Was Atlantis real? Everything we currently know about this mysterious ancient city

The story of Atlantis comes from two books by the ancient Greek thinker Plato: Timaeus and Critias. 

In particular, he wrote these dialogues around 360 BCE, when Athens was rebuilding after the Peloponnesian War, and they are our main source of information about the legendary city. 

In Timaeus, Plato describes a talk between Socrates, Timaeus, Hermocrates, and Critias.

In that dialogue, Critias tells the story of Atlantis, saying it was passed to him by his family from the Athenian lawmaker Solon. 

Solon is said to have learned of Atlantis from Egyptian priests in the city of Sais during his journey to Egypt around 590 BCE. 

According to them, there was a great society that lived about 9,000 years before their time, placing it around 9,590 BCE.

In the Critias dialogue, Plato goes deeper into the description of Atlantis, explaining its layout, government, and downfall.

Following this, the large island was said to be beyond the “Pillars of Hercules.” 

The people of Atlantis were shown as a strong naval power that conquered parts of Europe and Africa before the ancient Athenians stopped them.

In addition, Atlantis was said to have an army of 5,000 chariots and a navy of 1,200 ships. 

Plato also described Atlantis as a place of great wealth, with natural resources including gold, silver, and orichalcum, a metal said to shine like fire. 

However, their fall was quick. In one day and night, a series of strong earthquakes and floods caused Atlantis to sink beneath the sea, leaving only stories behind.

Plato’s descriptions of Atlantis give a detailed description of its layout. 

The centre of Atlantis was a main city surrounded by circular rings of water and land. 

These rings were connected by tunnels wide enough to hold ships, making sea travel easy.

The main city was shown as a key centre of activity and government. It was on a flat area surrounded by mountains that sloped to the sea. 

This flat area was said to be 3,000 stadia long and 2,000 stadia wide, watered by a system of canals. A stadia is an old Greek measurement, about 150–210 m. 

Plato wrote that the surrounding mountains were taller than any known to the ancient Greeks, which may have been to emphasise their size rather than giving exact geological facts.

Meanwhile, at the very centre of the rings stood a hill where a palace was built for the first king of Atlantis, Atlas, from whom it got its name. 

Around this hill were walls of stone—red, white, and black—taken from nearby mountains and valleys. 

The walls were decorated with precious metals, which demonstrated the island’s great wealth. 

Beyond the main city, the rest of Atlantis was split into ten regions. 

Plato said the island was fertile and well watered, with natural springs and rich soil that grew two crops a year. 

The society and culture of Atlantis, as shown by Plato, displayed a society of great complexity and power. 

At its height, Atlantis was an example of wealth, new ideas, and government, with a social system that was both ranked and cooperative. 

From there, its political system was set up around the ten regions, each led by a king who was a child of its divine founders. 

These kings would meet in the main city to discuss laws, make final decisions, and discuss war and peace. 

Their decisions were final, and they swore oaths to follow its laws and customs, showing the unity and joint responsibility of their rule.

Atlantan culture was based on both its sea skill and its spiritual beliefs. 

Because of this naval strength, Atlantis controlled the seas, setting up trade routes and influencing large areas. 

He describes Poseidon as the divine father of its royal family, and then the people built a large temple for him.

Over the generations, he records that the moral strength of their society began to weaken. 

He describes a fall in goodness and honesty among them. Over generations, the divine part of their line faded, and with it their good qualities. 

They became greedy, seeking power, and dishonest, leading to fights inside and attacks on others.

According to Plato’s account, the fall of Atlantis was quick and complete. 

The once-impressive society came to an end in a series of strong earthquakes and floods over one day and night. 

This quick sinking made Atlantis unreachable and hidden, leaving only tales of what had been.

While Plato’s account is our main source of information about this lost society, the lack of real evidence and the tempting nature of the tale have led many to share different ideas about where it might have been. 

One of the most argued topics is the true location of Atlantis. Some ideas suggest it was in the Mediterranean, pointing to places like Santorini, which had a huge volcanic eruption around 1600 BCE. 

This eruption and the following tsunami could have led to the sinking of a society, even though there is no direct historical link between Santorini and Atlantis. 

The island of Santorini, known in ancient times as Thera, has been studied by many researchers. 

Dig sites in the area have found evidence of a developed society, with detailed buildings and objects, but no evidence directly links these finds to Atlantis. 

The huge volcanic eruption around 1600 BCE led to the end of the Minoan society, and some think it could have led to the story. 

Areas off the coast of Spain have also been of interest. Plato’s reference to Atlantis being beyond the “Pillars of Hercules” is seen as naming the Strait of Gibraltar.

However, no historical evidence supports a city there. 

Another idea says that Atlantis was in the Americas, especially in the Caribbean or around the Bahamas. 

The discovery of the Bimini Road, a rock formation underwater recorded in 1968, caused excitement among fans. 

Some thought these straight stone lines could be remains of the lost city. 

Even so, earth science studies have shown that these formations are natural, not man-made.

The idea that Atlantis might be in Antarctica has also gained some notice. 

Supporters say the continent may once have been free of ice and could have had people. 

However, earth and ancient climate evidence shows that Antarctica has been covered in ice for over 34 million years, making a developed society there impossible. 

In recent years, some researchers have looked at satellite images and done remote sensing studies to find unusual formations on the ocean floor.

Even so, no reliable scientific study has confirmed any man-made or Atlantean structures.

While the tale of Atlantis has held interest for a very long time, it has faced a lot of doubt. 

Many historians think that the story, as given by Plato, should not be taken as historical fact but rather as a written lesson or story. 

One of the main criticisms is the lack of records or mentions of Atlantis outside Plato’s writings. 

That absence is especially striking because, given the supposed size, power, and influence of its society, no other ancient texts or records, whether Greek or from nearby societies, mention such a people. 

This lack of supporting evidence has led many to doubt the truth of his account.

Another doubt is the timeline given by Plato. According to his writings, Atlantis existed about 9,000 years before Solon’s time, placing the society around 9,590 BCE. 

That placement comes before most known ancient societies and challenges our current ideas about human development during that time. 

Also, the detailed and specific nature of his account, especially about measurements, layout, and government, suggests a story or lesson rather than strict history. 

Indeed, some historians say that he used the story to express ideas about government, right and wrong, and the dangers of pride. 

Finally, the many ideas about where Atlantis might be, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and even Antarctica, have increased doubt.

As a result of this diversity, the search for it is often seen more as a romantic quest than a serious historical or archaeological effort.