Time Immemorial
Chapter 12: An Unintended Metaphor
July 16th
2210 Hours
"You recognize them?" Elizabeth asked Nicolas.
"Oh, yes," the old Frenchman answered grimly. "I have devoted some time to researching their culture."
"And you're just bringing this up now?" Rodney exclaimed.
"Forgive me," Dr. Perrot said, more to Elizabeth than Rodney. "I did not realize until only now that they were in fact the same people I have been studying."
"Studying?" Elizabeth queried. "From the Ancient database? I already looked; there wasn't any mention—"
"No, not from the Ancient database. From annals of history, my dear – Earth's history, actually – only they went by a different name and pronunciation: the Lacedaimonians."
"Doesn't ring a bell," John said, looking to Elizabeth for help. He noticed Elizabeth close her eyes first in recognition and then discouragement.
"Perhaps you will recognize their more common, modern name: the Spartans of Ancient Greece."
John's jaw nearly dropped in surprise. "Yeah, that one I know…."
"You've got to be joking," McKay blurted in disbelief.
"It suddenly became apparent to me when I saw the symbol on their shields: the capital Greek letter lambda, the precursor to the modern-day 'L'. A triangle without its base leg - the same symbol bore by ancient Spartans on Earth. Je suis désolé, I should have seen it sooner!"
"Oh, man. We are screwed – we are so screwed! I mean, we're talking Hercules and Achilles and all those super soldiers, right?"
Dr. Perrot frowned at the scientist's anachronistic prattle. "Vieux jeu, but close enough."
"Well how the hell are we supposed to beat that? There's over sixty of them—"
"Everyone, just calm down," Elizabeth said as evenly and forcibly as she could. She glanced at their guards, hoping that her team's recent chatter hadn't attracted too much attention. She lowered her voice. "If we're going to beat them, we're going to have to understand them first. Maybe we'll be able to find a weakness. Nicolas, why don't you tell us everything you know about them, starting from the beginning?"
"The beginning is a long way back," the Frenchman warned.
"Well, as you so recently reminded us, I think we have the time," Dr. Weir encouraged.
Nicolas nodded. "Very well. Please stop me if I begin to ramble. Given recent developments, much of what I am about to say is – what is the phrase? – 'off the cuff.'" He took a deep breath.
Teyla, Rodney, and John seemed to lean in closer, only ever so slightly, convinced that what they were about to hear would be of great consequence.
"Now, if my theories are correct, the story of the Lacedami begins with the story of the Ancients. To understand the Lacedami's ties to Earth, we have to understand the Ancients' ties to Earth first. We know from the database that the Ancients seeded life in the Milky Way approximately 10 million years ago. Some time after that, they departed Earth to breathe life into the Pegasus Galaxy, and returned to Earth through the Stargate after submerging the City 10,000 years ago. Pay attention: you'll find that date a recurring element in the interweaving tales I am about to tell you.
"Now I hope it will become apparent in a little while, but for now please believe me when I say we can look to some of Earth's historical texts – particularly those of Ancient Greece – for insight into Atlantis and what happened after the Ancients returned to Earth – before, during, and after the time of the Spartans.
"One of the reasons the Greeks shed so much light onto the story of Atlantis is because their culture kept exhaustive records that far surpassed those of any other during that time. Let's examine specific references of Atlantis itself and see how they measure up to reality," Nicolas said quietly to his audience, motioning to the City around him. Seated on the cold floor, he had to remind himself to speak softly lest the nearby guards break up their gathering.
"There are descriptions of this City in Earth's history?" asked Teyla.
"Oh, yes, many. And detailed, too. It is from Plato's Timaeus and Criteaus that we get an extensive description of the City's layout: a central tower surrounded by dwellings and places of work. There were six large sectors of land separated by narrow channels of water. Plato even describes the exact dimensions of each of these areas. It was 'a marvel to behold for size and for beauty.' I am sure none of you here now can disagree. But we have much, much more than that, almost a complete history of the City.
