Lost world cities: photo

Lost cities at all times excite the minds of not only the hunters of antiquities, but also simply adventurers. Some of these objects hid the jungle for hundreds of years and they were discovered by chance, others were resting under the layers of the earth and were found during archaeological excavations or in the construction site, and there are those mentioned in ancient documents, but they are still not found .

Thousands of people visit mysterious places, where once ancient civilizations lived , as the mystery of the lost city is a profitable tourist goods, which are eagerly bought up by adventurers.

Babylon

Babylon is a city whose existence was known to archaeologists not only thanks to the Bible, but also from the records of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, whose work of "History" has come down to our days. Ancient lost cities of such magnitude as Babylon or Troy, did not give rest to the researchers. The main reason for this is the desire to prove that this or that object is not a fiction of the poet or a biblical "fairy tale", but a really existing settlement, which had its own life and death.

If a Bible story is taken as a basis, Babylon was founded by Nimrod , the descendant of Ham, the son of Noah . In fact, it is not exactly known how in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. E. On the bank of the Euphrates a settlement appeared, which later became the capital of the world, as the Babylonians themselves believed.

Thanks to its favorable location, Babylon for a thousand years became the capital of Mesopotamia, where people from all over the world gathered. It mixed many cultures, languages and religions, but the main god of rulers was Marduk, and the goddess Ishtar. During the excavations that took place from 1899 to 1917, fragments of one of the 8 gates of the city - Ishtar Gate - were found.

This majestic structure, covered with blue glazed tiles, can be seen in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Cities of the Incas

The Inca people, once inhabiting the territories of countries known today as Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and part of Chile, became a mystery to scientists. This young civilization, whose history begins only from 1200 BC. Was destroyed by the Spaniards. The descendants of the once great people today live in the Andes.

The mystery was precisely the lost cities of the Incas, which were simply "hidden" from the human eyes by the jungle. These settlements were well equipped, had a clear structure and all the necessary urban communications, but nevertheless the inhabitants for some reason left them.

The most famous - once lost - the city of Machu Picchu today is visited by up to 2500 tourists daily. He was found in the jungle in 1911 by the American archaeologist Bingham, discovering the perfectly preserved pyramids. The Organization of UNESCO, which declared Machu Picchu the property of the cultural heritage of the Incas, allows to climb up to a limited number of visitors - no more than 800 people a day, and even want to reduce this number in order to preserve the pyramids.

Mayan Cities

Maya was not a civilization in the sense that it is generally accepted in scientific circles. They built settlements, each of which was a separate state. Perhaps the most famous lost cities in the world belong to the Maya.

The most famous and most visited tourists from all over the world are such facilities as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Koba on the Yucatan peninsula.

Chichen Itza for unknown reasons was abandoned by the inhabitants in 1194. Archaeologists have not been able to find out why the settlement was emptied 400 years after its founding. This is more than strange, because roads were laid between Mayan cities in Yucatan, they had a clear layout, highly developed communications for that time and a flourishing culture. But in the 13th century, all the Indians left the Yucatan, so the Spaniards, who landed there in the 16th century, got only ruins.

And only after the lapse of centuries the lost cities of this mysterious people, who presented the world with a calendar, astronomy, counting system and the notion of zero, were rediscovered for the civilized world and even came under the protection of the UNESCO organization, and the city of Chichen Itza was called the 8th miracle of the world.

Troy

The most famous "open" lost city is Troy. Few people believed that it existed at all. She was considered a fictional Homer place where the legendary ancient Greek poet-narrator placed the heroes of his epic poem "Iliad".

The first who believed and decided to find the legendary city was an amateur archaeologist and treasure hunter Henry Schliemann. Being a rich man, he could excavate where he wished, and therefore he worked on Crete and on the hill of Hissarlik.

During the excavations, he found many artifacts, but the most significant finding, of course, is Troy, excavated in 1870.

Today, no one doubts that this city actually existed, and the events that Homer described in detail in his works could indeed take place in history. It is enough to go to Turkey to make sure the legendary Ilion exists with his own eyes.

Angkor

Lost cities in the jungle - this is perhaps the most attractive places for lovers of secrets, treasures and adventures.

A striking example is the city of Angkor in Cambodia, which was reopened in the 19th century by French archaeologists.

For 6 centuries, this settlement was the center of the Khmer state, after which it was captured by Thai troops and left by local residents. This is a rare case when the jungle has preserved almost intact numerous Buddhist temples, houses and multiple monuments.

Lost in the jungle, a traveler from France Henri Muo accidentally came across the biggest temple in the world - Angkor Wat.

This happened on January 22, 1861. Soon the whole world learned about the find in the jungle. Today Angkor is a city of temples belonging to the heritage of Cambodia and under the protection of UNESCO.

Skara Bray

The lost cities of Europe are not as famous as Thebes and Memphis in Egypt or Angkor in Cambodia, but are no less interesting and informative in terms of studying the history and culture of the peoples who inhabited them.

The city of Skara Bray in Scotland was discovered in 1850 thanks to a storm, after which part of the land was washed into the sea, revealing a fairly well-preserved inhabited once-off point. Archaeologists have determined that the inhabitants left it in 3100 BC. E., Presumably due to a sharp climate change.

The small settlement numbered only 8 buildings, but they had high-quality sewerage, as evidenced by the found in the houses toilets and bathrooms. Unfortunately, there is no information about who lived in these houses, in which the layout was similar, not only the layout, but also the furniture.

Atlantis

The lost cities of Atlantis excite the minds of more than one generation of seekers of treasures and artifacts. From the historical documents in which this civilization is mentioned, the only hope that she existed is the works of Plato. Although skeptics do not convince ...

Thousands of hypotheses and disputes over the location of the mysterious civilization have been maintained since the time of the above-mentioned philosopher, but there was no evidence that Atlantis existed at all.

Among modern scientists, opinion is gaining increasing popularity (by the way, allegedly confirmed by archaeological finds) that Atlantis is the island of Santorini, the central part of which went under water during the geological catastrophe. Whether this really is - is yet to be verified.

Only one thing is certain: wherever Atlantis was located, the treasures of the lost city do not give rest to treasure hunters. Until now, enthusiasts have organized diving to the bottom of the Atlantic in the hope of opening a mysterious island. Well, let's hope that if not to us, then at least our descendants will be able to unravel the riddle of this ancient civilization ...