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Plato came to know of Atlantis through the writings of his ancestor (six generations removed) Solon, who was an Athenian statesman, lawmaker and poet. Solon challenged the political, economic and moral decline of Athens during his time, so he was regarded as someone with wisdom and integrity. It is said that Solon came to know of Atlantis through an Egyptian priest at the temple of Neith at Sais, Egypt. They had records (in hieroglyphics) of Atlantis dating around 9,000 years back due to their shared militaristic conflict alongside Athens.

The classical description of Atlantis is of an island that was home to a rich, militarily powerful, and technologically advanced civilization. The first king of Atlantis was known as Atlas and the name ‘Atlantis’ is said to mean ‘Island of Atlas’. In the dialogues, Atlantis is said to have lost a war against Athens, dating back to around 11,000 years ago from the modern age. Furthermore the disappearance of Atlantis was attributed to excessively violent earthquakes and floods which caused the island to sink into the sea within one day and night.

The only primary sources for Atlantis are Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias; all other mentions of the island are based on them. The dialogues claim to quote Solon, who visited Egypt between 590 and 580 BC; they state that he translated Egyptian records of Atlantis.[20] Plato introduced Atlantis in Timaeus, written in 360 BC:

   "For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty host, which, starting from a distant point in the Atlantic ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the whole of Europe, and Asia to boot. For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' there lay an island which was larger than Libya and Asia together; and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent over against them which encompasses that veritable ocean. For all that we have here, lying within the mouth of which we speak, is evidently a haven having a narrow entrance; but that yonder is a real ocean, and the land surrounding it may most rightly be called, in the fullest and truest sense, a continent. Now in this island of Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and marvelous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent."

The four people appearing in those two dialogues are the politicians Critias and Hermocrates as well as the philosophers Socrates and Timaeus of Locri, although only Critias speaks of Atlantis. In his works Plato makes extensive use of the Socratic method in order to discuss contrary positions within the context of a supposition.