'Lost city of Atlantis FOUND' - Archaeologist makes shock claim after underwater discovery

The fabled city of Atlantis, long dismissed as mere myth, may finally have been discovered-just two miles off the coast of Cádiz, Spain, according to a bombshell new claim reported by MailOnline.

Plato's ancient writings describe an incredibly advanced civilisation, boasting towering temples and massive harbour walls, before it was swallowed by the sea more than 11,600 years ago. Now, one archaeologist believes he has found the ruins beneath the waves.

Michael Donnellan, speaking at the Cosmic Summit-a North Carolina event centred on alternative history-unveiled footage he says shows thelegendary lost city. The stunning announcement coincided with the debut of his upcoming documentary.

Donnellan spent eight years studying the seabed near Cádiz using sonar and LiDAR, eventually revealing what he says are "long, linear structures" criss-crossing the ocean floor. These form a network of "enormous concentric circular walls," over 20 feet high, all arranged in a strikingly organised pattern.

The outermost wall appeared to have suffered the most damage, resembling the aftermath of a colossal tsunami. Meanwhile, the second and third walls had been "completely displaced," split in two, according to his scans.

Between the rings lay finely carved canals, while at the heart of it all stood a rectangular ruin. Donnellan believes it echoes Plato's description of Poseidon's temple, marking the capital of what he calls a long-lost empire.

"We are calling it the great ancient Atlantic culture, it is much easier to believe in," he told the Daily Mail.

"I think that's a gateway to letting people slowly, over time, take the word Atlantis much more seriously."

In dramatic scenes from the documentary, Donnellan and his team are seen diving into murky waters, where they claim to "come face-to-face with the first wall."

He described the mysterious underwater structure as having sharp right angles, flat surfaces, and a uniform width, just a few feet thick. On closer inspection, he said he could see cut stones placed one on top of the other.

"It matches everything Plato says verbatim," Donnellan insisted. "He says it came from outside the straits in the region known by the Greeks, 2,400 years ago, as Gades. We know that perfectly well to this day that Gades is the modern-day Cádiz, which happens to be the oldest city in western Europe."

Plato's famous account of Atlantis comes from his dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written around 360 BC. He described a vast island civilisation beyond the Pillars of Heracles-the ancient name for the Strait of Gibraltar-situated in the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Mediterranean.

According to Plato, the kingdom was ruled by Atlas and his twin brother Gadeirus, who oversaw a land rich in natural resources, architectural grandeur, and a complex web of canals and harbours. But the Atlanteans, he wrote, became corrupt-and the gods struck them down.

"Plato words it very well, he says, 'that in a day and a night of earthquakes and floods,'" Donnellan said.

The archaeologist admitted that the cause of the catastrophe remains unknown, but he points to the Younger Dryas-a highly debated period said to have ended around 11,600 BC-as a possible culprit. Some researchers believe a cataclysm during this time may have destroyed an advanced prehistoric civilisation.

Donnellan's team completed over 20 dives, unearthing further clues. They found toppled walls, channels, and stones that he believes were "flung" from their original positions. Among the debris were massive rectangular stones, about half the size of a small car.

"There are countless artifacts that are consistent with an ancient metropolis," Donnellan said. "The style of construction, however, is certainly not Roman nor Venetian. And at this distance and depth, it would make this place much, much older."

He also pointed to the dimensions of the sunken city, which align closely with Plato's account-3,000 by 2,000 stadia, or 341 by 227 miles-roughly the size of Nevada.

So far, Donnellan has only scanned a quarter of the area. But the scans have already revealed "remains of distinct structures," including what appear to be buildings near the upper acropolis.

At the core, he spotted a rectangular formation of impressive scale, perfectly aligned with the cardinal directions.

Plato's Atlantis, he notes, was described as a carefully planned city with concentric circles of land and water, and a central acropolis built in a rectangular and straight, oblong shape, oriented north to south.

Whether Donnellan's findings mark the rediscovery of a civilisation lost to time-or simply another chapter in the mystery of Atlantis-remains to be seen.