Since 1968 when a diver discovered a straight alignment of rectangular to sub-rectangular limestones off North Bimini, an ongoing debate in the scientific community has ensued concerning the Lost City of Atlantis.
“Baja mar” means low water sea, and Bimini means the islands of the shallow sea. The diver discovered what has since been referred to as the Bimini Road or the Bimini Wall on the sea floor in water only 18’ deep.
Some marine biologists and other scientists have concluded that the huge limestones are aligned with supporting stones beneath in such a way that could not have been formed naturally, leading them to the conclusion that the configuration that resembles a road or the top of a wall that has perhaps collapsed must be manmade.
Prior to the 1968 discovery, Edgar Cayce, known as the “sleeping prophet” who had foretold that the remains of the Lost City of Atlantis would be discovered near Bimini, had drawn public attention to the subject that Plato wrote about via his character, Critias, and his dialogue with others concerning the whereabouts of the Lost City of Atlantis.
Since Plato wrote about the Lost City of Atlantis that was destroyed in less than two days via a volcanic eruption that occurred in 9,600 B.C., western philosophers, scholars and historians have debated whether Plato’s writing was merely metaphor or history.
At any rate, the Bimini Road extends approximately 1,600’ in a northeast to a southwest direction in the shallow sea that some perceive was the remnants of a road that led to the sunken city of Atlantis.
Where did the idea that the Lost City of Atlantis was near the Bahamas? The answer can be attributed to the writings of Cayce whose son, Hugh Lynn Cayce formed a nonprofit foundation titled the Foundation for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach.
Edgar who was from Hopkinsville, Ky. became famous for “readings” that he gave while asleep, earning him the name, “The Sleeping Prophet.” He rose to popularity during the 1930s and 1940s, rendering “readings” that led to many patients being cured after receiving treatments that he prescribed while he was asleep.
The History Channel and other TV shows have featured the Bimini Road, and scientific studies have been conducted, examining the limestone formation.
Core samples taken from the Bimini Road have revealed that the limestones forming the Bimini Road are no different than the beach rocks found near the beach areas in North Bimini, leading scientists to conclude that the Bimini Road is a natural formation.
In 2021, the Resorts World Bimini Cruise Port opened in Bimini, and world class cruise ships visit the island that has only 2,000 residents who live in Alice Town, Bailey Town and Porgy Bay. The island is noted for its sandy beaches, shallow water surrounding it which is attractive to snorkelers and fishing.
While those who choose to believe in Edgar Casey’s revelation about Bimini being the location of the Lost City of Atlantis, there are those in the scientific community who are naysayers, maintaining the Bimini Road is merely a product of nature.
An examination of Plato’s writing reveals that the Lost City of Atlantis could just as well have been in the Mediterranean Sea or just west of the Strait of Gibraltar in the Atlantic.
Since Plato wrote between 424-328 B.C. and he described the Lost City of Atlantis as being an advanced civilization on an island that was larger than Libya and Asia Minor that was located just beyond the Pillars of Hercules, scholars have had centuries to debate whether Plato was employing a metaphor or writing history.
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