Lost ancient civilizations. Evidence that ancient civilizations had advanced technology (10 photos). Indus Valley Civilization

Believe it or not, friends, but modern humanity may disappear in a couple of years, and this will not be the first time that a civilization has disappeared from the face of the Earth. The disappearance of some of the ancient civilizations known to us was caused by wars, climate change, disease, invasions, eruptions. But in most cases, these reasons are most likely the assumption of learned historians.

Clovis

Time of existence: 11500 BC
Location: North America

We don't know much about the Clovis culture. What is known is that this prehistoric Native American culture is believed to have existed in North America. Its name comes from an archaeological site located near Clovis, New Mexico. Artifacts found at this site in the 1920s consist of stone tools and bones.

It is believed that these people arrived from Siberia to Alaska through the Bering Strait towards the end of the last ice age. Whether this was the first crop in North America, no one knows. The life of this civilization passed rather quickly. What contributed to its rapid disappearance? Maybe they hunted too much and destroyed their food supply? Or has climate change, diseases, predators, a meteorite fall led to this? Or maybe the members of this culture simply scattered to join other Indian tribes? Scientists still have a lot of work to do to unravel this mystery.

Culture Cucuteni-Trypillia

Time of existence: between 5500 and 2750 BC
Location: Ukraine and Romania.

The largest communities of Neolithic Europe were built on Cucuteni-Trypillia, the territories where modern Ukraine, Romania and Moldova are located. There were almost 15,000 people in the Cucuteni-Trypillia civilization - a huge community of that time that mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth.

The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture is known for its ceramics. They also had a strange habit of burning down their villages every 60-80 years before building new ones on the ashes of the old ones. To date, scientists have identified about 3,000 archaeological sites from this matriarchal society, at the center of which was the mother goddess. Their disappearance may have been caused by abrupt climate change, which led to the worst droughts in European history. Other theories suggest that the people were scattered among different tribes living in the neighborhood.

Indus Valley Civilization

Time of existence: 3300-1300 BC
Location: Pakistan.

The Indus Valley Civilization is one of those huge civilizations spread over what is now Pakistan and western India. This is one of the most mysterious ancient civilizations. Little is known about her, mainly because no one has ever been able to decipher their language. We know that people built over a hundred cities and villages, including the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. Each had its own sewer systems and basic conditions for living in their homes. It appears to have been a classless, armyless civilization that excelled in astronomy and agriculture. It was also the first civilization to make cotton clothing.

The Indus civilization disappeared 4500 years ago and no one knew about it until the ruins were discovered in the 1920s. Several theories attempt to explain this disappearance. These include changes in their environment, the drying up of the Ghaggar-Hakra River, colder and drier temperatures. Another theory suggests an Aryan invasion of the region around 1500 BC.

Minoan civilization

Time of existence: 3000-630 BC
Location: Crete.

The Minoan civilization was not known until the early 20th century. Since 1900, a thorough study began, which revealed many secrets of this mysterious civilization, which existed for about 7000 years and reached its peak around 1600 BC. Over time, archaeologists have found very interesting places. One of them was the palace at Knossos, a labyrinth associated with the legend of King Minos (hence the name of the civilization). Now it is an important archaeological center.

It is believed that the Minoans were destroyed by a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera (Santorini today). There is evidence that they would have survived had the eruption not killed off all plant life. This led to the economic decline of a once rich civilization, starvation and death. Another hypothesis is that they were captured by the Mycenaeans. The Minoan Civilization is one of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.

Mayan civilization

Time of existence: 2600 BC before 1520 AD
Location: Central America.

The Mayan civilization is a classic example of a mysteriously vanished civilization. Its greatest monuments, its cities and roads have been swallowed up by the jungles of Central America, and its population scattered into small villages and settlements. The languages and traditions of the Mayan people are still preserved, but the climax of civilization occurred in the first millennium of our era, when their greatest architectural monuments were built, and its dominance covered a vast territory that would include Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

One of the greatest peoples of ancient civilization used writing, mathematics, calendars and sophisticated machinery to build their pyramids and terraced farms. The reason for the disappearance of this highly advanced civilization is one of the great archaeological debates. It is assumed that internal strife, combined with climate change in the Yucatán during the year 900, led to the weakening of crops and famine leading to destruction.

Mycenaean civilization

Time of existence: 1600-1100 BC
Location: Greece.

Unlike the Minoan civilization, the Mycenaean flourished not only through trade, but also through conquest. Their empire covered almost all of Greece. The Mycenaean civilization survived five centuries of dominant power before disappearing around 1100 BC. Several Greek myths are centered around this civilization. One of them is the myth of the legendary king Agamemnon, who led the Greek army during the Trojan War. The Mycenaean civilization was culturally and economically rich and left behind many artifacts. But the mystery of her disappearance has not yet been solved.

Olmec civilization

Time of existence: 1400 BC
Location: Mexico.

The great pre-Columbian civilization of the Olmecs once flourished in Mexico. The first traces of civilization date back to 1400 BC. The city of San Lorenzo has one of the three main Olmec centers with Tenochtitlan and Potrero Nuevo.

The Olmecs were master builders. At the places of their residence, monuments of giant stone heads were found. This civilization laid the foundation for all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures. It is believed that the Olmecs were the first to develop a writing system, they probably invented the compass and the Mesoamerican calendar. They knew the use of bloodletting, made human sacrifices, and invented the concept of the number zero. This civilization was not discovered by historians until the middle of the 19th century. Its decline was due to climate change caused by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and possibly a decline in agricultural activity.

Nabataean civilization

Time of existence: 600 BC
Location: Jordan.

The Nabataean civilization flourished in southern Jordan, the region of Canaan, and northern Arabia from the 6th century BC. Semitic peoples built the spectacular city of Petra, carved into the sandstone rocks of the Jordanian mountains. We also know about their talents in hydraulics and the complex system of dams, canals and reservoirs that allowed them to survive in the desert region.

Written records have not come down to us, and we know almost nothing about their culture. Nevertheless, it was a prosperous civilization that, due to its geographical position, developed a trade network for the trade and exchange of ivory, silk, spices, precious metals and stones, incense, sugar, perfumes and medicines. Unlike other civilizations of that time, the Nabataeans did not know about slavery, and each contributed to the development of their state.

In the 4th century BC. the Nabataeans abandoned Petra, and no one knows why. Archaeological evidence suggests that their departure was not hasty, and therefore it was not associated with non-raids of warlike tribes. It is believed that the migration to the north took place in order to find better work.

Aksum Empire

Time of existence: 100 AD
Location: Ethiopia.

The Aksum Empire began in the first century AD in what is now Ethiopia. The legend says that it was the birthplace of the Queen of Sheba. Aksum was an important trading center, from where huge agricultural resources and gold were exported to the Roman Empire and India. It was a wealthy state and the first African culture to issue its own currency, which at the time was a sign of great power.

The most distinctive monuments are the stelae of Aksum, giant carved obelisks that served as burial terminals for kings and nobles. The first Aksumites worshiped many gods, chief among which was Astar. Then, in 324, King Ezana II was converted to Christianity and became Aksum. According to local legend, a Jewish queen named Yodit conquered the Aksumite empire and burned their churches and books. Others believe that it was the pagan queen Bani al-Hamwiya who caused the decline of the empire. Other theories attribute the demise of the empire to climate change and the overuse of the soil, which led to famine. Aksum took second place in the list of the most ancient civilizations that mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Khmer Empire

Time of existence: 1000-1400 AD
Location: Cambodia.

The Khmer Empire, one of the most powerful empires and the greatest lost civilizations in Southeast Asia, occupied the territories of modern Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Malaysia. The capital of Angkor has become one of the most famous archaeological sites in Cambodia. This empire, which included up to a million people, flourished during the first millennium. The Khmers practiced Hinduism and Buddhism and built temples, towers and other elaborate structures such as Angkor Wat, a temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. The decline of the Khmer Empire was attributed to a combination of factors, although most believe that devastating warfare contributed to the empire's demise. By the 14th century, the Khmer empire ceased to exist.

Whatever happens in the future, my dear reader, each of us can make every effort to prolong the life of our fragile civilization. I don’t know what her descendants (if any) will call her, but I doubt that after her destruction, something will remain for them. We are standing on the edge of an abyss - this is a fact, and whether a bridge will be built across this abyss depends on you and me.

And everything in itself concealed the former life. Other centuries fiery trembling.

V. Bryusov

Before the discoveries of Columbus, the inhabitants of the Old World hardly even suspected that a significant part of the human race lives beyond the expanses of the oceans in the Western Hemisphere.The tribes and peoples of Indian America, separated by vast expanses of water from the rest of the world, went through the ages and epochs like a distant planet moving along its own special path in the stellar spheres of the Universe. Ancient and medieval Europe and the East, proud of its thousand-year-old wisdom, did not leave a single mention of the mysterious lands in their rich literary heritage ...

The priceless cultural achievements of civilizations were forcibly destroyed by the European conquerors. The culture of metaphors and numbers was destroyed by iron and fire. She disappeared like a dream... Only one memory remained of her.There are still huge gaps in archaeological knowledge. Countless mysteries and questions are waiting to be solved as soon as possible. The past jealously keeps its secrets, and it takes a lot of effort to find the keys to mastering them.

1. Mu or Lemuria - an existing civilization on Earth, although all statements about its existence are made at the level of hypotheses. According to the assumption of some researchers, the Lemurian race, who lived about 4 million years ago, was some kind of semi-monkeys who lived on the ancient mainland.

Lemuria is described in The Secret Doctrine as "a huge Continent that once reigned and towered over the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans." All descriptions of this continent are rather episodic and approximate, therefore only dotted lines can be drawn on the map, which will indicate the approximate contours of Lemuria. Let's start with a description of the Indian-Pacific region of this giant continent. In the Asian part of Lemuria there was a huge inland sea.

In The Secret Doctrine this region is described in the following words: "Lemuria, as we called the Mainland of the Third Race, was then a gigantic country. It covered the whole region from the foot of the Himalayas, which separated it from the inland sea, which rolled its waves through what we we know how present-day Tibet, Mongolia and the great desert of Shamo (Gobi); from Chittagong in a western direction to Hardwar and in an eastern direction to Assam.

While the civilization of Mu did not achieve as high technology as other later civilizations, however, the peoples of Mu succeeded in erecting mega-stone buildings that were able to withstand earthquakes. This building science was the greatest achievement of Mu.

Perhaps in those days there was one language and one government on the whole Earth. Education was the key to the prosperity of the Empire, every citizen was versed in the laws of the Earth and the Universe, by the age of 21 he was given an excellent education. By the age of 28, a person became a full citizen of the empire.

