The mystery surrounding the existence of the ancient civilization of Atlantis is among the few unresolved mysteries of the contemporary world that continue to engage international attention. There are two common opinions regarding the myth of Atlantis. While one believes Atlantis to be a fabled description, like many other mythical Roman creations, the other perspective is more serious and considers Atlantis to be a symbolic narrative of the modern-day Santorini Island of Greece.
The Legendary Tale of Atlantis
The legendary tale of Atlantis is largely based upon the writings of the famous Greek philosopher, Plato, who meticulously wrote a detailed account that describes Atlantis being an island nation off the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantis has been put forth as an extremely progressive state in Plato’s version, having access to bountiful resources in terms of natural and human wealth.
It is largely believed that the ‘Pillars of Hercules’ that are mentioned in this narrative, to explain Atlantis’ location, are the modern-day, Straits of Gibraltar. The crux of this tale is concerned with explaining how wealth and power corrupted the people of Atlantis and eventually became their nemesis. Zeus, the Roman God, is described as the avenger who wrecked havoc on the people of Atlantis, punishing them for their decadent ways.
Plato's Attempt of Presenting Atlantis Tale
Many historians and researchers believe that the City of Atlantis was actually a mythical narrative created by Plato to make his disciples understand the virtue of goodness and honesty. According to them, the story of Atlantis is Plato’s attempt to explain how a society becomes self-destructive when it gets obsessed with materialistic wealth.
However, another section of researchers and many natives of the Mediterranean islands believe that Atlantis isn't a fictional entity but an educated narrative centered on the actual happenings that occurred in the island nation of Santorini. In fact, there are many convincing reasons to believe this viewpoint.
For starters, Plato’s tale presents Atlantis as a spherical island whose geographical features resemble the natural landscape of Santorini. Finer details about the natural elegance of Atlantis are strikingly similar to detailed accounts of how Santorini looked prior to the volcanic, Minoan catastrophe.
Plato emphasized upon the location of Atlantis in terms of its positioning from the ‘Pillars of Hercules’. Folks, who endorse the Atlantis-Santorini connection, believe that the ‘Pillars’ could be Plato’s way of suggesting the remains of the enormous Minoan volcanoes that were visible to sailors using the eastern Mediterranean route.
Citing Zeus’ wrath on the people of Atlantis is regarded as a figurative usage by Plato pointing to the Minion volcanic eruptions that destroyed Santorini. If this perspective is taken into consideration, the island of Santorini being a real-life muse for Plato’s fabled tale of Atlantis seems like a very realistic possibility.
Join the Conversation