Lost lands are
islands or
continents believed by some to have existed during
pre-history, but to have since disappeared as a result of
catastrophic geological phenomena.
Legends of lost lands often originated as scholarly or scientific theories, only to be picked up by writers and individuals outside the academy.
Occult and
New Age writers have made use of lost lands, as have
subaltern peoples such as the
Tamils in India.
Phantom islands, as opposed to lost lands, are land masses formerly believed by
cartographers to exist in the current historical age, but to have been discredited as a result of expanding geographic knowledge. The classification of lost lands as continents, islands, or other regions is in some cases subjective; for example,
Atlantis is variously described as either a "lost island" or a "lost continent". Lost land theories may originate in
mythology or
philosophy, or in scholarly or scientific theories, such as
catastrophic theories of
geology.[1]
With the development of plate tectonic simulation software, new lost land has been discovered and confirmed by the scientific community (like
Greater Adria in 2019).
Although the existence of lost continents in the above sense is mythical (aside from Zealandia[2] and Greater Adria[3]), there were many places on Earth that were once dry land, but submerged after the
ice age around 10,000 BCE due to
rising sea levels, and possibly were the basis for
Neolithic and
Bronze Ageflood myths. Some were lost due to
coastal erosion or volcanic eruptions. An (incomplete) list follows:
A large island in the
Mediterranean Sea, of which
Malta is the only part not now submerged.
Zealandia, a scientifically accepted continent that is now 94% submerged under the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the areas of
New Zealand and
New Caledonia.
Llys Helig Welsh legends regarding the local rock formations conceal the palace of Prince
Helig ap Glanawg, said to be part of a larger drowned kingdom near
Penmaenmawr,
Wales.
Ys, a mythical drowned city in
Brittany, similar to other Celtic lost lands in
Welsh and
Cornish tradition. Most versions of the legend place the city in the
Baie de Douarnenez.
In literature and philosophy
The following individuals are known for having written on the subject of lost lands (either as fiction, hypothesis, or supposed fact):