[The Hierophant]

Heh heh. Hate to burst any bubbles but the possibilty of any 'lost civilizations' existing as you portray them (with super technology and ancient, secluded wisdom) are virtually nil. Additionally, if large-scale settlements ever did exist in the central Mediterranean (and befell a cataclysmic fate, sunk beneath the waves, whatever) then you can rest assured there is no chance that they survive to this day.
The stories of Atlantis and such are tied in very much with the concepts of Greek mythological tales. Plato was the primary writer on the myth of Atlantis, and his writings are speculative at best. He mainly portrays Atlantis in a fairytale-like manner by which to muse and mince moral and social conundrums present in his contempory citystate (namely, 5th century BC Athens). In other words, he invents Atlantis as a backdrop by which to portray his philosophical ideas.
The stories of advanced, ancient civilizations are essentially the result of a curious and fantastic muse within the human consciousness-- the search for 'something better'. Unfortunately, in reality there never really tends to be 'something better', there's all we've got in the here and now [img]smile.gif[/img]

But, a little fantasy is healthy for the human mind. Think, create, imagine. It's a lot of fun, but don't get swept away by your dreams...but then hell, don't let me tell you what to do.