Facts about Atlantis (Lost City)
- 06
Most modern scholars regard Atlantis as a literary and philosophical invention by Plato rather than a record of any historical civilization.
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In Plato's account, Atlantis was ruled by kings descended from the god Poseidon, who allegedly founded the civilization.
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Written around 360 BCE, Plato's dialogues portraying Atlantis describe it as having existed some 9,000 years before his own time.
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Atlantis is described by Plato as located beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the ancient name for the Strait of Gibraltar.
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Plato described Atlantis as a powerful naval empire that supposedly sank into the ocean in a single day and night of catastrophic floods.
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The myth of Atlantis originates entirely from the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias.