Our world is amazing. It has evolved for millions of years, and our geography has changed and continues to do so. There are many natural wonders on our planet, but some of them, although beautiful and unusual, are also dangerous. Our surroundings are genuinely captivating, no matter where we look. But there are also scary places, and in the ancient world, these were even more so. In this piece, we look at some of the most scary places in the ancient world. Among the top, we have to include Mount Vesuvius. In the year 79 AD, the city of Pompeii was completely destroyed and buried by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius. The city was only discovered in 1748 when explorers stumbled across the buried remnants of the city. Pompei continues to be excavated and explored to this day.
Antioch
Antioch is another important ancient city. It is considered the cradle of Christianity and served as the capital of a powerful empire known as the Seleucids, founded by one of the generals of Alexander the Great, called Seleukos. The city developed until it became an important part of the Byzantine Empire. Eventually, it served as one of the four capitals of the Crusader states during the first Crusade. The city eventually fell to the Mongols in the 13th century but survived. The city exists today, although under a different name. It is called Antakya in Turkey. But what makes it an ancient, dangerous place? Well, the city was erected on one of the most volatile fault lines in the world. This has made it victim to some of the most powerful earthquakes in history. It is known that some 1,900 years ago, a 7.5 earthquake struck Antioch and nearly destroyed it completely.
Rome
Although considered by many of the greatest cities in the history of Earth, Rome was actually a scary place to live in. Based on historical accounts, we know that Rome was a violent and problematic place. This was more pronounced during the 1st century BC when Julius Ceaser ruled. Rome was inhabited by approximately one million people during the time. As one of the first multicultural cities in history, home to slaves, Romans, and people from all places, Rome was home to ghettos, gangs, and street violence. The Romans would avoid the Roman backstreets, especially if they had anything to lose. Outside Rome’s civic center, the city was a labyrinth of narrow always and dangerous areas, places where you definitely did not want to get lost, especially at night, since these areas were not illuminated. Venturing out there alone could get you beat up, robbed, and even killed.
But many other dangerous and scary places existed in the ancient world, and this video walks us through them.
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