Three years ago, scuba diver Alan Sutton, flying in a helicopter over the coastline of Tanzania, noticed strange rock ledges at the bottom. It took three years to find these flooded ruins, but the effort paid off. Archaeologists have stated that it is most likely a famous trading city known as Rapta.
Ruins near Mafia Island
This ancient city is believed to be Africa's first true metropolis and was well known for its huge turtle and metal markets. This thriving metropolis was one of the richest cities in the world. The famous African city was mentioned in the book "Geography" by the famous Egyptian Ptolemy, who claims that the existence of the city in Egypt and Rome was known 2000 years ago - in 50 AD.
But suddenly Rapta disappeared without a trace more than 1600 years ago. Archaeologists have been trying to find the lost city for many years. Scientists have painfully tried to piece together the puzzle, but could not even figure out the location of what historians have dubbed the "lost city of Rapta."
Underwater ruins
Fortunately, the observant scuba diver was able to finally spot the ruins of a thriving port city thousands of years ago, which is considered the first African metropolis and trading partner of Egypt and Rome. But since this city disappeared for over 1,500 years, very little is known about the Rapta culture and its subsequent fall and eventual demise. For many decades, nothing was known about the location of Rapta.
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The result of three years of searching
There is no official confirmation that this is Rapta, but preliminary results of underwater reconnaissance near a private island off the coast of Tanzania are encouraging. When Alan Sutton first saw the city, he took a photo, but only then realized what kind of find he had got.
As a result, the scuba diver returned to Tanzania and tried to find the sunken city. He did not succeed in this for three long years due to the very turbid water in this region. Finally, the scuba diver was lucky and he managed to discover the flooded African metropolis after the end of the spring flood.
Incredibly large stone circle at the bottom
Sutton couldn't believe his eyes: he saw an incredibly large stone circle at the bottom, which, he believed, served as the foundation for a large area. Along the entire perimeter of the foundation, there were thousands of blocks that fell off the foundation of a giant circle over thousands of years. After eminent archaeologists examined the ancient ruins, they speculated that this was the lost city that historians were so eager to find.
The architecture clearly bore traces of significant Roman influence. This confirms that the age of the city directly relates to the period of time when Rapta flourished and was a metropolis, as stated in the ancient records.
Thousands of blocks around the perimeter of the foundation
Now scientists from all over the world are vying to restore artifacts that will confirm that the once great city was an extremely wealthy metropolis in Africa, but the task can become incredibly difficult. Archaeologists need to dive to great depths, get from the bottom and restore very fragile artifacts. There is also the problem of dredging large amounts of soil in order to get at least something from the seabed.
Underwater city Rapta
There is also the problem of dredging large amounts of soil in order to get at least something from the seabed. However, it has not yet been proven that these ancient ruins are Rapta. To find out this, the archaeological team will have very difficult work over the years.
There are strong indications that the city was built much more “overhaul” compared to the rest of the ancient ruins that survive in this country, indicating significant foreign influence. Whether or not it is Rapta, archaeologists and historians have found a large city that was an ancient trading metropolis.