Where could Atlantis have been located?

Arqueology has unveiled secrets from the human past that overpass any fiction: from the tomb of Tutankhamen to the enigmatic Dead Sea Scrolls. And, nevertheless, amongst discoveries and revelations, an enigma that neither time or science have been able to resolve persists still: the disappearance of Atlantis, a legendary civilization that has been said to be swallowed up by the sea in only one day and one night.

Described by philosopher Plato in his ‘Timeo and Critias’ dialogues, Atlantis, also known as the island of Atlas, was a huge naval potency, rich in natural resources, with a colossal architecture and an advanced society, allegedly. Plato imagined it as a circular city, organized in land rings and water channels, with golden temples, exotic fauna and a prosperous town… until arrogance and corruption provoked its fall. The Gods, enraged, sent earthquakes and fire until immersing it under the ocean.

From then on, Atlantis has swung between myth and historical possibility. Some believe it was just an allegory created by Plato to illustrate the danger of pride and moral decadency. Others argue that it was a real civilization, destroyed by a natural disaster: a tsunami? a volcanic eruption such as the Santorini one? the breakdown of a tectonic plate?

Theories about its location multiply: the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Antarctic, the desert of the Sahara, even areas of Australia and South America have been pointed out as possible areas. Until now, none have been confirmed. Just speculation, old maps and legends.

But beyond science and history, Atlantis has made a deep difference in the collective imagination. It has inspired novels, documentaries, videogames, conspirative theories and movies such as ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ or ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’. Even Jules Verne honoured it in ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’, where Captain Nemo visits submerged ruins. 

Real or not, Atlantis is a universal symbol: a warning, a hope, a dream lost under the sea. Its legend is still alive, feeding human curiosity and reminding us how much we have left to discover… and to imagine.