"The Greeks believed Atlantis was built by gods – specifically Haphaestus and Athena, brother and sister. Being lovers of philosophy and science, the siblings naturally sculpted their great City under the same ideals. Only gods and demigods lived in Atlantis and they all respected the principles of righteousness, bravery, and wisdom. One of these gods, the first king of Atlantis, was Atlas – think globe. 'Atlantis' can be translated, in fact, to 'island of Atlas'. Haphaestus and Athena instilled the idea of government into the minds of Atlas and the Atlanteans. Other civilizations, protectorates of Atlantis herself, were founded under Atlas and his successors. Plato cites this time period as the Golden Age in Atlantean history:
'Now in this island of Atlantis there was a great and wonderful empire which had rule over her other colonies. She was pre-eminent in courage, virtue, and strength [….] Her people possessed true and in every way great spirits, uniting gentleness with wisdom in the various chances of life. They despised everything but virtue, caring little for their present state of life, and thinking lightly of other property, which seemed only a burden to them.'
The city thrived for many years."
Elizabeth took a moment to mull over the words of the professor. Plato - this was the second time today she had encountered the Greek philosopher's prose. His words had also been printed on the antique parchment in the Lacedami encampment. Though she had heard this story many times before, it seemed to take new meaning after every telling, especially today.
Her history background made it difficult for her to ignore the obvious connections of the past to what was around her now. They had all seen evidence of the Ancients' focus on – and perhaps obsession with – science, metaphysics, exploration, and technology. Their virtue and wisdom was apparent, and their fixation with leaving their corporeal bonds behind in favor of ascension defined them. Her expedition had encountered dozens of cultures in Pegasus, Teyla's people, for example, all of which were seeded by the Ancients and referred to them as gods. Even the great Greek poet's description of Atlantis' layout, from the control tower to the piers, was spot on. It was uncanny.
The darkness of the storm outside was momentarily interrupted by a bright flash in the distance. Lightning was approaching.
"And then, the downfall of this great City," Nicolas resumed with a sigh. Like every member of his audience, he had grown attached to his new home. "Surprisingly, we do not have as much information on this unfortunate event as we do on the City herself. Earth's historical documents cite a great war as the cause of the loss. Again, it is Plato who gave us the most information. I paraphrase, of course: 'And when the other colonies fell from her, being compelled to stand alone, after having undergone the very extremity of danger, her initial triumph over the invaders eventually gave way to defeat.'"
John shared a commiserative look with Elizabeth. They had understood immediately. The war with the Wraith, the Siege. Atlantis' protectorates that were spread across the galaxy, the human life that the Ancients had seeded, had been culled. It was only a matter time before the Ancients were forced to submerge the City and flee. The war had been lost.
"I am sure you have all heard Plato's famous lines about the tragic defeat," Dr. Perrot said. "'In a single day and night of misfortune […] the island of Atlantis disappeared in the depths of the sea.' Plato estimates this event to have occurred 10,000 years ago."
"When the Ancients submerged Atlantis and left for Earth through the Gate," John recalled.
"Yes, exactly."
Teyla listened to the Frenchman's words. She was unaware of any of Earth's ancient history, but she found the connections between her world and Earth fascinating. Could it be true? Could the history of Atlantis have really been recorded on Earth, on the other side of the universe?
"What then?" McKay asked, intrigued but dubious.
"Then the story gets even more interesting," Dr. Perrot answered. "The continuing saga of the Ancients picks up with their flight from the submerged City and their arrival on Earth. The two events have somewhat bled together together in the tales. The story manifests itself most prominently, once again, in Greek mythology.
"The story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, also thought to have taken place about 10,000 years ago, is widely considered to be the human creation myth of Ancient Greece. Zeus let loose a torrent of water, engulfing the known world with the sea, flooding civilizations and killing all those who occupied them. Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha were able to escape the deluge. They settled in a new land, where man and wife were tasked with repopulating the Earth. Oh, and did I mention Pyrrha is mention by name on Earth's Rosetta Stone?" He cast a knowing look at Elizabeth.
