Throughout the course of history, there have been few mysteries that have captured the world's imagination in the way that Atlantis has. The first reference to this extraordinary lost continent occurs in the works of Plato of approximately 360 BCE, where he describes Atlantis as, "a great and wonderful empire" (Mavor 13). To this day, archaeologists have speculated over the reality of this myth, and, if it is real, the possible whereabouts of Atlantis. To their credit, many well-founded, plausible theories have been produced. One of these theories, however, stands out from the others. Sufficient evidence exists to support that Atlantis was, in fact, the land of Thera. This comes as a result of the works of Plato, the consistency of the dates and figures, the similar Minoan cultures, and the timely demise of each legend. Atlantis, a once great and noble empire, has finally been found. .
According to the Greek philosopher, Plato, Atlantis is a tale which, "though strange, is certainly true." (Continent). It was told to him by Solon, a great Greek legislator and poet who journeyed to Egypt some 150 years earlier. While in the Egyptian city of Sais, Solon received the story of Atlantis from priests. The priests respected Solon's reputation and cordially welcomed him, eager to tell him the tale of the "greatest nation" (Civilization). Plato translated Solon's stories and included them in two of his now famous works: "Timaeus" and "Critias". At the time that he wrote both of these books, he was known for sticking closely to historical information and writing largely accurate accounts of events. Thus, it is likely that Atlantis is a non-fictional story.
The most concrete proof of Thera being the lost empire in this story, lies in the consistency of the dates and figures. Moreover, a comparison between Plato's statistics on Atlantis, and the known facts of Thera, can only result in one conclusion - that Thera is what Plato was writing about.
