From the Anasazi of the American Southwest to the Minoans of Ancient Crete, today we
look at 7 Civilizations That Mysteriously Disappeared!
Number 7.
"The Anasazi" One of the earliest societies in America was
that of The Anasazi, also known as the Ancient Puebloans.
These early peoples lived in what is now the Southwestern United States around the Four
Corners region from around 100 BC to 1300 AD.
At the height of their civilization, The Anasazi built some of the most remarkable cliff dwellings
like that of the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde, Colorado and Pueblo Bonito, New Mexico.
These cities made of wood and mud that were built high up in the mountains, tucked aways
from the elements were comparable in cultural complexity to other ancient cities.
The Anasazi developed an irrigation system for farming in their arid environment and
had an advanced religious belief system which they followed devoutly.
They were so devout that they did not tolerate any other religions encroaching on their territory
and were known for being hostile.
In fact "Anasazi" in Navajo means "enemy ancestors".
Because of this, the modern day Pueblo Indians, the descendants of the Anasazi, dislike the
term and prefer them to be referred to as Ancient Puebloans.
So what happened to the Anasazi?
Well despite conspiracies like that of them being abducted by aliens or in fact being
aliens, most of the signs point to The Great Drought of North America, which occurred around
1130 AD and lasted for 300 years.
The drought forced population numbers to drop significantly and the remaining population
was probably forced to split up and migrate to more habitable locations.
Along with the Pueblo Indians, the modern day Hopi trace their roots back to the Anasazi.
Number 6.
"The Minoans" From around 2,000 BC to 1500 BC The Minoan
Civilization that lived on the Mediterranean Island of Crete flourished, they built giant
palaces filled with artwork and even had a basic plumbing system.
The civilization owes its name to King Minos from the Greek legend of Theseus.
In the legend, Minos is the King who built the labyrinth in which Theseus was trapped
with the Minotaur.
For over two-thousand years it was thought that this kingdom was just the stuff of legend
but archaeologists in the 20th century discovered that it was much more.
In fact, archaeological evidence shows that the Minoans were one of the most dominant
civilization of their time period with a vast shipping empire that basically controlled
the Mediterranean.
Their fresco style artwork and distinct architecture was unparalleled by the other Greek islands.
But due to reasons that are still being uncovered their civilization was wiped off the map in
an instant.
Most signs point to the cause of their vanishing being, the volcano Thera which lies in the
waters north of Crete.
Combining legends of the Minoans disappearance with the excavated evidence paints a tale
like this: The volcano Thera erupted sending a giant tsunami waves towards Crete, though
some Minoans were able to make it out by ship there was just not enough time to prepare
for the destruction that was caused when these waves crashed upon their shores.
The Minoan civilization was washed away seemingly overnight.
Some suggest that the civilization may have continued for a few hundred years after this
point but after this natural disaster they were unable to rebuild their farmlands, lost
faith in their priests and unable to defend against more powerful Greek forces.
Number 5.
"The Olmec" You may recognize the iconic stone heads of
the Olmec Civilization but you might not know just how advanced these peoples who predated
the Aztecs and Mayans were.
The Olmec Civilization lived throughout Mexico with their biggest cities being located in
the central region near the Gulf.
They were powerful and populous from 1200 BC until 400 BC but there is a sudden drop
in archaeological findings for the Olmecs after 300 BC.
Beyond being master stone carvers the Olmecs had developed a huge trading network and even
developed their own writing system that used symbols or "glyphs".
They were also the first known peoples to extract latex from trees and turn it into
rubber that was used for toy balls and various tools.
The word Olmec actually translates in the Aztec language Nahuatl to mean "people of
rubber country".
So what happened to this great ancient culture after 300 BC?
Well anthropologists and archaeologists haven't pinpointed exactly why they suddenly disappeared
but there are several theories.
They may have had to migrate and split up their cultural network due to droughts or
climate change.
They may have brought about their civilizations downfall via a devastating Civil War.
They may have not disappeared at all, rather their culture progressed or changed so quickly
that it transformed into what would become Mayan and Aztec culture.
It could also very well be a combination of all three reasons.
Number 4.
"The Nabateans" The city of Petra located in what is now the
country of Jordan is one of the most breathtaking architectural wonders of the ancient world
and was home to an extraordinary ancient civilization known as The Nabateans.
The Nabateans arrived in Jordan around 700 BC and would prosper as one of the elite trading
nations until the first century AD.
Then in the fourth century the Nabateans would suddenly pick up and abandon Petra.
The city was carved into the mountains around it and for most of its existence was an impenetrable
fortress.
Because of this, as it being at the perfect strategic location to control trading in the
Middle East and Arabian peninsula Nabatea became a cultural melting pot with the Nabateans
becoming experts in irrigation, medicine and the arts.
They were even known for adopting much of the Hellenistic cultures of Rome and Greece
into their native Arabic traditions.
The Nabateans lived alongside the great empires of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar and
had a working relationship with the Romans until they sided against them during the period
of turmoil that resulted from Caesar's assassination.
The Romans would eventually conquer most of their territory yet they still called Petra
home for a few hundred years.