The diplomat's eyebrows raised in surprise. The Rosetta Stone: another text found in the Lacedami camp, and another that told of the Siege. But she had forgotten completely about Pyrrha. A host of Greeks were mentioned on the Rosetta Stone; Pyrrha had no reason to stand out from the others until now.
"Wait, wait, wait," Rodney interjected. "I'm no historian – and frankly I'm not sure who'd want to be – but this smells an awful lot like the story of Noah's Ark from the Bible, or the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh."
"Epic of Gilgamesh?" John questioned Rodney. "What, you read now?"
"I read," McKay snapped back.
"Yeah, but I'm talking about more than just scientific theories and Batman comics," John teased.
"Better than Fun With Dick and Jane. Tell me, Major, have you made it up to 'See Spot Run' yet or have you gotten distracted by all the pretty pictures?"
"Speaking of which, how was your date the other night with that Playboy magazine you have stashed under your bed—"
"Boys," interrupted Dr. Weir for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Can we let Dr. Perrot continue, please?" The two grown men simply fell silent. "Good. Nicolas, please go on."
"My lofty friend is absolutely correct," the old historian continued. The Canadian didn't know if he had just been slighted or praised. "We will get to the similarities of all the Great Flood myths in a moment."
"And this great flood that forced the characters to flee their home for a new land – you believe that was another veiled account of the sinking of Atlantis and the flight of the surviving Ancients through the Gate to Earth?" This time it was Teyla who asked.
"Exactement! An unintended metaphor, the facts a casualty of time! The famous, mythical flood was no flood at all, but rather the story of the submersion of this City following the war with the Wraith. When the last surviving Ancient on Earth died or ascended, the original saga died with him. Then the truth, as it often does, mutated over time as the Ancients' descendants spread across the globe."
"Like the telephone game," Sheppard offered.
"I'm afraid I am too old to know what that is, Major, but I'll take your word for it. Just think of how many times their story had to endure a translation from tongue to tongue, a migration of a civilization, misplacement of a written account, the forgetfulness of a tribe's bard, an artful twist for entertainment value... Over 10,000 years later it is a miracle we have any accounts of it at all!"
Enthralled by Nicolas' enthusiasm, Elizabeth was almost able to forget she was a captive and thought of the enjoyable times she would pour over Ancient documents with the Frenchman in the wee hours of the morning. She suddenly spotted a cut on the old man's forehead beginning to bleed slightly. His face had taken on an unhealthy cast. She moved to wipe his forehead with some of Carson's leftover gauze, but he shooed her away politely, still catching his breath from his exciting romp through history.
"Just listen to the references to the Atlantis 'flood' water and the sea that we can find sprinkled in Ancient Greek culture," he continued.
"Exhibit A. As I mentioned, Deucalion — called 'the One Who Has Been Through Water,' by the way — and his wife Pyrrha repopulated the Earth. One of their progeny was named Pelasgus, and the Greek 'Pelasgian' people were referred to as the 'Sea People' by Ramses II of Egypt."
The listener's ears perked up at the phonetic resemblance of the Pelasgian people to the name of the Atlantis home galaxy.
"Exhibit B. The Seven Sisters were the daughters of Atlas – remember him from earlier? – and a sea-nymph. A marriage of Earth and sea. The story goes that the sisters were deeply saddened by the loss of their mother, the sea nymph. To comfort them, Zeus immortalized them as the constellation 'Pleiades' or 'Atlantides'. The constellation Pleiades is of great significance amongst many cultures: the Maori, Aztecs, Aborigines, Persians, Chinese, Sioux; the list goes on and on. They are referenced in Babylonian star catalogues, Hesiod's works, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the Bible, and Hindu mythology. The Greeks aligned the Parthenon and other temples to their rising.
"Electra, one of these sisters and the outermost star in the cluster, was the mother of the founder of Troy - Troy being founded by Ancient Greeks. She is said to be the lost Pleiad, so distraught by the fall of her great city that she distanced herself in mourning, separated from the rest forever. The Romans had a different name for her: Atlantis."
