Where Was Mythical Atlantis Located?

The search for Atlantis, the mighty civilization that disappeared into the sea, has preoccupied researchers for centuries. Some place it in the Aegean Sea, others in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and still others in the Atlantic Ocean. According to details actually presented in the earliest accounts of the legend, where was Atlantis supposedly located?

Atlantis located outside the Pillars of Hercules

Perhaps the single most discussed and controversial clue regarding the location of Atlantis is Plato’s description of it as being outside the Pillars of Hercules. This seems like an incredibly helpful geographical detail. But the question is where the Pillars of Hercules were.

Traditionally, the Pillars of Hercules were located at the Strait of Gibraltar. Sometimes they were identified with two mountains on either side of that strait, whereas at other times they were interpreted as two literal pillars in the Iberian Peninsula. In any case, Atlantis being located outside the Pillars of Hercules would mean that it must have been in the Atlantic Ocean.

In fact, the island of Atlantis was allegedly just ‘in front of the straits…called the Pillars of Heracles.’ Therefore, this would place Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean but near the entrance to the Mediterranean.

Where were the Pillars of Hercules?

Although this seems quite straightforward, there are some major issues. For one thing, there is unambiguous evidence that the Greeks sometimes applied the expression ‘Pillars of Hercules’ to other locations. For example, they also used the name to refer to the entrance of the Black Sea.

In fact, an analysis of all the available evidence indicates that the Greeks used ‘Pillars of Hercules’ to refer to geographical limits. At times, the limits in question were the limits of Greek geographical knowledge at the time. In other contexts, the limits appear to be the limits of Greek territory.

In view of the clear evidence that there were ‘Pillars of Hercules’ to the east and the west, it is logical that this expression might have been used to refer to northern and southern limits as well.

Based on this and other evidence, some scholars have proposed that the two headlands either side of the Gulf of Laconia were also ‘Pillars of Hercules’, since they marked the southern limit of Greek territory.

With this in mind, we need not conclude that Atlantis was located west of the Mediterranean. Instead, it might have been located in the Black Sea. Alternatively, if we view the Gulf of Laconia as the Pillars of Hercules in this context, Atlantis could have been located essentially anywhere outside of Greece.

Atlantis located relative to Egypt

However, there is a problem with assuming that the Gulf of Laconia marks the Pillars of Hercules in this context. There are several lines from Plato which clearly show that the Egyptian priest relating the story of Atlantis considered their own nation to be located within the Pillars of Hercules.

For example, the Egyptian priest refers to the fact that Athens had ‘generously liberated all the rest of us who dwell within the pillars’. Again, this places Egypt within the Pillars of Hercules. This favors the traditional identification of the Pillars of Hercules with the Strait of Gibraltar.

Complicating this is the fact that the Egyptians themselves referred to ‘pillars of heaven’ as marking the cardinal directions. Therefore, as the story circulated among the Egyptians, it could well be that they confused the Pillars of Heracles with their own pillars of heaven. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Egypt was within the Pillars of Hercules in the original story.

In the Atlantic Sea

Another geographical reference in the tale of Atlantis is the name of the sea in which Atlantis was located. In Plato’s account, the Egyptian priest calls it the ‘Atlantic Sea’. Usually, modern translations use the term ‘Atlantic Ocean’, but ‘Atlantic Sea’ is more accurate.

In any case, can we identify the Atlantic Sea in which Atlantis was located with the Atlantic Ocean of modern times? In reality, it is not that simple. Critias explains the following regarding Poseidon’s children:

“The eldest, who was the first king, he named Atlas, and after him the whole island and the ocean were called Atlantic.”

According to this, Poseidon’s son Atlas was the first king of Atlantis. The name of the island came directly from the name of this first king. But notably, so did the name of the sea in which Atlantis was located. In other words, whichever sea Atlantis was located in, it would be the Atlantic Sea by definition. Therefore, this apparently-helpful geographical reference may not actually be all that helpful.

The general description of the location of Atlantis

Perhaps the most helpful geographical information about the location of Atlantis is simply the overall description of it. Notice the way in which the Egyptian priest described Atlantis in Timaeus:

“[Atlantis] was the way to other islands, and from these you might pass to the whole of the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean.”

According to this, the island of Atlantis was apparently the start of a sea route which took a traveler to other islands (presumably smaller ones). And from these islands, a traveler could reach ‘the opposite continent which surrounded the true ocean’.

The word translated ‘ocean’ here is actually ‘pontos’. This word does not actually mean ‘ocean’ at all in the modern English sense of the word. It simply means ‘sea’. The ancient Greeks often used it to refer to the Mediterranean. This strongly suggests that Atlantis was supposed to be located inside the Mediterranean. If Plato had actually intended to place it outside the Mediterranean, he would surely have placed it in the body of water called Okeanos.

A match for Plato’s description of the location of Atlantis

These details of Atlantis provided by Plato strongly suggest that he was really describing Crete. About 1000 years before Plato’s time, Crete had been the center of the Minoan civilization. It was a hub of international trade. Travellers would go from Crete to the islands of the Aegean, such as Thera.

From these islands, travelers would continue to the surrounding continent of Eurasia. Together with Africa, this forms one continuous landmass which surrounds the entire Mediterranean. This is just like what Plato described.

It is true that Plato also refers to Atlantis as being ‘bigger than Libya and Asia put together’. Yet, such a landmass would have to be outside the Mediterranean. The fact that Atlantis was not placed in the body of water called ‘Okeanus’ shows that this cannot be correct.

Given the very close similarities between the ancient Greek words for ‘bigger’ and ‘between’, it is likely that the original account said that Atlantis was ‘between Libya and Asia’ (that is, Asia Minor, or Anatolia). Again, this clearly points to Crete as the intended location.

Various other details about the story of Atlantis fit the Minoan civilization centered on Crete. This even includes the timing of the alleged war and destruction. This makes it very likely that Plato’s account really did come from that civilization. Likely, the legendary destruction of Atlantis came from distorted accounts of the eruption of Santorini.