By Michele Kambas
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LIMASSOL, Cyprus (Reuters) - A U.S. researcher claims 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 on Sunday a Mediterranean basin was flooded in a
deluge around 9,000 BC which submerged
a rectangular land mass he believes was Atlantis, lying 1.5 km beneath
sea level between Cyprus and Syria.
"We have definitely found it," said Sarmast, who led a team
of explorers 80 kilometres (50 miles) off the south-east
coast of Cyprus earlier this month.
Deep water sonar scanning had indicated man-made structures on a
submerged hill, including a 3-kilometre-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.
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.