10 sunken cities that, unlike Atlantis, actually exist

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

When it comes to sunken cities, most people immediately think of Atlantis. Although today scientists have not come to a consensus on whether there was an Atlantean civilization, there are many other sunken cities on the planet that are absolutely real. In this review, the sunken cities that can be seen in the depths of the sea.

1. Dunwich

In the 11th century, Dunwich was one of the largest cities in England. However, a series of storms in the XIII-XIV centuries destroyed the coastline, and now the city is mostly under the waves of the sea. Severe storms have raged on the coast around Dunwich for decades each year. The locals desperately built defensive ditches, trying to hold back the advancing waters and save the city from flooding, but they were unable to prevent the merciless invasion of the sea, and it was all in vain. Today, divers have found the remains of four churches and a tenement house, as well as numerous residential buildings and even the remains of a ship that was later wrecked in the harbor near the city. Today, archaeological work in this place is still ongoing.

2. Bailly

The partially sunken city of Baia is located about 16 kilometers west of Naples. This ancient Roman city is said to have been named after Bayos, the helmsman who steered Ulysses' ship. As stated in ancient Roman tradition, Bayi was a very pleasant place to live, with a mild climate, lush vegetation and hot springs. By and large, it could be called a paradise on Earth. The city had many luxurious villas and large public buildings, as well as public baths that the Romans adored.

The Bayies were known for their hedonistic lifestyle, and Sextus Aurelius Propertius described it as "a lair of licentiousness and vice." It was undoubtedly a luxurious place to live and one of the most important Roman cities for hundreds of years. Gaius Calpurnius Piso lived in Bayi, who planned to kill the emperor Nero. When Nero learned of this plan, he ordered Piso to commit suicide. Divers discovered Villa Pisona, along with another villa believed to have belonged to the emperor. Since many of the city's residents were very wealthy, there are probably many more treasures waiting for explorers on the seabed.

Volcanic activity in the area is believed to have caused part of the city to drown in the Gulf of Naples. Archaeological research of this place has been going on since 1941. The water in the area is clear, allowing divers to thoroughly explore the flooded city, parts of which are perfectly preserved, including intricate mosaic floors, intact despite 1,700 years underwater. Divers found roads, walls and even statues of Ulysses and Bayos, standing as if they were installed just yesterday.

3. Heraklion

The Egyptian city of Heraklion sank below sea level thousands of years ago. The city that Helena Troyanskaya and her lover Paris allegedly visited was considered mythical until in 1999 it was rediscovered by archaeologist Frank Goddio. The site is still in the process of excavation, but many treasures have already been found, including huge statues up to 5 meters high. The city began to plunge into the sea sometime in the third century, possibly due to the excessive weight of the fabulous buildings. By the eighth century, Heraklion had completely disappeared.

Hundreds of statues and stone slabs with inscriptions in Greek and Ancient Egyptian have been discovered and raised to the surface, along with gold coins and dozens of sarcophagi that may have once contained mummified animals as offerings to the gods. Archaeologists have also uncovered the remains of hundreds of shipwrecks, suggesting that Heraklion was an important trading port. In the center of the city there was a huge temple dedicated to Amun, the supreme Egyptian god of that time. When Heraklion was built, the city was located at the mouth of the Nile Delta, although it is now at a depth of 46 meters in Abukir Bay.

4. Ravenser Odd

Ravenser Odd was a medieval pirate town in Yorkshire, England. It was the closest port for ships arriving from Scandinavia, so its inhabitants sailed on boats to the ships approaching the city and "persuaded" them to dock. The citizens of Ravenser Odd were exempt from paying taxes, and the city was virtually autonomous - it had its own mayor, court, prisons and even a gallows.

He was also given the right to tax any ships that the local authorities "persuaded" to enter the port, which explains the enthusiasm of the locals. However, the sea eventually began to flood the city and every tide destroyed it. The walls began to crumble into silt, and even in the church, bodies began to be dumped after the funeral at sea. The population began to flee the city, plundering the church "on the path". The Great Flooding took place in January 1362, when a fierce storm and unusually high tides swallowed Ravenser forever.

