Lost Worlds – Atlantis

The Lost City of Atlantis as described by Plato

Today on Far Future Horizons we are going to rediscover what could be the ancient city that inspired Plato’s tale of the vanished island of Atlantis.

The island of Santorini was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption over 3000 years ago. On the island of Santorini is the prehistoric city of Akrotiri that many historians believe is the inspiration behind Plato’s Atlantis.

Atlantis: The End of a World and the Birth of a Legend

Today on Far Future Horizons we present a 2011 BBC docudrama titled Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend which depicts a re-enactment of the events surrounding the volcanic eruption which destroyed the island of Thera, an incident believed to have inspired the legend of Atlantis. The hour-long programme is based on the work of leading scientists, archaeologists and historians, and featured Stephanie Leonidas and Reece Ritchie as members of the Bronze age civilisation. The film was narrated by Tom Conti, and made its debut on BBC One on Sunday 8 May 2011.

Featuring spectacular visual effects, this factually-based drama tells the gripping story of the greatest natural disaster to shake the ancient world, a disaster that triggered the downfall of a civilisation and spawned a legend.

Atlantis: The Evidence

In this Timewatch special, historian Bettany Hughes unravels one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time - did Atlantis really exist?

Dr. Hughes presents a series of geological, archaeological and historical clues to show that the legend of Atlantis was inspired by a real historical event – the greatest natural disaster of the ancient world – the eruption of Thera on the Aegean island of Santorini. In this documentary Dr. Hughes traces the origins of the Atlantis myth and presents evidence that the Thera eruption inspired Plato’s account of this mystical land.