John found himself nodding, dumbfounded but still skeptical. He had no doubt of Atlantis' ties to the sea; here he was, standing on the mythical floating City itself – something he never thought he'd do. Hell, he thought, we were even the ones to bring her up from the ocean floor, right where the Ancients left her. Water, floods, the sea – they were all symbols for Atlantis and its history. Names of galaxies, legendary cities, primordial constellations…. Had this alien city's history been staring them in the face for thousands of years, hidden just underneath the surface of Earth's own mythology?
"I don't buy it," McKay suddenly voiced. "So lots of cultures reference water. Lots of cultures were also built near water. Of course there were floods."
"This was not just any flood," Nicolas explained. "It was a deluge of literally biblical proportions, so large, in fact, that many historians agree that it is not physically possible that it occurred. It could only exist in allegory."
"I don't believe in allegory."
"No? That's an odd thing to say, coming from a theoretical physicist," Dr. Perrot answered with feigned shock.
"Hardly!" returned Rodney with a scoff. "I believe in the concrete. I believe in formulas, fundamental principles and laws, mathematical proofs and theories—"
"I am glad you said that, Doctor," the historian said coolly. "Do you know what the definition of allegory is?" He didn't pause for a reply. "Allegory is the representation of abstract meaning by concrete means. Now do you know what the definition of 'theory' is? It is a group of collected propositions that can be used as explanation for intangible phenomena. Similar, oui? And let me remind you, Dr. McKay, that gravity is still considered a theory to this day."
McKay folded his arms in bother, but remained unconvinced. "Earlier you said Earth had several accounts of this Great Flood," Rodney remarked. "As in, more than one. As in, Noah's Ark, Gilgamesh…?"
"Yes, yes, I am getting to that now," Nicolas retorted, dismissing McKay with a wave his hand. "The stories of the Great Flood, mass migrations, and/or the birth of the human race are common to many civilizations, so common, in fact, that we'd be fools to dismiss their similarities as mere coincidence. Ergo, many cultures describe the downfall of Atlantis in some way, shape, or form.
"We've already discussed Deucalion and Pyrrha, but of course Noah's Ark is the most well known flood myth in the Western world. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh's character Utnapishtim is Noah's Mesopotamian equivalent. The two stories are very nearly identical in nature. But we also have Nefyed Nav Nevion, who escaped a flood and found Wales. The Okanogans Indians of British Columbia say that Atlantis sank in the midst of a war, drowning all combatants save a few. A 13th century Scandanavian saga, The Atlakvith, which literally means 'The Punishment of Atlantis,' describes the cataclysm in detail, with particular emphasis on 'warring comets' — Wraith ships, perhaps? In the same culture, The Atlamal, 'The Story of Atlantis, Twilight of the Gods', tells the story of how the persistent 'celestial blazes' forced the Atlanteans' hand and led to a great torrent of water. According to French legend, princess Sequana of the island Moros sailed to the Burgundian highlands from a great deluge that drowned her distant homeland."
"Moros," Elizabeth repeated, thinking aloud. "Wait, Moros was the name of one of the Ancient council members here in Atlantis! He was among the last to evacuate to Earth before the City was submerged!" she whispered excitedly, trying her hardest to keep her voice down. "The connection can't just be by chance."
"No, I suspect not," Dr. Perrot agreed. "The explanation may be simple. Moros lived out a life on Earth, helped percolate the story to various cultures, and by the time the tale had migrated to Gallo-Roman France he had been transformed into a symbol in the very story he had told."
"So Moros was an Ancient who lived here in Atlantis," Major Sheppard stated. "Does that mean Noah was a living Ancient, too – or Utnapishtim, Deucalion, the Pleiades, any of those guys? If one of them is now a symbol in a story he actually lived out thousands of years ago, it stands to reason they all are."
"Précisément," the elderly professor agreed with an approving grin. "Gold star for you, Major."
Rodney rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself. "Oh, he's your star pupil, and I'm the dunce in the corner…."
