One of the most famous cities is settled somewhere deep in the ocean, according to Greek mythology. For centuries, people have been searching for the lost city of Atlantis. The discovery of Bimini Road just a few decades ago momentarily seemed to solve the mystery of this lost, mythological city.
Located just 50 miles from the Floridian coast lies Bimini Island, the nearest island of the Bahamas to the United States mainland. Fifteen to twenty feet below the island’s surface, however, is a half-mile of seemingly man-made limestone stones, which possibly formed a portion of an ancient wall or road.
According to legend and Bahamas Geotourism, “In the 1930s, an American psychic named Edgar Cayce reported that he had spoken with a person who had lived in the Lost City of Atlantis in a former life. This Atlantean told Cayce that Atlantis had been near Bimini.”
Interestingly, Cayce predicted that “portions of the temples of Atlantis would become visible” in either 1968 or 1969. According to Ancient Origins, “In 1968, subsea archaeologist Joseph Mason Valentine and his diving party encountered the ‘paved’ road, now called the Bimini Road or Bimini Wall.”
Because the discovery of these stones coincided with the prediction, many people hoped that this team truly had found the lost mythological city of Atlantis. The discovery of two other similar underwater roads has also spurred curiosity about structures in the Atlantic, according to Atlas Obscura.
Ancient Origins says that “researchers, geologists, archaeologists, and scientists … have tried for years to discern whether the limestone blocks are a natural phenomenon, or evidence of an ancient lost civilization.”
The stones are “large, flat rocks cut at right angles, seemingly set purposefully in straight lines,” which gives credit to the belief that they could be manmade.
Alternatively, Atlas Obscura suggests that many believe the rock arrangements were formed by erosion. “Unfortunately, carbon dating, and analysis of the blocks led to the conclusion that the roads were made naturally through geological forces. No tool marks were found on the blocks, and there was no evidence that the blocks had ever been stacked to build a structure.”
Whether the underwater stones are remnants of the famous lost city of Atlantis or not, there is still much more excitement and fun to be had on the island of Bimini.
According to the Islands of the Bahamas, Bimini was a popular and favorite vacation destination of American author Ernest Hemingway. Not only that, but “Ernest Hemingway is closely tied to Bimini’s history, because he led the way for fishermen who pilot their own boats across the Gulf Stream from Florida to follow in his footsteps.”
The island is also home to the magical Healing Hole, which is said to possess healing properties and restore the people who swim in it. Accessible by boat only, it is “a natural fresh-water spring that pumps up lithium and sulfur inside a salt water swamp in the mangroves of Bonefish Creek.”
Indulge your inner adventurer and explore what may or may not be the lost city of Atlantis. There is plenty to discover on this Bahamian island for the skeptics and believers alike.
Featured Image by Matt Kieffer on Flickr
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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