Now the land of our planet is made up of six huge continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia, Antarctica. But a long time ago, approximately 4-5 million years ago, there was still neither Central and Northern Asia, nor Europe, nor the main part of Africa, nor North America - all this was absorbed by water. But what did the Earth look like? In the form of a huge continent, which included Australia, part of Asia and South Africa.

The Englishman Slater proposed to give this continent the melodic name of Lemuria, after the interesting and mysterious animals that lived there - lemurs. They were proof of the existence of Lemuria. Naturally, not only lemurs inhabited the ancient continent - all earthly life was born here. Numerous pangolins lived on Lemuria: paleosaurs, ichthyosaurs, dinosaurs. Pterodactyls, huge bats, winged lizards were hovering in the sky of various sizes (from a sparrow to 5 meters). Eduard Schure in his book “Divine Evolution” describes our first ancestor as follows: “This ancestor had a certain beauty. He looked more like a long blue-green snake with a gelatinous and transparent body, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, which made it possible to see his internal organs. Instead of a head, there was something resembling a fan in its upper part. This organ contained protoplasm, which later turned into the human brain. In the course of evolution, this likeness of a jellyfish, or a translucent snake, began to change, and "harden".

“The creature destined to become a man,” Schure writes, “a half-fish-half-snake of a primitive era, took the form of a quadruped, resembling a lizard, but not like a modern lizard. Its spinal system, barely outlined in primitive human jellyfish, has developed considerably. His brain gland was covered with a skull and became a brain. Two eyes appear in this skull, which can barely and indistinctly see. His bronchi became lungs, his fins became paws.” This is such a beautiful portrait

According to some scientists, the ancestors of man were lemurs, and not primates, as is commonly believed. Life in Lemuria was not calm. Powerful earthquakes, numerous volcanic eruptions destroyed the ancient monsters. In such terrible conditions, the formation of the first people - the Lemurians - took place. Outwardly, the Lemurians slightly resembled the Ethiopians, they were dark-skinned, but had European features. Soon there was a split of a single continent, as a result of which Africa and Asia were formed, and the first people spread to other lands, bringing the light of knowledge to wild tribes.

But not all of Lemuria immediately disappeared into the depths of the ocean, for a very long time there remained a huge island in the Indian Ocean, which was called by different names: then Lanka, then Meluhha. After the island sank completely, some of the Lemurians found salvation on neighboring islands, in particular on the Andaman Islands. Traveler Dobson photographed them there in the last century. Of course, in our time, the Lemurians have lost their former knowledge and become wild. It is quite possible that the direct descendants of the Lemurians still live in the Andaman Islands, Africa, Australia, New Guinea, Sri Lanka and southern Hindustan, retaining their original appearance and customs.

The Toda tribe, which lives in the Blue Mountains in South India, is the last surviving Lemurian. Representatives of this tribe are tall, they have fairly fair skin, large, expressive, greenish eyes, a "Roman" nose, thin lips, brown or reddish hair. This people lives high in the mountains and keeps legends about the seven great kingdoms beyond the sea, the lord of which was the only "lord of the ships". The priests of the tribe retained their native language, called "kvorzha". They call the Sun and Moon by the same names as in Sumer - Utu and Sin. It is likely that the ancestors of the Toda in ancient times could sail on ships in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The mention of Lemuria as a land in the Indian Ocean with a developed civilization is found in the mythology of different peoples. According to Indian mythology, Lemuria was located south of Hindustan. There was a poetry academy on the island, which marked the beginning of Tamil poetry and has existed since time immemorial. It was headed by Shiva. The Academy existed for 4400 years, according to some sources. Lemuria perished during the Flood.

The Lemurians, who escaped death, settled on nearby lands, or on the remnants of the continent that remained above the water. It is believed that the Lemurians brought knowledge to India. From Lemuria, only small islands in the Indian Ocean remained. Some researchers also include the western islands of Indonesia as remnants. In the mythology of Madagascar, the hypothesis of Lemuria occupies a special place. The native inhabitants of the Malagasy island have preserved to our times the richest traditions of oral poetic creativity, from which we learn a lot of interesting things about the history of the island. According to local myths, the island used to extend far to the east, and a semblance of a global flood is also mentioned. Despite the fact that Africa is located very close, most of the plants and animals living in Madagascar are endemic, and their number is so large that Madagascar can be considered part of a continent. In addition to this, the Malagasy themselves are not of African descent.

In Europe, the legends of Lemuria were very rarely taken seriously, in contrast to the Unknown Southern Land, with which it was often identified. Usually Europeans compared Lemuria with Atlantis (as a counterbalance or vice versa, as an addition). If you believe European mythology, then there are versions that Egyptian, Roman and Phoenician expeditions circled Africa from the south, and Europeans began to swim constantly to India only in the 15th century. If we talk about scientific research, unlike the search for Atlantis, almost no expeditions were created to study Lemuria. Those few studies that have been carried out to date have not yet found sufficiently convincing evidence of the existence of a continent or a large island with a developed civilization. Some supporters of the version of the existence of Lemuria hastened to transfer the sunken land to the Pacific Ocean, but this version did not receive wide popularity, and most importantly, at least some weighty evidence, since the disappeared land, Pacifida, already “was” there.

The Central Andes were the easternmost spur of the Lemurian continent. One can also quote from the Secret Doctrine of H. P. Blavatsky, which says that the giant buildings in the Peruvian Andes belong to the Lemurians: that the stone remains found by Captain Cook on a small piece of Earth called Easter Island were "very similar to the walls of the Temple of Pachacamac, or the ruins of Tia Huanaco in Peru", also that they were of a giant character "".

The remains of cyclopean buildings can be found both in the city of Cusco and beyond. The most massive and amazing building is located to the north of the city, it lies on a hill, a little higher than the valley. These giant remnants are called the "fortress" of Saxahuaman. They are called a fortress, because. reminiscent of the barrier walls of medieval castles.

The walls of Saxahuaman are built in three parallel straight tiers, each having a length of about 600 meters. The height of the first and second walls is about 10 meters, the third - 5 meters. The walls are built in a zigzag pattern. One wall has about 28 zigzag ledges. The first wall (the lowest one) is built of very massive blocks, the largest of which is 9 meters high, 5 meters wide and 4 meters thick.

Other building blocks are slightly smaller, but relatively the same. Such blocks weigh from 100 to 200 tons. The second and third tier blocks are slightly smaller than the first tier blocks. The most interesting thing is that all the blocks - both large and small - fit so precisely to each other that even a knife blade cannot be inserted between them! In addition, the blocks do not have a regular geometric shape, but are polyhedrons of various, arbitrary shapes.

The mystery is still unsolved! What is Lemuria? Reality or fantasy people? There are many questions! Mankind can only look for answers to them.

2. Ancient Atlantis - a hypothetical continent or island believed to be located in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Gibraltar. As already mentioned, some believe that Atlantis is a mythical island that has haunted all lovers of mysteries since the days of Ancient Greece. Humanity has been trying to solve this riddle for more than two and a half thousand years.

When the continent of Mu sank into the ocean, today's Pacific Ocean was formed, and the water level in other parts of the Earth dropped significantly. Small in the time of Lemuria, the islands in the Atlantic increased significantly in size. The lands of the Poseidonis archipelago formed a whole small continent. This continent is called Atlantis by modern historians, but its real name was Poseidonis.

Atlantis possessed a high level of technology that surpassed the modern one. In the book "The Inhabitant of Two Planets", dictated in 1884 by philosophers from Tibet to the young Californian Frederick Spencer Oliver, as well as in the continuation of 1940 "The Earthly Return of the Inhabitant", there is a mention of such inventions and devices as: air conditioners, for cleaning the air from harmful vapors; vacuum cylinder lamps, fluorescent lamps; electric rifles; transport on a monorail; water generators, a tool for compressing water from the atmosphere; aircraft controlled by anti-gravity forces.

The clairvoyant Edgar Cayce spoke of the use of planes and crystals in Atlantis to generate tremendous energy. He also mentioned the misuse of power by the Atlanteans, which led to the destruction of their civilization.

Atlantis was first mentioned in dialogues written by the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato. All information about Anlantida is contained in two dialogues "Critias" and "Timaeus". The dialogue takes place in the sixth century BC between the ancestor of the ancient Greek sage Solon and some ancient Egyptian priest. The priest, based on ancient Egyptian writings, tells the sage about the existence of the great country of Atlantis, which was located behind the Pillars of Hercules.

Briefly, the story goes like this: A very, very long time ago, nine thousand years ago, the virtuous state of Athens was famous for its power. But his main opponent was just the notorious Atlantis.

Atlantis was a huge island, the size of which was larger than all of Asia with Libya. On this island, a state striking in its size and power was born. This state owned all of Libya to Egypt itself, and Europe to the west of Italy. Atlantis was inhabited by powerful and proud people - the Atlanteans. With all their might, the Atlanteans tried to enslave Athens, but the courageous Hellenes threw all their strength into defending their freedom and state. Their struggle was crowned with success, they defeated the Atlanteans. But soon after the victory, some terrible catastrophe happened (either an earthquake, or the fall of a huge meteorite), and in one day all the soldiers of Athens died, and the island of Atlantis, along with its entire population, sank to the bottom of the sea.

Plato's dialogues provide the most complete description of the island and the state of Atlantis and its inhabitants. Plato calls Atlantis powerful but arrogant and contrasts her with Athens. The Atlanteans were the descendants of the god Poseidon, from whom the earthly girl Kleino gave birth to ten semi-divine sons. Atlas was the eldest of the sons. Poseidon divided the island of Atlantis into ten parts between his sons, marking the beginning of ten royal families.

The island amazed with its wealth. Nine kilometers from the sea, there was a hill in the center of the island. In order to protect it, the god Poseidon built three water and two earthen protective barriers around the hill in the form of concentric circles. The Atlanteans built bridges over these barriers and laid canals. Through these channels, ships sailed to the very center of the city.

The temples of the island were all in gold and silver, and there were golden statues all around. The royal palace of the island also shone with unprecedented luxury. The shipyards of the island were filled with large ships. According to Plato, the island was very densely populated.

od However, at first the Atlanteans had a divine nature, and wealth was of little interest to them, they did not know what greed was. The farther, the more the Atlanteans mixed with mortal people, and more human began to prevail in their nature, and, consequently, they began to acquire human vices. Over time, the Atlanteans degenerated and became greedy and proud.

Naturally, this outraged Poseidon, and he decided to exterminate the Atlanteans. This is where Plato's story ends, and what happened next is not known. So did Atlantis ever really exist? And if so, when and where? And what happened to her? There are still a lot of questions to which there are no concrete answers to this day.

