Categoria: arqueologia antropologia biologia botanica geologia

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Long before Columbus reached the Americas, Cahokia was the biggest, most cosmopolitan city north of Mexico. Yet by 1350 it had been deserted by its native inhabitants the Mississippians – and no one is sure why

Fonte: Lost cities #8: mystery of Cahokia – why did North America’s largest city vanish? | Cities | The Guardian (mais…)

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Some call it the “City of 1001 Churches” and some know it as the “City of 40 Gates:” the now-abandoned medieval city stands on a…

Fonte: Once a magnificent medieval city and home to 200,000 people, the ghost city of Ani is now completely abandoned and has stood empty for centuries

Some call it the “City of 1001 Churches” and some know it as the “City of 40 Gates:” the now-abandoned medieval city stands on a lonely plateau in Armenia, 45km away from Kars, Turkey.

Founded more than 1,600 years ago, Ani stood on various trade routes and its many religious buildings, palaces, and fortifications were amongst the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world. The blame for its ruin lies in the hands of many: vandals, looters, Turks, Mother Nature herself, poor restorations and inept archaeologists.

The walls of Ani showing a defensive tower. Source

Ruins of the Mausoleum of the Child Princes. Source

Saint Gregory of Tigran Honents, western side. Source

Damaged frescoes of the church of St Gregory of Tigran Honents. Source

Long ago renowned for its splendor and magnificence, Ani was sacked by the Mongols in 1236 and devastated in a 1319 earthquake, after which it was reduced to a village and gradually abandoned and largely forgotten by the seventeenth century.

Rediscovered and romanticized in the 19th century, the city had a brief moment of fame, only to be closed off by World War I and the later events of the Armenian Genocide that left the region an empty, militarized no man’s land.

Once lodged as many as 200,000 people. Source

Ani is a widely recognized cultural, religious, and national heritage symbol for Armenians. According to Razmik Panossian, Ani is one of the most visible and ‘tangible’ symbols of past Armenian greatness and hence a source of pride. All the structures at Ani are constructed using the local volcanic basalt, a sort of tufa stone. It is easily carved and comes in a variety of vibrant colors, from creamy yellow to rose-red, to jet black.

Ruins of the Cathedral of Ani and the church of Redeemer. Source

Inside the Cathedral of Ani. Construction of the structure began in 989, completed in either 1001 or 1010. Source

The Church of the Redeemer (Surb Prkich). Source

Zoroastrian fire temple in Ani. Source

The medieval walls of Ani. Source

The minaret Menüçehr Mosque, newer than many of the churches but still nearly a thousand years old, still stands as a testament to the city’s long history and diverse cultural influences. The city’s many enduring churches are particularly beautiful, even in their ruined states.

They stand as a testament to the city’s diverse cultural and long historical influences. Despite Ani’s past as a field of warfare, the ruins of the city also symbolize many eras through history where the city saw an extraordinary exchange of religions, cultures, and artistic themes.

The ruins of Manucehr Mosque, an 11th-century mosque built among the ruins of Ani. Source

The meager remains of King Gagik’s church of St Gregory, a structure built between 1001 and 1005. Source

A gorge below Ani, showing numerous caves dug into cliffs, as well as fortifications. Source

Remains of an ancient bridge over Akhurian River, below Ani. Source

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) placed Ani on its 1996, 1998, and 2000 Watch Lists of 100 Most Endangered Sites. In May 2011, WMF announced it was beginning conservation work on the cathedral and Church of the Holy Redeemer in partnership with the Turkish Ministry of Culture.

(mais…)

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Fonte: Meet the Nazca Runways: Flat Mountaintops that defy explanation | Ancient Code

The giant flat Mountaintops at Nazca have remained a profound mystery for decades. Even today, archaeologists are unable to explain how and why ‘ancient man’ created massive, flat ‘runway-like’ marks thousands of years ago.

We have all been fascinated by the Nazca and Palpa lines for decades. These incredible pieces of ancient ‘art’ are located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain approximately 400 kilometers south of modern-day Lima. The staggering geoglyphs cover around 450 kilometers and were created on the arid floor sometime between 500 BC and 500 AD.

The Nazca and Palpa lines are considered one of archaeology’s greatest mystery, mostly because of their size, quantity, and nature. Some of the lines depict living creatures, stylized plants, and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometers long.

According to studies, the largest of the Nazca figures is approximately 1000 feet, and the longest geoglyph goes on for around 9 miles.

However, the most mysterious discoveries at Nazca are the enigmatic mountain tops that eerily resemble modern-day runways. The mountaintops of some of the surrounding mountains at Nazca look as if something literally pressed down —with incredible force— the top of the mountain. Many researchers have said that the mysterious mountaintops look as if something managed to ‘perfectly’ cut through the mountaintop, creating incredible flat surfaces.

So how is it possible that these giant ‘runway-like’ mountains even exist? And if the Nazca are known for having created the incredible desert-art, intricate figures of animals, plants and geometric shapes, why would they even bother and create these huge flat surfaces?

There are numerous questions that remain unanswered at Nazca. Were these giant figures meant to be seen from above? Do they mimic constellations in the sky? What were the ancient’s trying to say to future generations? Were the Nazca lines mere ancient art? If so… why would ancient mankind create art that cannot be fully appreciated from the ground?

Is it possible that –as Ancient Astronaut theorists suggest– the ancient ‘runways’ seen at Nazca are in fact navigational markers used by advanced extraterrestrials that visited the area thousands of years ago? And is it possible that some of the giant, flat triangles were created by massive spacecraft that touched down in the distant past? What if the ‘gods’ used these paths in the distant past to visit the people in Peru? And what if, ancient people created figurines such as the Nazca Astronaut in honor of those “gods” who came from above?

Interestingly, according to some local legends, the mysterious Incan creator god Viracocha commissioned the Nazca Lines and glyphs in the past. These lines are said to be created by the Viracocha himself. He was the great teacher God of the Andes.

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Fonte: 5 History-changing facts that mainstream scholars cannot explain | Ancient Code