The Infinite ArchiveTHE INFINITE ARCHIVEHISTORY · SCIENCE · MYSTERY
Athanasius Kircher's 1678 map of Atlantis from Mundus Subterraneus (south at top)
Athanasius Kircher's 1678 map of Atlantis from Mundus Subterraneus (south at top). Image: Athanasius Kircher · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Myth & legend · Classical Athens · told by Plato, c. 360 BCE

Atlantis: Legend and Legacy

Legend360 BCEDescribed as beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar)

The most famous lost civilization began as a story in a philosophy book.

Research draft · editor review pending. Every claim below is linked to a checked source, but this dossier has not yet been reviewed by a human editor. Spot an error? Corrections are logged.

Everything we know about Atlantis comes from two dialogues by Plato, the Timaeus and the Critias, written around 360 BCE. In them, a powerful island empire beyond the Pillars of Hercules attacks the Mediterranean world, is defeated by an idealized ancient Athens, and sinks into the sea in a single day and night.

Loading the full dossier…

Connected dossiers

The Late Bronze Age CollapseSame open question · Proposed historical backdrop for the legend.The Library of AlexandriaSame open question · Another story where popular myth outruns the sources.

See Atlantis in the discovery universe →

Ask the archive

Have a question about this dossier, or think a claim needs a better source? Send it to the editors.

Questions go to the editors and are not published automatically. Please do not include personal information.

How to read the labels

EstablishedSupported by strong, converging evidence.
ContestedEvidence exists but qualified scholars disagree.
UnresolvedThe question is open; evidence does not settle it.
LegendComes from myth, literature or tradition, not physical evidence.
SpeculativeA hypothesis with little direct evidence so far.

Hero image: Athanasius Kircher's 1678 map of Atlantis from Mundus Subterraneus (south at top). Image: Athanasius Kircher · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons. Evidence labels describe the written claims, not the image. Version 1 · updated 2026-10-22.