What are the different hypotheses on Atlantis’s Existence? What is the available physical evidence on its existence?

There are three main hypotheses on its existence:

-it’s fictional

-it’s an exaggeration based on the fall of the Minoan civilization and the destruction of the island of Thera, a blend of fact, fiction, and error.

-it was real, and the account is entirely factual and unerrant.

Here is a brief summary on each suggested theory.

FICTION – it was made up to suit the purposes of Plato’s dialogues

This is the easiest answer, because there is nothing to prove. Timaeus and Critias are simply stories. Kevin Christopher, Public Relations Director for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal says that, “Yet all evidence shows, I will argue, that Plato’s Atlantis account is beyond a reasonable doubt entirely fictional – a Utopian myth concocted to vividly illustrate Plato’s political philosophy.” Some of the ancient philosophers viewed Atlantis as fiction, including Aristotle. Even some of the great thinkers of our time have theorized that Plato’s writings concerning the lost continent of Atlantis were nothing more than stores to fuel his political career. Supporting this idea is belief that Plato’s Timaeus and Critias are just stories. However, against this opinion is the fact that in the story, it is stated a numerous amount of times that the story is true and that its information supports a detailed knowledge of the subject rather than a fabricated story.

Blend of fact, fiction, and error

There are some compelling similarities between the destruction of Thera and the destruction of Atlantis. For instance, around 1500 BC, Thera, a volcanic island that showed signs of trade and shared a culture with the Minoans, was destroyed in an explosion which caused more than half of the island to be submerged. Artifacts found on the island indicate a sophisticated culture, probably part of the Minoan civilization.

Archaeologists like Christos Doumas discovered the city of Thera in 1967. They discovered plumbing, toilets, bathtubs, rattan beds, ceramics, frescoes, and lots of luxury items. The city was also honeycombed by sewage systems, water supplies, etc. It must have been a very well-developed culture. They kept on digging and digging and they found more artifacts, and the more the idea developed that the island might be Atlantis. Plato’s descriptions fit well. He wrote in Timaeus 112 about “a land carried round in a circle and disappeared in the depths below. By comparison, to what then was, there are remaining in small islets only the bones of the wasted body, as they may be called, all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away, and the mere skeleton of the country being left.” He only mentions the geography of Atlantis here. In Critias 113c-114a, 117a-c, he also describes the fortunate water supply of Atlantis. “They had fountains, one of cold and another of hot water, in gracious plenty flowing; […] there were the baths of private persons […] and to each of them they gave as much as adornment as possible […] the remainder was conveyed by aqueducts.”

Some people are against this theory, saying that Plato’s date of 9000 years ago should have been 900 years ago. If the story was 900 years ago, it would place Atlantis in the time frame of the Minoan civilization on Crete or Thera. Conveniently overlooked in this thinking is that in Timaeus, the priest tells Solon that ancient Athens and Atlantis preceded Egypt by a thousand years. Egypt however, existed and was known to have existed since long before 1500 BC, the time of Crete and Thera. The times just don’t add up unless you assume the Egyptian priest was ignorant of his own recorded history.

It existed – for Plato said it’s a true story

Against this theory is the fact that there are no other records of a civilization existing, and current archaeological evidence does not support the premise that such sophisticated civilizations existed around 9000 BC anywhere in the world.

Al though there is no specific or direct archaeological evidence on its existence, there is still some certain evidence that proves that Atlantis really existed. So what physical evidence is out there that supports the idea that Atlantis existed?

