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The only sources for the story of the fabled island are the philosophical dialogues of Plato, that date from about 360 BC. The Athenian Philosopher mentions Atlantis in two of his dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In the Timaeus, the story of the island is only briefly discussed. In the Critias, Plato claims that the great Athenian law-giver Solon is the source of the story<ref> Forsyth, P. Y. Atlantis: The Making of Myth. (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1980), p. 12</ref>. This story had been handed down by wise men and priests for thousands of years and it was transmitted to Solon. The great Athenian was known to have traveled widely and is regarded as one of the ‘Seven Sages of Greece’. Plato claims that Solon translated some records from Egyptian into Greek and it was from these that he learned the story of Atlantis<ref>Plato. Timaeus, 3b</ref>. Some believe that Plato may have been influenced in his conception of Atlantis, by the works of the mythographer Hellanicus of Lesbos. In particular, he is believed to have written a work called Atlantis, who was the daughter of the God of the Sea Poseidon. The story of Atlantis in the Platonic dialogues is widely regarded as a form of philosophical allegory. Plato taught many of is doctrines in the form of allegorical tales, one of the best known is the story of the ‘Prisoners in the Cave’ found in the Republic<ref>Plato, The Republic, v, 515b2</ref>. The Athenian Philosopher’s discussion of the story of Atlantis is regarded as an allegory on the ideal society and what happens to states, when their citizenry lost, their virtues.<ref>Forsyth, p. 18</ref>.