The first references to the Atlantis appear in texts of the Greek philosopher Plato, according to who it was submerged 9,000 years before (9,550 adC) under the ocean as a result of an earthquake. According to Plato, it was located after the Pillars of Hercules (old name of the Straits of Gibraltar).

 

According to Critias, the old Greek Gods divided the Earth of such form that each God could have a part, choosing Poseidón the Atlantis. "Era a greater island in extension than Libya and Asia, and that after the collapse by an earthquake, became an insurmountable mud barrier, that therefore, prevented that the travellers sailed to any part of the ocean. (109)". According to the Egyptians, one was an island of about 3000 by 2000 stages, that are approximately 600 by 400 km, composed mainly of mountains to the north and in the coast, with a great plain of oblong form in the south. To 50 stages (Greek unit of measurement) from the center of the South coast there was a mountain not very high where a woman lived on whom Poseidón fell in love, "He also had and raised five pairs of masculine twin children; and dividing the island of Atlantis in ten portions, (114) it gave him to the first one been born of the pair of twin greater the dwelling of his mother and it assigned all the surrounding one to him, who was greatest and better, and made king on the rest; to the others it made princes, and it gave authority them on many men, and of a great territory. And it gave name them all; to the greater one, than he was the first king, it named it to Atlas, and in honor to him the whole island and the ocean were called Atlantic. His twin brother, who was born after him, obtained like his portion the extremity of the island towards the columns of Hercules, facing whom now region of Gades in that part is called world, his name in Greek language is Eumelus, in language of his country is Gadeirus, named in honor to him. Of the second pair of binoculars it called to one Ampheres, and the other Evaemon. To greater of the third pair of binoculars he he gave the name known Mneseus, and Autochthon whom he followed it. Of the fourth pair of binoculars it called Elasippus to the greater one, and Mestor to youngest. And of the fifth pair of twin, it gave greater the name of Azaes, and to the youngest of them Diaprepes.

 

 All they and their descendants by many generations were the inhabitants and governors of diverse islands in the open sea; and also, since he has said himself already, they influenced in our direction by all the country within the columns as far as Egypt and Tirrenia." Poseidón drilled the mountain where his lived loved until turning it a palace, surrounded by three concentric, separated circular pits by earth ring. The atlantes soon constructed to bridges to the north of the mountain, creating a way to communicate with the rest of the island. They dug a great channel towards the sea, dug tunnels in the rock ring throughout the bridges so that the boats could enter the city around the mountain, and dug his wharves in the rock walls of pits. Each trip towards the city was watched from doors and towers, and each ring was surrounded by a wall. The walls were done of red rock, white and black removed from pits, and were covered of brass, tin and oricalco.

 

9,000 years before Critias, there was a war between which lived outside the Pillars on Hercules and those on inside. The atlantes had conquered the Mediterranean until arriving at Egypt and Tirrenia. The athenians in front of created an alliance of resistance the atlante empire; after disintegrating the alliance, they continued single, managing to release occupied earth. After the Greek victory, earthquakes of "great intensity" and a great "flood" - possibly tsunami- caused that its main city or the island-Acropolis disappeared under the sea.