its end was at the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ATLANTIS?



Atlantis was recorded in the writings of the famed Greek philosopher Plato around 400 BC.



He described an advanced island civilisation that ruled a vast maritime empire.



According to Plato, Atlantis existed some 9,000 years before his own era.



The city of Atlantis at the centre of this empire was described as having, among other features, an enormous harbour wall and huge entrance pillars.



It had a temple to the god Poseidon and massive circular pieces of land carved out by the Atlanteans to live on.



It is thought a cataclysmic natural disaster, such as a tsunami or volcanic event, eventually wiped out the Atlanteans, consigning their legacy to legend.



Scientists are yet to find conclusive evidence that Atlantis ever existed, and many scholars believe Plato invented the myth as a way to present his philosophical theories.

The location of the lost city of Atlantis may finally have been discovered, according to one team of historians.Ancient ruins examined using satellite imagery provide evidence that the city's huge harbour walls once stood in southern Spain , the experts say.Many of the sites studied by the team were already known to archaeologists, and are thought to have been constructed by the ancient Romans and Greeks.Now researchers at private satellite imaging firm Merlin Burrows claim to have found evidence that the sites were in fact built by a mysterious ancient people known as the Atlanteans.Atlantis was recorded in the writings of Greek philosopher Plato, who in 400 BC described an advanced island civilisation that ruled a vast maritime empire, some 9,000 years before his own era.The city of Atlantis at the centre of this empire was described as having an enormous harbour wall, huge entrance pillars, a temple to the god Poseidon and massive circular pieces of land carved out by the Atlanteans to live on., consigning their legacy to legend.Scientists are yet to find conclusive evidence that Atlantis existed. Many scholars believe Plato invented the story as a way to present his philosophical theories.Pictured are a selection of the sites studied by the team at Merlin Burrows, a satellite imaging company based in Yorkshire. The white line shows where researchers believe the harbour wall described by Plato was builtExperts at Merlin Burrows believe the flooded ruins of the legendary city are off the coast of southern Spain.The location is somewhereAnd they claim that south and north of the park there is further evidence of the ancient civilisation,Most of these settlements are believed to be of Roman or Greek origin by archaeologists, as each civilisation once occupied the area.But now using unique satellite investigation techniques, aerial photography and ground observations of the site, British experts believe they have found all the features of Atlantis Plato described and evidence of how they were destroyed.Although some scholars believe Atlantis to be a myth, Merlin Burrows claim their discoveries will once and for all prove the lost civilisation existed.Maritime historian Tim Akers, head of research at Merlin Burrows, said not only had they discovered Atlantis, but also found the people were incredibly advanced.He said 'laboratory analysis' ofHe said: 'Plato describes in detail a patina on the buildings and structures of the cities and temples making up this complex.'We have filmed clear evidence and have collected samples which have been scientifically tested in a lab in Modena, Italy, which is used to test ancient Roman finds.'The results of, and that they were more advanced.'The city of Atlantis was described by Plato as having, among other features, an enormous harbour wall and huge entrance pillars. It had a temple to the god Poseidon and massive circular pieces of land carved out by the Atlanteans to live onAerial images of the site where Merlin Burrows believes Atlantis once stood show what they think is evidence of a harbour wall - an incredible 75 metres (245 ft) thick.Plato wrote that this wall was '50 stadia long' which would make it around five-and-a-half miles in length.Satellite images show what Merlin Burrows claim is evidence still visible today of sand dunes where this massive wall was destroyed by a huge influx of water.The same water which eventually filled the inland sea with sediment and destroyed Atlantis.Tim said:'At the centre of the line of coastal cities was one gigantic inland sea 65 miles long, filled with multiple islands, some natural, others man-made.'The main complex consists of two distinct individual multi-Island platforms.'And one is offset from the other so that anyone on those islands can see every island in the complex.'It is unique, nowhere in our world is there anything resembling this, and the structures match exactly Plato's dimensions with no deviation. It is absolutely spot on.'Investigations in Doñana lead to the conclusion thatThere is also evidence of a tsunami event in the Bible.'Merlin Burrows have now recorded a documentary film about their mission to reveal Atlantis called 'Atlantica'.In the film the team visit sites they believe still show clues to the past people that once lived there, right up toTim said much of what Merlin Burrows have found today with their technology is thanks to Plato's original descriptions.He said: 'Plato describes the location exactly and all we did was follow in his footsteps the way ancient seafarers would have travelled to the cities.'We explain why, people have misunderstood the circles of Atlantis and why no one had seen these stunning complexes before.and our scans show multiple occupations over time till there final and ultimate destruction.'We only present the facts and try not to delve into speculation. What is unique in our presentation is all of this material has never been seen before.'Now Merlin Burrows hope recognition of both their discovery and distribution of the film will help protect the region for future generations and secure funding for further study.Tim said: 'To understand Atlantis is to understand the ways of ancient life as it was at the peak of human life on earth.'We would hope that the people in southern Spain would benefit from the knowledge of their ancient past.'That all the sites are protected, and in some cases moved, so we can all enjoy them in the future. Also, that the regions would benefit from the tourism both in work and other opportunities.'New museums and scientific study centres would enhance the economy and open active debates to the early origins of man.'Documentary filmmaker Michael Donnellan has produced the film 'Atlantica' about Merlin Burrows discovery.Michael, who has studied classical Greek and Minoan archeology, travelled to Southern Spain to film what Tim and the team of satellite historians had found.He said: 'Finding and filming Atlantis has been life changing. Talk about a purpose.'All my skillsets and passions have come together in the creation of this series of films. The discovery of Atlantis is monumental.'Suddenly we know, not think, but know that humanity, in an advanced stage of development, existed, so long ago.'And had existed undisturbed for many thousands of years prior to its destruction.'The imagination boggles when considering their capabilities. We have a lot we can learn from this civilization, to help move our own into a better future.'Michael said that tests at the Modena Materials Analysis Laboratory in Italy on material taken from the site had revealed amazing results.He said:, like modern Teflon.'That requires highly advanced construction technologies and knowledge of chemistry.'We've received overwhelming excitement about our discovery of Atlantis, including a great deal of feedback from our colleagues in academic circles as well.'It is for this reason we continue to include every science available to us, in order to verify all our finds are genuine, and to satisfy every angle we can.'Material gathered from the Atlantis site, from the habour wall and from the pillars found on the beach, has been tested in Italy at a laboratory used to dealing with Roman finds.Dr Giacomo Falanga, from the Modena Centro Prove, a chemical testing laboratory in Modena, Italy, said samples from the site included a variety of material.He said: 'These structures contain binders, like calcite. The presence of mica, potassium, and other trace minerals show proof of artificial mixing of materials, soAndrea Carpi, a space materials engineer from the laboratory, said: 'We can confirm with certainty that the samples analysed were the creation of, which makes me believe that we're talking about a civilisation with very advanced technology.'