Ancient cities lost in history! Here are the most known mysteries of significant cities lost with the passing of time and centuries. Others have popular stories to tell and others were just gradually vanished. From Pompeii to Machu Picchu here are the most famous lost cities!
Pompeii, Italy
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD as told by the history books is what caused the destruction of Pompeii. The days of the incident above are described as tragic and brought “death” to the cities as well as the inhabitants.
Pompeii is to this day a major information pool for archaeologists and is visited by many people every year from all over the globe. The town has many features that would be recognizable even to a modern city like graffitis and amphitheaters. Also, it has a unique Roman style that is defining that the city was indeed part of the glorious Roman Empire. The tragic incidents “ghost” the town to this day.
Petra, Jordan
Petra in Jordan is one of the cases of cities that were progressively lost through time. People started fleeing when the city suffered some great destruction from an earthquake which also destroyed the nearest water supply.
Being in the desert losing water supply was very important and so most of the locals decided to move to nearby towns to continue their everyday lives. The city is an important archaeological site in the Middle East and attracts many researchers.
Timgad, Algeria
Timgad is referred to as the lost city and was once a lively city and an important trading center in the middle of the Sahara desert. The city remained somewhat intact after the fall of the Roman Empire but was hit with multiple attacks from different enemies and blunderers. That is what led to the city’s abandonment as it was easier for the locals to leave and stay in a different town nearby than rebuilding what was damaged.
The city was rediscovered in 1881 and to this day plays a significant role in the history of the Roman Empire in Africa. The city was once of great importance to the Roman Empire and that reflects in the massive buildings, temples, and the enormous Timgad Pantheon.
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Akrotiri, Greece
Akrotiri, a small ancient town on the island of Santorini is believed to have disappeared due to the eruption of the Thera volcano in 1600 BC. The eruption of this volcano pretty much extinguished the whole Cretan civilization, the Minoans along with their great cities like Knossos.
In 1967 the small town of Akrotiri was revealed by researchers in the area. The underwater findings were amazing and left a hint of a thriving, little but organized settlement.
Pavlopetri, Greece
Pavlopetri was an ancient small city that is mentioned in history books way back in time. The city is said to be “swallowed” by water like the myth says that happened to the city of Atlantis. Pavlopetri most likely was lost due to the rising of water levels during the years. This was probably caused by earthquakes and other physical catastrophes.
Tikal, Guatemala
Once the capital of a Mayan kingdom, Tikal was inhabited during the period of 200-900 AD and was located inside the jungle. The city was first found in 1848 under an organized expedition and still remains one of the most precious archaeological sites.
Tikal was gradually abandoned by the local population and the city “collapsed” in the jungle. The city features signs of a thriving civilization like palaces, pyramids and great establishments.
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Troy, Turkey
Troy was presented as a legendary city. The city was probably founded around 3000 BC and was destroyed multiple times from different enemies. Its characteristic was the immersive walls which were very difficult to breach.
Homer refers to the city as glorious in his famous story of the Iliad. Homer’s story says that the walls were so massive and well-made that they were only breached by a trick of the Greeks, the Trojan Horse.
In 1871 Schliemann came to the place where Troy used to be and performed several types of research which shaped furthermore the real history of Troy.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Probably the most famous of lost cities in the whole world, Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located at the top of the Andes. The city was abandoned due to Spanish attacks and raids during the period of 1450 to 1575 AD.
The city was never known to the west until the 20th century. The first researcher to arrive there was Bingham and he did that in 1911. Machu Picchu seems to never have been a big functional city with lots of inhabitants but to this day serves as a popular site and attracts millions of visitors each year.