From priceless artifacts to legendary cities, here are 8 places lost to history.
8.
Nauru Nauru is an island country that can be found
in the Pacific Ocean.
It's actually halfway between Hawaii and Australia.
It's only eight square miles, but, at one time, it was known as one of the most pleasant
islands in the world.
It was first inhabited around 3000 years ago (if not more) by the Micronesians and the
Polynesians.
And during their time on the island, there were about twelve different tribes that lived
there, and this is why the country's flag has a twelve pointed star upon it.
As an island nation, the people heavily relied on the fruit of the trees and the fish in
the waters to get them their food.
In fact, Nauru actually translates to, "I go to the beach."
In 1798, a British captain named John Fearn saw the island and gave it the nickname of
"Pleasant Island" because of its vegetation and very green terrain.
The problem though, was that after being annexed and taken over by the United Nations and other
parties, the island was stripped mined because it had phosphate in it.
A highly valuable substance.
Because of the veracity of the mining, the island was left a ruin.
And now, it holds a prison, and is known for various dark deals.
7.
Syria's Heritage Sites War is known to have many casualties, this
is a fact.
But the casualties often go beyond human life and stretch out to the very world that is
being destroyed by these wars.
Syria in recent history has been going through a lot via its own war.
And a big casualty to this war are the World Heritage Sites that the country has proudly
shown off over the years.
For example, in 2012, a fire caused by the war burned downed the famed Aleppo Souk.
In 2013, the Krak Des Chevaliers Castle was hit by a bomb and partially destroyed, though
reconstruction has begun.
By the time 2014 came around, about 300 heritage sites in Syria were either damaged or destroyed
because of the war.
Meaning that hundreds of pieces of the country's history are lost to time, or will never be
the same again.
6.
Atacama Desert Artifacts In Chile, there is a desert known as Atacama,
and it is in fact the driest place on the face of the Earth.
This is due to the lack of moisture in the atmosphere.
While this makes the place rather unihabitable, it does make it the perfect place to preserve
the writings and artifacts of the Pre-Columbian people that resided there for some time.
Archaeologists had found numerous sites in the area that held insights into the people
who lived in the Atacama Desert.
This included massive drawings made by them known as geoglyphs.
However, starting in 2009, the Atacama Desert became home to something unexpected, a Rally
race called the Dekar Rally.
While this may have been ok in context, the organizers of the event didn't take into account
the preservation aspect of the area.
And so the races bulldozed through very sensitive archaeological areas, and ruined numerous
drawings and artifacts.
Just the 2011 race damaged 44% of the sites in the area, and the race continues to go
on to this day, damaging more and more of these ancient artifacts.
5.
Tibetan Monasteries The people of Tibet are a very religious culture,
and one of the things they value more than anything else is their monasteries where they
go to pray and perform their rituals.
But, when China invaded Tibet back in 1950, they repressed the people's rights, and made
examples of their monasteries by burning them to the ground.
Since that invasion, 6000 monasteries were destroyed, and that's to say nothing of the
hundreds of thousands of people that were tortured or killed by the Chinese during said
invasion.
By 1978, only eight monasteries in Tibet remained, and the repression of their religion and rights
continues.
Though the remaining Tibetan Monks, said to be less than a thousand now, are fighting
to end this reign of terror and rebuild what was lost.
4.
The Library of Alexandria Easily one of the biggest losses in terms
of academia, the Library of Alexandria was said to be one of the largest and most famous
libraries in the world during its time.
What's forgotten, is that it was actually just one half of a building, it was also connected
to a museum.
It was created by Ptolemy I Soter (ancestor to Cleopatra) and maintained by his people
during the third century BC.
However, the library was not to last, as the place was burned to the ground, with all its
immense knowledge taken with it.
But, there are some show claim that the library was actually in decline by the time it was
apparently burned down by Julius Caesar.
Regardless of how it was taken down though, it's widely considered one of the greatest
losses of knowledge in human history.
3.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon It's likely not a stretch to say that you've
heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon at one point in time or another.
This place has been called one of the 7 Ancient Wonders Of The World since they named said
wonders.
However, despite the claim of it as a wonder...it's never actually been found.
So if it's never been truly found, why is it such a noted piece of history?
It all started with a document written by Berossus of Babylon.
Who noted that in the time of 600 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar II had the Hanging Gardens
built in honor of his wife, Amytis, though others say it was made by the Queen Semiramis
in the 9th Century B.C.
