10 Ancient Civilizations that Vanished Without a Trace
There are records dating back hundreds and thousands of years documenting explorers finding huge temples encrusted with vines, and pits and caves full of untold amounts of treasure and gold. In the past, you can only imagine what these areas must have been and how they must have looked prior to being deserted. The question is, why did people completely abandon these once-thriving, and likely amazing places? In many cases, the answer is unknown.
However, it is still fun to delve deep into the mystery to see if it is possible to
determine the motivation for the mass abandonment of these ancient civilizations. Regardless of if you are an explorer, or just an average, normal person, learning about the past can help teach you about the future. Knowing what caused the abandonment of these trade routes, agricultural centers, and once-thriving cities can help ensure the same fate doesn’t befall modern civilization.There are hundreds of ancient civilizations that are no longer around. Here you can learn about a few of the most well-known, as well as a few you may have never heard of before. Learn where these ancient people lived, what their lives were like, and some speculation around what may have happened to them. While it is fun to speculate, the fact is, there is no way to know for sure. Are you ready to dive into the past? If so, read on about 10 ancient civilizations that vanished without a trace.
10The Mayan
9The Olmec
8The Nabeteans
City of Petra
Inhabiting parts of Arabia, Canaan, and Jordan, the Nabateans were considered a Semitic culture. This civilization dates back to the sixth century BC, and the society is best known for the construction of the city of Petra, which actually served as their capital. There is no question that Petra is quite the impressive city. After all, it was carved out of the side of a cliff. The crown jewel of this city was Khazneh, or the Treasury, which was a massive, Greek inspired building.
The wealth of the Nabateans was derived from being a main stop in a complex trade network, where many goods were traded including medicine, sugar, perfume, incense, gems, precious metals, spices, silk, and ivory. Due to the extent of this trade route, much of the Nabatean culture was influenced by Assyria, Arabia, Rome, and Hellenistic Greece. Unlike many of the other societies of the time, there was no type of slavery present or used, and each member of the society contributed in regard to work duties.
During the early part of the fourth century BC, Petra was abandoned by the Nabateans. There is no one who really understands the reason for this. Some archeological evidence has proven that the exodus of this civilization was completely organized and unrushed. This leads scholars to believe that they were not driven out of the city by another culture. The most common explanation for this abandonment is that the trade routes moved north, which resulted in the people no longer being able to sustain life in Petra.
7The Indus Valley Civilization
6The Anasazi
5The Minoans
4Clovis
The Beringia Land Bridge: As a gif! Cool!
The Clovis civilization dates back to 10,000 BC and is a prehistoric Native American people. Found in the central and southern plains of North America, this civilization is archeologically recognized by the chipped flint points that are referred to as Clovis points. These points were attached to the end of spears for hunting big game, such as bison and mammoth, as well as smaller game, such as rabbits and deer.
The Clovis were the first human inhabitants of the New World and considered ancestors of all the indigenous cultures in South and North America. There are some scholars who believe the people crossed the Beringia land bridge during the ice age, traveling from Siberia to Alaska and then headed south to find warmer climates.
Much like any other lost civilization, there are several theories around the Clovis culture disappearance. The first theory states that the reduction in megafauna, as well as reduced mobility in the culture led the people to branch off and form several new cultural groups, such as the Folsom culture. There is another theory that involves the extinction of the mammoth, as well as several other species, due to the animals being over-hunted, which left the Clovis without a food source. The last theory involves a comet that crashed into the Great Lakes region that seriously impacted the culture of the Clovis people. However, the actual demise of this civilization is unknown and something that is likely going to remain a mystery.
3The Cucuteni Trypillian Culture
2The Khmer Empire
1Cahokia
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
A long time before the Europeans crossed over to North America, the Mississipppians had constructed a huge city that was surrounded by massive pyramids. They also created a structure similar to Stonehenge made of wood to help track the movements of the stars.
Referred to as Cahokia today, you are still able to see the remains in the state of Illinois. The height of this civilization occurred between the years 600 and 1400 AD, and the city stretched across six square miles, containing more than a hundred earthen mounds and a massive grand plaza directly in the center.
The population of this culture is thought to have reached 40,000 individuals at one point, with many people living in villages on the outskirts of the area. The people in this city were extremely smart, with many being architects and artists, while others were farmers. They created art with stone, copper, and shells, some of which is on display at museums today. They even diverted one of the branches of the local Illinois and Mississippi rivers to help suit their irrigation needs.
While it is not completely known why the people abandoned this city in the early portion of the 1200s, there are some archaeologists who claim that the area always had issues with famine and disease since there was no sanitary system present. Also, that the inhabitants of the area left for greener and healthier lands near the Mississippi River.
Conclusion
What many people today fail to realize is how many civilizations and cultures disappeared long before they arrived. These are the people who shaped the earth and cultures into what they are today. While the 10 civilizations listed here (along with hundreds or even thousands of others) are gone from the earth, they are definitely not forgotten. These people have left behind clues about their life, culture, beliefs, government, and more. This provides a glimpse into the past and into a world that modern people may have never known about otherwise.
Delving into the past, recovering artifacts, and seeing how the first people of modern civilization lived, is exciting. It offers a unique perspective on just how much knowledge these individuals had. Each of the ancient civilizations listed here had their own unique society and culture that thrived, yet then disappeared. While many of the reasons for the abandonment of these civilizations was environmental conditions, there are other reasons as well. War, cultural beliefs, and even natural disasters such as volcanoes caused people to flee from these once thriving, prosperous areas.
It is often fun to read about ancient civilizations that lived thousands of years in the past. However, it is also important that modern people take lessons from these cultures. See what went wrong and avoid these same issues in the future. Otherwise, modern people may find they also face a demise, having to abandon modern cultures and cities, simply because they did not take time to learn from the past.
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