Xin Chen AR 202 Runnels October 2, 2011 Has the True Location of Atlantis been discovered?

? Abstract: In the case of abandoned cities, Atlantis is perhaps the most well-known and debated. According to legend, the city was technologically advanced and prosperous until the population became depraved and greedy. As a result, Zeus decided to punish the city and Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the ocean1. This legend has spawned numerous claims to the true location of Atlantis, however nothing conclusive. However, claims made by researchers regarding the location of Atlantis in Spain have appeared in the mass media, including an article in Reuters called Lost City of Atlantis, Swamped by Tsunami, may be Found. Looking at this claim critically using the Feders Quick Start guide, the scientific method, and Occams razor, the claim is questionable. However, we cannot fully dismiss it as pseudoarcheology just yet, given that it may be too early to make such a decisive decision. The article, Lost City of Atlantis, swamped by tsunami, may be found by staff writer Zach Howard, reports a rather astounding claim: A U.S.-led research team may have finally located the lost city of Atlantis, the legendaryin mud flats in southern Spain2 According to the article, US researchers led by head researcher Richard Freund used a satellite photo of a suspected submerged city to find the site3. At the location, archeologists and geologist used a combination of deepground radar, digital mapping, and underwater technology to survey the site4. According to the

1 2

Feder, Kenneth. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 35-36.199-200 (Howard, 2011) 3 Ibid 4 Ibid

article, the fact that memorial cities built in the sunken citys image have been found near the site solidifies the claim that this location is indeed Atlantis, however further excavations are planned. Reading Lost City of Atlantis, Swamped by Tsunami, may be Found by Zach Howard or other articles like it in numerous mass media outlets, the typical person is likely to believe claims of a discovery of the true location of Atlantis to be plausible. Certainly, a reputable source such as Reuters would be responsible enough to fact check and report only the truth? Unfortunately, we must be cautious in blindly trusting even what appear to be reputable sources. Looking at the claim using Feders Quick Start Guide, the claim is given more credibility. The claim appears in an article in Reuters, written by Zach Howard, a staff writer. The fact that the claim does not appear on an anonymous website with no attributed source is a good sign5. Instead the article appears in a major international news source that is accountable and responsible. Nonetheless, we must also consider the fact that Reuters is not a peer-reviewed paper which may increase opportunities for mistakes. According to the article, the person making the claim is archeologist Richard Freund who appears to be a reputable source. Upon closer inspection, Richard Freund is a professor at the University of Hartford, furthermore bolstering his credibility6. Other aspects of concern are the fact that no other experts are consulted other than Freund and that the main piece of evidence solidifying the claim seems to be these memorial cities; no other evidence is mentioned. Looking at Freunds claims through a scientific perspective, we must consider if the scientific method was utilized. In Freunds case, several facts were observed: there is a submerged city buried in the marshlands of the Dona Ana Park and that Freund has discovered what he believes to be memorial cities in central Spain. Using these observations, Freund makes several assumptions or hypotheses: Atlantis was destroyed by a tsunami and that these memorial cities
5 6

Feder, Kenneth. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. Xvii-xix "Maurice Greenburg Center for Judaic Studies"

are built in the image of Atlantis by survivors of the tsunami. Freund assumed that these assumptions were true and concluded that Atlantis was located in Dona Ana Park. Up to this point the scientific method has been followed with facts and hypotheses. However the claim that Atlantis was once located in what today are the marshlands of the Dona Ana Park has not been tested, although further excavations are planned. According to Feder there is another rule to hypothesis making and testing. It is called Occams Razor7. For Freunds claim to be true, several assumptions must be made. For Dona Ana Park to be the location of Atlantis, we would have to assume that there really was a 15 mile-wide city of concentric rings of alternating land and water, with palaces, huge canals, towers, and bridges8 called Atlantis, that it was destroyed by a tsunami, and that survivors built memorial cities in the image of Atlantis. Clearly, a simpler explanation is that the submerged city buried underneath the marshes of Dona Ana Park is merely just another submerged city, not Atlantis and that these memorial cities have no connection to Atlantis. In 360 B.C. was Plato referring to an actual city called Atlantis or was Atlantis merely a plot device used to show the dangers of greed and corruption in his dialogues? For now, we cannot be sure. Although several assumptions must be made to prove Freunds claims true, thereby violating Occams rule, they cannot be hastily labeled as pseudoarcheology. Freunds theory hinges on Platos allegation that Atlantis was destroyed by a tsunami, which is very plausible because tsunamis in the region have been documented for centuries9. However, considering the number of assumptions needed to get to this point and the fact that the hypothesis has yet to be tested, Freunds claims are unsubstantiated at this moment. More research needs to be done.

7 8

Feder, Kenneth. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 35-36. Feder, Kenneth. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 200 9 (Howard, 2011)

Works Cited Feder, Kenneth. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . New York: McGraw Hill, 2011 Howard, Zach. "Lost City of Atlantis, Swampted by Tsunami, may be Found ." Reuters, March 12, 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-tsunami-atlantis-idUSTRE72B2JR20110312 (accessed October 3, 2011).
University of Hartford , "The Maurice Greenburg Center for Judaic Studies." Accessed October 3, 2011. http://www.hartford.edu/greenberg/faculty.asp.