Historians have long hoped to pinpoint the exact location of Atlantis, a mythical place believed to have disappeared into the sea thousands of years ago.
Today a new study may have proved its actual existence, but also that it may not have been as mythical as it was believed.
To circumscribe the discovery, it is first of all necessary to locate it: to be precise, in Wales. Even in those parts there has been talk for centuries of a kind of Atlantis: an ancient kingdom known only as Cantre'r Gwaelod. A place that, according to the vulgate, sank into the waves of Cardigan Bay.
Now, however, a map could lead us directly to it.
Atlantis in Wales? What the research found
The fascination of such a discovery is undeniable: the possibility that a map of Atlantis exists intrigues scholars and history buffs, as well as those who love mystery.
The team of researchers who discovered the map published a study in Atlantic Geoscience (I link it here). The study mentions the presence of two islands on a medieval map of Cardigan Bay. Islands which, according to the team of experts, are precisely the lost kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod.
The map that could lead to Atlantis in Wales is the Gough Map and it is thought that it dates back to the XNUMXth or XNUMXth century. If the dating is correct, it is the oldest surviving map of the British Isles.
How did the Welsh “kingdom” sink?
The causes? It depends on who you ask. Some say that a human error blew up the dams, submerging everything. Others tell even more unlikely events.
The researchers say it is difficult to estimate the size of these two islands due to the age of the map and the wear and tear of time.
The Gough Map also appears to depict the coast of Wales about eight miles further out to sea than it is today. The two islands may also have disappeared due to coastal erosion, and not some kind of cataclysm.
In summary: who knows if the lost kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod is actually Atlantis, and if this map accurately locates it. After all, just a few months ago archaeologists they identified Doggerland, another Atlantis lost 8200 years ago, recovering over 200 objects.
However, the study provides some interesting possibilities and could bring us one step closer to confirming the existence of this mythical (or almost, at this point) place.
