The book The Atletenu of Avaris is an interdisciplinary investigation into one of the most enduring enigmas of antiquity: the historical basis of Plato’s Atlantis. Far from accepting conventional narratives that situate the mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean, this work presents a compelling case for identifying the fabled city with Avaris, the ancient capital of the Hyksos in the northeastern Nile Delta.
Rooted in classical philology, Near Eastern archaeology, and comparative historiography, Atletenu traces the journey of this hypothesis from textual analysis to archaeological evidence. It examines with academic rigor the possibility that Solon's Egyptian sources were referring not to a lost island in the Atlantic, but to a flourishing Bronze Age city—Avaris—whose memory had faded by the time of classical Greece.
Central to the argument is a fresh reading of Timaeus and Critias, supported by linguistic reconstructions and geopolitical considerations. The book also analyzes Egyptian, Semitic, and Greek sources to explore how the memory of Avaris might have survived, transformed, and reemerged in Hellenic lore under the name "Atlantis."
Particular attention is given to the name "Atletenu," proposed as a plausible reconstruction of the term that Egyptian priests may have used—rendered by Solon and later by Plato as "Atlanteans." The study includes a philological evaluation of ancient names, inscriptions, and royal titles, especially those of Hyksos rulers such as Sheshi, whose Amorite name may underlie the mythological figure of Atlas.
Combining historical geography, textual criticism, and visual reconstructions, Atletenu offers not only a new hypothesis but also a methodological framework for reconsidering ancient myths through the lens of archaeological fact. The final chapters address the decline and disappearance of Avaris, the subsequent damnatio memoriae of the Hyksos, and the eventual rediscovery of the site at Tell el-DabĘża—arguably bringing the Atlantis legend full circle.
Written for both academic and informed readers, Atletenu invites the audience to reconsider what we think we know about Plato’s dialogues, the origins of Western historiography, and the transmission of cultural memory across millennia.