"Noah was Atlantean," Elizabeth repeated aloud, more to herself than anyone else. The magnitude of what they were hearing was astonishing; if she wasn't currently living in the great City herself, she might find it a difficult pill to swallow. She wondered what other figures from Earth's legends were, in actuality, Ancients: Janus, the Ancient inventor, shared his name with the Roman god of time; Helia, the daughter of the Greek sun god Helios and the ocean nymph Clymene, was the name of the captain of an Ancient warship Elizabeth had read about in the database; Melia, a member of the Ancient High Council, was the sister of Helia in Greek mythology.
"Okay, assuming I actually believe that all these flood myths are talking about the same event – the siege of Atlantis and the evacuation to Earth – what then? What happened after the Ancients came to Earth through the Gate?" the Canadian astrophysicist challenged.
"For a non-believer, you certainly seem interested, Doctor," the old historian mused. "You have to remember the state of the human race at that time. When Atlantis left Earth after seeding life there, they left the extremely primitive hominids of Earth to develop on their own. The human race evolved first into Australopithecus, then into Homo erectus and finally Homo sapien. We grew from loose bands of hunter-gatherers to a race capable of trade, animal husbandry, and the mastery of basic metal tools.
"Interestingly enough," he continued, "this last, relatively sudden leap forward in societal progression – considered by many to be the true 'birth' of the modern human race – came at the same time the Ancients from the Pegasus Galaxy Gated back to Earth after losing the war with the Wraith, about 10,000 years ago."
"You're saying that the 'birth' – or at least one heck of a technological breakthrough – of what we consider humans today is due to the more advanced Ancients returning to the primitive cultures of Earth 10,000 years ago and providing them with a developmental leg up?" John asked.
"Among other things, yes," Nicolas responded plainly. "Whether this knowledge was purposefully bestowed upon the human tribes or organically absorbed through the Ancients' own assimilation into them, I am not sure. As time progressed, even though the Ancients had either ascended or died out, their contribution to Earth's development carried on through their progeny. We know this because the rate of human progress, after that initial leap, continued to accelerate. There is no explanation other than the aid of outside influence. Just look at the rare minerals being suddenly found and mined thousands of years ago; the construction of pyramids – mathematically precise and no small feat to construct – popping up all over the until-recently primitive world; the formation of governments and philosophical renaissances."
"So aliens did help build the pyramids," John mused.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. But this is more than just speculation of old, stuffy men like me, locked away in classrooms and libraries our whole lives. It has been a common theory amongst scholars of the Stargate Program, including Dr. Jackson and our own Dr. Weir, even before the onset of this expedition."
Elizabeth gave a small nod in acknowledgement. Most of what the old professor had been saying was nothing new to her ears. Indeed, she had been following Nicolas' work before they had set out for Atlantis and had found it hard to refute then. The more they learned out here on the other side of the universe, the more she believed. The legendary tales Nicolas was recounting… they were all true. She felt like she was in a time machine, speeding through the ages.
Looking at her teammates around her, huddled together on the floor of the dark cafeteria, engrossed in the story unfolding before them, Elizabeth realized just how lucky she was. Prior to coming here, she had only read about history. Now she was living history, making it, carrying on the same myths that had previously been exclusively for the likes of Athena, Zeus, and Gilgamesh. It was extraordinary. She felt closer to, more connected with the City than ever before. She knew her friends felt the same way.
"Now to expound upon your point, Dr. McKay, about the commonalties between cultures' sagas," the professor resumed. "If you remember, I already cited one of the reasons the Greeks had such an intimate knowledge of Atlantis was their near-immaculate record keeping. The second reason, and this is only my theory as an anthropologist, is simply that most of the Ancients chose to initially assimilate into what was the infancy of Greek culture instead of elsewhere. For centuries, the remnants of the Ancients' culture lingered in that region before it scattered across the globe due to wars, assimilations, and migrations. As I've said before, the Ancients' stories evolved into the stories of every new culture that subsequently developed. I believe the passing of the torch went something like this: Greeks to Trojans, to Romans, to Egyptians and the Middle East, to Celts and other European tribes, and across Asia to Native Americans and Toltecs. Every one of these civilizations references the city of Atlantis in some way. Enki's 'sea house' and Ninhursag's 'cosmic mountain' in Sumerian mythology, or Ea's 'glorious city in the midst of the mountains' of ancient Babylon.
