Plato gave the world the oldest remaining written account of Atlantis, in Critias, recorded circa 370 BC.
By his account, Poseidon, god of the sea, sired five pairs of male twins with mortal women. Poseidon appointed the eldest of these sons, Atlas the Titan, ruler of his beautiful island domain. Atlas became the personification of the mountains or pillars that held up the sky.
Plato described Atlantis as a vast island-continent west of the mediterranean, surrounded by the Atlantic ocean.
The Greek word Atlantis means the island of Atlas, just as the word Atlantic means the ocean of Atlas. Atlantis was governed in peace, was rich in commerce, was advanced in knowledge, and held dominion over the surrounding islands and continents.
By Plato's legend, the people of Atlantis became complacent and their leaders arrogant; in punishment the Gods destroyed Atlantis, flooding it and submerging the island in one day and night. Colonized by the Minoans in 3000 B.C., the volcanic island erupted in 1450 B.C., forming Santorini’s crescent shape. In fact, the island is widely believed to be a candidate for the lost kingdom of Atlantis, making it that much more an appropriate place to film a Lara Croft adventure. The curtain raiser for the film "The cradle of life" took place on the paradise island of Santorini and the temple of Alexander the Great..
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