Losing things is part of our life. Archaeologists around the world are trying to understand how and why entire civilizations could have disappeared. Throughout our history, there are stories of entire cities that mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth. And although some people have devoted their lives to figuring out what happened to the abandoned cities, you will have to accept that some of these stories will forever remain covered in darkness.
1. Maya
The Maya civilization is widely known for its complex society, as well as the invention of the number zero a thousand years before the same idea occurred to Europeans. By AD 600 e. The Mayans built thousands of cities in Central America, making their disappearance all the more mysterious. This bustling and dynamic society began to decline in the 8th or 9th century AD.
While the opinions of experts agree on when the cities were abandoned, they cannot agree on why this happened. Drought, invasion of neighbors, collapse of trade routes and disease are still only theories.
2. Lost colony on Roanoke Island
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In 1587, a group of 115 English settlers ended up on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. A few months later, it was decided that the new governor of the colony, John White, should sail back to England to secure food supplies.
White arrived in England around the time the naval war broke out and Queen Elizabeth I ordered all ships to be used against the Spanish armada. When White returned to Roanoke Island three years later, in 1590, he found the colony completely deserted. On the site of the settlements, only a tree with the word Croatoan carved on it remained.
Croatoan is the name of the island and the Indian tribe that inhabited it. This gives some experts reason to believe that the settlers were kidnapped and killed. However, this theory has yet to be proven. Other historians suggest that the settlers tried to sail back to England but failed, or that they were killed by the Spaniards who traveled north of Florida.
3. Civilization of the Indus Valley
The ruins of the once flourishing civilization of the Indus Valley can be found in the floodplain of the Indus River, which is the territory of modern Pakistan and northwestern India.
Archaeological evidence suggests that this area was inhabited by a very developed society that created many cities and towns. The Indus Valley civilization reached its peak in about 2500 BC. e., when it had writing, sewer systems, and agriculture.
But by 1800 BC. e. people started to leave cities, and no one knows exactly what made them do it. Some theories suggest the drying up of the river was the cause, while others cite flooding or an invasion by nomadic pastoralists.
4. Easter Island
Easter Island is famous for its massive statues called moai. They were made by the Rapa Nui people, who, according to experts, got to the island with wooden kayaks around 800 AD. Experts estimate that 12,000 people lived on the island at its peak.
The first time European explorers landed on the island at Easter in 1722. The Dutch crew calculated that the island had between 2,000 and 3,000 inhabitants at the time. However, over time, they remained in fewer and fewer, until eventually the population was reduced to less than 100 people.
Researchers cannot agree on what led to the decline of this society. It is likely that the island could not provide enough resources for such a large population, which led to tribal warfare. Residents could also starve, as evidenced by the remains of boiled rat bones found on the island.
5. Cahokia
Cahokia is a city located in America that was the bustling center of Native American civilization. It is estimated that in 1050-1200 about 10-20 thousand people lived here. The city stretched for 10 sq. km. and consisted of mounds. However, the inhabitants left it around 1400, that is, long before Columbus discovered America and when European explorers first appeared in these places.
No one knows for sure why the city was abandoned, but possible causes include deforestation, disease, and flooding.
6. Angkor Wat
Today, the ruins of the Kingdom of Angkor are the largest tourist destination in Cambodia, as well as filming locations for films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
Around the 12th century, the kingdom was at its peak and controlled most of modern Southeast Asia. In fact, it is the largest pre-industrial society known to date.
The kingdom flourished in AD 1000-1200, but by 1500 the entire city was abandoned and the jungle began to consume it.
Again, scholars cannot agree on why the city fell. The most popular theories are war with a neighboring kingdom, religious conflicts, natural disasters, and neglect of community service.
7. Lost city of Petra
The Lost City of Petra was a bustling metropolis around the same time that Christ lived. It was carved into the rocks of the Jordanian desert, and its remains still attract thousands of tourists.
The city was the center of a kingdom four times the size of modern Jordan and had a complex water management system. Archaeologists believe that people began to leave it around the 7th-8th centuries. It remained relatively intact for centuries until Western explorers discovered it in the 1800s.
It is believed that various natural disasters, such as flash floods and earthquakes, could have forced residents to leave, but there is no conclusive evidence.
8. Olmec civilization
The Olmecs developed their civilization along the Gulf of Mexico around 1100 BC. e. Although most of their buildings have disappeared, carved stone sculptures remain in memory of the existence of civilization. All archaeological sites of this ancient society disappeared after 300 BC. e.
The graves of residents also could not survive to this day, so it is impossible to determine how they died: a violent death or as a result of illness. Civil war, famine, and natural disasters are the leading theories, although without the bones, archaeologists cannot pinpoint exactly what happened.
9. Terra preta
Spanish conquistadors wrote home about cities made of gold and the vast civilization in the Amazon. However, researchers who visited there years later found no sign of human life in the dense jungle.
However, satellite images show that there may be truth behind this myth. The photographs show evidence of large structures and even agricultural systems in the jungle.
10. Aksumite kingdom
The Aksumite kingdom was a trading center located in present-day Ethiopia. It was also home to the Queen of Sheba. The heyday of the kingdom fell on the first century AD.
The city, which once traded with all of Africa, began to decline in the 7th century. Some experts believe that climate change was the cause, while others think the city was defeated by Judith - the Jewish queen - and her army.
