Sunday, April 9, 2017

5 Lost Cities—Found

Last week it was 6 lands that were believed to be real at the time, but later proven to be myths.  This week, it's 5 cities that were believed to be myths, but later proven to be real.

1. Lagunita
An archeologist from Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts rediscovered the lost Mayan city of Lagunita. He identified a Mayan doorway, the remains of massive buildings, plazas, ball courts, a pyramid and three altars that date back to 711 AD.

The above picture was taken on Oct. 28, 2013 and released by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).  The ruins belonging to the ancient Maya city called Lagunita stand out in the jungle on a remote location in the southern state of Campeche, Mexico. Archaeologists in Mexico first stumbled upon this site in the 1970s and it was rediscovered in 2013.

2. Helike
In the year 373 BC, a giant earthquake hit off the coast of Greece, which created a giant tsunami that swallowed the ancient city of Helike. Then, in 2001 a team finally rediscovered Helike, digging up coins, pottery and ruins. The reason it took them so long to find it? They were looking under water, but it was actually under dirt. The water had long ago dried up.

3. Troy
The famous city of Troy was once believed to be a mythical place, a location, one that never existed in real life. The place that gave us Helen of Troy (the face that launched a thousand ships) and the Trojan Horse. But in 1870, Heinrich Schliemann followed clues laid out in Homer's ILIAD and found the ruins of the fabled city in Turkey, thus moving Troy from myth to reality.

I read a book about Schliemann's discovery of Troy and then by coincidence a few months later the university's art museum hosted an exhibition of photographs taken at his archeological dig.

4. Pavlopetri
Many believe this city, underwater off the coast of southern Laconia in Peloponnese, Greece, is the real life Atlantis. This 5,000-year-old lost city was found in 1967 and is thought to have been submerged about 3,000 years, giving it an impressive lifetime of 2,000 years. Archeologists found roads, buildings, courtyards and pottery.

5. Machu Picchu
Maybe the greatest of the lost cities sits on top of a mountain in Peru. It wasn't rediscovered until 1911, mostly because of its location. People are always digging for lost cities, looking under the oceans, or trekking through the jungle. No one thinks to look up to the high mountain tops.

4 comments:

Sandra Tilley said...

These "found" cities definitely tantalize the writer in me. I've wanted to write about an underworld city ever since I heard Donovan's song "Atlantis." (Oops! Showing my age!)
Great post.

CB Clark said...

Another fascinating post, Samantha. I love the thought that there are undiscovered cities just waiting to be found. I've worked on archaeological excavations in Greece and have visited Machu Picchu. Like you' I've read Heinrich Schliemann's book on the discovery of Troy.
Looking forward to your next post.

Samantha Gentry said...

Sandra: It's not that you remember Donovan's song, it must be that your grandmother told you about it. :)

Be sure to check out my blog next week. It's about cities hidden under other cities.

Thanks for your comment.

Samantha Gentry said...

CB: Sounds like you've had an interesting life, being able to participate in archaeological excavations...discovering the lost. And I'm sure there's lots more out there to be discovered or rediscovered. We've barely scratched the surface (so to speak) in uncovering lost civilizations. I'd love to see Atlantis found, actually proven to have really existed rather than the speculation of 'this is probably Atlantis,' a theory which seems to be attached to several places and some of them in surprising locations.

Thanks for your comment.