Plato’s stories about Atlantis and its people in his writings in Timace Y critics the myth of Atlantis began. He gave enough details to make it very plausible, and he was vague enough about the location of Atlantis that it is almost impossible to find. His biggest clue to the location of Atlantis was what he called the Pillars of Heracles. No one knows where the Pillars of Heracles might actually be. Some say that it is a stretch of the Greek coast and others that it is in the straight line of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Discoveries of things like the finds on the island of Santorini in the Mediterranean and the Bimini road at the bottom of the Atlantic could be signs of the lost city, but there is really no hard evidence. I like and think that the location of the island of Santorini is the most likely, since it is close to the Greek coast and Plato could have known about the volcanic eruption that caused the destruction of the island. The volcano eruption and tidal wave were supposed to be as big or bigger than those of Krakatoa.
The sudden end of the Santorini and Create Minoans after the destruction of the island of Santorini fits with Plato’s story. Much of the archaeological evidence that has been found also fits well with Plato’s story.
the antediluvian world, an 1818 book by Ignatius L. Donnelly considered Plato’s account of Atlantis to be largely factual. He tried to establish that all known ancient civilizations descended from this supposed lost land of Atlantis. His ideas are where most people got their ideas about Atlantis and his book did a lot to promote the existence of Atlantis.
The people of Atlantis were supposed to be highly educated, wealthy, had a fascination with wolves, were great sailors, merchants, and had an accomplished military.
At the Eastern Illinois University collage, I read various books and stories about Atlantis and got very involved in finding out about Atlantis. I read a translation of Thymachus Y critics and a series of articles on where Atlantis can be found. The locations ranged from Greenland, Easter Island, the Bahamas, Antarctica, and the Santorini/Create location. I wrote a terrible paper on Atlantis at the time. I can’t believe I got a passing grade on that paper, it was so bad. The most likely theory to this day is the location of Santorini.
I still have an interest in Atlantis and believe it existed. Myths almost always start from a real fact and then embellish it. I’d still like to be the one to find actual proof of Atlantis, but I think I have a better chance of winning the lottery. Plato’s story of Atlantis is still as far from being a myth as it is from being a real place.