5. Kekova

The city, located on the Turkish island of Kekova, was flooded by an earthquake in the second century AD. Historical records are somewhat sketchy, but it seems that this island was a prominent site during the Byzantine era.

Today, on the site of the former city, ruins can be seen under the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and locals receive extra money by taking tourists on boats to admire the ruins. The area has been protected by law since 1990, although visitors are welcome. You can see half-sunken ruins protruding from the water and buildings with stone staircases that descend into the sea, making an unforgettable experience.

6. Atlit Yam

Atlit Yam is located 1 km off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. It is so stunningly preserved that today human skeletons lie in graves below the surface of the water. Atlit Yam is one of the earliest sunken cities known to man. Large houses with stone floors, fireplaces and even wells have survived here. This is shocking as the site has been buried under the waves for about 9,000 years. In 1984, while searching for shipwrecks, the marine archaeologist Ehud Galili was the first in millennia to see the ancient ruins, after which he led a mission to protect them.

Given the age of the artifacts, exposure to the air can lead to destruction, therefore they are not lifted from the seabed (unless the objects are threatened with destruction underwater). Archaeologists, fearful of damaging the 9,000-year-old ruins, are waiting for natural streams to displace the sands to see what lies beneath. A monolithic stone circle has already been found at the site, similar to the one at Stonehenge, albeit of a smaller size. Analysis of the human remains found at the site showed signs of tuberculosis, meaning the disease is 3,000 years older than previously thought.

7. Shichen

Shicheng (or Lion City) in China was deliberately flooded in 1959 during the construction of the Qiandaohu Dam. At the time, 300,000 people were displaced from the area to make way for construction, leaving the city to its own devices. The city itself was about 600 years old and featured stunning classical Chinese architecture. Shichen lay quietly at the bottom of the reservoir until 2001, when the Chinese government sent an expedition to see what was left of him, and interest in the site did not begin to grow.

Divers found well-preserved statues of not only lions, but also phoenixes, dragons and other animals, as well as ancient buildings of the 16th century. Today, the government has allowed divers to explore the ruins, which lie at a depth of about 40 meters. The city is remarkably well preserved, as the cold waters prevent even the wooden staircases from rotting.

8. Neapolis

In 2017, archaeologists discovered the lost city of Neapolis near Tunis, which was flooded by a tsunami 1,700 years ago. Streets, monuments and hundreds of vessels used to make garum, a type of fish sauce that was popular at the time, are still visible among the ruins. Neapolis was an important industrial area during the Roman era and was considered the main center for fish sauce production in the Roman world. The ruins cover an area of 20 hectares, which is believed to have been flooded after the tsunami in July 365 AD. It was the same tsunami that destroyed Alexandria and was triggered by an earthquake of at least 8 magnitude. Today, apart from the vessels for the garum, archaeologists have found little, despite all the treasure hunt. However, archaeological work at the site is ongoing.

9. Cambay

In December 2000, scientists accidentally discovered a huge lost city in the Bay of Cambay (also known as the Bay of Cambhata), off the west coast of India. Lying 37 meters under water, the site is 8 kilometers long and 3.2 kilometers wide. It is believed to be over 9,000 years old. Among the artifacts reportedly found at the time were fragments of walls, sculptures and human remains.

Since then, both the age of the artifacts and whether the stone walls are man-made has been a subject of heated debate. If this is confirmed, then Cambay will be recognized as a find of paramount importance, since it is 4000 years older than the Indus Valley civilization. It has been suggested that the hypothetical city was inundated by rising waters during the last ice age. If so, then the question arises, how many other ancient cities lie at the bottom of the sea.

10. Olus

Olus lies in shallow waters under the clear blue waters of the sea off the north coast of Crete. It became an important port city in the first millennium BC and was so rich that it even had its own currency. It was called the city of fountains. Fearing pirates would loot their treasures, residents are said to have dug 100 fountains in the surrounding mountains. In 99 wells there was only water, and in the last - all the wealth of the city. He was never found. Nobody knows the exact reason for the destruction of Olus. Perhaps the city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption or gradually sank as a result of natural erosion of the coastal zone.