Have you ever wondered why archeologists do not search for Atlantis? It is simply because it never existed. That is right - all of us know that Atlantis, a fictional island introduced by the Greek philosopher Plato, is not a real island. Rather, it was a figment of the imagination of the great Greek philosopher. Therefore, archeology does not look for it.
What archeology does look for, instead, is the history that is lost as time passes. Something that “actually” existed in the past. That is why archeologists - good archeologists, to be specific, do not look for Atalantis. Essentially, archeology deals with real-life occurrences and ruins of the past that are buried in history. Not with some fictional islands like the Island of Atlantis.
However, what we know from our knowledge of the great Greek philosopher Plato is that he was an idealist. In his figment of imagination, he created ideal states and cities, which he called a utopian world. Of course, this utopian world never existed in the real world. Instead, it was the idealogy of Plato that gave birth to these fictional places in his mind.
Unlike philosophy or idealism, archeology does not look for the ideal state. Nor does it deal with fiction and imagination. Instead, it dives deep into the “actual” occurrences of the past and digs them out. Therefore, a good archeologist will never look for Atlantis. Simply because it was just a mere figment of the imagination of the ancient Greek philosopher - away from the real world.
Nowadays, Atlantis - the ideal island that was lost beneath the waves - is on trend. There are numerous Netflix series that center around this lost city. “The Ancient Apocalypse,” Disney’s all-time favorite “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and “Aquaman” revolve around the concept of Atlantis. Given the popularity of the Island of Atlantis, people wonder why archeologists do not bother looking for it. How is it possible that an island that was once an empire has no ruins available for archeologists?
Why Do Archeologists Not Look for Atlantis, The Lost Empire?
Well, it turns out that Atlantis is never a concern of archaeologists - good archeologists, to be fair. Why? Because, again, the fictional island never existed.
However, it is essential to note here that Atlantis is no more a mere fictional island in the modern age. In the 21st century, the Island of Atlantis is used as a grave means of conspiracy theories. The western world uses the Island of Atlantis as “evidence” for white supremacy. Thus, it has gone beyond a mere philosophy and has become a political rhetoric in the 21st century.
But archeologists still do not bother looking for it. And the reason remains the same: It never actually existed. Looking at the essence of Archeology, we are pretty sure that archeologists will not look for Atlantis in the future either. No matter how much they are pressed, it will make no sense (at least, for a good archeologist) to look for something that never existed in the real world.