Most historians and philologists are inclined to think that Atlantis is an ordinary philosophical legend, invented, like many others, by Plato. Moreover, Plato was not a historian, he was a philosopher, so he considered it his duty to convey to the reader not specific historical facts and dates, but rather their philosophical ideas, dressed in an artistic shell.

In addition, no archaeological material has been found confirming the real existence of any civilization at that time. However, despite this, there are a huge number of theories and hypotheses of the existence and death of Atlantis. The main debate is on two main issues. The first question is the location of the mythical island. The second question is the reasons for his death.

Part of the hypotheses of the existence of Atlantis, including Plato himself, place this island in the Atlantic Ocean. Supporters of this hypothesis explain this by the fact that an island of such huge size (500 km by 350 km, and even around the lying islands) could only be located in the Atlantic.

Plato and his Atlanticist supporters argue that Atlantis was located in the area of the modern Strait of Gibraltar on the site of the rocks of Gibraltar and Ceuta. In the time of Plato, this place was called the Pillars of Hercules, which means the pillars of Melkart. That is, Plato's Atlantis was not far from modern Spain and Morocco. And the lands of Morocco in ancient Greek times were considered the place where the legendary Atlas lived, the son of Zeus, after whom Atlantis, the Atlas mountain range, and the Atlantic Ocean itself were later named.

There are theories according to which Atlantis was located in the Mediterranean Sea. Proponents of this theory argue that Plato somewhat exaggerated the size of Atlantis in his descriptions. In fact, the island was much smaller and was located on the site of the modern island of Crete, which has since undergone significant changes. And in defense of this theory is the fact that in fact in the Mediterranean Sea on the island of Crete in ancient times there was a developed Minoan civilization. And this civilization died from some natural cataclysm. Everything fits with the story of Atlantis.

The third group of atlantologists "sees" ancient Atlantis in the area of the current Black Sea (in the Circumpontian region). In accordance with their hypothesis, Plato, speaking of nine thousand years, had in mind nine thousand seasons. Each season lasted 121 days. Thus, the age of Atlantis is automatically reduced by a factor of three, and refers already to the third millennium BC. Historically, this was the time when the Indo-European community began to disintegrate. The level of the Black Sea during this period rose by 100 meters as a result of the fact that the waters of the Mediterranean Sea broke through the Bosphorus. A catastrophe of this level turned out to be the cause of the death of Atlantis, according to the adherents of this theory.

According to the philosopher Plato, Atlantis, the ancient continent completed its subsidence about 12 thousand years ago. The continent was rich in minerals and an extensive species diversity of flora and fauna, but was rather a large island. The south of the island was a plain, and further inland, the hypothetical and legendary country of Atlandida was located. Atlas was the supreme ruler of the country, if this word is translated from Greek, it will mean “atlas”, probably this is how the name Atlantis and the Atlantic Sea came about. In an effort to expand their world influence, the Atlanteans collected secret, sometimes even those that they could not open even today, knowledge that could help in the development of powerful weapons, which is considered to have destroyed them. The mainland was split into pieces and sunk in the waters of the ocean. The Atlanteans predicted a catastrophe, and many of them moved to neighboring lands. There is also a hypothesis that some of the knowledge preserved by the "custodians" was transferred to other powerful civilizations such as Greece, Tibet and Egypt.

Plato, even during his lifetime, was ridiculed for saying about a civilization that died more than 10 thousand years ago, because the creation of the world according to Christian concepts began around 5508 BC, so could there be something else, before creation? It was on this issue that Aristotle criticized his teacher, and expressed his now well-known phrase: “Plato is my friend, but the truth is dearer!”. Plato, as he himself claimed, turned to ancient sources for knowledge about Atlantis! In 1882-1883, interest in this topic revived again, the books “Atlantis - antediluvian world” and “Ragnarrock - the era of fire and death”, authored by the American scientist Ignatius Donnelly.

The legends spoke of a fertile land with a large number of inhabitants, as a result of a hitherto unknown cataclysm, this land sank to the bottom. Dozens of hypotheses describing the location of Atlantis spoke of the likelihood of this continent being located in the Azores, Santorini, Crete, Ascension Islands. In addition to the Egyptians and American Indians, even the Slavs are considered the heirs of the Atlanteans. Someone believes that the appearance of UFOs in the depths of the Atlantic, as well as the disappearance of liners in the Bermuda Triangle, are somehow connected with Atlantis.

In 1992, in the center bermuda triangle, a United States research vessel, discovered a pyramid larger than the current one. It is interesting that the reflected sonar signals give the right to assume that the surface of the pyramid is absolutely smooth, looks like a vitreous substance and is not at all overgrown with algae and shells.

In addition to marine theories of the existence of Atlantis, there are also land ones. One of these hypotheses claims that the lands of ancient Atlantis moved from the equator to the site of modern Antarctica. The reason for this was lithospheric shifts. This theory is very well presented in the book “Traces of the Gods” by G. Hancock.

Another land theory finds Atlantis in the Alps. Its adherents believe that the legendary Atlantis was located in South America, or rather on the Altiplano plateau. In its defense, this hypothesis puts forward several arguments. First, Plato's geographical descriptions of Atlantis are very similar to satellite images of the Altiplano plateau. Secondly, modern geological theories confirm that Atlantis could not be located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe modern Atlantic. Thirdly, some geological formations were discovered on the Altiplano plateau, which can be taken as traces of human activity, but, in addition, these formations are very reminiscent of the descriptions of Atlantis. The fourth argument can be considered that in South America there have always lived very highly developed peoples who possessed extensive knowledge in various fields. They can be considered descendants of the Atlanteans. And, finally, the fifth argument is based on the cause of the death of Atlantis as a result of some natural disaster. In South America, such cataclysms have happened more than once, as a result of large-scale floods, more than one settlement has died. Among them, they say, was Atlantis.

Since ancient times, there have been both supporters and opponents of the theory of the real existence of Atlantis. Researchers argue on this topic always and everywhere. Scientific works are being written, the number of which is already in the thousands. Put forward about a dozen versions of the location of Atlantis.

The theme of Atlantis at all times has been and remains the object of indestructible artistic creativity of mankind. The most famous fantastic works have been written about her, films have been made. And still, Atlantis today remains an unsolved mystery for us. When can we figure it out?

The Myth of Atlantis - N.K. Roerich,

Atlantis is the mirror of the sun. They did not know a more beautiful country. Babylon and Egypt marveled at the wealth of the Atlanteans. In the cities of Atlantis, strong with green jade and black basalt, chambers and temples glowed like heat. Lords, priests and men, in gold-woven robes, sparkled in precious stones. Light fabrics, bracelets and rings, and earrings, and necklaces adorned wives, but open faces were better than stones.

Foreigners sailed to the Atlanteans. Everyone praised their wisdom willingly. They bowed before the ruler of the country. But the oracle's prediction happened. The sacred ship Atlantis brought a great prophetic word:

The waves will rise. The sea will cover the land of Atlantis. For the rejected love, the sea will avenge.

Since that day, love has not been rejected in Atlantis. Sailors were greeted with love and affection. The Atlanteans smiled happily at each other. And the lord's smile was reflected in the precious, shining walls of the palace chambers. And the hand reached out to meet with greetings, and the tears among the people were replaced by a quiet smile. And the people forgot the power to hate. And the authorities forgot the forged sword and armor.

But the boy, the son of the lord, surprised everyone especially. The sun itself, the gods of the sea themselves, seemed to have sent him to save the great country.

Here he was good! And welcoming! And caring about everyone! He had brothers great and small. A good word lived in him for everyone. About each he remembered his best deed. He didn't remember a single mistake. He certainly could not see the anger and rudeness. And everything evil hid before him, and the recent villains wanted to become good forever, just like him.

A crowd of people followed him. Everywhere his gaze met only faces full of joy, waiting for his smile and a kind, wise word. That was the boy! And when the lord-father rested in this life, and the lad, foggy with quiet sadness, went out to the people; everyone, like madmen, forgot about death and sang a hymn of praise to the desired lord. And Atlantis bloomed brighter. And the Egyptians called it the land of love.

For many quiet years, the lord of light ruled. And the rays of his happiness shone on the people. Instead of a temple, the people aspired to the lord. Sang:

He loves us. Without it, we are nothing. He is our ray, our sun, our warmth, our eyes, our smile. Glory to you, our beloved!

In awe of the delight of the people, Vladyka reached the last day. And the last day began, and the lord lay powerless, and his eyes were closed.

As one man, the Atlanteans stood up, and the steps of the chambers were flooded with a continuous sea. The doctors and bed-keepers were taken away. They crouched down to the deathbed and, crying, yelled:

Lord, look! Give us your glance. We've come to defend you. May our, the Atlanteans, desire strengthen you. Look - all Atlantis has gathered to your palace. We stood like a tight wall from the palace to the sea, from the palace to the cliffs. We, dear one, have come to hold you. We will not let you be taken away, leave us all. We are all, the whole country, all men, and wives, and children. Lord, look!

The lord of the priest beckoned with his hand and wanted to say his last will, and he asked everyone to leave, at least for a short time. But the Atlanteans remained. They rallied, grew into the steps of the bed. Frozen, and mute and deaf. Didn't leave. Then the lord rose up on the couch and, turning his gaze to the people, asked them to leave him alone and allow him to say his last will to the priest. The Lord asked. And once again Vladyka asked in vain. And once again they were deaf. They didn't leave. And that's what happened then. Vladyka got up on the couch and wanted to push everyone away with his hand. But the crowd was silent and caught the glance of the beloved bishop.

Then the lord said:

You didn't leave? Don't you want to leave? Are you here now? Now I know. Well, I'll tell you. I will say one word. I hate you. I reject your love. You took everything from me. You took the laughter of childhood. You rejoiced when I was left alone for your sake. You filled the silence of mature years with noise and shouting. You despised the deathbed... Only I knew your happiness and your pain. Only your speeches the wind conveyed to me. You have taken my sun! I did not see the sun; I have only seen your shadows. Dali, blue gave! You didn’t let me go to them… I can’t return to the sacred greenery of the forest… I can’t walk on the fragrant grasses anymore… I can’t climb the mountain range anymore… I can’t see the bends of the rivers and green meadows anymore… I can’t rush over the waves… I can’t fly with my eye anymore behind the swift gyrfalcon... I can no longer look at the stars... You won... I could no longer hear the voices of the night... The commands of God were no longer available to me... But I could recognize them... I could smell the light, the sun and the will... You won... You are all from I was shielded... You took everything away from me... I hate you... I rejected your love...

