As for the island/continent across from the Pillars of Hercules, one larger than Libya and Asia combined, the latest study demonstrates how Plato's reference of the American continent got misconstrued into that of Atlantis. The mention of the continent across the Atlantic, "one that encompassed that veritable ocean," was Plato's poetic attempt to demonstrate Atlantis's incredible naval capability and its capacity to cross the ocean via island hopping (through Scotland, Orkney Islands, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland.) Several clues and archeological evidence actually confirm that the ancient Greeks were aware of the American continent in order for Plato to include it in his story.