where did the atlantic ocean get its name
Atlantic Ocean
The oldest known mentions of an `` Atlantic '' sea come from Stesichorus around mid-sixth century BC ( Sch . A.R. 1 . 211 ) : Atlantikoi pelágei ( Greek : Ἀτλαντικῷ πελάγει ; English : ' the Atlantic sea ' ; etym . ' Sea of Atlantis ' ) and in The Histories of Herodotus around 450 BC ( Hdt. 1.202. 4 ) : Atlantis thalassa ( Greek : Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα ; English : ' Sea of Atlantis ' or ' the Atlantis sea ' ) where the name refers to `` the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles '' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land . Thus , on one hand , the name refers to Atlas , the Titan in Greek mythology , who supported the heavens and who later appeared as a frontispiece in Medieval maps and also lent his name to modern atlases . On the other hand , to early Greek sailors and in Ancient Greek mythological literature such as the Iliad and the Odyssey , this all - encompassing ocean was instead known as Oceanus , the gigantic river that encircled the world ; in contrast to the enclosed seas well - known to the Greeks : the Mediterranean and the Black Sea . In contrast , the term `` Atlantic '' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast . The Greek word thalassa has been reused by scientists for the huge Panthalassa ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea hundreds of million years ago . 
The oldest known mentions of an `` Atlantic '' sea come from Stesichorus around mid-sixth century BC ( Sch . A.R. 1 . 211 ) : Atlantikoi pelágei ( Greek : Ἀτλαντικῷ πελάγει ; English : ' the Atlantic sea ' ; etym . ' Sea of Atlantis ' ) and in The Histories of Herodotus around 450 BC ( Hdt. 1.202. 4 ) : Atlantis thalassa ( Greek : Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα ; English : ' Sea of Atlantis ' or ' the Atlantis sea ' ) where the name refers to `` the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles '' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land . Thus , on one hand , the name refers to Atlas , the Titan in Greek mythology , who supported the heavens and who later appeared as a frontispiece in Medieval maps and also lent his name to modern atlases . On the other hand , to early Greek sailors and in Ancient Greek mythological literature such as the Iliad and the Odyssey , this all - encompassing ocean was instead known as Oceanus , the gigantic river that encircled the world ; in contrast to the enclosed seas well - known to the Greeks : the Mediterranean and the Black Sea . In contrast , the term `` Atlantic '' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast . The Greek word thalassa has been reused by scientists for the huge Panthalassa ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea hundreds of million years ago .
The term ``Atlantic'' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast. Also Atlantis thalassa (Greek: Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα ; English: ' Sea of Atlantis ' or 'the Atlantis sea') where the name refers to ``the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles'' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land.
: Atlantis thalassa ( Greek : Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα ; English : ' Sea of Atlantis ' or ' the Atlantis sea ' ) where the name refers to `` the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles '' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land . In contrast , the term `` Atlantic '' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast .
The term ``Atlantic'' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast. Also Atlantis thalassa, English: ' Sea of Atlantis ' or 'the Atlantis sea' where the name refers to ``the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles'' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land.
: Atlantis thalassa ( Greek : Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα ; English : ' Sea of Atlantis ' or ' the Atlantis sea ' ) where the name refers to `` the sea beyond the pillars of Heracles '' which is said to be part of the ocean that surrounds all land . In contrast , the term `` Atlantic '' originally referred specifically to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the sea off the Strait of Gibraltar and the North African coast .