Ancient Cities and Megalithic Under Sea
A wealth of human history lies submerged
in ancient cities at the bottoms of lakes, seas and oceans of the world.
Some of these urban centers were
sent into the water via earthquakes, tsunamis or other disasters thousands of
years ago.
Many ruins have just recently been
rediscovered, by accident or through emergent technological innovations. Some
have even caused scientists to question the history of human civilization. For More Details Click Here
Unlike the fabled cities of Atlantis
and Lemuria, the underwater ruins of the ancient Greek city of Helike
were rediscovered in 2001. Buried underneath the remnants of a primordial
lagoon, it is no longer a tantalizing mystery for writers, historians and
enterprising explorers. A multitude of ancient cities and buildings have been
found underneath the waters of our oceans. In the past couple of years,
discovery claims surfaced of ancient underwater sites the size of Pompeii. As
convincing as these claims are, no real proof has ever been found for the
supposed Japan, Cambay and Cuba anomalies and these sites remain highly
controversial. The following ruins serve as a reminder of Mother Nature’s
might and of our glorious archaeological ancestry.
1.Bay
of Cambay, India
A few years back discovered the
remains of a vast 9,500 year old city. This submerged ruin has intact
architecture and human remains. More significantly, this find predates all
finds in the area by over 5,000 years, forcing historians to reevaluate their
understanding of the history of civilazation in the region. The find has been
termed Dwarka, or the ‘Golden City,’ after an ancient city-in-the sea said to
belong to the Hindu god Krishna.
2.Atlit-Yam
Haifa, Israel
Dating from around 7000 BC, this
is one of the oldest and largest submerged human dwellings ever discovered.
In fact, for 9000 years the granular ocean floor preserved the site so well,
that bugs can still be found in the grain stores and the skeletons are still lying
peacefully in their graves. The ruins were discovered in 1984 and immediately
gave rise to different theories as to how the well-developed ancient village
met its ultimate demise. From a tsunami to the gradual rise of the ocean due
to the systematic melting of the glaciers, the events leading to its ultimate
fate will forever be shrouded in mystery.
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3.Pavlopetri
Peloponnese, Greece
Pavlopetri is unique as it is the
earliest submerged archaeological city to have been discovered. It had a layout
of streets, courtyards, tombs and various buildings that has largely remained
as it was millennia ago. Accurately mapped for the first time in 2009, archaeologists
were amazed to discover the site sprawled more then 30,000 square meters. The
town was engulfed around 1000 BC by an earthquake. A protected underwater
cultural heritage site as listed by UNESCO, it remains in danger of being
damaged by thieves, tourists and boat anchors.
The complex mix of expert
archaeology, underwater robotics and state of the art graphics allowed the team
to piece together the secrets of Pavlopetri, producing spectacular results.
4.Sunken ruins of Cleopatra’s palace, Alexandria, Egypt
Off the shores of Alexandria, the
city of Alexander the Great, lie what are believed to be the ruins of the royal
quarters of Cleopatra. It is believed that earthquakes over 1,500 years ago
were responsible for casting this into the sea, along with artifacts, statues
and other parts of Cleopatra’s palace. The city of Alexandria even plans to
offer underwater tours of this wonder.
Lost more than 1600 ago, Cleopatra’s
palace as well as the temple of Isis was discovered in the archaeological
waters of Alexandria. Legend holds that Cleopatra and Marc Anthony committed
suicide to avoid capture by the Romans, who in turn destroyed and dispersed
their belongings. Up to date, archaeologists have found three areas where they
believe their tomb to be. More than 140 artifacts have been excavated so far,
and excavation work continues to this day at the submerged royal quarters.
Archaeologists are also researching the possibility of an underwater museum at
the site.
5.Baiae,Bay
of Naples, Italy
Baiae was the
home port of the Western Imperial fleet of Rome. Playground of the filthy rich
and infamous for its corruption and decadence the site has delivered numerous
Roman sculptures. As a stockpile of casts were discovered, some believe a
workshop probably mass-produced copies of original bronze sculptures for the
Roman market. Baiae was annihilated by Muslim invaders in the 8th century AD
and completely abandoned by 1500. Due to the volcanic activity of the area, the
structure ultimately collapsed into the ocean.
6.Yonaguni-Jima,
Japan
A mysterious undersea structure off
the coast of Japan causes controversy – is this a natural geological phenomena
or a man-made structure which changes the history books as we know them?
In 1986, a diver near the island of
Yonaguni Jima, off the southern tip of Japan (around Okinawa) came across some
strange structures about 25 metres below sea level. They appeared to be stepped
structures with terraces and ramps. One of the largest pyramid structures is
600 feet wide and 90 feet high –with five separate levels of stone blocks with
what appears to be road surrounding the structure.
These structures seem to have been
carved right out of bedrock in a teraforming process using tools previously
thought unavailable to ancient cultures of the region.
7.Bimini Road
The Bimini Road, sometimes called
the Bimini Wall, is an underwater rock formation near North Bimini island in
the Bahamas. The Road consists of a 0.8 km (0.50 mi)-long northeast-southwest
linear feature composed of roughly rectangular to subrectangular limestone
blocks.
Although it is generally considered
to be a naturally occurring geological feature, as a result of the unusual
arrangement and shape of the stones some believe that the formation is the
remains of an ancient road, wall, or some other deliberately constructed
feature. For example articles published in Argosy (an American pulp magazine)
and either authored or coauthored by Robert F. Marx, a professional diver and
visitor to the Bimini Road, argued that the Bimini Road is an artificial structure.
8.MEGALITHIC
RUINS - Cuba
A team of scientists continues to
explore megalithic ruins found in the Yucatan Channel near Cuba. They have
found evidence of an extensive urban environment stretching for miles along the
ocean shore. Some believe that the civilization that inhabited these predates
all known ancient American cultures. So far, only computer models of this
mysterious underwater city exist.
9.Port
Royal, Kingston Harbor, Jamaica
Home to prostitutes and pirates, Port Royal
used to be the “Wickedest City on Earth”. Founded in 1518, it was a notorious
port city and popular abode for English and Dutch privateers until their
governments cancelled their commissions to confiscate Spain’s ships. As the
privateers became pirates, the port became the hotspot for pirates from as far
away as Madagascar. Destroyed and sunk in part after an earthquake in 1692,
excavations have yielded historical documents, various buildings, thoroughfares
and actual preserved food. Various plans are in the pipeline to redevelop the
town into a main tourist destination.
10.Seahenge
Norfolk, England
Seahenge,
also known as Holme 1, consisted of a ring of fifty-five oak trunks that formed
a circular enclosure with a large inverted oak stump in the centre. The trunks
were placed in a trench and not in individual holes with their bark facing
outwards and split sides facing inwards. Placed about 3 ft into the ground, we
will never know how tall the trunks actually were. It was built around the 21st
century BC. After its discovery in 1998, the site was excavated despite
protests from Neo-pagan groups and the timbers were cleaned and placed in
permanent storage. A recreated Seahenge was placed at the original site and a
museum opened to the public in 2008.
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