The lord fell on his bed. And the sea stood up like a high wall, and hid the land of Atlantis.

3. Empire of Rama in India - If you believe such sources, then the Rama Empire existed in parallel with Atlantis. And even competed with her. According to legend, the ancient Indian Empire of Rama was destroyed by some powerful weapon 15 thousand years ago. The English researcher David Davenport, after analyzing the "Vimanik Prakaranam" and "Ramayana", where his power is described, came to the conclusion: the city of Mohenjo-Daro, belonging to the oldest pre-Aryan civilization in the Indus River basin in Pakistan, and a number of other cities located nearby were destroyed by atomic explosions. Here is what is said about one of the battles: "Gurkha (Gurkha - a deity), who flew in on a fast and powerful vimana, sent a powerful single projectile against three cities, charged with all the power of the Universe. A sparkling column of smoke and fire flared up like ten thousand suns ... The dead people were impossible to recognize, and the survivors did not live long: their hair, teeth and nails fell out. It looks like Hiroshima, doesn't it?

Most importantly, the impact of very high temperatures and a strong shock wave is clearly visible on the ruins of Mohenjo-Daro. Found in the epicenter of the alleged explosion, fragments of ceramics are melted down. Sand turned into glass was also found in these places.

The so-called kingdom of Rama in northern India and Pakistan was established at least 15,000 years ago and was a nation of large and sophisticated cities, many of which can still be found in the deserts of Pakistan and northern and western India. The kingdom of Rama existed, apparently, in parallel with the Atlantean civilization in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and was ruled by "enlightened priest-kings" who stood at the head of the cities.

The seven greatest capital cities of Rama are known in classical Indian texts as the "seven cities of the Rishis". According to ancient Indian texts, people had flying machines called "vimanas". The epic describes the vimana as a two-deck round aircraft with holes and a dome, which is very similar to how we imagine a flying saucer. It flew "at the speed of the wind" and made a "melodious sound". There were at least four different types of vimanas; some are like saucers, others are like long cylinders - cigar-shaped flying machines. The ancient Indian texts on vimanas are so numerous that their retelling would take up entire volumes. The ancient Indians who created these ships wrote entire flight manuals for operating various types of vimanas, many of which still exist, and some of which have even been translated into English.

Fortunately, the ancient books of the Indian Empire of Rama have survived, in contrast to the documents of China, Egypt, Central America and Peru. Now the remains of the empire are swallowed up by the impenetrable jungle or rest on the bottom of the ocean. And yet India, despite numerous military devastation, has managed to preserve much of its ancient history.

It was believed that the Indian civilization appeared not much earlier than 500 AD, 200 years before the invasion of Alexander the Great. However, in the last century, the cities of Mojenjo-Daro and Harappa were discovered in the Indus Valley on the territory of modern Pakistan.

The discovery of these cities forced archaeologists to move the date of the Indian civilization thousands of years ago. To the surprise of modern researchers, these cities were highly organized and were a brilliant example of urban planning. And the sewerage system was more developed than it is now in many Asian countries.

4. The civilization of Osiris in the Mediterranean

The Nile previously flowed in a completely different way than today and was called the Styx. Instead of emptying into the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt, the Nile turned west, formed a huge lake in the region of the central part of the modern Mediterranean Sea, flowed out of the lake in the area between Malta and Sicily and emptied into the Atlantic Ocean at the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar).

When Atlantis was destroyed, the waters of the Atlantic slowly flooded the Mediterranean Basin, destroying the large cities of the Osirians and forcing them to relocate. This theory explains the strange megalithic remains found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

It is an archaeological fact that at the bottom of this sea there are more than two hundred sunken cities. The Egyptian civilization, along with the Minoan (Crete) and Mycenaean (Greece) are traces of one large, ancient culture. The Ossyrian civilization left huge earthquake-resistant megalithic structures, owned electricity and other amenities that were common in Atlantis. Like Atlantis and Rama's empire, the Osirians had airships and other vehicles, mostly electrical in nature. Mysterious paths in Malta, which are found under water, may be part of the ancient transportation route of the Osirian civilization.

Probably the best example of the high technology of the Osirians is the amazing platform found in Baalbek (Lebanon). The main platform is made up of the largest cut rock blocks, each weighing between 1200 and 1500 tons.

According to myths, the head of the pantheon of Egyptian gods was the sun god Amon-Ra. The myths also tell of a divine couple - the earth god Gebe and the goddess of the starry sky Nut - who had four children: the gods Osiris and Set and the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. The Egyptians claimed that Osiris and his wife, the beautiful Isis, were their first rulers.

The divine couple conveyed to people the knowledge of the land capable of sprouts, initiated them into the mysteries of arts and crafts, taught writing and the canons of building temples. People got the opportunity to live according to the laws of Heaven in unity with Nature. Osiris and Isis revealed to them the mysteries of life and death and the meaning of their own existence. They awakened in the souls the love for Wisdom and the craving for knowledge. For people it was the most beautiful and happy time.

As the myths tell, on the 17th day of the month Atyr, when the sun crossed the constellation Scorpio, a great disaster occurred on earth. The brother of Osiris, the god Set, seeking to seize power over the world, killed Osiris and threw his body into the Nile.

For a long time, not knowing fatigue, Isis searched for her divine husband all over the earth. Finding the body of Osiris, she hid it on the banks of the Nile in a thicket of reeds. But Seth, hunting at night, found him and cut him into fourteen pieces, which he scattered throughout the Egyptian land. Isis set off again in search. Where the goddess found parts of the body of Osiris, she erected sanctuaries in memory of her divine spouse. The fourteen sanctuaries erected by the goddess Isis will in historical times become the sacred centers of the whole country.

Around them, in the places that the gods themselves determined, Egypt will be built and developed. So at all times Egypt was the body of the divine Osiris, dismembered by his brother Seth into 14 parts. As the myth narrates further, soon a son is miraculously born to Isis and Osiris - the falcon god Horus, who was supposed to restore justice. The son of Isis enters the battle with the forces of darkness. In one of the battles with Seth, Horus loses an eye. In return, the gods grant him Ujat - the eye of inner vision. Horus defeats Set, and with the help of Ujat, he revives his father Osiris.

The eye of Horus becomes one of the main symbols of Egypt - a symbol of fair actions, compassion and mercy. The son of Isis Horus was the last of the gods who ruled on Earth. With his departure to heaven, the age of the reign of the gods ends. Thousands of years will pass before the first historical pharaoh appears and the earthly power passes to the earthly king.

5. Civilizations of the Gobi Desert - The Gobi is one of the greatest deserts in the world. The Mongolian Gobi stretched in a huge arc for 1600 km along the border with China. The word "Gobi" (Mong. Gov) is of Mongolian origin and means "waterless place". This word in Central Asia denotes desert and semi-desert landscapes. Since ancient times, this area has been known as the Shamo Desert. The Gobi Desert is the most mysterious and most sparsely populated place in the world.

According to occult data, Central Asia is a region where spiritual centers of all races existed. Waterless and unsuitable for human habitation today, the central Gobi region is mentioned in ancient myths as the place where our civilization began. The location of the mythical White Island, the mysterious underground country of Agharti, the sacred kingdom of Shambhala are also localized in theosophical and mystical texts by the boundaries of the Gobi.

Many ancient cities of the Uighur civilization existed during the time of Atlantis on the site of the Gobi desert. However, now the Gobi is a lifeless land scorched by the sun, and it is hard to believe that the waters of the ocean once splashed here.

So far, no traces of this civilization have been found. However, vimanas and other technical devices were not alien to the Wiger area. The famous Russian explorer Nicholas Roerich reported his observations of flying discs in the region of northern Tibet in the 1930s.

Since ancient times, the Chinese have had a belief about the Land of the Immortals, located somewhere in the center of the Shamo desert, the American clairvoyant E. Casey chose the Gobi desert for his prophecies about the Atlantean colony that once existed there, Helena Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine placed in the Gobi "fabulous Shambhala".

Some sources claim that the elders of Lemuria, even before the cataclysm that destroyed their civilization, moved their headquarters to an uninhabited plateau in Central Asia, which we now call Tibet. Here they founded a school known as the Great White Brotherhood.

The keepers of the knowledge of the White Island, after a global catastrophe that completely changed the world, remained in complete isolation for a long time, and alone fought for the survival and preservation of humanity on the planet. Over time, according to ancient Tibetan legends, they split into two communities that chose different paths for further development. These communities subsequently became the basis of two different kingdoms: the earthly kingdom of Shambhala (the path of the left hand - material development, control of the elements and humanity) and the underground country of Agharti (the path of the right hand - contemplation, spiritual development and non-interference in the affairs of mankind).

Not much is known about the White Island itself, the cradle of mankind, whose sages, according to legend, founded the kingdom of Shambhala and the country of Agharti. Most researchers correlate its location with the polar region. According to the texts of E. Blavatsky, this island was located in the North Sea, which once washed the mountains of Tibet, on the site of the modern Gobi Desert. If we accept this assumption, then the time of the existence of the sea on the site of the modern Gobi Desert should be attributed to the time of the existence of dinosaurs, since modern geology has proven that large water bodies of Asia disappeared due to uplift of the entire territory 41 million years ago, i.e. before the advent of man and since then, the landscape of the Gobi Desert has been waterless.

The little-explored regions of the Gobi have been inhabited since ancient times by unknown monsters, evil demons, unprecedented treasures and treasures. One of the first descriptions of the Gobi desert was given by Marco Polo: “And the desert, I tell you, is Great: in a whole year, they say, you can’t go along it. Everywhere mountains, sands, and valleys; and no food anywhere. There are no birds or animals here, because there is nothing for them to eat there. But there is such a miracle there: you are driving through the desert at night, and it happens that someone lags behind his comrades, when that person begins to catch up with his own, he will hear the voice of the spirits, and it will seem to him that the comrades call him by name, and often the spirits lead him to the place where he can't get out, so he dies there. And here’s another thing: even in the daytime people hear the voices of spirits and it often seems like you hear how many instruments are played, as if on a drum.

The great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote the famous Tao Te Ching. At the approach of his death, he went west to the legendary land of Hsi Wang Mu. Could this land be the domain of the White Brotherhood?

