6:1

Where is Atlantis?

Plato wrote about a wondrous land that reflected as much of a utopian society as this world has ever seen, called Atlantis. For many years this place was seen as a fantasy world derived from pure fiction. After other places that were previously thought to be of fiction, like Troy, were discovered, some began to wonder if Atlantis was once a real place as well.

Atlantis, according to legend, is the parent to modern society. Plato describes it as being west of the Pillars of Hercules, known to us as the Straight of Gibraltar. It consisted of a sophisticated people that were knowledgeable on astronomy, machinery, and had a developed written language. After Atlantis was devoured by water it is said that a few men defied death and brought civil society to an uncouth world. Atlantis yields many questions. Where is Atlantis? Who populated this advanced land? How advanced was its society? Did it even exist?

There are many hypothesis as to where Atlantis is. Nearly every place on earth has been accused of being the home of Atlantis at one time or another. The following are some of the most famous and controversial homes of Atlantis:

• The Caribbean
• Bimini Islands
• Crete
• Sardinia
• Cyprus
• Troy
• Canaan
• Santorini
• South pole

Archeology as a whole rejects the idea of Atlantis, but it wouldn’t be the first time experts were wrong concerning their field. The existence of Atlantis would answer some questions, like why there are pyramids in Egypt and South America? Why do both of these societies have hieroglyphics instead of an alphabet? Did Atlantians teach both of these societies astronomy?

Since Atlantis was flooded by water, the obvious place to look for it is at the sea floor. Bimini Road, an underwater seemingly man-built road, is most likely the closest we have ever been to finding Atlantis. It is named as such due to its proximity to Bimini Island. This underwater secret highway was discovered in 1968, the same year that a psychic from the early 1900’s, Edgar Cayce, said Atlantis was to be found. For devout followers of psychics and futuristic predictions that evidence is all they need to hear to believe in Atlantis. For the common man, what is needed is the city that this road leads to. Some account that they have seen pyramids in the seas surrounding Bimni Island, but this has not been proved as of yet.

Another common theory is that the Atlantians were actually the Minoans. The Minoans lived in Crete, which lies east rather then west of the Straight of Gibraltar. Descriptions of Atlantis parallel descriptions of the Minoan society. They were both considered advanced and knowledgeable civilizations. There is also evidence that a powerful tsunami hit Crete, which would align with Plato’s works that say Atlantis was destroyed by water. The mystery of Atlantis will not be laid to rest until it is found. That is only possible if it truly exists, so believers may be searching for this fascinating society for centuries.