First, we have the Scott Stones. The ruins of temples dated at 12,000 years old have been found near Bimini, Bahamas. Megalithic structures are not supposed to be in the Bahamas. Preliminary analysis has revealed that the original structures, although smaller in size than the Great Pyramid of Giza, appear to have been more advanced. Casing stones have been measured which are of the same unique angle as those at the Great Pyramid. The ruins are megalithic and bear a remarkable resemblance to ancient sites in Egypt. So called “quarry marks” found in the Aswan quarries and also on the Great Pyramid, itself, appear to be identical matches with those found on the Bimini temple stones. Many scientists believe that these stones are of Atlantis.There is also a city on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off Spain found by Dr. Maxine Asher’s expedition in 1973. Pyramid explored by Dr. Ray Brown on the sea floor off the Bahamas in 1970. Brown was accompanied by 4 divers who also found roads, domes, rectangular buildings, unidentified metallic instruments, and a statue holding a “mysterious” crystal containing miniature pyramids. The metal devices and crystals were taken to Florida for analysis at a university there. What was discovered was that the crystal amplified energy that passed through it. It is made in a method unknown to the scientists who analyzed it. It was found in a mysteriously lit up chamber inside the underwater pyramid with some kind of ray gun like instrument pointed at it. Kirlian photographs, which record impressions beyond our limited range of vision, showed an eye inside the crystal not visible to the naked eye. What technology could build a long blacktop paved road for hundreds of miles that was still in good condition over 10,000 years later! This road was found underwater off the East Coast by the deep diving submarine Aluminaut and contained magnesium oxide. In 1977, a mysterious discovery was made on the floor of the Atlantic concerning an unknown technology. A 650-foot pyramid was mysteriously lit up, with sparkling white water surrounding it that turned deep green, a shocking contrast to the dark black waters at that depth. The discovery was photographed by Arl Marahall’s expedition off Cay Sal. Dr. William Bell’s 1958 photos taken on the bottom of the Atlantic showed a six-foot spire protruding from a couple of circular gear-like bases with peculiar light emanations from the bottom of the shaft. Were these the remnants of the Eternal Flame spoken of by the ancients, powered by an inter-dimensional cosmic energy taken out of the atmosphere by a form of crystal conductor at the apex of pyramids or towers? Pyramids larger than any building in the world made in our modern times have been found on the bottom the Atlantic Ocean and in China, and one in Egypt that our own technology has failed to match. These Pyramids have cement that our scientists admit is superior to what we use today. The writings of the ancients describe pyramids as Time Capsules containing the history and technology of the Empire of the Sun and latter day Atlantis. A huge pyramid, in 10,000 feet of Atlantic water, was reported to have been found with a pulsating crystal on top of it, by Tony Benik’s expedition. The group also found an opaque crystal tablet there, and reported that when a light was beamed through it, mysterious inscriptions became visible. More underwater pyramids were found off Central America, Yucatan, and Louisiana, where domes were found in the Straits of Florida. A marble Greek style building was found between Florida and Cuba. And what about the column that radiated energy Dr. Zink found in the Bahamas and Zink also brought up other artifacts from his dives over Atlantis, and he was interviewed by Mind International agent Steve Forsberg. One of the most amazing finds on the bottom of the Atlantic was reported by Captain Reyes Miraga’s crew on the salvage ship Talia from Spain. They video-taped miles of pillared temples, buildings, and statues and wide curving boulevards, with smaller avenues branching out from the center like spokes in a wheel, with majestic temples and pyramids. Much of this city, as well as the city found off Spain by Dr. Maxine Asher’s expedition and later by Professor Akayonove’s expedition (all photographed), show a startling similarity to Plato’s description of Atlantis! More than 30 separate ruins have been found on the bottom of the Atlantic since 1956, and in ancient libraries, several old maps showing Atlantis and its island chain have been found. The islands are known as Aryan, Og. Poseid, and Antigua and the nation was Atlanthean. Garden City, or Poseid, was