and like that they were gone
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
civilizations that mysteriously faded
away before we begin we publish new
videos every day so be sure to subscribe
for more great content for this list
we’re looking at civilizations cities or
groups of people that for one reason or
another dwindled declined or gradually
disappeared from the face of the earth
due to reasons that aren’t always known
or haven’t been fully confirmed number
10 the Aksumite Empire also known as the
kingdom of Aksum this one is formed in
the shape of a cross
so as such it probably is from a a
Christian family located in what is now
Ethiopia and Eritrea the kingdom of
Aksum lasted for over 800 years emerging
around 100 AD the civilization grew to
become an important trading partner with
the Roman and Persian empires their
prosperity afforded them the opportunity
to produce their own coinage becoming
one of the first African cultures to do
so however according to local legend the
Empire was defeated in 960 AD by a
mysterious Jewish queen who is said to
have destroyed the AXA meit’s religious
and cultural achievements this story is
often debated by scholars with many
instead blaming starvation climate
change and a lack of trade for the
decline of the Aksumite Empire just a
very
quiet epiphany moment when this journey
has begun to really make sense
number nine the Nabataeans the far side
of the channel is completely scoured
clean the Nabataeans emerged around the
4th century BC in what is now the
countries of Jordan Syria Saudi Arabia
and Israel they’re responsible for
building the carved city of Petra which
is a prime example of their
architectural achievements it makes
sense that they would adopt and adapt
different architectural styles from a
lot of their trading partners and it’s
worth noting that slavery was not as
widely practiced among the Nabataeans as
it was among other civilizations of the
time little is known about why the
Nabataeans disappeared possibly because
they were a secretive culture to begin
with however it has been suggested that
over the years they may simply have
melted into the larger greco-roman
culture that surrounded them it sends a
message to anybody who sees it that this
is a place of wealth and power number 8
the cucuteni tribe piglia culture that
built their homes like this with
defensive walls and in the center a
circle it was a kind of an arena where
they organised different activities
we’re going way way way back with this
one the cucuteni tribe pileus society
prospered between approximately 5,500 bc
and 3,000 BC and they had some
traditions that would be considered
bizarre by today’s standards their
settlements were quite large with
thousands of structures and populations
in the tens of thousands however every
60 to 80 years they would intentionally
burn these settlements to the ground and
build new ones on top of them but for
nearly 2,500 years the cucuteni try
piglia culture flourished until of
course they mysteriously declined some
believe they were conquered by the
neighbouring Corgan’s who had an
affinity for violent confrontations
while others postulate that it was due
to severe climate change number 7
turquoise mountain also known as fetus
cool turquoise mountain was the capital
city of the gooded dynasty located in
modern-day Afghanistan it was said to
have been a pillar of prosperity in the
region thus it
was a melting pot of different ethnic
and religious cultures but that didn’t
stop it from flourishing for hundreds of
years today all that’s left of turquoise
mountain is a massive stone structure in
central Afghanistan known as the minaret
of gem so what happened to this
seemingly bustling metropolis most
except that Genghis Khan’s son destroyed
it in the 13th century AD but we may
never know for sure number six the Olmec
civilization located in what is now
Mexico and Guatemala the Olmec
civilization was the first of its kind
to emerge in that particular region
beginning around 1500 BC and lasting
until roughly 400 BC the Olmecs were
skilled artisans and are responsible for
constructing the now famous colossal
heads massive stone carvings that still
exist to this day brock against rock
widely regarded as the first
Mesoamerican civilization the Olmecs are
often credited with popularizing such
cultural staples as a calendar the
concept of zero and even a basic
ballgame the jury is still out on why
this thriving society ultimately
disappeared although one theory is that
a volcanic eruption forced them to leave
number 5 Jedi Luke every house would
have its own entrance from above yes
considered one of the oldest settlements
ever discovered
Chetta Luke is believed to have existed
between 7500 BC and 57 hundred b c–
this Neolithic society was situated in
what is now southern Turkey a region
that’s home to another mysterious
ancient wonder the temple of Gobekli
Tepe what I’d like to know is why did
these people undertake such an
extraordinarily big and difficult task
in the first place while this was an
illiterate society this didn’t stop them
from creating works of art and complex
structures in fact the layout of the
proto city was quite unique
instead of Rhodes the homes were built
side-by-side with ladders and sidewalks
built along the rooftops
why did chattel Hook mysteriously
disappear
no one knows and few clues exist to make
an educated guess number four the Minoan
civilization but in my nine times if you
wanted not just to survive to build a
civilization you had to reach out across
the horizons to make new connections
this ancient civilization is often
credited as the first of its kind in
Europe located in present-day Greece the
Minoans occupied the island of Crete as
well as many other Aegean islands they
existed between 2600 BC and 1100 BC and
were considered the preeminent traders
and artists of their particular region
in fact they left behind numerous
artifacts and buildings that still exist
