Atlantis, The Lost City

Atlantis ~ The Lost City

Atlantis is known to most people as a legend or myth written by the Greek poet Plato, but is it possible that this lost continent really existed? Is it all legend or could there be some fact to it? Contrary to common belief there have been numerous geological and historical findings that actually give proof to the existence of this lost city. In the book Imagining Atlantis it tells us the story written by Plato. "According to ancient Egyptian temple records the Athenians fought an aggressive war against the rulers of Atlantis some nine thousand years earlier and won. These ancient and powerful kings or rulers of Atlantis had formed a confederation by which they controlled Atlantis and other islands as well. They began a war from their homeland in the Atlantic Ocean and sent fighting troops to Europe and Asia. Against this attack the men of Athens formed a coalition from all over Greece to halt it. When this coalition met difficulties, their allies deserted them and the Athenians fought on alone to defeat the Atlantian rulers. They stopped an invasion of their own country as well as freeing Egypt and eventually every country under the control of the rulers of Atlantis. Shortly after their victory, even before the Athenians could return home, Atlantis suffered catastrophic earthquakes and floods until it disappeared beneath the sea. All of the brave men were swallowed up in one day and night of horror according to legend. This is why the Egyptians were ever grateful to the Athenians."

Also, in Plato's writings it gives a background of Atlantis' history. "The history of Atlantis began at the beginning of time. It was then that the immortal gods divided the world among themselves and each ruled their proportion. The god Poseidon received Atlantis, an island larger the Libya and Asia combined. He chose for a wife the mortal woman Cleito, and with her begun the royal family of Atlantis. Poseidon built Cleito's home on a high hill at the very center of the island. The home overlooked a fertile plain, bordered by the sea. For his beloved wife's protection Poseidon surrounded her house with five concentric rings of water and land. He carved the ring...

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... by the eruption, to be destroyed by. There is much geological evidence supporting this theory and it is supposed to be the most likely to have happened.

What archeological evidence is there to support Plato's story of the lost continent of Atlantis? There have been found a number of other writings from many other civilizations telling an almost identical story as Plato's. Plato actually studied Egyptian writings to get his own story. There have also been maps found that clearly depict Atlantis on them. One ancient map owned by King Henry owned in 1500 A.D. shows a large unknown island in roughly the same spot as Plato depicted in his writings!

In conclusion, whether the actual city described in Plato's writings existed, there is much proof that some sort of ancient city, similar in story, did actually exist and was made extinct by a disaster. There is much room for speculation about the exaggeration of Plato's writings, but his calculations (Minus the error in translation) are fairly accurate and have been used in recent archeological findings of ancient artifacts. The mystery of this legend remains in the minds of many.