10 mysteriously disappeared ancient civilizations that scientists still argue about today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

They mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Mass disappearances are a very real and very strange thing, because a large number of people sometimes suddenly disappear without a trace and for no apparent reason. Sometimes a plane full of passengers flies off into the night and is never seen again, or a ghost ship suddenly appears in the sea, drifting with absolutely no sign of a crew. However, even these frightening cases are nothing compared to the disappearance of an entire society. Entire civilizations, cities and empires have disappeared, and today archaeologists and researchers often try to trace the actions of their inhabitants and find out what exactly happened. Interestingly, some cultures on this list numbered hundreds of thousands of people before they disappeared without a trace.

1. Nabateans

Semites are people who belong to a certain ancient linguistic group, which includes Arabs, Akkadians, Jews and many others. One of these groups was the Nabatean culture, which has existed since at least 312 BC, as historical records mention that they were attacked by the Macedonians. This ancient and now forgotten kingdom covered the territories of modern Syria, Arabia and Palestine, that is, it was quite large. Nabataean writing evolved over time into what is now known as modern Arabic, but only recently have scientists been able to trace its evolution.

The Nabateans created extensive trade routes, developed trade, and became an extremely technologically advanced civilization at the time. Their vast aquatic systems helped the Nabataeans survive in the arid climate of Arabia. After this civilization, massive structures remained, which were built in strict accordance with the position of celestial bodies, as other ancient cultures did (this once again testifies to the engineering genius of this culture). Towards the end of their history, they were strong allies of the powerful Roman Empire, but Emperor Trajan annexed the kingdom in 105-106 AD. Since then, nothing is known about the Nabataeans at all.

2. Clovis culture

Anyone who has ever been to the deserts of New Mexico may wonder how any civilization could have lived there before the advent of air conditioning. But it was this area, as well as vast areas in the Americas, that was home to one of the earliest American civilizations, the Clovis culture, which was named after the modern city of Clovis in New Mexico. A rare and important archaeological discovery was made here - scientists discovered many weapons, obsidian products, bone tools and hammers, which were very difficult for their time (9 050 - 8 800 BC). Similar tools and products were also found in much of North America, which means that this culture was very widespread. However, she ended up just completely disappearing.

It has been hypothesized that the sheer size of the Clovis civilization caused this culture, like Rome, to split into smaller groups that eventually became distinct peoples in different places, making them the forerunners of many Native American cultures. This opinion is supported by the fact that the Clovis genes were found in the remains of ancient South American people. Others speculate that Clovis was heavily dependent on hunting mammoths, which became extinct, or even that a comet fell into the southwestern United States and destroyed the culture.

3. Chatal Huyuk

The inhabitants of Chatal-Huyuk were a very ancient Neolithic civilization, which, as scientists assume, also simply “disappeared into thin air”. They lived in the territory of modern Turkey from 7,500 to 5,700. BC. in adobe houses, not unlike other early civilizations. But this culture was distinguished by an extremely developed artistic ability with regard to its religion, creating huge frescoes and large shrines that amaze art lovers today. For food, the people of Chatal-Huyuk used mainly grain crops. Researchers continue to learn new facts about this culture every day, so it may soon become known what happened to it, but at the moment there are just empty shells of amazing buildings and unique houses that seem to be abandoned.

4. Rapa Nui

Perhaps the most famous of the extinct cultures are the Rapa Nui people, the indigenous people of Easter Island. After them, the famous statues remained, which, probably, everyone saw. The Polynesians inhabited the island that now belongs to Chile, despite the fact that it is located 3500 kilometers from the mainland. Due to the absolute remoteness of the island, how the inhabitants appeared on it is no less a mystery compared to where they disappeared. The reason for the disappearance may be hunger due to excessive consumption of resources. The destruction of Easter Island's ecosystem by rats may also be another reason. Many scholars believe that Rapa Nui traveled to another remote island thousands of kilometers away to establish a new settlement.

5. Minoans

Natives of the Greek island of Crete, the Minoans were an ancient Bronze Age civilization that existed between 3000 and 1000 BC, long before the golden age of Athens and Alexander the Great. The Minoans were clearly Greek culture and the forerunners of ancient Greece, which is now known in all history books. The Minoans were also a very pagan culture, practicing animal sacrifices, burning offerings, had many different cults, and held wild, orgiastic song and dance festivals. In the hieroglyphs of the ancient Egyptians, mentions of the Minoans were found, which means that they were quite famous in the ancient world. They had high quality technology and impressive art, but then they just disappeared. The main theory suggests that the Minoans were wiped out by a volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini near Crete. The famous Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Minoans became extinct due to epidemics and diseases. But this was an assumption, since Herodotus wrote many centuries after the disappearance of this nation.