According to modern researchers of the ancient tradition of Shweta-dvipa - "White Island", was one of the four continents surrounding the polar mountain Meru. Its polar location is mentioned in the ancient texts of the Mahabharata: “In the north of the Milk Sea there is a luminous Shveta-dvipa. This island is the abode of brilliance." From the analysis of the content, the scientists concluded that the text most likely tells about the aurora. The polar version of the location of Bely Island is confirmed by the text found in 1919 of the Slavic "Book of Veles", carved on beech tablets by Novgorod priests in the 9th century, telling about the exodus of the Aryans in the 5th millennium BC. from the north to the south. “Milky shade” in ancient Russian records had everything that related to the snow-covered expanses of the Arctic Ocean, which itself was often called Dairy in the annals. This toponymy, which is constantly found in ancient texts, gave reason to believe that we are talking about the northern territories: “Settlers live in the depths of the Okiyana-sea, a place called Belovodye, and there are many lakes and seventy islands. There are islands of 600 versts and mountains between them. And their passage was from Zosima and Savvaty of the Solovetsky ships through the Ice Sea.

The High Gobi civilization is mentioned most of all in theosophical works. They speak of the existence in ancient times on the site of the modern Gobi desert of the inland sea, on the White Island of which the chosen representatives of the mysterious disappeared civilization were saved. It was the only colony of surviving people on Earth (a community of wise men), which gave rise to our civilization. Despite the discrepancy between the localization of the White Island in various sources, in one case it is the North Sea in the Arctic (Arctic Ocean), and in the other - the Inland Sea north of Tibet on the site of the modern Gobi Desert, all sources equally point to the White Island as the only, sacred the ancestral home of the ancient Aryans - the progenitors of all mankind.

According to the Indian Kurma Puranas, once upon a time in the North Sea, which washed present-day Tibet, there was an island called Shveta-dvipa or the White Island, where the Immortals lived. In the sanctuary of the Immortals, the physical world was connected with the abode of the gods, and those who lived there lived constantly in two worlds: the objective world of matter and the higher spiritual one. "The Immortals are supposed to have the ability to travel at will throughout the universe, from one world to another, and even live on distant stars." According to Tibetan tradition, the White Island is the only place that escapes the fate of all the Dwipas; it cannot be destroyed by fire or water, for it is the "Eternal Earth."

In "Isis Unveiled" H.P. Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society, cites the legend of the "sons of God" and the "sacred island". The source of the legend is the Book of Dzyan. According to her, this is one of the oldest books in the world, almost undatable. Before the publication of E.P. Blavatsky, this book was not known to any specialist in ancient oriental literature, the original of this book has remained unknown to scientists until now. In 1888, Hindu and Tibetan scholars of the Vedas and Buddhism accused H.P. Blavatsky in quackery and incompetence, after which she returned to the West and did not appear again in India. The sacred text of the “Strophes of Dzyan”, which she allegedly stumbled upon in the dungeon of a Himalayan monastery, has never been seen by any other European.

“A thorough analysis of the occult legend about Atlantis and the identification of its true sources was made by Coleman. He showed that the sources of the works of E.P. Blavatsky and her entourage (A. Besant and others) were: Wilson's translation of the Vishnu Purana, Winchel's Life of the Earth, or Comparative Geology, Donnelly's work and other contemporary scientific and occult works. These works were interpreted and revised by E.P. Blavatsky for her own purposes (to substantiate Theosophy), and she showed an outstanding literary talent and erudition, used, however, extremely tendentiously. The so-called "Book of Dzyan" is a reworking of the "Creation Hymn" from the Rig-Veda.

In her famous voluminous work The Secret Doctrine, E. Blavatsky claimed that there were still descendants of the ancient Atlanteans in the Gobi Desert: , where salt lakes and deserted and barren deserts now meet, there was a vast inland sea that stretched across Central Asia north of the proud Himalayan range and its western spurs. And on it is an island, which in its incomparable beauty had no rival in the whole world, and was inhabited by the last remnants of the Race that preceded ours. They were the "Sons of God", who conveyed to people the most wonderful secrets of Nature and revealed to them the inexpressible and now lost word.

There was no communication by sea with the beautiful island, but underground passages, known only to the Heads, communicated with it in all directions.

This island, according to legend, still exists today, like an oasis surrounded by the terrible desert of the Gobi desert - sands that have not been trampled by a human foot in the memory of people.

The chosen ones were saved on the Sacred Island (now the "fabulous" Shambhala in the Gobi desert).

In the article "False Myths about Shambhala" (2003), the English professor Alexander Berzin writes: Tibet. Blavatsky was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism at a time when European Oriental scholars were in their infancy and few translations or descriptions of Buddhism were available to them. Madame Blavatsky had the opportunity to learn only disjointed fragments of their vast teachings. In her personal letters, she writes that due to the fact that the Western public of that time had little exposure to Tibetan Buddhism, she decided to translate and explain the main terms in better known popular concepts from Hinduism and the occult. For example, she arbitrarily translated three of the four island-worlds (four continents - "dvipa") around Mount Meru, as the sunken lost islands of Hyperborea, Lemuria, and Atlantis. Similarly, she presented the four human races mentioned in the Abhidharma and the Kalachakra teachings (born from transformation, moisture and heat, from eggs and from the womb) as the races of these island-worlds.

Her belief that the esoteric teachings of all the world's religions form one body of occult knowledge reinforced her decision to translate in this manner, and [she] undertook to demonstrate this in her literary works. In addition, she wrote that when Lemuria sank, some of her people survived in Atlantis, while some of her chosen ones migrated to the sacred island of Shambhala in the Gobi desert. Neither the Kalachakra literature nor the Vishnu Purana, in any way, has any mention of Atlantis, Lemuria, Maitreya or Sosiosha. The association of Shambhala with them, meanwhile, is maintained among the followers of Blavatsky. The location of Blavatsky Shambhala in the Gobi desert is not surprising, while the Mongols, including the Buryats in Siberia, and the Kalmyks in the Volga region, were strong followers of Tibetan Buddhism, in particular one of its teachings, Kalachakra. For centuries, the Mongols believed that Mongolia was the northern land of Shambhala, and Blavatsky was no doubt familiar with the beliefs of the Buryats and Kalmyks in Russia.”

Mahatma Kut-Khumi also speaks about the island of Shambhala, on the site of the modern Gobi Desert, in one of his letters to Sinnet: “A great event is the triumph of our “Sons of Light”, the inhabitants of Shambhala (then still an island in the Central Asian Sea) over selfish and vicious magicians Poseidonis - exactly 11,446 years ago."

In the book of the English writer Lobsang Rampa “The Third Eye”: “Ancient Tibetan legends tell that thousands of years ago the sea washed many parts of Tibet. This is confirmed by the presence of skeletons of marine fish and other marine animals found during excavations. The Chinese share this opinion. The Yu tablet, found on the Ku-Lu peak of the Khingan mountain in the province of Hu-Pei, says that the great Yu took refuge here (in 2278 BC) after the subsidence of the flood. The flood took over all of China, except for the highest places."

Indeed, on the basis of geological research, it is generally accepted that the Gobi desert is the bottom of an ancient sea and the island is now a massif of high mountains. I have repeatedly had to visit the most remote corners of the Gobi, wander along the bottom of deep deserted gorges, explore Gobi caves, but for 11 expeditions along the Gobi, I have never been able to find any hints of the existence of the White Island in antiquity on the territory of modern Mongolia. Comprehensive studies of the joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the MPR in 1967–1977. allowed to restore the paleolandscape that preceded the formation of the Gobi Desert. The study of the Gobi part of Mongolia convincingly proved the widespread development in this region of vast inland water bodies surrounded by coniferous taiga in the period 70–40 million years ago. Some of the reservoirs had rather large depths and salinity of the waters. The climate at that time was moderately humid and warm. Numerous aquatic fossils testify to the strong flooding of the southern basins of Mongolia, which disappeared about 40 million years ago.

An attempt to determine the time of the possible existence of the White Island ended with the compilation of an extended chronological table, in which, along with recognized scientific data, controversial data from theosophists and historians were also included. The so-called North Sea, a large inland body of water in Central Asia, disappeared due to the uplift of the entire territory 40-41 million years ago, much earlier than the appearance of man. The most ancient material evidence of human existence in this area dates back to 2–2.5 million years ago, the first traces of settled settlements date back to 3 thousand years BC. These scientifically established dates rightly call into question the theosophical chronology of mankind and their assertion of the existence of a prosperous colony of sages in the center of the Gobi during the Neolithic period 10,000 BC. or even earlier.

Theosophists have their own, different from those accepted in world science, ideas about the evolution of mankind, the main source of which are the sacred ancient Indian Vedas. According to their teachings, the life cycle of mankind is divided into seven root races, and the emergence of physical mankind dates back to the period of 18 million years ago.

Lost cities and ancient civilizations - 1

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Like Indiana Jones, solo archaeologist David Hatcher Childress has made many incredible trips to the most ancient and remote places on earth. Describing lost cities and ancient civilizations, he published six books: a chronicle of travels from the Gobi Desert to Puma Punka in Bolivia, from Mohenjo-Daro to Baalbek. We found him preparing for another archaeological expedition, this time to New Guinea, and asked him to write the following article especially for Atlantis Rising.

1. Mu or Lemuria

According to various secret sources, the first civilization arose 78,000 years ago on the gigantic continent known as Mu or Lemuria. And it existed for an amazing 52,000 years. Civilization was destroyed by earthquakes caused by the shift of the earth's pole, which occurred approximately 26,000 years ago, or in 24,000 BC.

2. Ancient Atlantis

3. Rama Empire in India

4. The civilization of Osiris in the Mediterranean

During the time of Atlantis and Harappa, the Mediterranean basin was a large fertile valley. The ancient civilization that flourished there was the progenitor of dynastic Egypt, and is known as the Osiris Civilization. The Nile previously flowed in a completely different way than today and was called the Styx. Instead of emptying into the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt, the Nile turned west, formed a huge lake in the region of the central part of the modern Mediterranean Sea, flowed out of the lake in the area between Malta and Sicily and emptied into the Atlantic Ocean at the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar). When Atlantis was destroyed, the waters of the Atlantic slowly flooded the Mediterranean Basin, destroying the large cities of the Osirians and forcing them to relocate. This theory explains the strange megalithic remains found at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

5. Civilizations of the Gobi Desert

6. Tiwanaku

As in Mu and Atlantis, construction in South America reached megalithic scale in the construction of earthquake-resistant structures.

Residential houses and public buildings were built from ordinary stones, but using a unique polygonal technology. These buildings are still standing today. Cusco, the ancient capital of Peru, which was probably built before the Incas, is still quite a populated city, even after thousands of years. Most of the buildings located in downtown Cusco today unite walls that are many hundreds of years old (while younger buildings, already built by the Spaniards, are collapsing).

A few hundred kilometers south of Cusco lie the fantastic ruins of Puma Punqui, high in the Bolivian altiplano. Puma Punca is not far from the famous Tiahuanaco, a massive magalic site where 100-ton blocks are scattered all over the place by an unknown force.

