By Amy K. Martin

Of all the myths and legends that fascinate today’s culture, Atlantis would be a great topic for the next Indiana Jones storyline. Who wouldn’t want to explore the underwater Utopia that Atlantis has been presented as? Let’s escape the stress and pressures of today to explore the civilization under the sea.

MysteryQuest - The Lost City of Atlantis

The legend of Atlantis dates back to the writings of Plato in 360 B.C. The island of Atlantis was supposedly destroyed by a cataclysmic natural event, probably a tidal wave or, as Plato wrote, an earthquake. It has been visited both in literature and cinema on  multiple occasions, in such writings as Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, tv shows like StarGate:Atlantis, and even the Disney movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Some say that Atlantis found its beginnings from the god Poseidon, and was ruled in 10 city-states by his 5 sets of twin boys. Poseidon created the civilization for his mortal lover to keep her safe. Atlas, the oldest son, was the first king of Atlantis.

Atlantis is believed to have been both technically and culturally advanced, even with the suggestion that its inhabitants could fly and had central heat and sonar. Unquestionably, they had great wealth and abundance due to the natural resources and fertility of the island. Having a god as your founder doesn’t hurt either!

Atlanteans began as a peaceful and fruitful people, but with great success their greed also increased. They began to try their hands as conquerors which caused them to come to the notice of Zeus. Bad idea! Next stop, cataclysmic event!

There are several different suggested locations for the island of Atlantis, including off the coast of Cuba and the Bahamas, Santorini, Crete, and between Cyprus and Syria. According to Plato’s writing, the location was across from the Pillars of Heracles, which is now called the Straits of Gibraltar which makes the location of Atlantis, conveniently enough,  in the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantis was the size of a continent and was designed with rings of land and water with a canal cutting through to help move products around the island.

We go from the sublime to the ridiculous with some of the theories surrounding Atlantis. Some people suggest that Plato made up the idea of Atlantis to make a political statement. Others believe that Atlantis was real and may still be found somewhere in the vast blue ocean. There are also those who believe that the story may be more metaphorical based on other civilizations that were lost.

The beauty of the story is that one can make up his or her own happy ending. To believe that Lara Croft will one day dive off the coast of Santorini and find Atlantis is perfectly acceptable. To imagine that a Utopia such as Atlantis existed with a highly evolved people whom we can aspire to learn from is a dream to believe in. Or to maintain that it’s all bunk and that without proof no such thing existed is well within the grasp of a rational mind. That’s one of the joys of myths, legends, or even political statements.