Cities Lost In Time- Fact or Fiction?
Our daily routines might be fairly monotonous a lot of the time. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that many people regard vanished cities to be intriguing examples of mystery, adventure, and occasionally fantasy. Lost cities have captured the imaginations of millions of would-be anthropologists and treasure hunters throughout the world, whether these sites have been made inaccessible by natural disaster, destroyed by conflict, or completely made up. A lost city is precisely what? Well, the requirements are somewhat ambiguous. Sometimes the city was buried or completely destroyed.
According to Steven A. Wernke, assistant professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University, many of the towns we typically think of as lost weren't actually lost; rather, they were merely unknown to the Westerners who later "found" them and made them famous. Contrary to popular belief, the vanished cities that have had the most cultural impacts may not even have been. This is likely a result of the associations we have with them for incredible wealth, knowledge, and prosperity. All around the world, there are tales and remnants of several lost towns. A list of five historically notable cities, whose tales range from conflict and destruction to wealth and intrigue will be discussed in this article.
The Utopian City Of Atlantis
The Greek philosopher Plato said that Atlantis was a prosperous society with wealth, magnificent buildings, and a vibrant culture. Some historians believe that Atlantis occurred, despite the widespread belief that Plato's vivid depictions of the city are mythical. However, their theories regarding its existence and location differ greatly. Atlantis was said to have vanished 9,000 years before Plato wrote about it, although some academics believe this number was mistranslated or translated because 900 seemed more likely. According to some archaeologists, Atlantis was situated in the Greek Islands and was submerged by a volcanic explosion. Others speculate that it might be submerged close to the Caribbean, Ireland, South America, or perhaps Antarctica.
Whether Atlantis existed or not, it has fascinated many to the point where a number of books, films, and documentaries have glamorized it and attempted to explain the enigma surrounding its disappearance. In February 2009, an aviation engineer claimed to have discovered Atlantis by using the Google Ocean feature, which enables users to search through hundreds of images of ocean scenery. The question of whether the sunken city off the northwest coast of Africa is truly Atlantis is still up for debate.
The Walled City Of Troy
The epic stories "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad," written by Homer around 800 B.C., are among the most studied. The Trojan War is depicted in these made-up poetry. Between Asia and Europe, in what is now modern-day Turkey, was the city of Troy. Troy was a hub of culture and an excellent location for trade because of its accessibility. The epic poems of Homer tell the story of Helen, the beautiful wife of Sparta's King Menelaus, who is said to have fled with a Trojan prince named Paris. This alleged incident sparked the Trojan War, giving Helen the notoriety of being the face that inspired a thousand ships. Menelaus led a massive onslaught against Troy, sparking a conflict that may have involved an infamous wooden horse, Achilles, and other well-known figures.
It's understandable that historians have doubts about Troy's historical veracity given its history's strong mythological roots. It is clear that Troy was abandoned between 1100 and 700 B.C. after the Trojan War. Before the Romans conquered it in 85 B.C., it was then relocated and refurbished. The civilization vanished shortly after that and lay in ruins until it was discovered in 1822. Since then, archaeologists have discovered numerous levels of cities constructed on top of one another. Although its exact reason is still unknown, the tale of the Trojan War is now universally acknowledged. The stone walls and fortifications found in the sixth and seventh oldest levels are now thought to be the Troy depicted in Homer's epics.
Pompeii
The bustling town of Pompeii, Italy, was reduced to ash-covered ruins that were impermanently trapped in time in the span of what seemed like an instant. In AD, the day was typical. 79 for Pompeii's citizens. Mount Vesuvius, a violent volcano, suddenly erupted, dousing the city in cinders, ashes, and other debris. A large number of people were able to leave before the volcanic debris touched down. The ashes, however, very immediately formed an airtight seal over the entire city, trapping those 2,000 individuals who couldn't flee in time.
Pompeii's ruins weren't disturbed until they were found in 1748, at which point archaeologists started their excavation work. The nearly flawless preservation of the structures and artifacts that had been buried for more than 1,500 years was not what archaeologists had anticipated. Even molds of the individuals buried beneath the wreckage may be made. The air pockets where they were confined were still there, even if their bodies had long since crumbled to dust. The molds produced a stunning likeness of the volcanic victims caught in various stages of evacuation after being filled with plaster.
Carthage- The City Destroyed By War
The city of Carthage, like Troy, was located in a highly desirable location in the Mediterranean close to modern-day Tunisia. The Phoenicians established Carthage as a commercial station in North Africa, across from the heel of Italy. Although the city's enviable location provided it enormous prosperity, it also sparked 150 years of war, primarily with Rome, which ultimately brought about Carthage's downfall. Rome's superior maritime strategies were on display in the First Punic War, which led to Carthage's crushing defeat. Carthage fought Rome for control of Spain during the Second Punic War, but was once more soundly beaten. Rome even defeated the renowned military strategist Hannibal of Carthage.
After this disastrous defeat, Carthage continued to live as a shell of its former self until 151 B.C., when Romans noted the city experiencing a kind of revival. The Romans were afraid of Carthage thriving, so when Carthage broke the conditions of a peace treaty, they seized the opportunity to launch war. This short-lived conflict claimed thousands of Carthaginian lives while completely destroying the city of Carthage and all of its structures. The city was finally rebuilt, but its status as a major metropolis was never fully restored. Carthage is now an affluent Tunisian neighborhood.
El Dorado: The City Of Gold
Treasure hunters have long been encouraged by the desire for wealth to play the lottery, enter contests, and look for pots of gold at the end of rainbows. El Dorado, the fabled and probably certainly fictional city of riches that has evaded travelers for generations is one of the few legends that has generated as strong a response. El Dorado, which translates to "The Gilded One" in Spanish, first appeared when European explorers in South America first heard stories about a fantastically wealthy American Indian leader who was constantly covered in gold dust. This was in the 16th or 17th century.
The city, which was rumored to lie somewhere in northern South America, was reported to be rich in gold and priceless stones. Many of the thousands of explorers who have made vain attempts to find this city of wealth have perished along the way from various ailments like sickness and famine. Percy Harrison Fawcett, a British explorer who went out in 1925 to find El Dorado and called the City of Z, is one of the most well-known examples. Fawcett and his expedition group ventured into the Amazon rainforest, but they were never heard from again. More explorers have tried to locate Fawcett's group, but they have continually shown up dead or without anything. Given this history, even Indiana Jones could advise people searching for El Dorado to purchase a scratch-off ticket rather than taking a chance on their life.
