Valich,
Thankyou for you interest!
Plato's writings embodied the now lost words of Solon, a Greek ruler who visited Egypt circa 590 BC. Solon sired Critias the Elder, who in turn sired Critias the Younger. As Plato's account was derived from Critias the Younger, it was thus a retelling of the story of Solon, who in turn told the stories that he had heard during his trip to Egypt. So, by this reasoning, any historical search for Atlantis starts with assessing what Solon actually heard in Egypt.
One assumption is that Solon was mainly interested in trade and economics at that time and had little time for stories nor any further details relating to them. But he did make an effort to listen and record some of them from his trip to Egypt.
According to the Egypt legend, Keftiu was an advanced civilization, and was the gateway to and ruler of all of the lands to the far west of Egypt (Greece, Libya, and beyond). Keftiu traded in ivory, copper, and cloth. Keftiu supported hosts of ships and controlled commerce far beyond the Egyptians domain.
By Egyptian record, Keftiu was destroyed by the seas in an apocalypse. It seems likely Solon carried legends of Keftiu to Greece, where he passed it to his son and grandson.
Plato recorded and embellished the story from Solon's grandson Critias the Younger. As in many ancient writings, history and myth were indistinguishably intermixed. Plato probably translated "the land of the pillars which held the sky" (Keftiu) into the land of the titan Atlas (who held the sky). Comparison of ancient Egyptian records of Keftiu identifies a number of similarities to Plato's Atlantis. It seems likely that Plato's Atlantis was a retelling (and renaming) of Egypt's Keftiu.
When Plato identified the location of the land he named Atlantis, he placed it to the west-in the Atlantic Ocean. In reality, Egyptian legend placed Keftiu west of Egypt, not necessarily west of the Mediterranean.
Archaeological records show that the Minoan culture spread its dominion throughout the nearby islands of the Aegean, very roughly from 3000 years BC to about 1400 years BC. Crete, now part of Greece, was the capital for the Minoan people — an advanced civilization with language, commercial shipping, complex architecture, ritual and games.
Plato described Atlantis as alternating rings of sea and land, with a palace in the center "bull's eye". Interestingly, the remnants of post eruption Thera are circular around a deep, wide lagoon, with another small island located in the center of the lagoon. Perhaps Egyptians or other ancient travelers visited Thera long after the volcanic destruction occurred, misinterpreted the geographical remains of the island, and began the legend of the rings of Atlantis. Looking 70 miles south to crescent shaped Crete, the ancient traveler could have easily assumed the ring system of Atlantis reached as far.
Plato speaks of the stone quarried from under Atlantis; "one kind of stone was white, another black, and a third red". The first sight of Thera that modern day tourists see is the sheer cliffs remaining when the rest of the island dropped into the sea, and these cliffs are a breathtaking mix of white, black and red stone. A unique sight in the Aegean world.
The rendition of Atlantis given to Plato was simply another expression of the land of the Gods, Island of Maati which was lost over time. The name Atlantis is an Greek translation of the Egyptian name of the isle of the Gods, the isle of Maati.
Very descriptive references can be found in the "Egyptian book of the dead" about Atlantis translated by E.A. Wallis Budge.
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/egyptian/bookodead/index.html
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/egyptian/bookodead/book3.htm
Keftiu is said to be in the midst of the Great Green Sea. (Its not Crete, we are talking about pre Mediterranean deluge. Crete may have been a lot different I.5 km below its present level.) It could been part of an mainland of the sea at that time.)
It seems that Keftiu was considered to be the pillar at the ends of the earth that held up the sky. (Sounds similar to the description of Atlantis) The worship of sacred pillars was prevalent in Minoan Crete. Plato would have equated this with Atlas from which we get Atlantis. Solon probably misunderstood the Egyptian record of the Minoans (p.56). (It all talks about Eden which is sunken not Crete,)
Note in the representation of the Atlantis or isle of Maati from the egyptian book of the dead
The isle looks like a face looking South towards Egypt.
The Lake looks like the Eye of Horus
We know there were gates across the neck to keep the isle of the Gods protected.
We know there is much copper on Cyprus and can assume much more in the submerged landmass.
The Hidden shrine is submerged on the sunken landmass and has been discovered by the Atlantis 2003 expedition.
The Taut is the name of the city of the Gods.
The Gods live there in the Taut.
A shrine or the Holy mountain exists and is instrumental in the seasons and plantings in connection with the setting of the sun. Perhaps the use of structures in terms of the equinox.
A more intenseive study on the egyptian book of the dead had been done by scholars outling the key references to Atlantis in comparison to Keftiu.
It is certainly a very interested study if you do have the time and patience to decypher the writings.