No matter how advanced they were, civilizations throughout history reached moments when their fate was sealed by mother nature. These seven examples under the protection of UNESCO, from Pompeii to Knossos to the Jordanian Petra, could serve as a good lesson for us to come down to earth a little, writes CNN.
Pompeii
Sixteen years before the city was completely destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD, the city was hit by a powerful earthquake that destroyed a large number of buildings and killed hundreds of its inhabitants. But the hardworking inhabitants of Pompeii quickly managed to restore their city's former glory.
But, new trouble arrived in the morning hours of August 24, 79 AD, when the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius took place, in which about 10.000 people died.
Archaeological research, which began in the 18th century, revealed a detailed picture of life in Pompeii 2.000 years ago. To date, most of the city has been excavated, including forums, temples, theaters, baths and a large number of houses. The discovery caused a cultural shock in Europe. The found examples of erotic art changed the view of Roman art and ancient culture.
Tiwanaku, Bolivia
Tiwanaka is located about 100 km from the capital La Paz towards Lake Titicaca, at an altitude of 4.000 meters in the Bolivian Andes. This city was once the religious and political center of the Tiwanaku culture. Tiwanaku is an ancient Indian city from before the Incas.
The Tiwanaku civilization lived in southwestern Bolivia and parts of Peru, Argentina, and Chile from 1500 BC to 1200 AD. Archaeological research shows that it was a society with impressive technological skills and a highly developed cosmology.
Door of the Sun, Photo: Shutterstock
Today it is hard to imagine that potatoes, corn, even peaches were grown in this place. The Tiwanaku Empire collapsed during the 12th century AD. Vlaad theorizes that climate change has caused crop failures, leading to destabilization of the government.
One of Tiwanak's most legendary landmarks is the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun), an imposing rectangular portal made from a single stone slab weighing 45 tons.
Skara Brae, Scotland
Skara Brae is a large stone Neolithic settlement more than 5.000 years old. It is located on the Isle of Skaill, on the west coast of the largest of the Orkney Islands. Skara Brae, the best-preserved Neolithic village in Northern Europe, was discovered in 1850, after a severe storm exposed the stone remains.
Skara Brae, Photo: Shutterstock
The houses in this village are made of stone, which is the reason why the village has remained well preserved after so much time.
Research has shown that climate change most likely caused the abandonment of this village about 2.500 years ago, when villagers left their homes due to strong storms.
The village is older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. Erosion continues to threaten the site, and winter visits are weather dependent.
Mesa Verde, Colorado
The buildings at Mesa Verde are the work of the ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians, whom the Navajo Indians called the Anasazi (Old People). The first settlements were created in the sixth century and were dug-in villages on the plateau itself. Fabrics made from the fibers of the yucca plant were found in them, which is the basic raw material for objects of the entire Anasazi culture from the 6th to the 14th century. From 750 to 1100, they began to build settlements on the cliffs of gorges and underground dugouts.
Photo: Wikipedia
More than 4.000 archaeological sites have been discovered on Mesa Verde, and new ones appear regularly.
Life used to be harsh even above 8.000 meters, people had to survive hot summers and harsh winters. The people of Mesa Verde have developed innovative ways to conserve water, including the accumulation of lakes and dams.
The culture reached its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, after which it suddenly disappeared. The reason is not yet known, and one of the assumptions is that the crops failed due to drought. This, combined with political pressures and a devastated environment, may have caused the ancient Pueblo Indians to leave their land.
Petra, Jordan
Petra is an abandoned city in the area of present-day Jordan, and in ancient times it was the capital of the Nabataeans, the center of trade, and the destination of caravans. The development of the city continued during the Roman Empire.
Petra is known for its water tunnels and stone structures carved into the rocks.
Despite its location in a barren, flood-prone desert, the sophisticated water system developed by the Nabateans helped Petra survive and become the center of trade routes connecting China, India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Petra became popular thanks to the blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Photo: Shutterstock
The city experienced its greatest glory in the first century AD, when it was ruled by the Romans, who considered it a buffer state against the Parthians. The destruction of Petra is associated with several earthquakes that caused Rome to abandon this city.
The city was discovered to the Western world only in 1812, after it was found by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burhardt.
Petra became popular in the West thanks to the blockbuster from the eighties "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
Knossos, Greece
Knossos is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Bronze Age and the largest site on the Greek island of Crete. It is assumed that it was the center of Minoan civilization and culture. It is located six kilometers from Heraklion, the capital of Crete. It was discovered in 1878 by Minos Kalekerinos. The buildings cover an area of one hectare, hundreds of rooms are connected into a large whole. The complexity of the architectural plan links this building to the legendary Labyrinth, described by Greek authors.
Knossos, Photo: Wikipedia
Knossos was a prosperous city, with running water, paved streets, it was known for its craftsmen who made metal and ceramic objects, as well as brilliant frescoes.
The collapse of the Minoan civilization is associated with the period when Greece took over Crete. There are conflicting theories about it, and one of them is a volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Santorini. Some scientists believe that the force of the eruption caused a tsunami, which, according to some, also caused climate change. If that theory is correct, the results for the Minoan civilization were devastating – damaged infrastructure, destroyed trade center, destroyed crops... The Minoan civilization was barely able to defend Knossos and its surroundings for several generations.
The lost city of Atlantis
For centuries, scientists have been studying and debating the location of the lost city of Atlantis, which the ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote was destroyed by a natural disaster, most likely an earthquake or flood. This allegedly happened more than 9.400 years before Plato.
Are Plato's claims myth or fact? According to different theories, Atlantis was also located in Cyprus, in North Africa... In 2011, an international research team announced that they may have discovered Atlantis in southern Spain, in the wetlands of the Donjana National Park.
Using specialized radars and other tools that allow underwater imaging, scientists have found evidence that people once lived at that location and that there was a settlement, and that it could be Atlantis. The theory says that the city disappeared in a tsunami, back in ancient times. However, the theory was not fully accepted, so research continued.
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