"Even more fascinating is that every one of these civilization's technological and cultural pinnacles occurred not only chronologically in the order I presented, but only after contact with the previous culture, when whatever knowledge that remained of the Ancients was passed on. We even see glimpses of their values of virtue, knowledge, and exploration spreading across the globe just as they had spread across Pegasus. You'll be happy to learn, my dear Ms. Emmagan, that murals of stick fighting – or whatever you kids call it – have been found on the walls of Egyptian tombs and caves in the Pacific Islands."
Teyla found herself humbled into silence.
Speaking for the first time in a while, Elizabeth shared a passage from classical literature of which she had just been reminded. "In the Aeneid – the story of how the Trojan Aeneas migrated to Italy to found Roman civilization – the author Virgil defines the common genetic heritage of the Greeks and Trojans as Atlantean. We know from earlier that King Atlas' daughter Electra, one of the Pleiades, was the 'mother' of Troy. The Trojan king Nestor even shares the same name as the eighth king to follow Atlas in leading Atlantis, as well as several flood heroes in Plato's other stories. Ancients, Greeks, Trojans, Romans."
"You have to admit, this is all a bit of a stretch," insisted Rodney. "What proof do we have that any of this is true?"
"Other than this until-recently mythical city we've been living in for the past year?" John answered in a quiet, almost reverential tone, beholding the great halls around him. "I'm willing to go on a little faith."
"Dr. McKay is correct," Nicolas admitted. "We have no facts to support these claims, only clues – much like gravity, if I may again remind you, Doctor. I ask that you take a leap of faith. But perhaps this next theory of mine will appeal your scientific intellect.
"One of the reasons I like this theory is because we do have evidence, evidence of genetic anomalies in civilizations around the world that I believe were simply the recessive genes of the Ancients randomly surfacing. Population densities of these anomalies provide sort of a – how do you say it? – 'trail of breadcrumbs' from where the Ancients first journeyed after stepping out of the Gate to where their pedigree migrated: Sumerians, the Guanches of the Canary Islands, pre-Celts of the British Isles, the predecessors of the Basques, and the Berbers. The Berbers were even labeled as the 'remnant race' and called 'Atlantes' or 'Atlantioi'. They all reported that significant percentages of their populations displayed similar physical traits incompatible with the native features of the respective cultures. Mostly this referred to build, complexion, and the like, but there are several reports of mysterious powers exhibited by several of the groups – whether or not that part is true we will never know."
"But the Greeks, it always comes back to the Greeks!" Dr. Perrot said with an excited smile, slapping his palm on his knee in jubilation. "By far, the Greeks exhibited far more of these genetic variances than any other civilization. It is estimated that 7-8% of the Ancient Greek population across several generations displayed genetic irregularities, in comparison to the 1-2% of subsequent civilizations."
"What were these genetic irregularities, Doctor?" Teyla asked.
"Traits one would not expect of Mediterranean peoples, or of the other cultures I mentioned. One in particular was common to all of them: light blue eyes."
Picking his head up instantly, John stared incredulously at the Frenchman. Somehow, tens of thousands of years of history had all been brought home to the present by his last statement.
"I see you have noticed, too, Major Sheppard," Nicolas acknowledged.
"The Lacedami, they have light blue eyes – all of them," the major replied, shocked. "There's no way that's a coincidence."
"Non," Dr. Perrot answered. "There is no way indeed."
"Okay," John said with a sigh, appreciative of the history lesson but weary of all of the cryptic puzzle pieces. "Time to spill it. Who exactly are these guys?"
TBC
Author's note: I'm going to apologize now for the next chapter, which is also exposition. Sorry. I've always been into ancient cultures and the similarities between them. More on that after the next one.