Atlantis has always fascinated people, and even as far back as 360 BCE, Plato told people how the founders of Atlantis were half-god, half-human. They created a utopian civilisation 9,000 years before him, but the Atlanteans eventually succumbed to a watery grave when their land sank beneath the waves.

2,500 years on, and the idea of Atlantis has still baffled scientists, with many saying that it never existed or was just a fantastical tale. After all, Plato said that the story had been passed down by poets, priests, and others over the centuries, so its origins may have easily been distorted.

Whatever its origins, was there really an Atlantis that existed at some point in history? Well, we do know of a large landmass that had lush forests, exotic animals, and rare resources, and we do know that it sank when sea levels rose. Interestingly, the dates on when this land formed and collapsed coincide with Plato’s story, so there may have been an element of truth after all.

But what was this place, who lived there, and how did it sink beneath the waves?

A Home for Mesolithic People

Around 12,000 years ago, the world looked very different at the end of the last ice age. Sea levels were much lower, and large areas of what is today water would’ve been covered in sloping hills, marshland, and swampy lagoons.

One such place existed between mainland Europe and the island of Britain. Instead of the English Channel and the North Sea, the area was entirely covered by fertile land. This nearly 18,000 square miles of territory was Doggerland and became home to thousands of people. Without this connecting bridge, Britain may have never been colonised by humans and animals.

Although we don’t know much about the people who lived in Doggerland, artefacts dug up in the North Sea indicate that there may have been large numbers of settlements at some point. Since the plains were incredibly fertile, the land may very well have been a sort of paradise. Imagine huge swathes of meadows, gently rolling hills, and vast stretches of woodland. Its human population would’ve initially been hunter-gatherers and farmers, but thanks to the bountiful resources, it’s not unlikely that they would’ve developed a sophisticated civilisation. After all, we mustn’t forget that it was around this time that another civilisation with an abundance of resources was able to build the pyramids.

However, when Plato described Atlantis, he didn’t talk about one landmass but an archipelago with a network of islands. Although Doggerland stretched from Norfolk all the way to Denmark, it wasn’t always like this.

Around 3,000 years later, the North Sea began to flood in, gradually swallowing the fertile plan of Doggerland and only leaving a few islands, the largest of which was called Dogger Island. It’s hard to say just how long people lived on these islands, but they probably remained for centuries. This would’ve been ample time for the Doggerlanders to develop into a seafaring nation.

Being isolated, they may very well have accumulated large amounts of wealth, whether by exploiting the island's resources or by plundering nearby Britain. They may have been the Mesolithic equivalent of Vikings or been a peaceful and advanced civilisation. We will never know, but Plato’s theories coincide quite remarkably with the founding of this island.

What Happened to the Archipelago

Some scientists believe a great wave called the Storegga tsunami that struck northwestern Europe 8,500 years ago was responsible for submerging the archipelago, but this has recently been called into question.

By the time the tsunami struck, much of the landmass of Doggerland was already submerged, and the remaining islands were well above sea level. The tsunami did likely cause damage, but there still would’ve been 1000km² of land available on Dogger Island even after the tsunami.

Still, the climate was warming, and sea levels would’ve continued to rise, albeit at a slow rate. Even Dogger Island, after enduring a millennium of rising sea levels, would’ve vanished. Its people long gone, its settlements abandoned, but its legacy? That’s for us to learn and understand.