reportedly the capital of a continent stretching from off of North Africa and Europe to off Florida with a tropical climate on the western and southern shores, and a cool climate on the north and east. Ruins of roads and buildings found off Bimini Island in the 1960’s by the photographed and published expeditions of Dr. Mansan Valentine. Steven Forsberg, co-founder of the Lahaina Times newspaper dove into these ruins in 1982 to witness them first hand. Similar ruins were also photographed off Cay Sal in the Bahamas. The ruins are of the same construction as the oldest city ever found on land, according; to archaeologists, in Tiajuanaco, Bolivia, where a calendar was uncovered that shows the exact position of the stars and planets 27,000 years ago. This is more than 20,000 years BEFORE the oldest civilizations in school history books! Dr. David Zink found in 1957, off the Bahamas coast, a stylized marble head, building block cast in a mold and a construction piece drilled by a bit, as well as a stone column that he reported radiated energy. Forsberg of M.I.N.D. interviewed Dr. Zink and obtained the photographs. The deep sea diving submarine Aluminaut discovered a well preserved paved road on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean make of blacktop magnesium oxide, running along the sea floor from Florida to South Carolina. Temple pillars, buildings, statues, wide curving boulevards with smaller avenues branching out like spokes in a wheel, majestic temples and pyramids videotaped by Captain Reyes Miraga on the Spanish named salvage ship “Talia”. A huge 11 room pyramid found 10,000 feet under water in the mid Atlantic Ocean with a huge crystal top, as reported by Tony Benlk. Soviet expeditions to the Atlantic Ampere Seamount resulted in photographs of ruins destroyed by lava (like the Aztecs and Mayans wrote Atlan was destroyed by). This discovery was in the New York Times May 21, 1978. The photos were developed by the Academy’s Petrovsky Marakuyev and reported by the deputy Director of the Soviet Academy of Science’s Institute of Oceanography, Professor Aksyonove, who also reported ruins found off Cadiz, Spain in the same area as Dr., Maxine Asher’s previous discovery. 1981 expedition of P. Cappellano discovered mysterious ruins with strange symbols on them on the sea floor off the Canary Islands. 1977 report of a huge pyramid found off Cay Sal in the Bahamas, photographed by Ari Marshall’s expedition, about 150 feet underwater. The pyramid was about 650 feet high. Mysteriously, the surrounding water was lit by sparkling white water flowing out of the openings in the pyramid and surrounded by green water, instead of the black water everywhere else at that depth. The foundations of a 100 by 75 foot structure photographed on the sea bottom off Andros Island. A sunken city about 400 miles off Portugal found by Soviet expeditions led by Boris Asturua, with buildings made of extremely strong concrete and plastics. He said “the remains of streets suggests the use of monorails for transportation”. He added that he brought up a statue. Pillars found on the Atlantic floor in 1969 by Robert Fero and Michael Grumley, a chunk of which was carved from rock NOT found anywhere in that part of the world. 20. A road off the Bahamas explored by Dr. Manson Valentine. Dimitri Rebikoff, using his underwater platform and a special collecting lens, reported ruins found encircling an underwater freshwater spring. Heinrich Schilemann, the man who found and excavated the famous ruins of Troy {which historians thought was only a legend), reportedly left a written account of his discovery of a bronze vase with a metal unknown to scientists who examined it, in the famous Priam Treasure. Inside it are glyphs in Phoenician stating that it was from King Chronos of Atlantis! IDENTICAL pottery was found in Tiajuanaco, Bolivia. Twenty researchers, including archaeologists, a marine biologist, geologist, and cartographer dove onto ruins on the sea floor off Bimini in 1975 and brought back artifacts from which they concluded that the walls and roads were made of materials not found in that part of the world. 

There is also map evidence of its existence.

1. Professor Charles Hapgood, Professor of Geology at New Hampshire University, reported that a large unknown Atlantic Island appears on an ancient map (the famous Piri is a map seen on TV and in dozens of books).
2. An ancient map that King Henry owned in 1500 A.D. clearly shows Atlantis.
3. Greek documents and maps showing Atlantis that Christopher Columbus studied before he set sail for America, including the 1482 Benincasa Map showing 3 Atlantis islands that no longer exist.