Sul mito dell'Atlantide

The "problem" of Atlantis, the island-continent said to have disappeared into the ocean, mentioned by Plato in the Timaeus and Critias, has fascinated more strongly modern rather than ancient peoples. Many classical authors understood that Plato's story was a myth associated with the political ideas of the Greek philosopher and the history of Athens. After the discovery of America, European culture seriously questioned if the underwater island really existed and where it could be. The "quest" for Atlantis was thus linked to the greater problem of the origin of the native populations of the New World. The discussion concerning Atlantis has continued, so far producing more and more irrational and odd theories, often also inspired by politics. Nazism turned the legend of Atlantis into a racist and pam-Germanic myth.