[craftyguy]

Really? 12000 years ago would have pre-dated any known invention of written language by something like 8000 years. Even if Atlantis existed 12000 years ago when this event happened, how can we trust any description of it that was passed along orally for 8000 years before anyone had any chance of writing it down (and then maintain accuracy for another 4000 years of religions, states, entertainers and others who would readily change such a story for their own benefit)?

Atlantis is likely a made-up story, for entertainment purposes, just as Hollywood has made a billion dollar business out of making up stories for entertainment. I wonder if historians in 1000 years will wonder where Frodo Baggins is buried, or how to get to the planet featured in Avatar.

[ahje]

Atlantis may very well be a true story. Problem is we have no idea what the original myth was; such stories have a tendency to develop over time, getting more and more fantastical for every iteration.

How would a Paleolithic hunter/gatherer describe a neighboring tribe who developed certain tools and techniques far ahead of anyone else? A small town of wooden buildings and 400-500 people would seem a great marvel from that perspective.

Imagine there was such a tribe 12000 years ago. Now imagine a tsunami hitting that village and that hunter/gatherer describing the event to future generations. Imagine how that oral tradition would develop over the years until someone writes it down 4000 years later.