“Sleeping Atlantis

Silent cool waters

dancing upon her skin ~

silent cool water

ushering dreams within…”

― Muse, Enigmatic Evolution

The idea of Atlantis as the “lost” island with highly advanced civilization has captured the interest of people worldwide for centuries. The story appears again and again in thousands of books, magazines and websites, and still it remains a popular topic. Where did the story originate and is any of it true?

Here is a list of 6 such theories about this mysterious lost civilization.

1 – Atlantis Was A Continent In The Mid Atlantic That Suddenly Sunk Into The Ocean

The speculations about the existence of Atlantis surfaced in the 19th century, when in 1882 Ignatius Donnelly in his book, ‘Atlantis, the Antediluvian World’ mentioned the arguments that metallurgy, language and agriculture, are things handed over to people who were more advanced, civilised and knowledgable. He kind of supported the theory proposed by Plato that Atlantis sank because of flooding due to shifting ocean waters.

2 – The Bermuda Triangle Swallowed Up Atlantis

Some researchers believe in the theory that Donnelly proposed and some don’t. Those who believed in the Donnelly’s speculation, proposed their own claims as to where Atlantis must have been. One of the writers were Charles Berlitz. He claimed that Atlantis was a real continent located off the Bahamas that had fallen victim to the notorious Bermuda Triangle. Supporters of this theory believe that there were walls and street like remains found in the coast of Bimini.

3 – Atlantis Was Antarctica

Some theorists believe that Atlantis was a more temperate version of Antarctica. It is based on the work of Charles Hapgood, ‘Earth’s Shifting Crust’ according to which, around 12,000 years ago the Earth’s crust shifted, and displaced the continent that became Antarctica from a location that was much further north than it is today.

4 – The Story Of Atlantis Was A Mythical Retelling Of The Black Sea Flood

Black Sea on the map

The researchers who proposed this theory believed that Atlantis was not real but the story of its demise was inspired by the real life incident of flooding of the Black Sea, around 5600 B.C. The flooding inundated civilizations known to flourish along its shore and as the inhabitants of the region scattered, they spread tales of the deluge.

5 – Atlantis Is The Story Of The Minoan Civilization That Flourished In The Greek Islands Circa 2500-1600 B.C

Minoan Civilization

One of the most recent theories that are proposed by the researchers concerns the civilization that flourished on the Greek islands of Crete and Thera (now Santorini) more than 4,000 years ago, the Minoans. This was considered as Europe’s first great civilization. This great and powerful civilisation suddenly disappeared, which is linked to Plato’s theory relating to the sudden disappearance of Atlantis. Theorists believe that the Minoans disappeared following a massive Earthquake and Tsunami.

6 – Atlantis Didn’t Exist At All–Plato Invented It

Plato (428/427 - 348/347 BCE) is considered the pre-eminent Greek philosopher, known for his Dialogues and for founding his Academy north of Athens, traditionally considered the first university in the western world.

The theorists who don’t believe Atlantis was real, support the claims that Plato’s theory of Atlantis was nothing else than fiction. They also believe that Plato invented Atlantis as his vision of an ideal civilization, and intended the story of its demise to be a cautionary tale of the gods punishing human hubris.

Although many efforts were made by the modern oceanography, no substantial proofs of a sunken civilisation have been found.