This happened when the South American continent was suddenly subjected to a great cataclysm, probably caused by a pole shift. The former sea ridge can now be seen at an altitude of 3900 m in the Andes mountains. A possible confirmation of this is the multitude of oceanic fossils around Lake Titicaca.

Mayan pyramids found in Central America have their twins on the Indonesian island of Java. The Sukuh Pyramid on the slopes of Mount Lavu near Surakarta in central Java is an amazing temple with a stone stele and a step pyramid, the place of which is rather in the jungles of Central America. The pyramid is virtually identical to the pyramids found at the Vashaktun site near Tikal.

The ancient Mayans were brilliant astronomers and mathematicians whose early cities lived in harmony with nature. They built canals and garden cities in the Yucatan Peninsula.

As pointed out by Edgar Cayce, records of all the wisdom of the Mayan people and other ancient civilizations are found in three places in the earth. Firstly, this is Atlantis or Posidonia, where some of the temples may still be found under many years of bottom overlays, for example, in the Bimini region off the coast of Florida. Secondly, in temple records somewhere in Egypt. And finally, on the Yucatan Peninsula, in America.

It is assumed that the ancient Hall of Records can be located anywhere, probably under some kind of pyramid, in an underground chamber. Some sources say that this repository of ancient knowledge contains quartz crystals that are capable of storing large amounts of information, similar to modern CDs.

8. Ancient China

Ancient China, known as Hanshui China, like other civilizations, was born from the vast Pacific continent of Mu. Ancient Chinese records are known for descriptions of celestial chariots and the jade production they shared with the Maya. Indeed, the ancient Chinese and Mayan languages seem to be very similar.

The mutual influences of China and Central America on each other are evident, both in the field of linguistics and in mythology, religious symbolism, and even trade.

The ancient Chinese invented everything from toilet paper to earthquake detectors to rocket technology and printing techniques. In 1959, archaeologists discovered aluminum tapes made several thousand years ago, this aluminum was obtained from raw materials using electricity.

9. Ancient Ethiopia and Israel

From the ancient texts of the Bible and the Ethiopian book Kebra Negast, we know about the high technology of ancient Ethiopia and Israel. The temple in Jerusalem was built on three giant blocks of hewn stone, similar to those found in Baalbek. Solomon's temple earlier and a Muslim mosque now exist on the site, whose foundations are apparently rooted in the civilization of Osiris.

Solomon's Temple, another example of megalithic construction, was built to contain the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was an electrical generator, and people who carelessly touched it were electrocuted. The ark itself and the golden statue were taken out of the King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid by Moses at the time of the Exodus.

10. Aroe and the Kingdom of the Sun in the Pacific

At the time when the continent of Mu sank into the ocean 24,000 years ago due to the pole shift, the Pacific Ocean was later repopulated by many races from India, China, Africa and America.

The resulting Aroe civilization in the islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia built many megalithic pyramids, platforms, roads, and statues.

In New Caledonia, cement columns have been found dating back to 5120 BC. before 10950 BC

The Easter Island statues were placed in a clockwise spiral around the island. And on the island of Pohnpei, a huge stone city was built.

The Polynesians of New Zealand, the Easter Islands, Hawaii and Tahiti still believe that their ancestors had the ability to fly and traveled by air from island to island.

11. "Avalon"

In Celtic mythology, Avalon is mysterious island in the Yellow Sea. King Arthur, after completing his healing from a war injury, is said to have fallen asleep but did not die in Avalon. It is believed that he will "sleep" until Britain takes up her sword again.

In the 12th century, the monks of Glastonbury Abbey allegedly found the remains of King Arthur and his queen, as well as his excalibur (King Arthur's sword) on the island. They also stated that the island is full of apples (in Welsh, Avalon means "Apple").

However, historians question this claim. In other versions of the legend: Avalon is the place of residence of the Fairy Morgana. The fairy Melusina was brought up on Avalon.

There is another interesting point of view about the location of the Land under the waves, which in many ways reconciles the supporters of the geographical and unearthly location of Avalon ...

12. El Dorado

The conquerors of the New World saw many strange things. Eldorado means "golden place" in Spanish. This is a mythical South American country (or city) made of gold and precious stones. In the fruitless search for Eldorado, 16th-century conquistadors (such as Aguirre and Orellana) blazed new trails deep into South America.

The starting point for creating legends about El Dorado could be the custom of the Chibcha Indian tribe, when the leader during the coronation was smeared with clay and sprinkled with golden sand until he turned into a “golden man”. After that, he bathed in the lake, leaving precious gifts at its bottom.

The Spanish conquerors plundered and depleted the kingdom of Eldorado, but did not find what they were looking for. The legends of El Dorado have attracted numerous explorers over the centuries to search for the treasures stored there, but instead they lost their property and became destitute. However, treasure hunters still believe that Eldorado is in Colombia.

Using the Google Earth service, scientists managed to discover traces of an ancient civilization that may turn out to be the legendary Eldorado! In the upper Amazon basin on the border of Brazil and Bolivia, the researchers said they found more than 200 massive earthen structures. On satellite photographs, they look like large geometric figures “cut out” in the ground, but scientists believe that these are the remains of roads, bridges, ditches, streets and squares. The authors of the scientific work note that in the heart of an ancient civilization in a space 155 miles long live about 60 thousand people. Approximate dating of the structures so far ranges from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD.

13. Buyan Island and Belovodie

In Slavic mythology, Buyan Island is described as a magical island that appears and disappears in the ocean. Three brothers live on it - the western, eastern and northern winds. According to some myths, the island is the root of all weather changes. In another myth, on an island in an egg, which is located in an oak, a needle is hidden, on the tip of which lies the death of a koshchei. Some people believe that the island, in fact, is the German island of Rügen of the Russian Old Believers, there is the concept of "Belovodye", which in all respects resembles the theosophical Shambhala - a country of justice and true piety.

Being in 1877 on the shores of the "wandering" lake Lob-nor, north of the Tarim River in Western China (Xinjiang), the famous Russian traveler Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote down a story local residents about how a party of Altai Old Believers, numbering more than a hundred people, came to these places in the late 1850s. The Old Believers were looking for the Belovodsk "Promised Land".

Belovodye is another mystery of Central Asian history. Modern researchers believe that this is "not a specific geographical name, but a poetic image of a free land, a figurative embodiment of a dream about it."
Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Russian Old Believers were looking for this “happy peasant country” in a vast area - from Altai to Japan and Pacific Islands and from Mongolia to India and Afghanistan.

In the second half of the 18th century, two settlements in the Bukhtarma and Uimon valleys of the southeastern Altai bore the name Belovodie. The power of the "bosses" and the priests did not reach here - the persecutors of the Old Believers who did not accept the church reform of Patriarch Nikon.
This "neutral land" between the Russian and Chinese empires was included in 1791 into Russia. It was then, according to Chistov, that the legend of Belovodye arose, but the reports about the Central Asian routes of the finders of Belovodye (Mongolia - Western China - Tibet) are of greatest interest.

14. Shambhala

According to ancient legends, Shambhala is hidden in the Himalayas, in a quiet and green and beautiful holy land. This place is mentioned in religious Tibetan and Indian texts.

After the 17th century, when Western people heard about this place, they went on one of the most dangerous adventures in search of this place. Some people think that Shambhala actually belongs to China, others that it is hidden in the mountains of Kazakhstan.

In the ideas of Blavatsky, Shambhala is the last refuge of the representatives of the Atlantean race who survived the world catastrophe:

“... Numerous caves and ruins found in both Americas, as well as in the West Indies, are all associated with the sunken Atlantis. While the hierophants of the Old World at the time of Atlantis were connected with the New World by land routes, the magicians of the now non-existent country had a whole network of underground corridors diverging in all directions ... "
“... there is not a single cave temple in this country that would not have its underground passages diverging in all directions, and that these underground caves and endless corridors, in turn, have their own caves and corridors ...”

In 1920, a Soviet secret expedition and diplomats led an unsuccessful expedition in search of the site. At present, most Buddhists believe that Shambhala is a metaphor for the inner world of those who love peacefulness. In the West, Shambhala was given another name: Shangri-La.

Shambhala was sought by people striving for unlimited power over the world. All those who stand at the top and have real information knew and know about the existence of this monastery, about the existence of the powerful knowledge that is contained in it. They are well aware that real power over the world is concentrated in Shambhala, which is why many have been looking for it and are still looking for it, see more in the article of the modern theosophist Nadezhda Urikova ...

According to legend, the city of Is was one of the most beautiful in the world. It was built on the coast of Brittany, below sea level, protected by a dam and gates. The legend says that the rulers of the city were deceived by the devil and opened the gates during a storm. The city was flooded.

Almost all the inhabitants of Is died, and their souls remained under water. Only King Gradlon and his daughter were saved, who decided to cross the sea, saddling the sea horse Morvarch. However, on the way, Saint Gwenole appeared to them, accusing Dahut of the death of the city. He ordered Gradlon to throw his daughter into the sea, after which she turned into a mermaid.

Having escaped, Gradlon founded the city of Quimper, which became his new capital. After his death, in Quimper, between the two towers of the Cathedral of St. Corentin, a statue was erected to him, which has survived to this day.

According to Breton lore, the bells of Ys can sometimes be heard to warn of an approaching storm.

After the destruction of Is, the Franks renamed Lutetia to Paris, since in Breton "Par Is" means "like Is". According to Breton beliefs, Is will rise when Paris is swallowed up by water.

16. Bermeya

Old maps often show islands and lands that are not found today. Some of them are called "Islands of Fantasy", perhaps caused by a mistake in the origin of the geographical craft. But it is believed that Bermeya really existed. Because of natural disaster the island disappeared. On old American maps, this island was located off the northwestern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2009, the Mexican government tried to find Bermeya, hoping to expand its oil exploration plans. But they still have not been able to find this legendary island.

17. Hyperborea, Arctida or the Unknown Southern Land

Hyperborea (ancient Greek Ὑπερβορεία - “beyond Boreas”, “beyond the north”) - in ancient Greek mythology and the tradition inheriting it, this is a legendary northern country, the habitat of the blessed people of the Hyperboreans ..

This is the land around the South Pole, depicted on most maps from ancient times to the second half of the 18th century. The outlines of the mainland were depicted inaccurately, often depicting mountains, forests and rivers. Name variations: Unknown Southern Land, Mysterious Southern Land, sometimes simply Southern Land. In theory, South Earth corresponds to Antarctica, although no data about it existed at that time.

A map of this fabulous continent really exists. Aristotle said that what is now the Pacific Ocean was once a continent.