today the Minoans were unlikely to have
been a military power and that fact is
key to one suggestion about why they
disappeared some theorize they were lost
to both a Mycenaean invasion and a
massive volcanic eruption number 3 the
Rapa Nui also known as Easter Island
civilization probably a couple of years
of work completely loyal and gone Easter
Island is noted for its remoteness
scarce population and the 887 monolithic
stone statues of human faces that dot
its coastline but did you know that it
was once home to a bustling and
prosperous civilization the island was
settled by Polynesians between 700 AD
and 1100 AD and at one point may have
had up to 15,000 people living there the
Polynesians were famous for their
maritime navigation skills as well as
their seemingly unexplainable ability to
create massive stone monuments however
their populations soon dwindled it’s
been theorized that they used up all the
islands resources to the point that
there were simply no more trees
available with European arrival Peruvian
slave trading and diseases likely
exacerbating the situation number two
the Indus Valley also known as the head
of a civilization I’m standing in is
long and deep the Wyatt cutthroat Eli
was to enthrall this civilization was
one of the largest in existence during
the Bronze Age it began around 3300 BC
and lasted for roughly 2,000 years
in the area that is now Pakistan in
parts of India and Afghanistan the Indus
had a knack for city building and at one
point claim to rule hundreds of
different towns these towns were
extremely complex with running water
plumbing and indoor toilets at its
height the Indus Valley Civilisation had
a population that numbered in the
millions
however seemingly out of the blue this
once thriving society disappeared many
postulate that it was due to climate
change
which led to long lasting droughts in
the area just another unexplained
mystery of history the kind of Earth’s
we have here is clearly dried-up
riverbed number one the Maya
civilization as one of the most
sophisticated societies to have ever
existed the Maya made incredible strides
in mathematics astronomy writing and
architecture their massive pyramids
still stand to this day in what is now
southern Mexico for over 2,000 years the
Mayan people ruled with unquestioned
authority until one day they didn’t much
has been made of their gradual demise
with many questions and very few answers
however their rapid decline around the
ninth century is believed to have been a
reaction to drastic climate change and
political collapse that triggered tribal
warfare which in turn caused them to
abandon their great cities Spanish
conquest is said to have taken the last
independent Maya City in the late 17th
century though some small villages
remained for a while longer the Maya
were not a Western society they didn’t
do anything the way that Europeans do do
you agree with our pics check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top ten
civilizations that mysteriously faded
away before we begin we publish new
videos every day so be sure to subscribe
for more great content for this list
we’re looking at civilizations cities or
groups of people that for one reason or
another dwindled declined or gradually
disappeared from the face of the earth
due to reasons that aren’t always known
or haven’t been fully confirmed number
10 the Aksumite Empire also known as the
kingdom of Aksum this one is formed in
the shape of a cross
so as such it probably is from a a
Christian family located in what is now
Ethiopia and Eritrea the kingdom of
Aksum lasted for over 800 years emerging
around 100 AD the civilization grew to
become an important trading partner with
the Roman and Persian empires their
prosperity afforded them the opportunity
to produce their own coinage becoming
one of the first African cultures to do
so however according to local legend the
Empire was defeated in 960 AD by a
mysterious Jewish queen who is said to
have destroyed the AXA meit’s religious
and cultural achievements this story is
often debated by scholars with many
instead blaming starvation climate
change and a lack of trade for the
decline of the Aksumite Empire just a
very
quiet epiphany moment when this journey
has begun to really make sense
number nine the Nabataeans the far side
of the channel is completely scoured
clean the Nabataeans emerged around the
4th century BC in what is now the
countries of Jordan Syria Saudi Arabia
and Israel they’re responsible for
building the carved city of Petra which
is a prime example of their
architectural achievements it makes
sense that they would adopt and adapt
different architectural styles from a
lot of their trading partners and it’s
worth noting that slavery was not as
widely practiced among the Nabataeans as
it was among other civilizations of the
time little is known about why the
Nabataeans disappeared possibly because
they were a secretive culture to begin
with however it has been suggested that
over the years they may simply have
melted into the larger greco-roman
culture that surrounded them it sends a
message to anybody who sees it that this
is a place of wealth and power number 8
the cucuteni tribe piglia culture that
built their homes like this with
defensive walls and in the center a
circle it was a kind of an arena where
they organised different activities
we’re going way way way back with this
one the cucuteni tribe pileus society
prospered between approximately 5,500 bc
and 3,000 BC and they had some
traditions that would be considered
bizarre by today’s standards their
settlements were quite large with
thousands of structures and populations
in the tens of thousands however every
60 to 80 years they would intentionally
burn these settlements to the ground and
build new ones on top of them but for
nearly 2,500 years the cucuteni try
piglia culture flourished until of
course they mysteriously declined some
believe they were conquered by the