Then one day the Nabateans decided it was time to leave their capital, so they packed
up everything and left.
Most of their people probably assimilated into other cultures and empires and though
its not known exactly why they decided to leave their beautiful city--it is most likely
that because of technological advancements in seafaring it lost much of the value it
once had as an international marketplace.
Number 3.
"The Mycenaeans" For two hundred years the Mycenaeans ruled
Greece, but in flash they were gone.
The Mycenaeans lived from approximately 1600 to 1100 BC becoming the first civilization
to comprise of several Greek states working together.
This alliance and cultural movement would end up in the founding of historic cities.
Mycenaean Greece was made up of the areas of what would come to be home to Athens, Sparta,
Crete and Thebes and at its height extended its rule to boundaries close to that of modern
Greece.
The Mycenaeans were heavily influenced by the aforementioned Minoan civilization, improving
and expanding upon their artwork, architecture and religious traditions.
Much of Mycenaean culture can be considered a direct precursor to that of Ancient and
Classical Greece and it is from them that most of the mythology of Greece would spring.
If the myths and legends are true, Mycenaean Greece can claim some of the world's most
renowned heroes like Odysseus, Achilles and Theseus.
Perseus himself, the half-god who vanquished Medusa, is said to be the founder of Mycenae.
But Perseus' kingdom wouldn't last long as just as fast as it expanded it was snuffed
out.
Many historians claim that its early exit around 1200 BC was due to "flying too close
to the sun" as many texts claim the Mycenaeans had tried and failed to expand their empire
beyond Greece, costing them manpower and resources.
The time around 1200 BC was an extremely wild time as many civilizations in the Middle East
and Mediterranean that were advanced for this point in history began fighting amongst themselves,
causing many to collapse and have to rebuild.
The histories that the poet Homer wrote suggest the Mycenaeans tried to takeover Egypt but
failed.
There are also theories that suggest civil war and invasions by outsiders could be the
reason that Mycenae is no more.
Number 2."The Khmer Empire" You will most likely recognize the temple
at Angkor Wat but do you know who built this architectural wonder?
Angkor Wat was the capital of what is known as the Khmer Empire that was a dominant force
in asia from the 9th to the 15th century.
What is now divided into multiple independent nations was at one time all united under this
Hindu-Buddhist civilization.
Made up of modern day Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia the Khmer Empire had a stranglehold
on the Indochina Peninsula for four hundred years.
The Empire was started by Jayavarman the Second who as a brash outsider united the ethnically
and religiously diverse region by force.
Jayavarman's empire brought a heavy Indian influence to the peninsula and though the
architecture and cultural fingerprints it left can still be seen today its existence
was tumultuous to say the least.
Throughout its rule the Khmer Empire was constantly fighting wars with outside countries and putting
down rebellions started by its own citizens so one can see how it was destined for destruction.
Although this may make it seem liked the Khmer Empire was dysfunctional it actually was quite
progressive when it came to religious freedom and it's advanced system of government that
while technically was a monarchy incorporated some fundamentals of democracy such as attempting
to gauge the average citizen's opinion.
All of their governmental progress was for not however, as when the Mongols forced the
Thai people out of their lands and into Indochina the Thai would end up ousting the Khmer people
from power by sheer numbers.
There is still not much known about how the Khmer were overtaken so quickly though there
are theories that propose the Thai were slowly infiltrating the region before being forced
from their own homes.
Number 1.
"Kingdom of Aksum" Living during the same time period as the
Nabateans, on the other side of the Arabian peninsula across the Red Sea, the powerful
Aksumite Empire was thriving off another trade route.
Also known as the Kingdom of Aksum, this Ethiopian Empire is thought to have begun around 400
BC and prospered for over one-thousand years.
But it would take only two hundred years for them to virtually vanish off the map.
At the Empire's peak at about 100 AD they were the leading exporters of ivory and boasted
one of the largest supplies of gold and other precious minerals like emeralds.
The capital, Aksum, was one of the biggest cities in the world and supported the economic
powerhouse of a nation that the Roman Empire viewed as an essential trade ally.
The Aksumite Empire is one of the most important civilizations when it comes to three of the
world's biggest religions.
The Empire was once ruled by the legendary Queen of Sheba who is profiled in the Qu'Ran
and both the Jewish and Christian Bibles as the lover of King Solomon, the son of David.
The Aksumites converted to Christianity in the 4th Century AD and were one of the first
major Empires to incorporate it as their main religion, being the first to put a 'holy cross'
on its currency.
Islam, owes a deal of gratitude to the Empire as during times of persecution they gave sanctuary
to some of Muhammad's first followers.
Religion would ironically be the civilization's undoing as the capital would be overthrown
by a pagan queen in the middle of the tenth century who attempted to destroy all monuments
and teachings of Christianity.
Over the next two centuries, those faithful to the Empire would retreat into the mountains
and over several raids and conflicts be almost erased.
The once shining city of Aksum now stands as a small village in the middle of the nowhere.
Although the city has not lost its mystery as it is said to be the most likely resting
place of the Ark of the Covenant.
There is even a church that the locals say it is held at, yet no one except its priest
is allowed inside the Ark's chambers.