Was Plato's description of Atlantis based loosely on the real events which surrounded the Minoans and the ill-fated island of Santorini. We don't know. But the common theme of a surprisingly advanced culture and its termination by "violent earthquakes and floods" is suggestive. And it isn't difficult to be persuaded that the rapid, almost complete disappearance of Santorini – and the simultaneous ending of Minoan influence may have been the key event upon which the legend of Atlantis was built.