6. Cucuteni-Trypillian culture

Between 5400 and 2700 B. C. the society known as Cucuteni-Tripoli culture lived in the territory of modern Moldova, Romania and Ukraine in the Carpathians. Oddly enough, this group also disappeared from the face of the Earth. It was an early civilization that was farming, using irrigation, building houses and establishing settlements at a time when humans were just beginning to do this. They had an extremely developed religion and Cucuteni-Trypillian culture possessed many arts, including modeling, pottery and more.

Before its strange disappearance under mysterious circumstances, this culture settled on an impressive territory of 350,000 square kilometers and practiced a rather strange way of life, even for that time. Local people created very densely populated settlements, which they … burned to the ground and rebuilt every 60-80 years. Some scientists have put forward the theory that this is how these people honored their dead at some kind of mass funeral cremations.

7. Anasazi

After the Anasazi culture that lived in the North American Southwest, many structures and artifacts remained. Perhaps the harsh climate of these places, climate change or deprivation of access to water have made the conditions unsuitable for life, but the fact is that the Anasazi have also disappeared. Massive structures, carved into the rocks, remained completely abandoned and were found in a relatively pristine state. These dwellings were ideal for defense against intruders, as they were often multi-storey, and the entrance was through windows to which stairs led.

When they were threatened with attack, the Anasazi could simply climb into their rocky houses, raise stairs and shoot enemies from above with impunity. Many Indian tribes, as well as some scholars, argue that the Anasazi never actually disappeared, just their society reached "critical mass" and split into smaller groups (like ancient Rome). They believe that some of the tribes that survived today are direct descendants of the Anasazi people.

8. Nabta Playa

The ancient people of Nabta Playa, who lived in the southern part of modern Egypt, were a Neolithic group that existed in the area approximately 11,000 to 6,000 years ago. They were mostly nomadic, which was common in the region at the time. The climate in this area has contributed to the fact that seasons of abundance alternated with hunger due to drought. In the end, people settled and settled in the area, becoming a real civilization. Climate changes have caused the region to become desolate, but this has also preserved some of the Nabtya Playa artifacts for thousands of years. For example, a stone circle was found that corresponds to the position of the stars. It served as a place for sacrifices to the gods. In the end, this civilization fell into decay and completely disappeared.

9. Khmer Empire

Unlike the rest, the Khmer empire has disappeared relatively recently. The empire existed from 802 to 1431 in Southeast Asia in the territories of modern Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and was a mixed culture of Buddhists and Hindus that arose during centuries of wars between them. The Khmer Empire created some of the most amazing temples and monuments in Southeast Asia, many of which are in near-perfect condition. But like other civilizations on this list, the Khmer Empire also fell into decay and disappeared. Some believe that the Thais slowly settled these places, assimilating with the Khmers (like the Germanic tribes that gradually penetrated the western half of the Roman Empire). Others believe that the reason is the constant war, which was a daily routine for the Khmers. Still others pointed to possible changes in weather conditions that deprived Khmers of access to rainwater, prompting massive migration. But no one knows what actually happened.

10. Olmecs

The Olmecs were the first major Mesoamerican civilization, and their culture was as rich as it was strange and unusual. They left behind many structures and statues that have survived to this day. The heyday of the Olmecs reached in 1200 - 400 years. BC, and their society was based on sacred religious rites, for which they built temples like pyramids. Like the Polynesians on Easter Island, they also carved massive stone heads, some of which are 3 meters high and weigh 8 tons. Since a lot about this culture, which lived for a long time, was lost in time, scientists do not even know what these people called themselves, or what language they spoke."Olmecs" is the term that the Aztecs used to name this culture centuries after its disappearance. This word roughly translates to "rubber people". Even more interesting is the fact that not a single trace of the Olmecs remains, not even bones, only their artifacts. Some believe that the insanely humid Mesoamerican climate has destroyed even bones. Nothing is known about these people, their language and culture (besides their art and artifacts), including why they disappeared.