Now, according to the documentation, the gardens didn't actually hang, but, because of how
the plants grew in the gardens, it did drape over the architecture.
Thus how it got its name The topic of the Hanging Gardens is tricky,
because Babylon did exist, and it had a nice time as the center of an empire.
Many feel that the city itself was actually in what is now Iraq.
However, despite knowing where the city is, the gardens were never seen in any part.
Furthermore, outside of Berossus, the only other documented mention of the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon was by a Greek historian named Diodorus Siculus and a few other Roman writers.
There's no other mentions anywhere of it, including in Babylonian texts, where you would
think the people who made the garden would talk about it, but they didn't.
So what happened to the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
Three theories exist that may explain its "absence".
One was that the gardens were a myth made by the people for one reason or another.
The second theory is that the place was real, and then was destroyed either by man or by
nature.
This is the theory that many believe given the turbulent nature of the land in the time
period, and there were recorded earthquakes around the time it was "lost".
Finally, the legend could actually refer to another garden, one that was near Mosul.
Regardless of what it was or wasn't, people are still searching for this wonder of the
world.
2.
Atlantis The legend of Atlantis is one that spans many
cultures, and some believe that despite its "legend" status, that it is a real place.
Many talk about Atlantis even though we can't actually confirm that it was a real place,
yet many think it is, and many are searching the oceans for it to this day.
And, given that many 'lost cities' have been found underwater, it gives hope to those who
feel that it truly exists.
The first record of Atlantis ever being mentioned, at all, was in 360 B.C. by the legendary philosopher
Plato.
He described an island nation that had more advanced technology than anyone in the world
before, or possibly since.
Furthermore, it was said to have a Navy that was unmatched.
But, in 9600 B.C., something happened to Atlantis, and it sank.
Notice, that there's a 9300 year difference from when Plato writes about Atlantis, and
when it apparently sank.
Why did no one talk about it before that time?
Regardless of the lack of historical proof, there have been many expeditions to try and
find definitive proof that Atlantis exists, and while that has gone on, there are many
stories and legends within pop culture about Atlantis as a nation.
There was a Disney animated film starring Michael J. Fox about Atlantis.
And, of course, there is DC Comics and Marvel, who each have their own interpretation of
what Atlantis is and isn't, and who rules it.
In DC Comics, Atlantis was sunk by the gods, or after Neptune used his legendary Trident
to protect the city from danger, it depends on the time period, and has resided in the
bottom of the ocean ever since.
It is indeed a legendary city that has very advanced technology, as well as magic.
And it is one of the homes of Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman.
Atlantis has played a big role in the DC Comics universe over the years.
As for Marvel, their version of Atlantis isn't as grand, but it is ruled by the Sub-Mariner,
aka Namor, who is actually part Mutant, and is an ally of the X-Men.
Atlantis may indeed be a legend, but it's a legend that honestly inspires people to
think about what our world used to be, and what it can still be.
To that end, if they can prove Atlantis is real, then our entire world's history would
change in an instant.
And because of that, it's worth risking everything to try and find the slightest proof that it
is, or was, real.
1.
Mesopotamia While technically not "lost to history", the
land known as Mesopotamia, which many consider the birthplace of man in some ways, looks
nothing like what it did back in the earliest days of history.
In fact, Mesopotamia is said be the birthplace of written history.
The area itself was a part of southwest Asia, specifically between the legendary Tigris
and Euphrates river system.
It was a place that was settled as far back as the Paleolithic Era, and by 14,000 B.C.,
the first semblances of a civilization took form.
It was in Mesopotamia that certain history-changing inventions were made, like the wheel, maps,
sailing, writing, and of course, true civilization.
They were living in houses of circular nature by the time 14,000 B.C. came around.
Around 5,000 years later, this civilization learned how to farm, and even use the waters
of the Tigris and Euphrates via irrigation.
The people of Mesopotamia continued to grow until they were able to form their own cities,
like Uruk in 3200 B.C.
If you're curious, the reason that it's "lost to history" is because for many thousands
of years after its colonization, the land would be taken over by many different tribes
of people.
The Akkadians, The Babylonians, the Hittites, and even Alexander the Great during his reign.
And now, it's just another part of the world.
But at one time, it was very nearly the birthplace of modern human society.
Thanks for watching!
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