The lost city of Atlantis was first mentioned in Plato’s dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. What happened to Atlantis, if it existed at all, remains a mystery. According to Plato, the island nation existed close to 10,000 B.C. Its inhabitants supposedly created an advanced utopian society, but they flew too close to the sun and were ultimately punished by the wrath of angry gods. Many speculate, however, that Atlantis is simply a myth, an allegory created by Plato based on massive floods or destruction in the past.
Legend has it that the technologically advanced city sank into the sea and was lost in time for thousands of years. In the 19th century, the notion that Atlantis was an actual city became popular, and scientists and archeologists alike became determined to find it. Whether or not you believe Atlantis existed, the theories about it's possible location are pretty fascinating.
One of the most logical theories about Atlantis posits that it was the ancient Greek island of Thera, which is modern day Santorini. Some 3,600 years ago a massive volcano erupted and claimed part of the island. Geologists say that Santorini’s topography matches up with the topography in Plato’s description.
The Antikythera Mechanism Was Too Advanced To Be From Anywhere But Atlantis
The Antikythera mechanism is a mysterious device found inside a shipwreck that dates back to 100 B.C. The machine, which has been called the world’s first computer, is most likely an astronomical clock. The hands display the celestial time of the sun, moon, and each of the five visible planets. The gears and engineering that went into the device were not seen again for over 1000 years. Because Atlantis was described as a highly technologically advanced society, some consider the Antikythera mechanism to be a relic of Atlantis.
The Discovery Of Mythological Metal In A Shipwreck Could Have Come From Atlantis
In Critias, Plato describes Atlantis as a city shimmering with the red light of orichalcum, a precious metal. In 2015, a group of marine archeologists found 39 orichalcum ingots, or oblong blocks of metal, in a shipwreck from the 6th century B.C. off the coast of Sicily. Professor Sebastiano Tusa, an archeologist who led the team said, “The discovery is unique and exceptional because it's the first time that we've found orichalcum ingots.”
Steadfast Atlantis believers claim that the island nation could have existed in another part of the world entirely, nowhere near ancient Greece. Some Atlantis believers think that Bimini Road, an underwater rock formation off Bimini Island in the Bahamas, could be a link to Atlantis. Because the rocks have a clean-cut rectangular shape, some believe they're evidence of ancient structures. In Quest for Atlantis: Startling New Secrets, Greg Little claimed that he and a group of researchers found another layer of rock under Bimini Road that dates back to 10,000 B.C., the time Plato said Atlantis existed.
Stone Anchors In Gibraltar May Be Remnants Of An Atlantis Port
Plato claimed that Atlantis was located at the "Pillars of Hercules,” which is the ancient name for an area near the Strait of Gibraltar. The James Cameron-produced documentary Atlantis Rising showed ancient anchors discovered in the Strait of Gibraltar, which could be evidence of an Atlantis port. “If we found six on a few dives, there must be thousands out there, confirming Plato's account of a port just past the Pillars of Hercules,” said the documentary filmmaker, Simcha Jacobovici.
Rock Etchings In Southern Spain Show People Fleeing From A Flood
In Atlantis Rising, Georgeos Diaz-Montexano claims that some inhabitants of Atlantis were able to flee onto the Iberian Peninsula and settle into what is now known as Campanario, Spain. Rock carvings found on a site in Campanario show images of boats and horses being overcome by waves. Other features of the rock etchings, such as the concentric circular structure of the illustrated city, are consistent with Plato’s telling of Atlantis.
