Rediscovering The Lost Cities That Were Forgotten And Buried Deep In History

It might not be surprising for you, that soils hold a significant part of history. If soils could speak, stones could communicate and jungles could reveal secrets, then it will be easier for us to uncover the forgotten past of human civilization. However, with modern technologies, we discovered several hidden truths like lost cities buried beneath dense deserts or vegetation, mysteries of human lives and so on. Well, there is still so much that we have not discovered yet.

One of the great examples of a lost city is Atlantis. Greek philosopher Plato mentioned the city of Atlantis, an imaginary city, a highly advanced civilization of human history located in the Atlantic Ocean. So, do Atlantis exist, or is it just a myth? It remained a debate among architectures for several decades.

Lost cities, which were once resided by our ancestors, but erased from the pages of history due to natural disaster, war or abandonment. These cities hold a lot of mysteries of our human civilisation and are a mirror reflection of the struggles and triumphs of past societies.

Have you heard about, the ancient city Pompeii, which was once a signature of Romanian culture, but suddenly a volcanic eruption buried the city under volcanic ash? Or maybe, you are unaware of the most recent discovery of Ocomtún, one of the lost cities from the Maya civilisation that was hidden beneath the dense jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula. We, as a human, have been given a golden opportunity to uncover the mystery of human origins and cultures through these lost city’s histories.

Exploring the hidden truth of these lost cities matters because it works as a time capsule. We can understand how humans civilized from centuries to centuries. There are a lot of cities that get buried and rediscovered later, here we will only talk about some significant discoveries across the world that reshaped our point of view of human history.

Machu-Picchu: Incas’s Lost City

Often referred to as the “lost city of Inca”, Machu Pichu comes under the seven wonders of the world. It is located in the northwest of Cuzco, in the Andes Mountains of Peru. This historical architectural brilliance was undiscovered outside of the world until one of the professors of Yale University, Hiram Bingham, discovered this hidden gem in 1911.

The city was built in the 15^th century under the rules of Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. One of the main purposes of building this city might be a royal treat or ceremonial centre of the royals. Do you know, with 200 structures such as the Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Three Windows and so on?

Several terraces, walkways and aqueducts surrounded the southern, western and eastern parts of Machu Picchu, reflecting the advanced engineering of the 15^th century. This excellent engineering helps Machu Pichu to become a tourist attraction in Peru, where around 1.5 million tourists visit the place annually.

So, why Machu Pichu exploration is important to us? With the discovery of the city, we became aware of how engineers of the 15^th century were so advanced in their works that they created an architectural marvel that remained concealed under dense vegetation over so many centuries.

Mohenjo-Daro: The Jewel from Indus Valley Civilization

One of the oldest civilisations in the history is Indus Valley civilisation which is older than 8000 years. We learned in history that this civilisation has two large cities Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro with over 100 towns and villages.

However, many scholars have shared different theories regarding the end of this civilisation. Some said it is because of climate change, some say it is because of the drying of the Saraswati river and some highlight that huge floods disrupted both the large cities. 

However, in 1922, one of the cities of the Indus Valley civilisation, Mohenjo-Daro was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India’s officer, R.D. Banerji, after two years of discovery of Harappa, in present-day Pakistan. This city became a historical marvel because of its advanced urban planning and water management techniques.

From this discovery, it can be concluded that our generation is not as advanced as our ancient generation was. The advanced drainage system, well-planned streets, sewage system and so on of Mohenjo-Daro are highly remarkable because of the engineering expertise and urban planning demonstrated in that era that is often associated with modern civilisation.

Petra: The Rose Red City of the Nabataeans

Petra, which was once ruled by Nabateans, has remained the lost gem in our human history. Petra was used as a major trading hub because it holds a strategic location. It connects Arabia, the Mediterranean and Egypt and then became disrupted due to the constant impact of earthquakes, isolation and so many things.

Petra is the ancient city of the Arab Kingdom and was rediscovered by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812 in modern-day Jordan. Different buildings, tombs, sandstone cliffs and so many things help the city to gain the name of “rose-red city half as old as Time”.

However, it has been discovered that since 1200 BCE, Edomites occupied Petra, but in 312 BCE, Nabateans occupied the area and started to use it for the spice trade. In 106 CE, Romans attacked Petra and defeated Nabateans and it became a part of Romanian.

Over time, new trade routes started to emerge and Petra started to lose its significance. In 551 CE, a huge earthquake impacted the city and it started to become abandoned. However, in the modern day, it is also facing conversation challenges. Soil erosion, overtourism and environmental damage have been impacting the rich history of this city.

Ocomtún: The Lost City of Maya Civilization

Maya civilisation began around 250 CE and it has been discovered by archaeologists that this civilisation was last around 900 CE. It is one of the advanced civilisations of America where people are advanced in mathematics, monumental architecture and astronomy. However, there are various theories regarding the decline of the Maya civilisation. Some thought that environmental degradation, droughts and the like became a contributor to the disruption of this civilisation.

However, do you know about the cities of this civilisation? Ocomtún, one of the cities of this civilisation, was recently discovered by the archaeologist Ivan Šprajc, who has spent around 30 years of his life uncovering the buried history of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

From his discovery, it has been observed that between 600 to 800 CE, the city was built. Stone columns, pyramids, relief carvings and plazas are the most captivating features of Ocomtún. This city might help to gain clues of why cities in ancient cultures suddenly decline and also it can help to solve the puzzle of the Maya history.

All these discoveries became possible because of modern technologies. Ivan Šprajc used LiDAR technology to find manmade structures under the dense jungle of Mexico. Moreover, drones, radar, high-tech imaging and other cutting-edge technologies play a highly significant role in discovering lost cities. These lost cities play a significant role in exploring the truths that our ancestors left behind.

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