Hyperborea corresponded to another supercontinent that existed simultaneously with Gondwana 200 - 135 million years ago - Laurasia, which began to split into separate continents (North America, Eurasia, separate continental masses in the Arctic) in the Early Cretaceous era (140 - 135 million years back). However, for a long time after that, there was a land connection between North America and Eurasia through the Arctic (the islands of Arctic Canada, Greenland, the central and eastern part of the Arctic, which was then land). The northern part of Hyperborea was the habitat of the white gods (Adityas, Gandharvas, Apsaras (here too), etc.), and later their human descendants, the Aryans

There is one such place on Earth where white clouds float across the blue sky, where, surrounded by mountains, there is an archaeological site long forgotten by people. This place is distinguished by pink-purple sunsets and sunrises, and the stars at night are striking in their clarity. Sometimes you can see a galloping deer, and sometimes a whole herd of wild boars. There you feel some unusual cleanliness, it smells of olives and the fragrance of flowers of fig trees, you breathe easily, and you get the feeling that you are standing where more than one page of a history book has been flipped through. The voice of the wind and the chirping of birds only sometimes drown out the prayer singing coming from the mosques of the surrounding villages. Archaeologists suggest that the remains of buildings belong to the Byzantine period, but most likely they belong to an even more ancient time, as they were dug deep from the ground. This place is called Kfar Rut (i.e. the village of Ruth). It is indicated on the map by a mosaic on one of the ancient synagogues in Israel. Who were these people, and why did their civilization disappear? Perhaps we will never know, but we will be able to feel this period being there, because the whole place breathes ancient history.

19. Ancient China and Pacifida-Mu

Ancient China, known as Hanshui China, like other civilizations, was born from the vast Pacific continent of Mu. As for the mainland or continent of Mu, it could be North America after its separation from Eurasia 135 million years ago ... Pacifida (or Pacifida, also Mu Continent) is a hypothetical sunken continent in the Pacific Ocean. In the ancient myths of different peoples, an island or land is often mentioned in place Pacific Ocean, but the "information" varies... Ancient Chinese records are known for descriptions of celestial chariots and the jade production they shared with the Maya. Indeed, the ancient Chinese and Mayan languages seem to be very similar.

The mutual influences of China and Central America on each other are evident, both in the field of linguistics and in mythology, religious symbolism, and even trade. The ancient Chinese invented everything from toilet paper to earthquake detectors to rocket technology and printing techniques. In 1959, archaeologists discovered aluminum tapes made several thousand years ago, this aluminum was obtained from raw materials using electricity.

20. Europeans of the Tarim Basin

1,000 years before any relationship between East and West was established, hundreds of human mummies were unearthed in the Chinese desert. In 1988, the American scientist Victor Mayer went to the provincial Chinese Museum. He had no particular goal, the researcher of ancient Chinese texts just wanted to find something interesting to work with. But what he found amazed him and turned modern ideas about the history of China upside down.

Mummies lay in one of the halls of the museum. The bodies looked like they had recently died, but according to the museum, they were several thousand years old. Found in the late 1970s by a Chinese expedition in the Tarim Basin between the cities of Urumqi and Loulan, they remained unexplored. The most famous of them are the so-called Cherchen Man and the Loulan Beauty. Where did these people, outwardly similar to the European race, come from? Why were they buried in China? How did they end up with tools that did not exist at that time in any part of the globe, and what was their earthly purpose?

This is how the theory about the migration of peoples to the Tarim Basin around 2500 BC arose. e. These peoples brought with them various elements of civilization: a wheel with spokes, bronze, thereby having a great influence on the Mongoloid tribes. The theory has a lot of evidence: in Chinese, the words for a horse, a cow, a wagon clearly contain Indo-European roots. In addition, in local folklore there are legends about blue-eyed fair-haired people who were the first rulers of the Middle Kingdom.

Before the discovery of the burials in 1977, it was believed that Chinese culture was unique and formed autonomously. However, these finds cast doubt on well-known historical facts - the mummies were found next to the ruins, indicating that there was a whole city built by white people, and these ruins go along the Great Silk Road. It turns out that it was the outsiders who built the Great Silk Road, and not the Chinese at all, as was previously thought.

Batteries are used almost everywhere these days. But they are not a modern invention. Some scientists believe that the first battery was invented 250 BC. The "ancient battery" was found near Baghdad in 1938. It looks like a large clay jar with an asphalt stopper, inside of which there is an iron rod surrounded by a copper cylinder. When filled with vinegar or other electrolytic liquid, it produces 0.2 to 2 volts of electricity.

In terms of functionality, this design resembles our batteries, but has a rougher design. Why were they used? So that liquid metals such as gold, silver, chromium can adhere to the surface during the gilding process. This technology is still used today, only in a more advanced variation.

The iron pillar in Delhi, which was built over 1600 years ago, is not considered an indicator of scientific and technological progress, but many scientists are interested in why this column, more than six meters long, has been standing for more than a thousand years and still does not rust?

By itself, it is not considered a unique object, but it reflects the skills of metallurgists of that time. In Dhara there are ancient cannons that have not rusted, as well as other similar pillars. This may indicate that the unique methodology by which such projects were developed has been lost. Who knows what heights in the field of metallurgy humanity could achieve if it had lost knowledge.

In ancient times, our ancestors used caves as a shelter from predators. After some time, people came to increase the living space of the cave. Today, technology makes it possible to dig huge tunnels.

The Longyou Caves were discovered in 1992. A local resident wanted to pump water out of a small hole, but as a result he discovered a huge man-made cave. In total, there are 24 caves that were created by manual labor. All of them begin their history 2500 years ago. Many of the rooms are symmetrical and feature various animals and symbols representing nature on the walls.

It has been estimated that the Chinese needed to carve a million cubic meters of stone to create them. What's interesting is what that makes sense. Since there are no records left, we cannot even guess why this was done.

It is difficult to figure out what exactly this lens was used for, but some scientists hypothesize that it was part of the telescope. This would explain how the Assyrians knew astronomy so well. The lens was created approximately 3000 years ago, and was found by an archaeologist from England during excavations in 1853.

It is also hypothesized that the Nimrud lens could have been used as a magnifying glass for simple carving, or it could have been used to make fire.

A Scottish physicist invented the modern seismograph in 1841. However, it cannot be said that he was the first to create a device for measuring seismic activity. The Chinese created a device that could detect earthquakes in advance as early as 132.

The device was a large bronze vessel with a diameter of just under two meters. He had eight dragons that looked in all directions of the world. Each of the kites pointed to a toad with its mouth open. It is not clear exactly how this device worked, but scientists suggest that a pendulum was placed in the center, which began to move in the direction of the earthquake.

This remarkable find once again proves how much we underestimated our ancestors. Göbekli Tepe is a huge temple complex estimated to be 12,000 years old. What makes it so unique? This is a detailed stone work. Means that at that time technology allowed people to process huge blocks.

Initially, the researchers believed that this place was an ancient cemetery, but a long study showed that the construction of the temple lasted for many years, and it was a rich religious building.

Göbekli Tepe is located three hundred meters from the neighboring valley. This is probably the first place for spiritual ceremonies. It is surprising how skillfully the stones are processed, because at that time there were no metal tools.

At the moment, it is possible to pave the way through the entire planet using the GPS system. However, the people of that time did not have our technology. Sailors in ancient times relied on the movement of the planets and stars to navigate the sea.

The found device remained unexplored for many years, and only a thorough examination helped to understand what it was used for.

The Antikythera Mechanism could track the movements of celestial bodies with incredible accuracy. It has gears, just like modern watches. However, at the time it was created, no such technology existed. Although many parts of the find were lost, it was found that the device had seven hands that resembled a clock. Obviously, they indicated the direction of motion of the seven planets that were known at that time.

This is the only find that speaks of the great contribution of the Greeks to science. By the way, the device is more than 2200 years old. To this day, exactly how it was used remains a mystery. It is unlikely that this will give us an impetus for the development of new directions, but it has become useful for educational purposes.

The Lycurgus Cup dates from the fourth century AD. It depicts Lycurgus, who fell into a trap. Visually, this is a very beautiful thing. Inside the green glass are millions of incredibly small fragments of gold and silver. The color of the cup depends on the angle from which you look at it.

Damascus steel began to be made around the third century. It was part of the Syrian arms market until the 17th century, when the technology was lost, but some experts believe that it can be restored. You can easily recognize Damascus steel by the characteristic pattern on the product. Steel is considered incredibly strong, making it resistant to damage.

Due to their rarity, Damascus steel blades are still in great demand among collectors to this day.

The first steam engine was patented in 1698 by Thomas Saveny. Indeed, it became useful in 1781 when James Watt adapted it for industrial use. Despite this, about two thousand years ago, the great mathematician Heron had already invented the steam engine.

The water in the closed sphere warmed up at the base, at the top there were tubes looking in different directions. When ejecting steam, they turned the entire device along its axis due to torque.

The device was first described in the first century. It is still not clear for what purpose it was created. Perhaps it was simply an attribute of the temple of science in which it was kept. Just imagine what the world would be like today if the creator had thought of substituting an ordinary wheel for this engine.

Lost cities are often mentioned in literature about past civilizations. The most famous of them is the legendary Atlantis, swallowed up by the sea and lost forever. However, the story of Atlantis is not unique; other cultures have similar legends of cities that disappeared underwater, under desert sands, or buried under thick layers of vegetation. Most of these legendary cities have never been found, but with the help of new technology, some have been discovered and others are waiting to be discovered.

Iram multi-column: Atlantis of the sands

The ruins of the fortress in the city of Iram. Photo: Wikipedia

Arabia also has its own legend about a lost civilization, the so-called Atlantis of the Sands - a lost city, which is mentioned in the Koran. It is also known as Iram the multi-column.

The Qur'an says that Iram has high buildings and is inhabited by adites. Since they turned away from Allah and became immoral, the Prophet Hud was sent to call them back to the worship of Allah. But the people of Iram did not heed the words of Hud. As a result, people were punished: a sandstorm was directed at the city, it lasted for seven nights and eight days. After that, Iram disappeared into the sands, as if he had never existed.

The story of Iram says that people should obey Allah and not act arrogantly. Many believe that such a city really existed.

In the early 1990s, a team of archaeologists led by Nicolai Klapp, an amateur archaeologist and filmmaker, announced that they had found the lost city of Ubar, which had been identified as Iram. This was achieved using remote sensing from NASA satellites, data from the Landsat program, and images taken by the Space Shuttle Challenger. These resources have allowed archaeologists to identify old trade routes and the points where they converge. One of these points was a famous well in Shisr, Dhofar province in Oman. During the excavations, a large octagonal fortress with high walls and high towers was found there. Unfortunately, most of the fortress was destroyed, plunging into a sinkhole.

