We all have heard about the myth of Atlantis at some point in our lives. There are many theories and different opinions on this topic and all of them are so interesting and are worth a read. Several writers have mentioned the legend in their works and that is why it has had such a big impact on literature.

Philologists and classicists of our time agree on the fact that the story of Atlantis was absolutely fictional, but what served as its inspiration?

The Greek philosopher Plato first mentioned Atlantis more than 2000 years ago (400-300 BC) and placed it beyond the Pillars of Hercules. We now know they are the located at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar, but considering ancient greek geography, he might have actually referred to the strait between Sicily and Tunisia.

For this reason, we are going to focus on one particular hypothesis: the one that sees Sardinia as the home to the mythical civilization of Atlantis.

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the twenty Italian regions. It is described and considered by many as a micro continent because of its variety of ecosystems. Within its 9,300 square miles, this big little island includes long sandy beaches, rocky coasts, woods, mountains, plains, deserts and vasts uninhabited territories.

The Legend of Atlantis

In his tales, Plato described Atlantis as a big unknown continent situated in the Atlantic Ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It was inhabited by Atlas and the other nine children the god Poseidon had from a mortal woman. Their descendants extended the empire to Egypt and Tyrrhenia and, thanks to the abundance of fruits the land offered and the mineral riches of the subsoil, they prospered in trade and industriousness. The island had many villages and was rich in rivers, lakes and meadows, which provided sufficient nourishment to all animals. Also copious and varied forests, which offered plentiful material to all jobs. They built temples, palaces, ports and arsenals. It was a sea-fearing civilisation, prosperous and powerful. They were capable of exploring the world and had advanced knowledge in almost every area. The population was also respectful of the laws and lived in justice and peace for many years.

In time, their existence started to be overwhelmed by the human nature. Kings and inhabitants became greedy for injust power and deserved the punishment of Zeus. After one of their war expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea was defeated by the ancient Athenians, they had to face another adversity. In a very short time span, over day and night, they all sank into the Earth due to strong earthquakes and floods and the Island of Atlantis disappeared, absorbed by the sea.