Learn about some civilizations that mysteriously disappeared from existence
Since ancient times, and with the development of human thought, civilizations flourished and grew, and some of them dominated the world militarily, commercially, or in other ways, but despite this development, humanity lost a lot of its civilizational balance over the years, as some civilizations disappeared and some of them dominated the other, which led to Clear a lot of heritage.
It is known that every defeat of ancient human civilizations has a specific reason that led to its end and disappearance. For example, the Aztecs were defeated by the Spanish invaders who were the reason for ending their civilization, and the fall of Rome was due to the invasions of Germanic tribes on it, but we still have some civilizations that we did not find a clear reason for their disappearance, Perhaps due to the loss of her records or the lack of clear documentation of what happened to her.
Despite the efforts of scientists to study these civilizations, the reasons for their collapse and disappearance are still full of secrets, and in this article we will introduce you to some of them.
1. The Catalhöyük Civilization
The Çatalhöyük civilization existed in what is now Turkey between 9000 and 7000 years ago, and is considered one of the oldest cities in the world, in which nearly 10,000 people lived. The interesting thing about Çatalhöyük is the way its architectural structure was designed, which is very different from most other cities at the time, as it did not have familiar roads and lanes, but rather its structure was built in a very hive-like manner as the houses were attached to each other and their entrances There are openings in the ceilings.
It is believed that the inhabitants of the city planted many agricultural crops such as wheat and almonds outside the city walls, and moved to their homes through the sidewalks that pass from the roofs, and in many cases they decorated their homes with bull skulls.
(Katalhoyuk) also differed from other civilizations in the strange burial places used by its inhabitants, they used to bury their dead under the soil of their homes and live in them in an ordinary way. (Katalhoyuk) also distinguished the equality of the sexes, which was inferred by scientists by studying the skeletons of males and females collected from the city, and which showed us that the two sexes ate the same diets, and spent the same time at work and the same time outside the home.
The time of the existence of this civilization dates back to before the Iron Age and before the use of writing and reading, however, it left behind abundant evidence of a developed society full of architecture and public rituals, but the reason for its disappearance and the leaving of its inhabitants to their homeland is still a mystery.
2. The Indus Civilization (Indus)
The Indus began building their settlements in an area that included parts of what is today India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan 8000 years ago, making them one of the oldest civilizations in that region. Which contemporary to them in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and then represented 10% of the world's population.
The Indus developed a script that has not yet been deciphered, and their cities had sewage systems unparalleled even in Roman cities. In 1900 BC, the Indus civilization, also known as the Harappa civilization, collapsed, as the inhabitants left their cities and migrated towards the southeast.
At first, scientists believed that the Aryan invasion was the cause of the collapse of the Indus civilization, but that theory is no longer popular and accurate now, because recent studies indicated that the monsoons stopped for two centuries in that region, which made agriculture impossible, in addition to some other factors such as earthquakes and the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and malaria that They came together and led to the collapse of that civilization. The same reason that scientists believe was behind the leaving the peoples of the civilization (Mayan) to their homeland, the inability to provide food for its huge population.
2. Mayan civilization
Photo: JoseIgnacioSoto/iStockphoto
There is no doubt that the Mayan civilization is one of the most developed civilizations in ancient America and is considered a classic example of civilizations that have completely disappeared as the tropical forests of Central America devoured their civilization features, although the Mayan traditions and language still exist among some indigenous peoples in America, but the peak The glory of this civilization was in the first millennium AD, when its people made their greatest architectural works and huge agricultural projects that covered a vast area of the Yucatan region (today) stretching from Mexico to Guatemala and Belize.
Entire stone cities were carved in the jungles, huge courtyards, beautiful palaces, pyramids, temples, and stadiums were built. The Mayans also knew hieroglyphs, as well as their advanced calendar and their progress in mathematics, astronomy and architecture. This civilization reached the height of its influence during the so-called classical period between 250 and 900 AD.
But at the end of the classical era and in one of the greatest mysteries in history, the Mayan people deposed their kings from the throne of power, cities were neglected, abandoned and their innovations stopped. Dozens of hypotheses have been put forward to explain what happened. Some historians point out that this social collapse was due to the great drought that was exacerbated by the removal of Forests and desertification of the soil, while others blame epidemics and wars that cut off trade routes and caused the collapse of that civilization.
