Greek philosopher Plato described Atlantis as a vast island-continent west of the Mediterranean, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
The Greek word Atlantis means the island of Atlas, while the Atlantic means the ocean of Atlas. But can the waters of the Atlantic really be hiding the remains of this lost civilisation? According to the myth, visited many times in film and television, Atlantis was governed in peace, was rich in commerce and was advanced in knowledge, still unsurpassed to this day in its spiritual and creative genius.
But according to Plato's story, the people of Atlantis became complacent and their leaders arrogant. The gods destroyed Atlantis as punishment, flooding it and submerging the island in one day and night.
After Plato, Atlantis was forgotten until Ignatius Donnelly revived the myth in 1882, seeing it as the logical explanation for common traits in civilisations around the world, such as the pyramid building of ancient Egyptian and Mayan civilisations.
Theories have since abounded as to where Atlantis was. Antarctica, Indonesia, the North Atlantic, the United States and the Arctic are just a few of the locations identified by archaeologists and dreamers.
Some, such as Erich von Daniken in his book Chariots Of The Gods, famously claimed the lost civilisation came from outer space.