The sunken city of Helik

Excavations of Helik. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The story of the death of Atlantis is one of the most famous. However, there is a similar story about the sunken city of Helik. Unlike Atlantis, there is written evidence about it that has helped archaeologists determine the true location of the lost city.

Helik was located in Achaia, in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. During its heyday, Helik was the leader of the Achaean Union, which consisted of 12 cities.

Helik's patron god was Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes. The city really was located in one of the most seismically active zones in Europe. In Helik there was a temple and a sanctuary of Poseidon, a bronze statue of Poseidon and coins with his image were found there.

In 373 BC the city was destroyed. Prior to this, some signs of the doom of the city had already appeared, including the appearance of "huge pillars of flame" and the mass migration of small animals from the coast to the mountains in the days before the disaster. A strong earthquake and then a powerful tsunami from the Gulf of Corinth wiped the city of Helik off the face of the earth. No one is left alive.

Although the search for the actual location of Helik began at the beginning of the 19th century, it was only at the end of the 20th century that it was found. This sunken city has been one of the biggest mysteries of underwater archaeology. However, it was the belief that the city was somewhere in the Gulf of Corinth that made its discovery impossible. In 1988, Greek archaeologist Dora Katsonopoulo suggested that the "poros" mentioned in ancient texts could not have been in the sea, but in the inner lagoon. If this is the case, then it is quite possible that Helik is inland and the lagoon has been filled with silt for millennia. In 2001, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a city in Achaia in Greece. In 2012, a layer of silt and river deposits was removed, then it became obvious that this was Helik.

Urkesh: the lost city of the Hurrians

Excavations in Urkesh. Photo: Archaeological Institute of America

Ancient Urkesh was once a major center of the ancient Middle Eastern Hurrian civilization, known in mythology as the home of the primeval god. Little was known about Urkesh and the mysterious Hurrian civilization, as the ancient city had been buried under the desert sands for thousands of years and lost in the pages of history. However, in the 1980s, archaeologists unearthed Tell Mozan, a mound that contained the ruins of an ancient temple and palace. Ten years later, researchers have drawn the exciting conclusion that Tell Mozan is the lost city of Urkesh.

Located in northern Syria, near its current borders with Turkey and Iraq, ancient Urkesh was big city Mesopotamia, which flourished between 4000 and 1300 B.C. BC. It is one of the earliest known cities in history.

The excavations revealed not only brick structures, but also rare stone structures - a monumental staircase and a deep underground shaft - "transition to the underworld" - which was associated with religious rituals.

Urkesh contained monumental public buildings, including a large temple and a palace. Many of them date from the Akkadian period (about 2350-2200 BC)

Sunken Gwaelod-y-Ghart in Wales

Remains of a petrified forest on the coast of Wales. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Gwaelod was located between the islands of Ramsay and Barcy in the area known today as Cardigan Bay, in the west of Wales, UK. It is believed that Gwaelod protruded into the bay for 32 km.

In the 6th century, Gwaelod was ruled by the legendary king Guidno Garanhir. Until about the 17th century, Gwaelod was known as Maes Gwyddno ("Land of Gwyddno"), named after this Welsh ruler. An earlier version of the legend associated with Maes Gwyddno claims that the area went under water due to the fact that the floodgates were not closed in time during a storm.

The legend says that Guayeloda had extremely fertile soil, an acre of land there was worth four times more than elsewhere. But the city depended on a dam to protect it from the sea. At low tide, the locks were opened to allow the water to drain, and at high tide, the gates were closed.

In a later version, it is said that Gwindo Garanhir appointed his friend Seitennin, who was a drunkard, to guard the gates of the dam. One night, a storm swept in from the southwest, when Seitenin was at a party in the palace, he drank too much and fell asleep, so he did not close the floodgates in time. As a result, 16 villages were flooded. Gwindo Garanhir and his retinue were forced to leave the fertile valleys and seek refuge in less fertile regions.

Some believe in the existence of Gwaelod and even plan to organize an underwater expedition to find this lost land. The remains of prehistoric forests sometimes appear on the surface of the water in stormy weather or during low tides. In addition, fossils with traces of humans and animals on them, as well as some tools, were found there.

In Search of the Lost City of the Monkey God

Photo: public domain/Wikimedia Commons

Two years ago, an aerial survey of the dense jungles of Honduras was carried out. It involved scientists inspired by local legends about a lost ancient city. After that, the news quickly spread that archaeologists had found La Ciudad Blanca (The White City, known as the Lost City of the Monkey God). A ground-based expedition has recently ended, which confirmed that aerial photography indeed showed traces of a lost civilization. Archaeologists have discovered vast areas, earthworks, mounds, earthen pyramids and dozens of different artifacts belonging to a mysterious culture that is practically unknown.

La Ciudad Blanca is a mysterious city located, according to legend, in the virgin rainforests of La Mosquitia in eastern Honduras. The Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés reported that he had received "reliable information" about the ancient ruins, but did not find them. In 1927, pilot Charles Lindbergh reported that while flying over the eastern territories of Honduras, he saw monuments built of white stone.
In 1952, explorer Tibor Sekelj went in search of the White City, the expedition was funded by the Ministry of Culture of Honduras, but he returned empty-handed. Research continued and in 2012 the first significant discovery was made.

In May 2012, a team of researchers led by documentary filmmaker Steve Elkins took aerial photographs of La Mosquitia using remote sensing (lidar). The scan showed the presence of artificial characteristics, all the media reported the possible discovery of the lost city of the Monkey God. In May 2013, additional laser analysis revealed the presence of large architectural structures under the forest canopy. It's time for ground reconnaissance.

Discovery of the long-lost Musasir temple

Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Wikimedia

The Temple of Musasir was dedicated to Khaldi, the supreme god of the kingdom of Urartu, located on the Armenian Highlands, which extended into the territory where Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Armenia are currently located. The temple was built in the holy city of Ararat in 825 BC. But after Musasir fell, defeated by the Assyrians in the 18th century BC, the ancient temple was lost and only recently rediscovered.

The Temple of Musasir dates back to a time when the Urartians, Assyrians and Scythians were at odds trying to gain control of what is now northern Iraq. In ancient writings, Musasir is called "the holy city built in the rock", while the name Musasir means "the exit of the serpent". The temple is depicted on an Assyrian bas-relief that adorned the palace of King Sargon II in honor of his victory over the "seven kings of Ararat" in 714 BC.

In July 2014, an exciting announcement was made about the discovery of the long-lost temple of Musasir in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. Life-size sculptures of a man, the bases of the columns of a temple dedicated to the god Khaldi, were found.

The discovery was made with the help of local residents who stumbled upon the ruins by accident, Dishad Marf Zamua of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands examined the archaeological finds at the site, the most significant of which are the bases of the columns. Sculptures of bearded men up to 2.3 meters in height are also considered an unusual find. They are made of limestone, basalt or sandstone. Some were partially destroyed within 2800 years.

Lost city in the jungle of Cambodia

Australian archaeologists using advanced remote sensing technology have made a remarkable discovery in Cambodia - a 1200-year-old city that is older than the famous temple complex of Angkor Wat.

Damian Evans, director of the archaeological research center at the University of Sydney in Cambodia, and a small group of scientists working in the Siem Reap area. They received permission to use lidar laser technology in the remote jungles of Cambodia. For the first time, the technology has been used for archaeological research in tropical Asia, with its help you can get a complete picture of the area.

The discovery was made when the lidar data appeared on a computer screen. “Thanks to this tool, we saw a picture of the whole city, the existence of which no one knew. It's great," Evans said.

The astonishing find comes after years of searching for Mahendraparvat, a lost medieval city built on Mount Phnom Kulen, 350 years before construction began on the famous temple complex of Angkor Wat in northwestern Cambodia. The city was part of the Khmer Hindu-Buddhist empire that ruled Southeast Asia from 800 to 1400 AD.

Research and excavations of Mahendraparvat are in their initial stages, so scientists are waiting for new discoveries.

Karal Supe: 5,000 year old city of pyramids

Karal Supe. Photo: public domain

It is widely believed in historical circles that Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India are the first civilizations of mankind. However, few know that at the same time, and in some cases even earlier, there was a great civilization of Norte Chico in Supa, Peru - the first known civilization of the Americas. Its capital was the sacred city of Caral, a 5,000-year-old metropolis of rich culture and monumental architecture - it had six large pyramidal structures, stone and earthen platforms, temples, amphitheaters, circular squares and residential areas.

In 1970, archaeologists discovered that the hills, originally identified as natural formations, were step pyramids. By 1990, the great city of Caral was fully manifested. But the biggest surprise was yet to come - in 2000, radiocarbon analysis of reed bags found during excavations showed that Caral dates from the late archaic period, around 3000 BC. Caral provides numerous evidence of the life of ancient people in North and South America.

Caral is one of 18 settlements in the Supe Valley, with an area of about 65 hectares. It is located in the desert, in the valley of the river Supe. Exceptionally well-preserved, the city impresses with its complexity of planning and architecture.

Two ancient Mayan cities in the jungles of Mexico

Hellerick/BY-SA 4.0/wikipedia

In the jungles of Mexico, archaeologists have discovered two ancient Mayan cities: the ruins of pyramidal temples, a palace, an entrance that looks like a monster's mouth, altars and other stone structures. One of the cities was already found several decades ago, but then it was “lost” again. The existence of another city was not previously known - this discovery sheds New World to the ancient Maya civilization.

Expedition leader Ivan Spradzhik from the research center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) explained that the cities were discovered using aerial photography of the central Yucatán rainforest in the state of Campeche, Mexico. Some anomalies were noticed among the dense vegetation of the forest, a group of scientists was sent there to study.

Archaeologists were stunned when they discovered an entire city between the Rio Bec and Chenes. One of the most impressive features of this city is the huge entrance, which looks like the mouth of a monster, it is the personification of the deity of fertility. “This is a symbolic entrance to the cave, and in general - the watery underworld, the place of the mythological origin of corn and the abode of the ancestors,” Sprajik told Discovery News. After passing through the "underworld", archaeologists saw a large temple-pyramid 20 meters high, as well as the ruins of a palace complex located around four large squares. There they found numerous stone sculptures and several altars with well-preserved bas-reliefs and inscriptions.

Even more startling than the rediscovery of Lagunite was the discovery of previously unknown ancient ruins nearby, including pyramids, an altar, and a large acropolis surrounded by three temples. These structures are reminiscent of another Mayan city, which was named Tamchen (deep well), as more than thirty deep underground chambers were found there, used to collect rainwater.

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