To be honest, the Disney movie "Atlantis" is one of my all time favorites. And while this movie is based on the rumor of the famous underwater city, there are people out there who are constantly researching this empire. So, with all of the research out there, is there any proof that Atlantis was once a real empire, or that people are still living underwater in this city?
According to Plato's Dialogues, which was written in 360 B.C., there are a lot of details talking about a city named Atlantis.
However, the book does not go into much detail about where this "lost city" is located. Researchers have narrowed it down to about four possible locations, one of those locations being Morocco. The main location that has seemed to be the most reliable is the island of Santorini. This location has real archaeological evidence. Some of this evidence is the fact that in 1967 a maritime city called Akrotiri was discovered. This city was known to be a popular naval center.
According to historians, Akrotiri was destroyed around 1500 BC due to a volcanic eruption. Historians believe that the eruption was so large it caused a tsunami wave in the Aegean Sea, which ended up destroying the settlement. Plato's story about Atlantis shares similarity with the history of Akrotiri, since both of these settlements seemed to disappear without any trace.
Recent images from Google Earth show what looks to be like road marking under the ocean. Scientists truly believe that if Atlantis was an actual city, and not a metaphorical one that Plato created, then a tsunami most likely took out the entire civilization. And, those who survived moved on with their lives and started new towns and cities in other places.
There are many different archaeologists that have claimed to find the "ruins" of Atlantis, yet these ruins are not in the same places under the ocean. In this case the real question would be: "How large was Atlantis," or "How many other unknown cities under water are there"?
There have been many underwater excursions finding artifacts from an underwater city. Whether this city is actually the "Lost Empire" however is uncertain. In conclusion, Atlantis could have been a real city that ended up getting swept underwater by a tsunami wave.
Or Atlantis could just be a fictional story that Plato created. Either way, I think we can all agree that there are no humans living under the ocean like in the Disney movie, even though that would be pretty awesome in reality.
Do you believe in the "Lost City"?