neighbouring Corgan’s who had an
affinity for violent confrontations
while others postulate that it was due
to severe climate change number 7
turquoise mountain also known as fetus
cool turquoise mountain was the capital
city of the gooded dynasty located in
modern-day Afghanistan it was said to
have been a pillar of prosperity in the
region thus it
was a melting pot of different ethnic
and religious cultures but that didn’t
stop it from flourishing for hundreds of
years today all that’s left of turquoise
mountain is a massive stone structure in
central Afghanistan known as the minaret
of gem so what happened to this
seemingly bustling metropolis most
except that Genghis Khan’s son destroyed
it in the 13th century AD but we may
never know for sure number six the Olmec
civilization located in what is now
Mexico and Guatemala the Olmec
civilization was the first of its kind
to emerge in that particular region
beginning around 1500 BC and lasting
until roughly 400 BC the Olmecs were
skilled artisans and are responsible for
constructing the now famous colossal
heads massive stone carvings that still
exist to this day brock against rock
widely regarded as the first
Mesoamerican civilization the Olmecs are
often credited with popularizing such
cultural staples as a calendar the
concept of zero and even a basic
ballgame the jury is still out on why
this thriving society ultimately
disappeared although one theory is that
a volcanic eruption forced them to leave
number 5 Jedi Luke every house would
have its own entrance from above yes
considered one of the oldest settlements
ever discovered
Chetta Luke is believed to have existed
between 7500 BC and 57 hundred b c–
this Neolithic society was situated in
what is now southern Turkey a region
that’s home to another mysterious
ancient wonder the temple of Gobekli
Tepe what I’d like to know is why did
these people undertake such an
extraordinarily big and difficult task
in the first place while this was an
illiterate society this didn’t stop them
from creating works of art and complex
structures in fact the layout of the
proto city was quite unique
instead of Rhodes the homes were built
side-by-side with ladders and sidewalks
built along the rooftops
why did chattel Hook mysteriously
disappear
no one knows and few clues exist to make
an educated guess number four the Minoan
civilization but in my nine times if you
wanted not just to survive to build a
civilization you had to reach out across
the horizons to make new connections
this ancient civilization is often
credited as the first of its kind in
Europe located in present-day Greece the
Minoans occupied the island of Crete as
well as many other Aegean islands they
existed between 2600 BC and 1100 BC and
were considered the preeminent traders
and artists of their particular region
in fact they left behind numerous
artifacts and buildings that still exist
today the Minoans were unlikely to have
been a military power and that fact is
key to one suggestion about why they
disappeared some theorize they were lost
to both a Mycenaean invasion and a
massive volcanic eruption number 3 the
Rapa Nui also known as Easter Island
civilization probably a couple of years
of work completely loyal and gone Easter
Island is noted for its remoteness
scarce population and the 887 monolithic
stone statues of human faces that dot
its coastline but did you know that it
was once home to a bustling and
prosperous civilization the island was
settled by Polynesians between 700 AD
and 1100 AD and at one point may have
had up to 15,000 people living there the
Polynesians were famous for their
maritime navigation skills as well as
their seemingly unexplainable ability to
create massive stone monuments however
their populations soon dwindled it’s
been theorized that they used up all the
islands resources to the point that
there were simply no more trees
available with European arrival Peruvian
slave trading and diseases likely
exacerbating the situation number two
the Indus Valley also known as the head
of a civilization I’m standing in is
long and deep the Wyatt cutthroat Eli
was to enthrall this civilization was
one of the largest in existence during
the Bronze Age it began around 3300 BC
and lasted for roughly 2,000 years
in the area that is now Pakistan in
parts of India and Afghanistan the Indus
had a knack for city building and at one
point claim to rule hundreds of
different towns these towns were
extremely complex with running water
plumbing and indoor toilets at its
height the Indus Valley Civilisation had
a population that numbered in the
millions
however seemingly out of the blue this
once thriving society disappeared many
postulate that it was due to climate
change
which led to long lasting droughts in
the area just another unexplained
mystery of history the kind of Earth’s
we have here is clearly dried-up
riverbed number one the Maya
civilization as one of the most
sophisticated societies to have ever
existed the Maya made incredible strides
in mathematics astronomy writing and
architecture their massive pyramids
still stand to this day in what is now
southern Mexico for over 2,000 years the
Mayan people ruled with unquestioned
authority until one day they didn’t much
has been made of their gradual demise
with many questions and very few answers
however their rapid decline around the
ninth century is believed to have been a
reaction to drastic climate change and
political collapse that triggered tribal
warfare which in turn caused them to
abandon their great cities Spanish
conquest is said to have taken the last
independent Maya City in the late 17th
century though some small villages
remained for a while longer the Maya
were not a Western society they didn’t
do anything the way that Europeans do do
you agree with our pics check out these
other great clips from WatchMojo and
subscribe for new videos every day
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