Geologists gathering this month on the Greek island of Milos have been looking into the geological possibilities of a society dropping into the ocean resulting from earthquakes and tsunami. A possible candidate island, called Spartel Bank, has been identified as submerged in the Gulf of Cadiz. Report from Andrew Alden, About's guide to Geology.
I don't have trouble with geologists looking for Atlantis, I think it's kind of cool, in fact. As long as you don't take Plato too literally--he claimed Atlantis sank 9,000 years before he wrote (or 11,000 years ago). That's too long ago-- 11,000 years ago is too long ago for any kind of urban society as described by Plato. Catal Hoyuk, Turkey, is only 8000 years old, and it is our oldest known urban society on the planet. Early Uruk, Mesopotamia dates to about 4500 BC; Egypt didn't get started until after 3000 BC; the Indus Valley didn't get cranking until 2500 BC.
However, that doesn't mean that the story of Atlantis couldn't be based on a disaster that occurred in the Mediterranean within historical memory of Plato's lifetime. One of the big candidates has always been the Minoan civilization, perfectly sophisticated enough, hit by some pretty horrendous natural disasters, and within historical memory of Plato's time.
But still, intriguing. It will be interesting to see if there is anything archaeological on the sunken Spartel Island.
I don't have trouble with geologists looking for Atlantis, I think it's kind of cool, in fact. As long as you don't take Plato too literally--he claimed Atlantis sank 9,000 years before he wrote (or 11,000 years ago). That's too long ago-- 11,000 years ago is too long ago for any kind of urban society as described by Plato. Catal Hoyuk, Turkey, is only 8000 years old, and it is our oldest known urban society on the planet. Early Uruk, Mesopotamia dates to about 4500 BC; Egypt didn't get started until after 3000 BC; the Indus Valley didn't get cranking until 2500 BC.
However, that doesn't mean that the story of Atlantis couldn't be based on a disaster that occurred in the Mediterranean within historical memory of Plato's lifetime. One of the big candidates has always been the Minoan civilization, perfectly sophisticated enough, hit by some pretty horrendous natural disasters, and within historical memory of Plato's time.
But still, intriguing. It will be interesting to see if there is anything archaeological on the sunken Spartel Island.
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