This mythical location or Utopia suggests man is the descendant of a truly superior race, and what we know today is only a fraction of the knowledge they possessed. They were advanced, for their time, in technology, politics, philosophy, the arts, science and society.

According to the legend, Atlantis was the domain of Poseidon, god of the sea. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, Cleito, he created a dwelling at the top of a hill near the middle of the island and surrounded it with rings of water and land to protect her.

Cleito gave birth to five sets of twin boys who became the first rulers of Atlantis. The island was divided among the brothers with the eldest, Atlas, first King of Atlantis, being given control over the central hill and surrounding areas.

Life on Atlantis According to Plato

All that we know about Atlantis is based on Plato's works Timaeus and Critias. According to Plato, a temple was built on the hill to honour Poseidon which housed a giant gold statue of the god riding his chariot pulled by winged horses. It was here that the rulers of Atlantis would come to discuss laws, pass judgments, and pay tribute to Poseidon.

Apparently, Atlantis was a central city, with the land around it being cultivated in a series of concentric circles. Surrounding the plain to the north were mountains which soared to the heavens. Villages, lakes, rivers, and meadows dotted the mountains. The islanders lived off all kinds of herbs, fruits and nuts.

In time, this once highly spiritual society became fractured into two distinct groups: The Children of the Law of One and the Sons of Belial. The Children of the Law of One carried on the spiritual tradition of their forefathers, while the Sons of Belial became engrossed with satisfying their physical appetites and desires. When Zeus, the god of gods, saw the immorality of the Atlanteans he gathered the other gods to determine a suitable punishment.

The judgment of the gods was to engulf Atlantis in the surrounding seas. This was not an overnight process. The Sons of Belial brought upon themselves a series of three cataclysms. The first, about 50,000 years BC, destroyed Atlantis. The second, about 28,500 BC, caused the continent to break into three smaller islands: Poseidia, Og, and Aryan. The third, and final, destruction, according to Plato, occurred about 10,500 BC and caused the three islands to sink, forcing the migration of the survivors.

Where on Earth?

Some people believe that Atlantis existed and many places have laid claim to being the island such as Bimini Island in the Bahamas where the Bimini Wall was discovered in 1968. Major underwater research has uncovered remains of huge concrete pillars in this region, with detractors simply stating that these columns are nothing more than the remains of broken barrels of cement.

Further evidence for a mid-Atlantic location comes from those who believe that the Atlanteans had trade links with the Americas. Apparently, cocaine crystals discovered in the fabric of some of the material used to 'mummify' some Egyptians could only have come from Peru and the remains of some Aztec leaders followed the same mummification process as that of the Egyptians.

Others believe that Atlantis was not located in the middle of the Atlantic, but rather on what is now referred to as the Celtic Shelf. This area, currently underwater along coastal England, was actually above water during the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago.