From Knossos Palace and Peru’s jungle temples, this series explores the timeless mysteries of ancient civilizations. Get the Best information about Paranormal Investigations Revealed.
Nazca Lines have long confounded researchers. Theories about these mysterious features range from astronomical calendars to religious rituals.
Hancock casts doubt upon traditional understandings of ancient knowledge, suggesting there existed an advanced civilization prior to what is commonly accepted as history.
Lost Cities
At an earlier point in human evolution and reproduction, as they vied for control of the earth, they built cities. While some were larger than others, they all served the crucial purpose of providing shelter and helping communities prosper into civilizations.
Uncovering lost cities provides historians with an incredible window into human life in the past and present, helping them gain greater insight into our history and future. But finding these ancient cities can be tricky: some may lie buried under layers of sand or jungle cover, while political instability in some regions makes archaeology work challenging and unsafe.
Lothal, located in India, has long been shrouded in mystery. It was once home to a sophisticated culture that confounded scholars for years, but with advances in scanning technology, perhaps its mysteries might finally be revealed.
Machu Picchu stands as another marvel of human civilization, situated high up in Peru’s Andean Mountains and offering us an exquisite glimpse of Inca architecture. Its rediscovery was considered a turning point in human history.
Troy is another legendary lost ancient city that was rediscovered only in 1921. Its famous tale involves King Hector and the Battle of Troy, which took place there. Prior to then, it had been blamed on climate changes, but today, experts believe its peak occurred between 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE.
Tombs
Tombs can reveal much about a civilization’s past; from those found in the Valley of the Kings or mass graves in modern Turkey, tombs provide us with insight into ancient beliefs regarding death and its afterlife.
Egyptians believed that even non-royal burials should contain everyday items and furniture to assist the deceased in their afterlife, believing their soul needed the same lifestyle they enjoyed during life in order to be truly happy in heaven.
These goods were often accompanied by texts and spells designed to assist the dead on their journey into the netherworld. Early tombs also held tools, personal care items (such as razors and stone palettes used to grind mineral makeup), food, clothing, and tools. Read the Best info about Cryptic Ancient Texts Decoded.
Many ancient Egyptian tombs also contained drawings of food offerings to the deceased ka, though these likely served more as placeholders than anything else. Ancient Egyptians believed that once an individual passed on, their soul became trapped in the netherworld without food and could no longer sustain life there.
However, some tomb scenes do not fit this explanation: for instance, one depicts hyenas having their tongues cut out – which seems to symbolize blasphemy or slander – while another shows village elders being punished for tax evasion.
Sumerian King List
The King List is an extensive literary composition that details many cities of southern Mesopotamia as well as their rulers, with dates of each king’s reigns and length of rule recorded for each. It dates back to early Sumerian history – possibly prior to cuneiform’s invention with its round symbols – with an antediluvian section featuring numerous rulers known through other contemporaneous inscriptions like Akkadian leader Sargon being named from different sections.
Kish, Uruk, and Sippar were not the only city-states in which citizens held power; instead, they competed for resources and land resources, which ultimately resulted in competition among themselves and kingship being instituted as a result.
This can be seen in the King List, written to legitimize various city-state kings during times when rivalry was high. The early version (abbreviated SKL) makes this clear right from its start by listing fictional antediluvian kings who claimed they held power prior to Kish receiving its new monarchy after its flood destruction.
The list eventually progresses into absolute historical rulers with more realistic duration of their reigns, up until Isin Sin-magir of the Isin Dynasty, who reigned from approximately 1827-1817 BC and finished his rule around 1827-1817 BC. There have been multiple copies of this text surviving today, but unfortunately, its original text cannot be recreated; one such copy, known as Kish Tablet or Scheil Prism, can now be found at the Museum of Anthropology of the University of California Berkeley.
Geography
Geography plays a huge part in shaping civilizations’ cultures; its influence can make or break civilizations. Mesopotamia was situated near rivers with fertile farmlands nearby, helping it become one of the most successful ancient civilizations; similarly, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China all enjoyed these advantages. Four ancient cultures—Mesopotamia being one of them—provided a foundation for continued cultural development at one location over time.
These societies all had to work hard for their success; weather often had an impactful influence. Floods would annually destroy homes and crops – yet also bring with them nutrients-rich silt, which helped enhance yields in agriculture. Civilizations used rivers as transportation and irrigation systems; their rivers could flood cities and farmland – yet also provided freshwater sources that allowed them to cultivate crops more successfully.
These societies also conducted censuses, recording their populations for taxes, labor service, and military duties. One famous example of this practice can be seen in the biblical Book of Numbers; other societies, such as ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Romans, all took censuses too to ensure they had enough wood, gold, and other natural resources available for them. A fascinating example can be seen with Australia’s Kuku Yalanji people who live in rainforest environments with strong spiritual identities connected to their surrounding environment.
