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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost lands | 1/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_lands | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T08:06:58.077159+00:00 | kb-cron |
Lost lands are islands or continents believed by some to have existed during prehistory, but have since disappeared as a result of catastrophic geological phenomena. Legends of lost lands often originated as scholarly or scientific theories, only to be picked up by writers and individuals outside the academy. Occult and New Age writers have made use of lost lands, as have subaltern peoples. Phantom islands, as opposed to lost lands, are land masses formerly believed by cartographers to exist in the current historical age, but to have been discredited as a result of expanding geographic knowledge. The classification of lost lands as continents, islands, or other regions is in some cases subjective; for example, Atlantis is variously described as either a "lost island" or a "lost continent". Lost land theories may originate in mythology or philosophy, or in scholarly or scientific theories, such as catastrophic theories of geology. With the development of plate tectonic simulation software, new lost land has been discovered and confirmed by the scientific community (like Greater Adria in 2019).
== Submerged lands ==
Although the existence of lost continents in the above sense is mythical (aside from Zealandia and Greater Adria), there were many places on Earth that were once dry land, but submerged after the end of the ice age around 10,000 BCE due to rising sea levels, and possibly were the basis for Neolithic and Bronze Age flood myths. Some were lost due to coastal erosion or volcanic eruptions. An (incomplete) list follows:
A large island in the Mediterranean Sea, of which Malta is the only part not now submerged. Balkanatolia, a sunken land in the Mediterranean Sea. Beringia, connecting Asia and North America. Doggerland, the bed of the North Sea, which once connected Great Britain to Continental Europe before being inundated by rising sea levels during the Holocene Ferdinandea, a submerged volcanic island in the Mediterranean Sea that has appeared at least four times in the past. Kerguelen Plateau, a partially-submerged micro-continent of which part, the Kerguelen Islands, is not now submerged. Other parts are now 1–2 kilometres (0.62–1.2 miles) below sea level. Maui Nui, once a large island of the Hawaii archipelago; several major islands represent residual high ground of Maui Nui. Sundaland, the now submerged Sunda Shelf. The Viking-Bergen Banks are submerged hills in the North Sea which formed Viking-Bergen Island during the Last Glacial Period and possibly the northernmost point of Doggerland.
=== Lost continents ===
Greater Adria, a continent connecting between Italy and North Africa. Zealandia, a scientifically accepted continent that is now 94% submerged under the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the areas of New Zealand and New Caledonia.
== Mythical and pseudoscientific lost lands == Atlantis, Lemuria, and Mu are among the most widely known examples of supposed “lost lands,” a term applied to places that have vanished or disappeared due to catastrophic events. Although each lost land originated from different contexts, their many interpretations are shaped by pseudoscientific, occult, and New Age ideas. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, these lost lands are still prominent cultural influences and popular in discussions about ancient mysteries and possible vanished civilizations of the past. These lost lands continue to foster speculation, imagination, reinterpretation, theory, and debate about the possibility of their existence.
=== Atlantis === The fictitious story of Atlantis originates from two dialogues, Timaeus and Critias, created by the Greek philosopher Plato in the 4th century BCE. In these writings, the island of Atlantis is described by Critias as a rich, successful, and powerful empire that grew morally corrupt over time. Ultimately, Atlantis collapses through war, defeated by Athens, and "all of Atlantis was destroyed in a tremendous cataclysm of earthquakes and floods”. Most scholars agree that the story of Atlantis was never meant to be true history but more so an entertaining story that conveys moral lessons. Throughout history, the idea of Atlantis was reinterpreted many times, especially through Ignatius Donelly, who is considered the modern “father of the nineteenth-century Atlantis revival”. In 1882, he published a book titled Atlantis: The Antediluvian World, which discussed that Atlantis was the source of origin for Egyptian, Mesoamerican, and Mediterranean cultures. Donnelly sought to prove his diffusionist Atlantis claim by drawing archaeological comparisons between the civilizations, though these comparisons were widely rejected by mainstream archaeology and scholars. However, his ideas laid the foundation for later pseudoscientific interpretations of Atlantis. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Atlantis has emerged as a central subject in pseudoarcheology, where it is often associated with global cultural diffusion, ancient aliens, or lost advanced technologies. Modern fringe theories deviate from Plato’s writings entirely and relocate Atlantis to different places across the world like the Mid-Atlantic, the Caribbean, or Antarctica. Atlantis also plays a significant role in popular culture, influencing movies, literature, television shows, and other media. Despite alternative interpretations and influences Atlantis still has today, the scholarly consensus remains the same that no geological or archaeological evidence indicates the true existence of Atlantis. Because of this, Atlantis is regarded as a mythical land attributed to the mind and imagination of the Greek philosopher, Plato.