When Experts Rediscovered These Lost Cities, It Rewrote History
Mythology is filled with tales of ancient cities lost to dramatic disasters such as earthquakes and tidal waves. Legends like the lost city of Atlantis have enraptured mankind for centuries, and maybe for good reason. These stories are often inspired by real-life events, remembered in the form of fantastical folk tales. But some cities in history really had been lost in dramatic ways, only to be found again centuries later. Here’s a look at 20 of the most impressive…
1. Calakmul
Dating as far back as 600 B.C. the city of Calakmul was once a keystone of the Mayan world. As per History Hit, during its heyday, in fact, some 50,000 people are thought to have lived there. But with the collapse of the wider Maya civilization some time around 900 A.D., the city also fell into decline. It was eventually abandoned.
Cyrus Lundell
For around 500 years, the site of Calakmul remained hidden away in the undergrowth of Mexico. But according to website Atlas Obscura in 1931 the city was found again by an American by the name of Cyrus Lundell. And around six decades after that, archaeological works got under way in earnest and the grandeur of the site was properly revealed.
2. Taxila
Taxila was a city in what is now Pakistan that flourished from the first to the fifth century. Situated in a strategically vital position to allow for trade with China, this city was once a grand place dotted with impressive religious sites and other constructions. It eventually fell into decline, though, leaving behind ruins which are among the most impressive in all of Asia today.
“The father of Indian archaeology”
The Britannica website tells us that the Taxila archaeological site started to be properly investigated in the second half of the 19th century. Works were led by Sir Alexander Cunningham, a man since dubbed “the father of Indian archaeology.” Later, Sir John Hubert Marshall took charge; over the course of two decades, he revealed much of the city’s past.
