Location or existence of Atlantis Research Paper

Location or existence of Atlantis - Research Paper Example Whatever form these stories may take, they often invite debate, discussion, and controversy as scholars, historians, archaeologists, and academicians try to determine their merits. An example is the Epic of Gilgamesh that tells the story of the Great Flood, which is very eerily similar to the biblical stories of a similar deluge and the survival of a few people such as Noah and his Ark. This epic tells of the existence of a real king named Gilgamesh in the kingdom of Uruk in ancient Sumeria at around 2700 B.C.E. as proven by archaeologists. It so happened physical records of his ancient reign were found in ruins in today's modern Iraq. Another interesting epic is that of Saga of the Volsunga Clan which is partly based from the barbarian invasions during the so-called Great Migration Period (circa 400-800 A.D.) back in Central Europe when the Roman Empire was attacked by Goths, Vandals, Saxons, the Lombards, and Franks who were followed later on by the Vikings, Huns, Slavs, and Norman s. The Volsunga clan story may have been the basis of another more famous epic, which is the Epic of the Nibelungenlied of middle-high German period. This paper talks on a controversy that is not yet resolved satisfactorily, the existence and location of the lost world of Atlantis. Discussion (Section 2) The on-going controversy about Atlantis may never die down or eventually resolved because it is shrouded in mystery and obscurity. The absence of any physical evidence about its actual location or even its previous existence in history cannot be ascertained one hundred percent despite the best efforts of archaeologists and historians alike. However, Atlantis has an enduring attraction to some people who insist it had actually existed in human history while a few others also debunk this theory as far-fetched and a mere product of an active imagination. Whatever is the truth about Atlantis, various theories had been put forward by eminent people to advance their own beliefs about it a nd this paper examines five such theories. In particular, this brief essay discusses the merits of each theory while categorizing the theories into either belonging to the group which proves or disproves the very existence of a real Atlantis in the distant past. Before the probable location of Atlantis can be established, it is necessary to first determine whether Atlantis is real or not, which is decidedly a right way to discuss a topic as controversial as Atlantis. But before discussing its most likely location, it is extremely helpful to put things in context and perspective so a preliminary discussion is a necessity whether Atlantis is real or just a figment of imagination, a work of fiction, anything fantastical that was made up, invented, imagined, or fabricated by a brilliant mind. Atlantis comes from the Greek word meaning â€Å"an island of Atlas† as it was thought to be a gift given by the Greek gods to Poseidon. Atlas is one of titans in the Greek pantheon of mytho logy, the one usually seen carrying the Earth (depicted as a globe on his shoulders). Poseidon is one of the twelve gods on Mount Olympus whose domain was the oceans, and he is alternatively called as â€Å"God of the Sea† among ancient Greeks. The history or a story about Atlantis myth can be traced to Greek philosopher Plato who had used it in his stories. This is because Plato