To be clear, after over 2,000 years of storytelling, exploration and speculation, we still have no tangible evidence that Atlantis ever existed, and that has not stopped various explorers, scientists, conspiracy theorists, and the curious-minded from investigating one of antiquity’s biggest mysteries.
Wait, what’s the big deal about Atlantis, anyway?
The story of Atlantis did not just bumble out of nowhere. The story comes from the works of ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who told of this highly advanced, ultra-wealthy, and highly organized city in both of his works Timaeus and Critias, written around 360 BC.
Plato claimed that Atlantis was a powerful civilization existing around 9,000 years prior to his era, and that Atlantis was destroyed in just one day due to racing disaster, whether either a tsunami or earthquake. Plato placed the city in somewhere within the Atlantic Ocean, but he never specified exactly where.
But here is the kicker: this is literally the only ancient source that references the Atlantis story. No other Greek or ancient documents corroborate the story, but very interesting, right?
Could it be… Indonesia?
You might find this hard to believe, but at one time, some people put forward the idea that Indonesia may be the true Atlantis. What happened? They were talking about Sundaland, a submerged landmass that used to be something like Southeast Asia. Could this have been a lost civilization?
Professor Yahdi Zaim, does not think so. He pointed out that Plato never referred to Southeast Asia, and, while it would be possible to eliminate a region in a sudden geological activity, there was nothing to support the proposition in this particular case.
Zaim thought it terribly inconvenient that there would have to be extensive deep sea excavations to prove their argument of Atlantis is Sundaland – at of a depth of 100 meters, therefore amounting to huge budgets and investment in extraordinary deepsea techniques.
Perhaps It’s Concealed… Somewhere Else?
A few researchers think the lost city could actually be somewhere that’s not in the Atlantic at all. Others have speculated the Mediterranean, Spain’s southern coast, or even Antarctica—yeah, under that ice.
With no wreckage, no ruins, and no smoking gun, anything is possible. The vast Indian Ocean has also been floated, particularly after underwater features were mapped nearby broken ridges. But still… no evidence.
Let’s Be Honest Here: Plato Might Have Made It All Up
There is no shortage of scholars who believe that Atlantis, in all seriousness, was not supposed to be taken literally.
If Atlantis, and all of its combined wealth and power really did exist, then other ancient civilizations would have likely documented it to tell their own stories. That simply has not happened. Ken Feder, author of Encyclopedia of Dubious Archeology, indicates that Atlantis might as likely be a literary device.
Final Thoughts: A Lost City or an Ingenious Myth?
It’s a mix of science, mythology, and enough blind hope. Until then, Atlantis will remain frozen in the myriad possibilities of fact and fiction.
