Researcher claims locating Atlantis
Monday 15 November 2004, 1:04 Makka Time, 22:04 GMT
A US researcher claimed he has found the lost civilisation of Atlantis in the watery deep off Cyprus - adding his theory to a mystery which has baffled explorers for centuries.
Robert Sarmast said a Mediterranean basin was flooded in a deluge around 9000 BC which submerged a rectangular land mass he believes was Atlantis, lying 1.5km beneath sea level between Cyprus and Syria.
"We have definitely found it," said Sarmast, who led a team of explorers 80km off the southeast coast of Cyprus earlier this month, on Sunday.
Tantalising clues
Deep water sonar scanning had indicated man-made structures on a
submerged hill, including a 3km-long wall, a walled hill summit
and deep trenches, he said. But further explorations were
needed, he added.
"We cannot yet provide tangible proof in the form of bricks
and mortar as the artefacts are still buried under several
metres of sediment, but the circumstantial and other evidence is
irrefutable," he claimed.
At a news conference in the port city of Limassol, Sarmast provided only animated simulations of the "hill".
Whether and where Atlantis existed has captured imaginations for centuries.
According to ancient Greek philosopher Plato, Atlantis was an island nation where an advanced civilisation developed some 11,500 years ago.
Mysterious disappearance
Theories abound as to why it disappeared, from Atlantis being hit by a cataclysmic natural disaster to Greek mythology which describes the civilisation as being so corrupted by greed and power that it was destroyed by God.
Sceptics believe Atlantis was a figment of Plato's imagination.
Sarmast says he was led to Cyprus by clues in Plato's dialogues. Plato's reference to Atlantis lying opposite the Pillars of Hercules - believed to be the Straits of Gibraltar - have often led explorers to focus on either the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland or the Azores off Portugal.
"People who dismiss this have not really done their homework, sceptics don't really understand. To understand the enigma of Atlantis you have to have good knowledge of ancient history, Biblical references, the Sumerian culture and their tablets and so on," said Sarmast.
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"We cannot yet provide tangible proof in the form of bricks and mortar as the artefacts are still buried under several metres of sediment, but the circumstantial and other evidence is irrefutable" Robert Sarmast |