Atlantis Kircher Mundus subterraneus 1678

This engraving presents the hypothetical location of the sunken continent as described by Plato. The map is oriented with South at the top, placing Africa and Spain on the left and the Americas on the right. Notable details include a large sailing vessel in the upper right and a cartouche explaining that the map follows the descriptions of the Egyptians and Plato.

Published in Athanasius Kircher's 'Mundus Subterraneus' (1665), this map reflects the 17th-century effort to reconcile classical mythology with the emerging empirical science of natural philosophy. It illustrates the enduring Western fascination with lost primordial civilizations and the search for ancient knowledge hidden by geological catastrophe.