Did Atlantis Actually Exist?

The legend of the lost continent of Atlantis has long been regarded as a pure myth. This essay will show that not only did the continent exist, but also that it existed approximately 1200 kilometers west of Europe, in the vicinity of what is now the Azores Islands. After examining the writings of the ancient philosopher Plato, Otto Muck's book, entitled The Secret Of Atlantis, and various writings on the Bimini Road in the Bahamas, this essay will prove that the lost colony of Atlantis is indeed more then a mere Hollywood myth.

Plato first mentions Atlantis in his dialogues Timaeus and Critas, which were written approximately 355 BCE. According to records, Plato heard the story of Atlantis from his grandfather who in turn heard it from Solon, the Athenian statesman of the 7th century BCE. Plato described Atlantis as, "a highly civilized society, one that could boast achievements well in advance of its age, that sank beneath the waves in a single catastrophic event."

English: The School of Athens (detail). Fresco, St...

English: Athanasius Kircher's Map of Atlantis (c.1...

Atlantis imagined being in the Atlantic Ocean and ...

According to legend, the first inhabitants of Atlantis were the offspring of a mortal woman and Poseidon, the god of the sea. More accurately, the first people were those that evolved from primates in the area.

Plato writes, through his narrator, Critias, about the advancements and luxuries of Atlantis. He states that Atlantis was about 1200 kilometers west of Europe and that is was beyond the Straight Of Gibraltar, or the 'Pillars of Hercules', as it was known in ancient times. Many different historians and geologists in history have acknowledged the 'Pillars of Hercules' to be the Straight of Gibraltar. In fact, even today it is generally agreed upon that they are two in the same. Plato's description of Atlantis could put it no where else but in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coasts...