Atlantis - Metaphor or truth?

Plato described atlantis first in his Dialogue Timaeus and Critias ....

Many say it was just a metaphor and idea to illustrate his pollitical views and some say it was a real city than sunk...

what do you think? and can please anyone describe how can it be compared to politics?

I don't know too much on the subject, but the way I look at it, It is theoreticly possible, but If it did exist wouldn't we have found some evidence of it by now. Sure, we haven't explored a whole lot of the oceans, but if it was an ancient civilisation that was flooded by the sea, then surely parts of evidence of it would get moved with tides and things and spread itself over a huge area. And as far as I know, no evidence of it has been found anywhere.

And I'm sure plato does explain this in his texts, and its just my lack of knowledge that leads me to ask this question - but how would plato know about it anyway?

I don't know too much on the subject, but the way I look at it, It is theoreticly possible, but If it did exist wouldn't we have found some evidence of it by now. Sure, we haven't explored a whole lot of the oceans, but if it was an ancient civilisation that was flooded by the sea, then surely parts of evidence of it would get moved with tides and things and spread itself over a huge area. And as far as I know, no evidence of it has been found anywhere.

And I'm sure plato does explain this in his texts, and its just my lack of knowledge that leads me to ask this question - but how would plato know about it anyway?

mattyftm

that is also one of the questions i have aske myself-i have 2 answers:

1-plato new some kind of mystery or secret that all the explorers and archeologists and others didnt know

2-he used is as a metaphor