According to IFL Science, only those who are not good at archaeology or who arent' archaeologists at all are the ones who look for Atlantis. This is because the existence of Atlantis is hardly evident. Nevertheless, why are many people preoccupied with searching and knowing more about this mythical and mystical city?
The Hype That Surrounds Atlantis
In this modern age, Atlantis has become the center of hype. This fame goes along especially as the new Netflix film Ancient Apocalypse has just been released last November 11. Not to mention, Disney also had its classic cartoon version dubbed Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
IFL Science notes that, while it was a fictional story meant to hit the wide screens, the discourse gets blurry when others accept this fiction for a fact. The report of IFL Science also further mentions that those who are persistent about the existence of Atlantis take in conspiracy theories, pseudoarchaeology (fake archaeology), disinformation, and inherent racism into their ideology. It further notes how the presumed existence of this city has also led to fostering mistrust and negating the scientific method.
The question now boils down to how this mythical city went from being dubbed as fiction to a fact.
How Atlantis Kept Its Name in the Game For Years
Despite being just one fictional piece that reflects the genre of archaeology, Atlantis still remains to be a name that managed to persist until today, as reported by the Guardian. IFL Science notes that this can be because several people refer to a myth that is thousands of years old.
This myth starts with Plato, roughly 2,400 years before and in ancient Greece. However, it was only in the latter part of the 1800s that the story became mythical. Before then, it was not counted as a myth.
IFL Science notes that the story of Atlantis still does not harbor the characteristics of a myth, even if there are some mythic qualities to it.
The Atlantis Controversy According to Archaeologists
In reference to the recent film Ancient Apocalypse, Graham Hancock represented the program and argued that the flourishing culture of Atlantis was left devastated by floods caused by the crashing of a giant comet on earth. The Guardian notes that such a claim is what inspired the legend behind Atlantis.
Hancock holds that survivors of this devastating event had spread across the globe and brought the spheres of technology, science, architecture, and agriculture. The Guardian further notes that Hancock holds that almost everything should be attributed to these seemingly divine beings.
Such ideas have been reflected in Hancock's writings for decades. Hancock also argues that archaeologists have intentionally hidden this vision in the academe because of patronizing, prideful, and defensive attitudes.
These huge claims have led several archaeologists to criticize and even denounce the recent film on the grounds that there is minimal evidence to support such weighty declarations. Other than that, conspiracy theories in the guise of science also get fueled by such radical thinking.
The Guardian reports that according to archaeologist Flint Dibble, the basic premise behind Graham Hancock, author of Atlantis, is error-filled thinking. Dibble mentions that archaeologists don't hate Hancock, but that they believe that Hancock is wrong.
According to IFL Science, Dribble also points out that archaeology is not about using tools and techniques to prove the existence of something. On the other hand, archaeology is about what can be inferred from existing archaeological evidence. When evidence does not concur with materials, such as text sources, chances are that they are fictional.
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