From Plato's Timaeus:
“You are welcome to hear them,' said the priest, 'both for your own sake and for that of the city, and above all for the sake of the goddess who is the common foundress of both our cities. Nine thousand years have elapsed since she founded yours, and eight thousand since she founded ours, as our annals record.”
Excerpt From: Plato. “Timaeus.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/timaeus/id498663773?mt=11
The Egyptian priest explained Solon that the same goddess founded "Athens", 9000 years before their time and "Egypt", 8000 years before their time. Do you think that Plato mentioned those numbers arbitrarily? Are we supposed to take those numbers literally?... I would like to read your opinions.