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Water is the key to the existence of life on Earth, a fundamental and powerful element. The sea surface stretches as far as the eye can see, blinding with glare, letting out foamy lambs.
And below, at a depth, traces of past lives, the skeletons of houses, streets, statues lie. The water swallowed them up, made them their property, the marine inhabitants chose the ruins and arches, the corals stuck around the traces of human labor. But people still visit abandoned villages on the seabed, unable to resist their mysterious and eerie beauty.
Let’s remember the ten most famous cities that really existed in the past and now rest on the seabed.
10 Ravenser Dept
Ravenser Odd was located in Yorkshire, Britain. It was a pirate town, the first one encountered by ships on their way from Scandinavia. Its inhabitants went on boats to the sea, met passing ships and persuaded them to moor and rest.
It is not surprising: the city had the right to take a tax from each moored ship. As a result, Rheinvenser became almost autonomous. But gradually the sea approached the prosperous settlement more and more, washed away the buildings, and they collapsed into the mud.
Finally, Reinvenser Odd went under water in the middle of the 14th century, when an unusually strong flood took possession of the city forever.
9. Neapolis
In 2017, scientists made an exciting discovery: an entire sunken city off the coast of Tunisia. Neapolis covers an area of 20 hectares. Despite the fact that it was flooded more than 1700 years ago during a powerful tsunami and the sea pretty much destroyed it, you can still trace the streets under water.
Archaeologists mainly find building foundations and earthenware vessels. Many, many earthenware vessels for fish sauce, which was produced here on a large scale. No treasure has yet been found, but work continues.
8. Kekova
As far as can be judged from fragmentary notes in ancient documents, the city located on the island of Kekova (which today belongs to Turkey) was a large prosperous settlement of the Byzantine Empire. But a strong earthquake that occurred in the 2nd century AD turned it into ruins and partially submerged it.
Now, under the expanse of blue water, you can see the remains of the walls of buildings and the street, as well as explore the ruins that climb the slopes of the land part of the island. The view of the sunken city makes an indelible impression.
7. Athlete Yam
Atlit Yam is one of the oldest flooded cities known to mankind. Its age is 9000 thousand years. At the same time, the ruins are surprisingly well preserved: stone houses with flooring and a hearth, ritual places and even wells. The ancient dead lie in their graves, the burial places were not even washed away by water.
A unique city is located in the Mediterranean Sea, just a kilometer from the coast of Israel. It was discovered in 1984 by Ehud Galili during an expedition to search for sunken ships. It is noteworthy that it is forbidden to extract artifacts to the surface, otherwise they will immediately begin to collapse under the influence of oxygen.
6. Olus
The sunken city of Olous is located in Greece, near the settlement of Elounda. Finding it on your own is not so easy, but you can use the help of local residents or travel agencies.
Olus began its history in 3000 BC, and went under water in the 2nd century AD. as a result of a catastrophic earthquake. Almost 30 thousand people lived there, it was a large port with a large turnover of goods.
It is amazingly preserved: divers can “walk” through the streets, go into buildings, admire ancient statues. Gold coins from different countries and other artifacts are still found in the sand and silt.
5. Heracleion
Heraklion was considered a legend for a long time: mention of him was preserved only in a few documents. And only in 2000, F. Goddio, who explored the bottom in search of Napoleonic ships, found an unknown city.
The excavations lasted for six years, gold coins, jewelry, vessels, a huge number of statues and more than 60 ship wrecks were found. Heraklion was a large city, surrounded by a thick wall, and a major port. The ruins of rich temples and huge statues that guarded the wall have been preserved.
Archaeologists had to work hard to excavate at a depth of 10 meters, but the finds were worth all the effort. Scientists do not know the reasons why Heraklion was under water, but they suggest that a strong earthquake, which caused a large tsunami and changed the terrain, is to blame. This theory is supported by the fact that all the statues are toppled to one side, as if knocked down by a strong wave.
4. Cambay
In 2000, scientists were studying the pollution of the Gulf of Cambay when they came across ruins resembling a city. It has not been possible to fully explore the city so far due to strong currents.
The only way is to scoop up sand and silt, extract and sift in the hope of finds. And this method has paid off. Analysis of the found artifacts and teeth showed that the age of the city is more than 10 years!
It was believed that the oldest civilization was formed in 3 BC. Moreover, evidence has been found that people lived in these territories 500 years ago, which indirectly confirms the world myths about the flood.
3. Dunwich
Dunwich is located in England. Records say that it was a prosperous city in the 11th century, but then fell victim to the forces of nature. During the 13th and 14th centuries, terrible storms regularly hit Dunwich, and the sea strove to swallow it up.
The inhabitants struggled with the elements as best they could, built fortifications and ditches, but one by one they surrendered and left the settlement, which soon found itself at the bottom. The skeletons of dwellings and churches have been preserved under water, which are being explored by scientists and divers.
2. Shichen
Shicheng is a large Chinese city that appeared 1 years ago. It is interesting for the works of art and architecture of the Qing and Ming dynasties.
And now this luxurious place rests under water. The cause was not a natural disaster, but deliberate flooding. In 1959, in order to build a hydroelectric power plant, the entire population was evacuated from Shicheng and the beautiful city was flooded.
But now this place of pilgrimage for divers – Shicheng is perfectly preserved, even wooden buildings. It is believed that the low temperature of the reservoir does not allow bacteria to quickly destroy the city.
1. Bayi
Bailly is located 16 kilometers from Naples. Once it was a huge city, an important point on the map of the Roman Empire. The climate here is warm and mild, the rough vegetation is pleasing to the eye and provides a pleasant shade.
Many wealthy people lived in Bayi, divers discovered several villas, one of which is believed to have belonged to the emperor. There were numerous hot springs and baths so beloved by the Romans.
Bayi partly went under water 1700 years ago. Scientists believe that the reason for this was extreme volcanic activity. The ruins are perfectly preserved, many of the statues are practically intact and stand as if they were placed on purpose.