Lost cities at all times excited the minds of not only antiquities hunters, but also just adventurers. Some of these objects were hidden by the jungle for hundreds of years, and they were discovered by accident, others rested under layers of earth and were found during archaeological excavations or on the construction site, and there are those that are mentioned in ancient documents, but they have not yet been discovered..
Thousands of people annually visit the mysterious places where ancient civilizations once lived, as the mystery of the lost city is a profitable tourist product that adventurers willingly snap up.
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 "History" has survived to this day. Ancient lost cities of such a scale as Babylon or Troy haunted researchers. The main reason for this is desire.prove that this or that object is not a fiction of a poet or a biblical "fairy tale", but a real-life settlement that had its own life and death.
Based on the biblical story, Babylon was founded by a descendant of Ham, the son of Noah, Nimrod. In fact, it is not known exactly how in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. e. a settlement appeared on the banks of the Euphrates, which later became the capital of the world, as the Babylonians themselves believed.
Due to its favorable location, Babylon became the capital of Mesopotamia for a thousand years, where people from all over the world gathered. It mixed many cultures, languages and religions, but the main god of the rulers was Marduk, and the goddess was Ishtar. During the excavations that took place from 1899 to 1917, fragments of one of the 8 gates of the city, the Ishtar Gate, were found.
This majestic structure covered in blue glazed tiles can be seen at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Inca cities
The Inca people, who once inhabited the territories of countries known today as Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and part of Chile, have become a mystery to scientists. This young civilization, whose history dates back to only 1200 BC. e., was destroyed by the Spaniards. The descendants of a once great people now live in the Andes.
It was the lost cities of the Incas that became a mystery, which were simply "hidden" from human eyes by the jungle. These settlements were well equipped, had a clear structure and all the necessary city communications, but nevertheless, for some reason, the inhabitants leftthem.
The most famous - once lost - city of Machu Picchu today is visited by up to 2500 tourists daily.
It was found in the jungle in 1911 by the American archaeologist Bingham, discovering perfectly preserved pyramids. The UNESCO organization, which declared Machu Picchu a cultural heritage of the Incas, allows a limited number of visitors to go upstairs - no more than 800 people a day, and even then they want to reduce this number in order to preserve the pyramids.
Mayan cities
The Maya were not a civilization in the sense that it is commonly believed 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 frequently visited by tourists from all over the world are sites such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Coba in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Chichen Itza for unknown reasons was abandoned by the inhabitants in 1194. Archaeologists have not been able to find out why 400 years after the foundation of the settlement was empty. This is more than strange, because roads were laid between the Mayan cities in the 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 the ruins.
And only after centuries the lost cities of this mysterious people, who gave the world a calendar, astronomy, counting system andthe concept 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 named the 8th wonder of the world.
Troy
The most famous "open" lost city is Troy. Few believed that it even existed. It was thought to be Homer's fictional place where the legendary ancient Greek poet-storyteller placed the heroes of his epic poem The Iliad.
The first who believed and decided to find the legendary city was an amateur archaeologist and treasure hunter Heinrich Schliemann. Being a rich man, he could excavate wherever he wished, and therefore he worked both in Crete and on the Hissarlik hill.
During the excavations, he found many artifacts, but the most significant find, of course, is Troy, excavated in 1870.
Today, no one doubts that this city actually existed, and the events that Homer covered in such detail in his works could really take place in history. It is enough to go to Turkey to see for yourself the existence of the legendary Ilion with your own eyes.
Angkor
Lost cities in the jungle are perhaps the most attractive places for lovers of secrets, treasures and adventures.
A striking example is the city of Angkor in Cambodia, which was rediscovered 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 abandoned by local residents. It's rarea case in which the jungle has kept numerous Buddhist temples, houses and multiple monuments virtually untouched.
A traveler from France, Henri Muo, lost in the jungle, accidentally stumbled upon the largest temple in the world - Angkor Wat.
It happened on January 22, 1861. Soon the whole world learned about the find in the jungle. Today, Angkor is a city of temples that are part of the heritage of Cambodia and are 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 they are no less interesting and informative in terms of studying the history and culture of the peoples who inhabited them.
The city of Skara Brae in Scotland was discovered in 1850 due to a storm, after which part of the land was washed away into the sea, exposing a fairly well-preserved settlement once. Archaeologists have determined that the inhabitants left it in 3100 BC. e., presumably due to dramatic climate change.
The small settlement consisted of only 8 buildings, but they had high-quality sewage, as evidenced by the toilets and bathrooms found in the houses. Unfortunately, there is no information about who exactly lived in these houses, in which not only the layout, but also the furniture was of the same type.
Atlantis
The lost cities of Atlantis excite the minds of more than one generation of treasure hunters and artifacts. Of the historical documents that mention this civilization, the only ones that inspire hope arethat it existed are the works of Plato. Although skeptics are not convinced…
Thousands of hypotheses and disputes about the location of the mysterious civilization have been going on since the time of the mentioned philosopher, but evidence that Atlantis existed at all has not been found.
Among modern scientists, the opinion (by the way, allegedly confirmed by archaeological finds) that Atlantis is the island of Santorini, the central part of which went under water during a geological catastrophe, is becoming increasingly popular. Whether this is really so remains to be seen.
Only one thing is known for certain: wherever Atlantis is located, the treasures of the lost city haunt treasure hunters. Until now, enthusiasts organize diving to the bottom of the Atlantic in the hope of discovering a mysterious island. Well, let's hope that if not us, then at least our descendants will be able to unravel the mystery of this ancient civilization…
