Lost city of Atlantis may have been found in southern Spain

March 13, 2011 By Adam Rosenberg

Atantis, the fabled lost island detailed in the writings of Plato, may have been discovered buried deep beneath the mud flats of southern Spain after falling victim to an ancient tsunami.

Many possible locations have been pinpointed over the years as the home of Atlantis, the lost island of legend first mentioned in Plato’s Timaeus and Critias writings. Now a team led by University of Hartford, Conn. researcher Richard Freund believes that it has found evidence of its existence in the mud flats of southern Spain, Reuters reports.

While the possible location of Atlantis has been hypothesized numerous time in the past, this particular finding is notable because of the presence of “memorial cities” in Spain that are modeled in the image of the legendary island’s lost city. The belief is that refugees headed inland after a tsunami struck, burying the island and its city in what is now the Donana National Park in Spain’s Andalusia region.

The discoveries made by Freund and his team will be detailed in a National Geographic documentary, Finding Atlantis, premiering tonight. “It’s the best possible candidate that’s ever been discovered with the most amount of evidence,” Freund said in an interview with CTNow.com.

Using electro-imaging equipment designed to locate oil deposits, the research team discovered submerged shapes that point to the former existence of a city in the Spain location. Subsequent explorations yielded a wealth of evidence, including carved artifacts and a evidence of wood dating back to 440 B.C., found in core sample taken from more than 40 feet below the surface. These samples also contained a layer of methane, which Freund believes is yet another vitally important clue.

“Finding this one layer of methane is a very telltale sign of a society that is destroyed in one fell swoop. This was in the middle of nowhere, and there was no methane layer found in the area except where we were working.”

If the findings turn out to be accurate, this discovery would put to rest years of hypothesizing, not just over the physical location of Atlantis but also the truth of its existence. Many have theorized over the years that Plato’s account was a work of fiction. Spains’ southern mud flats are only dry for one month out of the year, in the late summer, so any deep-diving examination will have to wait until then. In any event, it seems clear that Freund’s team has made sizable discovery, though whether or not they have really found the lost city of Atlantis will remain a mystery until additional research can be conducted.

Showing 4 comments

Duane Allen at 8:49am 16th April 2011 It is likely that there was a mistranslation in Plato's account, changing what would have been thousands to hundreds instead. the dates still don't match up exactly, but there is always the chance for mistranslations over a period of several thousand years.
metamystic at 9:41am 18th March 2011 The underground site, does appear to have many of Plato's physical descriptions of what Atlantis was like. What is most revealing is an inscription found on a large stone surface that does bear the symbol of the Lost Continent. Needless to say, I was both shocked and excited to see this symbol actualized by contemporary archeology. The problem is that this site is far too late to be Atlantis. It's carbon dated to have been built between 6,000 and 5,000 BCE. Which is well over 3,000 years after Atlantis sank into the Sea. This according to Plato's reference dates given to him by Solon; who in turn received this information from Egyptian priests. These Priests revealed that Atlantis existed over 10,000 years before Solon's time. There are reference points that suggest this site is more likely connected to the “Sea People” made reference to in Egyptian, Greek and Biblical historical texts, as well as by Plato himself. The people who are reputed, by Plato, to have defeated Atlantean forces in a great Sea Battle and established many colonies throughout the Mediterranean. Plato even alluded to these people originally having settled Athens. Some writers even suggest the very first Troy was founded by them as well. This current site, therefore, can hardly be the original Atlantis. It is more probably a clone, facsimile or imitation of what was thought among many ancient people to be the design of the legendary Atlantean Capital City of Atalan. This would be something that was quite common in the ancient world. Every ancient civilization of note attempted to copy the culture and architecture of Atlantis just as we still copy much from the Romans of 2000 years ago. The Spanish site does appear to resemble the three concentric rings described by Plato, but so do several other potential “Atlantis” sites located around other volcanic origins. i.e. Santorini. What is most impressive about this particular discovery at Donana is the very tangible evidence of what was known to be the actual symbol of Atlantis. The three concentric rings with a line in the center. This symbol was found carved upon a large stone surface... a marking stone. The style of the human figure on it looks much like the human figures in the cave paintings found in Southern France, which are not far from this location. This may indicate a possible stylistic and/or cultural relationship. I suggest, this stone marker actually establishes archeological credence for the very existence of Atlantis. That it definitely was created as a reference to the Lost Continent. I also suggest everyone has been looking in all the wrong places. Atlantis was in the Atlantic Ocean near what is now referred to as the Sargasso Sea. 500 miles east of Bermuda and 100 miles south. I believe that Donana is the first great discovery link that will finally lead to Atlantis' true location. Established archeology will be forced to rethink its long time, negative, stance on Atlantis. This will be especially true after a number of currently underway excavations, such a Donana, begin to reveal more examples of a unique symbolic connection, some of which are soon to be found everywhere from Spain to India, as well as from around Bimini, Cuba and Bermuda. I predict that even more startling discoveries are to come from Turkey, Egypt, Southern Iran and even Peru. Eventually all the pieces will start to come together and a picture of the true Atlantis will finally emerge.
Roberto Rob Knives Nieves at 3:25pm 14th March 2011 COOL! though, that sucks that no mystical energy or technology has been found. that would've been cool.
kevin at 5:28am 14th March 2011 Great job. What about the Mu people in reference to Atlantis ?