The Lost City of Atlantis

Paper details
Discussion 05: The Lost City of Atlantis
Type the word “Atlantis” into Google and 120 million results pop up. Plato told the story of Atlantis around
360 B.C. The founders of Atlantis, he said, were half god and half human. They created a Utopian
civilization. The only mention of Atlantis by name is in Plato’s Dialogues: “Timaeus,” which was a very
complicated attempt to explain the universe, and “Critias,” which has dozens of precise details about what
Atlantis looked like, and where it may have been located in relation to other landmarks in the ancient world.
It was “Critias,” in particular, that set people off thinking that Atlantis actually existed.
There are many theories about where Atlantis was—in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Spain, off the
coast of Morocco, even under what is now Antarctica. Researchers discovered a lost city off the coast of
Cuba and thought it might be Atlantis. Others believe it lies under mud lands in southern Spain. Still others
believe it lies somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. The legendary sunken city of Atlantis hovers on the
horizon of our imagination.
The traditional front-runner and the only one so far that has gotten a lot of traction with mainstream
academics is the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. There is real archaeological evidence there. The
island has a relatively new volcano, which we know erupted in ancient times. Santorini was also the site of
an important maritime city called Akrotiri, which was discovered in 1967.
Assignment
The mystery of the lost Atlantis is one of the most popular myths in the world and still captures the
imagination of millions. Was it real or just myth? If Atlantis once existed in the mid-Atlantic as Plato
described, why isn’t there geological evidence for it? Is it real? What do you think? Based on the above
information from Plato’s writings and the sites below: where do you think is Atlantis most likely located?
Where is the Lost City of Atlantis? What do you all think about Atlantis? Did it really exist – an entire
civilization of highly advanced human beings living thousands of years ago, or is it just nothing more than a
legend?
Write a post in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and
examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations. This post should answer and
discuss the question given: “What do you think about Atlantis? Did it really exist”? Give your reasoning.
Additional Readings
Visit and read/look through the sites below to go more into the discussion of The Lost City of Atlantis.
Atlantis – HISTORY
Atlantis Theories – Vocal
Earth: The Atlantis-style myths that turned out to be true – BBC
‘Lost’ City of Atlantis: Fact & Fable – Live Science
Myth of lost Atlantis – greeka
Theories about Atlantis – Lost Civilizations
Top 6 Theories About Atlantis – HISTORY
The Truth Behind the Lost City of Atlantis – WNYC Studios