Ancient cities that have gone under water: a description, history and interesting facts

It is believed that modern scientists have studied no more than five percent of the underwater depths, and how many puzzles are stored on the ocean floor - no one knows. Ancient cities that have gone under water and blown off the face of the earth as a result of various cataclysms, are reliably hidden in the sea abyss. In the same place are kept their important secrets for humanity of unsolved secrets.

Mythical Atlantis

Everyone knows the ancient myth of a continent that has sunk millions of years ago with a technologically advanced civilization. Thousands of scientists around the world are trying to find out whether there really was a legendary Atlantis, or it's just a beautiful tradition that has survived to this day. And if the mainland really went under the water, everyone cares about the place of his last refuge. However, none of the found artifact does not reveal the veil of this mysterious story until now.

In this article, let's pay attention to the real ancient cities that went under the water in different time epochs.

Ruins near Japan

Not all sunken monuments are found by scientists, and the discovered ruins by an ordinary diver near the Yonaguni islands are a vivid confirmation of this. In 1987, a gigantic complex consisting of a stadium, many buildings, roads, became a real sensation in the scientific world. Researchers in the field of marine geology have established that the sunken city, which received the name of the islands and left in the abyss after the devastating earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, is approximately five thousand years old.

Numerous assertions that an exceptional find is the work of the hands of nature itself have been recognized as erroneous after the discovery of monumental blocks with holes of regular shape and impeccably level steps, obviously processed by man. The same ruins, formerly huge terraces, were discovered 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: ideally even blocks are covered with mysterious ornamentation, one of the giant platforms was carved from the stone pool, the sculpture found near the monument looks like a sitting Egyptian sphinx, and a carved head on a round boulder is scrutinized.

Numerous tablets, discovered nearby, are covered with strange letters, somewhat reminiscent of Egyptian hieroglyphs. By the way, so far, no message has been deciphered, although scientists agree that it is on stone relics that the history of the ancient structure sunk as a result of the natural disaster is knocked out. The cities that have gone under water, well preserved at the bottom, are a vivid proof of the existence of developed civilizations that have disappeared as a result of natural disasters.

Ancient relics of the Greek Pavlopetri

The oldest city, discovered by archaeologists in 1968, was perfectly preserved on the seabed. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, a geologist from Athens, who had been engaged in research for a long time, informed the government of the location of the ancient city that had gone under water as a result of the earthquake. And only in almost seventy years the well-known oceanographer together with the archaeological group at a small depth found not only sunken buildings with streets, but also tombs related to the Mycenaean period, which gave the world ancient myths.

The Cambridge University became interested in finding that the city was inhabited as far back as the 9th century BC. However, the age of the found ruins is still debated, because some items raised from the water were much older than it was established by scientists.

Amazing discovery

Pavlopetri's uniqueness lies in the fact that previously found ancient cities that had gone under water did not trade with the Mediterranean countries, and their harbors did not become a busy port. A flourishing and comfortable city, not marked on any map, occupied a large area of about thirty thousand square meters. In a flooded large settlement, divers found a large hall, used for meetings and called the megaron. So it was established that the port city was governed by the government chosen by the inhabitants, and the surprising discovery allowed to look into the life of the ancient Greeks. The place, which became the main point of transport interchanges, with developed culture and writing, stood out among other submarine cities.

Historical monument of world significance

Researchers found two-storey buildings, a temple, a market square and even a plumbing with toilets. At present, they are considered a monument of world importance, buildings that have gone under water. Cities in the depths of the deep sea, discovered after a unique find, were not so ancient and not so well researched. In this case, the sensation was the age of the one who went to the bottom of Pavlopetri, sunken even before Plato told about the tragic end of the mysterious Atlantis in his writings. Some scholars suggest that the philosopher knew about the fate of the port city, and it was this story that inspired him to tell a story about a non-existent continent. Now Pavlopetri is considered to be the oldest and unique settlement found by archaeologists on the seabed for all time, and in 2009 its location was nevertheless put on a map of the globe.

The legend that has become a reality

More than 12 centuries ago, the ancient Egyptian metropolis, mentioned by Herodotus as one of the most majestic and rich - Ancient Heraklion, has gone under water. The lost city under water, according to scientists, was killed as a result of the strongest earthquake, and after the disaster, he went to the bottom. True, the researchers are still arguing about the reasons for the departure of the thriving shopping center, which sank almost four meters, to the depth, and to a common opinion they can not yet come. Many are convinced that civilization has died as a result of severe flooding after the flood of the Nile. For a long time the story of the sunken ancient metropolis was considered nothing more than a myth, and the more surprising was the report in 2000 of a underwater archaeologist about the ruins found near the city of Alexandria.

Amazing Finds

A real cultural center and the main sea interchange was the ancient Ancient Heraklion. The city under the water was called the gates of Egypt because of its many contacts with foreign traders who visited the port. Under the thickness of the mud and water were hidden fragments of ships, jewelry, ancient coins. The main artifact confirming belonging was the huge black stele found with the inscription of the metropolis name.

Studies of underwater depths have been going on for fifteen years, thousands of invaluable relics have been raised to the surface. The most interesting find was the main city temple. Near the ruined stone fragments of the religious structure were found the massive sculptures of Pharaoh and the god Nile of pink granite, according to their defected position on the bottom and conclusions were drawn about the destructive power of the earthquake. Inside the temple found a huge tomb, dotted with hieroglyphics. A recent translation of some of its parts fully confirmed the fact of the discovery of a genuine Heraklion.

Underwater Chinese attractions

Fifty years ago, the Chinese government decided to build two hydroelectric stations in the Zhejiang province, which are about 1,800 years old when the HPP was built. Local residents were resettled, and the ancient Chinese cities that had gone under the water, after forty years, became a real local landmark. The huge lake now attracts divers from all over the world, marveling at the excellent preservation of all buildings made of wood that have not collapsed during such a long time in the water.

Unfortunately, along with the cities all the nearby villages with a huge area of fertile land were sunk. And all lovers of the underwater depths are dismayed with disappointment that the flooded ancient cities with many colorful buildings, temples, houses are now hidden from the numerous eyes of people. The only way to contemplate such majestic paintings of the oldest buildings is to sink to the bottom. The admirers of the world's architectural achievements come to the real delight, watching the unique underwater species that can compete with the most famous cultural monuments.

Ancient cities that went under the water: Anapa

Most recently, a group of divers unsuccessfully leading the search for a crashed plane in the Black Sea region, discovered the walls of an ancient and unknown city hitherto. Seabed researchers are confident that this is a sunken civilization with a highly developed culture and technologies. They agree with the scientists who compared the architecture of underwater structures with the pyramids in Mexico and the ruins of Yonaguni. It was established a certain similarity of the way of laying between them, meaning that this is really a very old city, absorbing several cultures at once. The discovery did not become a big surprise for archaeologists, after all, before, they found numerous confirmations of the location of an ancient city here.

All the amazing finds of the sea depths are thoroughly studied by scientists. For a long time there have been talks that the ancient cities that have gone under water are the ancestors of modern mankind. The great civilizations sunk after global catastrophes hide important secrets that must be understood for the further development of the historical process.