This legend has fascinated its audiences since it first appeared in the works of the philosopher Plato, and like all good myths it reflects the concerns of the society that created it. It is a story about the kind of society that want to live in, about the effect upon civilizations of imperial ambition, about how we deal with the sea as a medium for economic and cultural exchange. In the hands of modern geographers, explorers, and other scholars, the myth has become something different: a symbol of the mysterious past that we can never quite control.

You must RSPV at hellenic@humnet.ucla.edu to be included in this event. We welcome attendance by students, community members, and your family members outside of Los Angeles.