90
See also: The many affairs of Zeus 42–47 ■ The cult of Dionysus 52 ■
Vesta and Priapus 108–09K
ing Midas generously
entertained Silenus, the
companion of Dionysus, for
10 days after saving him from a
village mob. Although Xenophon’s
account claimed Midas captured
Silenus to steal his wisdom, in
Ovid’s tale Dionysus was grateful
for his friend’s safe return and
offered Midas anything he wanted.
Midas asked that whatever he
touched turn to gold, and the god
granted his wish. The king wasthrilled and instantly touched
everything he saw—a twig, a
stone, an ear of wheat, an apple on
a branch. All immediately turned
into glowing, solid gold. As he
reached home, the wooden doors
and sills of his own palace were
transformed where he touched
them. What good fortune!
Soon, though, Midas realized
how hungry he felt, and told his
servants to bring him food. At his
touch, the bread turned to gold and
the wine turned to molten gold.
Could he ever eat or drink again?
Midas fled his home, hating
what he had wished for. Seeking
refuge in the wilderness, he cried
out to Dionysus, begging his
benefactor to take back his gift.
The god told him to bathe in the
hills, at the source of the Pactolus;
washing away the curse, Midas
was freed from his golden touch. ■WHATEVER I
TOUCH, MAY IT BE
TRANSFORMED INTO
TAWNY GOLD
KING MIDAS
IN BRIEF
THEME
A cursed giftSOURCES
Anabasis (“The March of the
10,000”), Xenophon, ca. 370 bce;
Metamorphoses, Ovid, 8 ce.SETTING
Ancyra (now Ankara), in
Phrygia (central Turkey).KEY FIGURES
Midas King of Phrygia;
cursed with a golden touch.Silenus Half-man, half-horse;
god of wine-making and
drunkenness; companion
and tutor of Dionysos.Dionysus The god of fertility
and wine, who brought both
ecstasy and rage.As Midas bathed at the river’s source,
shown here in a work by Bartolomeo
Manfredi (1617–1619), the gold he washed
away was said to have seeped into the
sand, later enriching King Croesus.US_090_091_Midas_and_Atlantis.indd 90 01/12/17 4:22 pm
91
See also: The founding of Athens 56–57 ■ The Trojan War 62–63 ■ The quest of Odysseus 66–71A
tlantis was a mythical
civilization that flourished
before an ill-fated war and
natural forces destroyed it. It is
described in two dialogues by the
Athenian philosopher Plato as an
imaginative illustration of his
beliefs about how an ideal state
should be run, and the dangers of
the arrogant use of power.
Though an island, Atlantis was
“larger than Libya and Asia.” It was
an advanced society, technically
accomplished and well governed.
Yet when this wealthy aggressor
waged an unprovoked war, it was
the small, democratic Athens that
prevailed through her “virtue and
strength.” The seemingly utopian
Atlantis failed, Plato notes, because
its people became corrupt. For this,
the great god Zeus punished them,
sending earthquakes and floods
until finally Atlantis was swallowed
up in the sea.Minoan memories
So vividly suggestive was this one
fable that the quest to find a site
that inspired Plato’s story neverceased. There was a historical
precedent for the loss of Atlantis:
the eruption of the island-volcano
of Thera (Santorini), in the Aegean,
south of Greece, around 1500 bce.
Not only did most of the island
sink into the sea, but the darkening
effect of the ash across the sky
created a “winter” which lasted
several years. This disaster likely
brought about the end of the
Minoan civilization, and some
scholars believe that the story of
Atlantis represented a sort of folk
memory of these events. ■ANCIENT GREECE
IN A SINGLE DAY AND
NIGHT, THE ISLAND
OF ATLANTIS DISAPPEARED
BENEATH THE WAVES
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS
IN BRIEF
THEME
Lost citySOURCES
Timaeus and Critias,
Plato, ca. 360 bce.SETTING
Beyond the Pillars of Herakles
(now known as the Strait of
Gibraltar), which marked the
edge of the ancient Greek world.[Athens] shone forth,
in the excellence of her
virtue and strength.
CritiasA confederacy of kings, of
great and marvelous power.
CritiasUS_090_091_Midas_and_Atlantis.indd 91 01/12/17 4:22 pm