Atlantis is a mythical island, mentioned in Plato's works “Timaeus” and “Critias”. Plato (c.424–328 B.C.) describes it as a powerful and advanced kingdom that sank, in a night and a day, into the ocean around 9,600 B.C. There are many theories about where Atlantis was—in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Spain, even under what is now Antarctica.
Because it’s a story embedded in Plato’s dialogues, Atlantis is considered to be an allegory which was created by Plato in order to explain his political theories.
Some claim that Plato was inspired by previous events as the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini
or the Trojan War, while others insist that Plato was inspired by the destruction of Helike in 373 BC. or the failed Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415– 413 BC.
The site with the widest acceptance is the Greek island of Santorini (ancient Thera), a halfsubmerged caldera created by the massive second-millenniumB.C. volcanic eruption whose tsunami may have hastened the collapse of the Minoan civilization on Crete.
Satellite image of the island of Santorini
Akrotiri-Santorini