Throughout the history of civilization, great cities have been built, destroyed, and rebuilt. Some of them were lost to history, and some of them remain nothing other than myths. But from time to time, archaeologists get lucky and stumble across legendary lost cities.
Mohenjo Daro
Incredible ancient cities like Mohenjo Daro were thought to have been nothing more than a myth until, of course, they were found. Mohenjo Daro happens to be one of the most sophisticated ancient cities ever built. Archeological evidence suggests the city was built over 4,500 years ago, around 2,500 B.C. It grew to become one of the largest settlements of the Indus Valley civilization. In time, Mohenjo Daro became one of the world’s largest, most advanced cities, and its civilization was contemporaneous with the civilization of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Norte Chico. In fact, over 40,000 people are said to have called Mohenjo Daro their home. The city was only rediscovered in the 1920s.
Helike
Another lost city a few have probably heard of. This ancient city, located in the Mediterranean sea, was devastated when a powerful earthquake struck the region in 373 B.C. Located on the southern tip of the Gulf of Corinth, Helike was an ancient Greek city. Given the city’s close proximity to the sea, when the Earthquake struck, a massive Tsunami swept across the city. Ancient Greek mythology has it that the inhabitants of Helike had angered the god Poseidon, who eventually decided to destroy the city.
The city went into history, becoming nothing more than a myth. Then, in 2001, traces of a city were discovered under vast amounts of sediments. But what experts had initially found was an ancient town thought to have existed around 2,500 B.C. So, it could not have been Helike. Nonetheless, later that year, experts came across pottery fragments and structures that were eventually identified as the remnants of Helike. The rediscovery of Helike had shown to experts that several cities had been sucked into the ocean and were destroyed over a period spanning more than 4,000 years. But many more legendary lost cities have been found throughout the years, and this video goes through a number of them. Enjoy!
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