An American research team led by University of Connecticut professor Richard Freund claims to have discovered the remains of the legendary city of Atlantis. The ruins, discovered through the use of digital imaging and satellite photography, lay buried in a mud flat in southern Spain. Freund’s hypothesis states that a powerful tsunami pushed inland and flattened the city, burying it under water and sediment. This is, of course, assuming that this is actually Atlantis, a legendary city-state mentioned only in the accounts of the philosopher Plato, who actually heard about it secondhand himself. Opinions are divided on whether Atlantis ever actually existed. Some think that it might have been another name for a nation already known to history. Others suspect that Plato’s account might have simply been a political allegory. Even those who believe in a historical Atlantis are sharply divided on where it may have been.
A lack of historical evidence has never deterred occultists, wonder-seekers and artists from finding inspiration in the story of the fabled city. Nineteenth century amateur scientist and congressman Ignatius Donnelly book Atlantis: the Antediluvian World popularized the legend among contemporary readers, introducing the idea that western civilization had inherited its culture and sciences from the Atlanteans, whose nation was destroyed by a great catastrophe. Turn of the century religious leader and founder of Theosophy Helen Blavatsky believed that the ancient Atlanteans had flying machines and other advanced technology, and that Plato purposefully obscured the truth in his writings. Early twentieth century prophet Edgar Cayce claimed that Atlantis would one day rise again. These ideas probably inspired the writings of pulp authors Robert E. Howard and Henry Kuttner, both of whom wrote stories featuring Atlantean heroes. Howard’s Kull of Atlantis proved to be particularly popular, appearing in a dozen short stories and inspiring both a long-running comic book and a (terrible) movie starring Kevin Sorbo, Kull the Conquerer.
Freund’s findings will be the subject of a special, “Finding Atlantis”, airing tonight on the National Geographic Channel at 9 PM Pacific. It is doubtful that his discovery will prove definitive in settling the mystery of Atlantis, a city whose historical reality may ultimately be less important than the art and fables it has inspired.