The Maya people did not completely disappear, and millions of their descendants still inhabit the area to this day.
3. The Machu Picchu Civilization
Mystery remains surrounding the Inca Empire, which controlled the areas now known as Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina for hundreds of years before the Spanish conquest came and destroyed cities and monuments.
Although we know a lot about the Inca civilization, their techniques, architecture and agriculture, and these things are very clear in Machu Picchu, we cannot read the rest of the writing of this civilization. The mystery of this civilization is that, unlike other cities, there were no markets, and the pillar of its economy remains unknown to this day.
4. Easter Island Civilization
Stunning Giant Stone Sculptures Named "Moai"
The inhabitants of the volcanic island represent another classic "lost" civilization, which is located in the South Pacific Ocean and is one of the most remote regions in the world located 3,700 km west of the Chilean coast. It's called moai.
No evidence of wheels or animal-drawn carts has been found on that island. however; Its people managed to build these giant and amazing stone statues, the largest statue ever extracted from them was more than 9 meters long and weighed 83 tons, and there is also a statue that is more than 21 meters tall and weighs 145 tons, but it has not been excavated yet.
by 1800 AD; The statues were brought down, the priests and princes of the island were brought down, and their civilization fell and collapsed. Studies showed that the island’s inhabitants had drained all the island’s natural resources during the period of their settlement there. They cut down all the island’s trees and consumed all its agricultural crops, which caused an environmental disaster as well as the occurrence of famines. European arrival also contributed to The extermination of that civilization and the killing of many of its people, then a wave of smallpox epidemic reduced the number of the indigenous population of that island to about 100 people now.
5. The mysterious Göbekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe Mysterious Monument
One of the most mysterious buildings ever built by man. Göbekli Tepe is located in southern Turkey and dates back to about 10,000 BC. It is a series of overlapping circular walls and stone monuments carved with the shapes of various animals such as fox, pig, deer, snake, bird, bull, lion and reptiles.
This building stands as one of the oldest monuments left by man in the region, and it is believed that it served as a temple for the nomadic Bedouin tribes, and although its true inhabitants are still unknown, many hypotheses suggest that it was inhabited by some priests.
But what did they worship there? Was this place serving another purpose? We may never know the answer to this question.
6. Cahokia Civilization
Cahokia
Thanks to the spread of corn cultivation in Mexico; Indigenous villages began to arise in the southeast of America, and the largest of these villages and civilizations was (Cahokia), where the number of its people reached between 20,000 and 40,000 people, and some of its features can still be seen in the US state (Illinois),
That city was surrounded by wooden walls and earthen mounds, the largest of which was known as the monks’ hill, which reached a height of more than 30 meters and was built with more than 14 million sand baskets. The purpose of its construction was to track and infer the movements of the stars, which represented a solar calendar known as “Woodhenge”.
This city reached its peak between 1000 and 1100 AD, and spread across an area of 1,554 hectares, containing dozens of earthen hills and a very large square in its middle. Its inhabitants were mostly master farmers, architects, and excellent artists, who created amazing art by carving out shells, oysters, and stones, even diverting the course of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to suit their agricultural needs.
Although the reason for the disappearance of this civilization at the beginning of the twelfth century is still not clear, paleontologists believe that the region was always suffering from disease and famine, and that its inhabitants left for another greener (and safer) place on the banks of the Mississippi River.
7. Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat
The magnificent Angkor Wat temple is located in Cambodia and is only a small part of a great civilization that lived in the time of the Khmer Empire (the Khmer Empire flourished from the 9th to the 15th centuries in the jungles of Southeast Asia) in a city called (Angkor),
The temple (Angkor Wat) was built by King Servan II in the form of a rectangle 850 meters long and 100 meters wide. It contains a large courtyard in the middle of five towers formed in the shape of a lotus flower. .
The Angkor civilization flourished between 1000 and 1200 AD, and its population is believed to have reached one million. There are many valid reasons that could have affected this civilization and helped its disappearance, such as wars and natural disasters.
