It is believed that no more than five percent of the underwater depths have been explored by modern scientists, and no one knows how many mysteries are stored at the bottom of the ocean. Ancient cities that have gone under water and wiped off the face of the earth as a result of various cataclysms are safely hidden in the sea abyss. Their unsolved secrets, important for humanity, are also stored there.
Mythical Atlantis
Everyone knows the ancient myth about a continent sunk millions of years ago with a technologically advanced civilization. Thousands of scientists around the world are trying to find out whether the legendary Atlantis really existed, or is it just a beautiful legend that has come down to our days. And if the mainland really went under water, then everyone is worried about the place of his last refuge. However, not a single artifact found so far opens the veil of this mysterious story.
In our article, let's pay attention to the real ancient cities that went under water in different time periods.
Ruins near Japan
Not all sunken monuments have been found by scientists, and the ruins discovered by ordinarydiver near the Yonaguni Islands is a vivid confirmation of this. In 1987, a gigantic complex, consisting of a stadium, many buildings, and roadways, became a real sensation in the scientific world. Marine geology researchers have determined that the sunken city, called the islands and sunk into the abyss after a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami, is about five thousand years old.
Numerous claims that the exceptional find is the work of nature itself were found to be erroneous after the discovery of monumental blocks with holes of the correct form, and impeccably smooth steps, clearly processed by man. The same ruins, formerly huge terraces, have been found on the surface of the island itself.
Ancient cities that have gone under water. The Hidden History of Civilization
The underwater monument, located at a depth of twenty-five meters and called the Japanese Atlantis, is not protected by the authorities, who did not consider it necessary to give the sunken city a special status. Now this place has become a favorite for all divers interested in a strange structure. There really is something to see there: perfectly even blocks are covered with a mysterious ornament, one of the giant platforms was a pool carved from stone, a sculpture found next to the monument resembles a sitting Egyptian sphinx, and a carved head on a round boulder peers intently somewhere.
Numerous tablets found nearby are covered with strange writing, a bit reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs. By the way, so far not a single message has been deciphered, although scientists agree that it is on stone relics that the history of an ancient structure that sunk as a result of a natural disaster is engraved. The cities that have gone under the water, well preserved at the bottom, become a clear proof of the existence of developed civilizations that perished as a result of natural disasters.
Ancient relics of Greek Pavlopetri
The oldest city, discovered by archaeologists in 1968, is perfectly preserved on the seabed. At the beginning of the 20th century, a geologist from Athens, who had been doing research for a long time, informed the government of the location of the ancient city that had gone under water as a result of an earthquake. And only almost seventy years later, a famous oceanographer, together with an archaeological group, discovered at a shallow depth not only sunken buildings with streets, but also tombs dating back to the Mycenaean period, which gave the world ancient myths.
The University of Cambridge became interested in the discovery, and determined that the city was inhabited as early as the 9th century BC. However, the age of the found ruins is still being debated, because some objects raised from the water turned out to be much older than scientists had established.
Amazing discovery
The uniqueness of Pavlopetri lies in the fact that the previously found ancient cities that went under water did not trade with the countries of the Mediterranean, and their harbors did notbecame a busy port. A prosperous and comfortable city, not marked on any map, occupied a large area of about thirty thousand square meters. In a flooded large settlement, divers discovered a large hall used for meetings and called a megaron. So it was established that the government chosen by the inhabitants ruled the port city, and an amazing discovery allowed a glimpse into the life of the ancient Greeks. The place, which became the main point of transport interchanges, with a developed culture and writing, stood out among other underwater cities.
Historical Monument of World Importance
Researchers have found two-story buildings, a temple, a marketplace, and even plumbing fixtures with toilets. Currently, buildings that have gone under water are considered a monument of world significance. The cities at the depth of the sea, discovered after a unique find, were not so ancient and not so well explored. In this case, the sensation was the age of Pavlopetri, which had sunk to the bottom, sinking even before Plato spoke in his writings about the tragic end of the mysterious Atlantis. Some scientists suggest that the philosopher knew about the fate of the port city, and it was this story that inspired him to tell about the non-existent mainland. Now Pavlopetri is considered the oldest and most unique settlement found by archaeologists on the seabed of all time, and in 2009 its location was nevertheless put on a map of the globe.
Legend made true
More than 12 centuries ago, the ancient Egyptian metropolis, mentioned by Herodotus as one of the most majestic and rich - Ancient Heraklion, went under water. The lost city under water, according to scientists, died as a result of a strong earthquake, and after the disaster, it sank. True, researchers are still arguing about the reasons for the prosperous shopping center, which has sunk by almost four meters, to go to the depth, and so far they cannot come to a common opinion. Many are convinced that civilization died as a result of severe flooding after the Nile flooded. For a long time, the story of the sunken ancient metropolis was considered nothing more than a myth, and all the more surprising was the report in 2000 by an underwater archaeologist about the found ruins near the city of Alexandria.
Amazing finds
The found Ancient Heraklion was a real cultural center and the main sea junction. The city under water was called the gates of Egypt because of its many contacts with foreign traders who visited the port. Under the thickness of silt and water, the wreckage of ships, jewelry, old coins were hidden. The main artifact confirming the ownership was the found huge black stele with the inscription of the name of the metropolis.
Research of the underwater depths has been going on for fifteen years, thousands of priceless relics have been raised to the surface. The most interesting find was the main city temple. Next to the destroyed stone fragments of a religious building foundmassive sculptures of the pharaoh and the god of the Nile from pink granite, according to their prostrate position at the bottom, conclusions were drawn about the destructive power of the earthquake. Inside the temple, they found a huge tomb, dotted with hieroglyphs. A recent translation of some of its parts fully confirmed the discovery of the original Heraklion.
Underwater Chinese attractions
Fifty years ago, the Chinese government decided to flood two historical monuments in Zhejiang province, which are about 1800 years old, during the construction of a hydroelectric power station. Local residents were resettled, and the ancient Chinese cities that went under water became a real local landmark forty years later. The huge lake now attracts divers from all over the world, who are surprised at the excellent preservation of all wooden buildings that have not collapsed for such a long time in the water.
Unfortunately, along with the cities, all nearby villages with a huge area of fertile land also sank. And all lovers of the underwater depths lament with annoyance that the flooded ancient cities with many colorful buildings, temples, residential buildings are now hidden from the eyes of many people. The only way to contemplate such majestic pictures of ancient buildings is to dive to the bottom. Admirers of the world's architectural achievements are truly delighted with unique underwater views that can compete with the most famous cultural monuments.
Ancient cities that went under water:Anapa
Most recently, a group of divers, unsuccessfully searching for a crashed plane in the Black Sea, discovered the walls of an ancient and hitherto unknown city. The researchers of the seabed are sure that this is a sunken civilization with a highly developed culture and technology. Scientists agree with them, who compared the architecture of underwater structures with the pyramids in Mexico and the ruins of Yonaguni. A certain similarity of the masonry method between them was established, which means that this is indeed a very old city that has absorbed several cultures at once. The discovery did not come as a big surprise to archaeologists, because they had previously found numerous confirmations of the presence of an ancient city here.
All the amazing finds of the deep sea are carefully studied by scientists. There has long been talk that the ancient cities that have gone under water are the progenitors of modern humanity. Great civilizations sunk after global catastrophes hide important secrets that need to be understood for the further development of the historical process.