Today, forests and trees cover most of the city, which is considered a miracle of architecture and creativity of Hindu culture. According to some paleontologists, Angkor was a civilization at the height of its glory when it disappeared.
8. The Anasazi Civilization
Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Anasazi built impressive stone dwellings on the cliffs in the Four Corners (present-day USA) region. Skyscrapers in the 1880s.
But these cliff dwellings did not remain inhabited for long periods; massacres and places of cannibalism were discovered there, as well as evidence of deforestation, drought and famine, which is expected to have been the cause of the trend towards extreme violence by this people, or political and religious turmoil may be the reason for this, forcing those peoples to migrate from The south and left their homelands by the year 1300, and the descendants of these peoples are still present in the current era, represented by the “Hopi” and “Zuni” peoples.
9. The Turquoise Mountain Civilization
Turquoise Mountain Civilization - Image: Getty Image
Not every destroyed civilizational landmark is a lost civilization, but some of them are, such as the one called the (Jam) minaret, a magnificent architectural achievement built in the eighteenth century as part of a large city in Afghanistan, where archaeological remains indicate that it was a cosmopolitan area as it coexisted It has held many religions together harmoniously for hundreds of years including Jews, Christians and Muslims.
It is possible that the stunning minaret was part of the lost medieval capital of Afghanistan, called the Turquoise Mountain, a lost civilization as archaeologists of course think.
10. Civilization (Napta Playa)
Civilization (Napta Playa)
This civilization arose in what is known today as the desert of Egypt between 6500 and 7000 BC, and this civilization was truly amazing, as its inhabitants domesticated livestock and excelled in the field of agriculture and made highly elaborate ceramic vessels, and archaeologists have found in the area stones on circles, which is evidence that the civilization Astronomers also whale. It is believed that the peoples of the civilization (Napta Playa) were most likely the dominant civilization of the major Nile cities that arose in Egypt thousands of years ago.
Although the area in which (Napta Playa) was found today is considered a dry and arid place, the evidence indicates a significant change in the climate, as the heavy monsoon rains used to form lakes that drained each other, which allowed a civilization like that to flourish in that time.
11. Civilization (Nia)
Photo: John HS Falconer from Flickr
The site of the Nya civilization is now a desolate place in the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang Province, China. 1600 years ago, Niya was a prosperous city in a vast oasis crossed by the famous Silk Road. Over the past two centuries, archaeologists have unearthed countless treasures in the worn, dust-covered ruins of what was once a beautiful city filled with wooden houses and temples.
In other words, (Nia) is a lost remnant of the early civilizations of the Silk Road, the famous trade route that linked China with Central Asia, Africa and Europe. Many people traveled through the Silk Road from wealthy merchants and pilgrims to scholars, researchers and travelers as this allowed for the exchange of ideas and creation A complex and enlightened culture everywhere the 6,500 km Silk Road passes.
The route underwent many changes, but its importance as a trade route diminished with the collapse of the Mughal Empire in the thirteenth century, after which foreign merchants preferred sea routes for trade and various dealings with China.
12. Greenland Vikings:
Greenland Vikings
Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images
Historical records indicate that Eric the Red (the discoverer of Scandinavia, of a Norwegian family, who colonized Greenland, whose name was Eric Throfladson, but named Eric the Red after his red hair) led a naval fleet to invade Greenland in AD 985. Where did they establish a settlement there, and they planted, tended livestock, and built stone buildings, the remains of which remain to this day, and their population reached 5,000 people.
But by the 1700s; When missionaries arrived to it in order to convert it to Protestantism, they found nothing but ruins in that area, and researchers point to several reasons that may have led to the collapse of that settlement, some of them are due to bad weather and others are likely to famine and epidemics.
Note: All the reasons mentioned that led to the collapse of civilizations that we talked about previously have not been confirmed 100%. Rather, they are the most close studies to reality, which are currently being adopted by scholars.
And you, what do you think of these civilizations? What do you think of the speculation surrounding the reasons for her disappearance? Do you know civilizations that have met a similar fate? After hearing these stories, did you start thinking about what might happen to our civilization after thousands of years?
Sources:
History . site
BBC . website
gizmodo site
gizmodo site
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