Archaeological sites destroyed by modern humans

Ancient civilizations left behind a hugethe number of buildings, objects and other scientifically valuable things. Archaeologists are engaged in their search and excavations - we regularly tell you about important discoveries. Sometimes discoveries allow a completely new look at the history of mankind. For example, my colleague Andrey Zhukov recently talked about how scientists managed to find out who the real ancestors of the American Indians were - contrary to popular belief, these are not Japanese. Unfortunately, many ancient artifacts are not preserved to the very day or are partially destroyed. In most cases, the reason for this is the activity of people. Did you know that one archaeologist destroyed the legendary city of the ancient world, mindlessly using dynamite?

Some archaeological sites are completely destroyed due to the fault of modern people.

Content

• 1 Troy - an ancient city destroyed by dynamite
• 2 How Babylon Was Destroyed
• 3 Ruined geoglyphs of Nazca
• 4 Destruction of the Mayan pyramid Nohmul

Troy - an ancient city destroyed by dynamite

For many years, scholars believed that Troyis a mythical city that is mentioned only in ancient documents. In 1871, it turned out that this was a big mistake, because the self-taught German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was still able to find its location in Turkey. Surprisingly, the scientist made a discovery, focusing only on the descriptions of the poem "Iliad" by the ancient Greek poet Homer.

Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann

Since the archaeologist was self-taught, he actedextremely inaccurate. The site, which he identified as Troy, consisted of many layers, so during the excavation it was necessary to proceed slowly and deliberately. But Heinrich Schliemann did not know about this, and he used dynamite with might and main. Subsequently, it turned out that he dug out another settlement, and Troy was on other layers, which he destroyed with his carelessness.

Excavations of Troy

Due to his negligence, the scientist quarreled withTurkish authorities, but then was able to restore his reputation. After making a gross mistake, he began to excavate in accordance with scientific requirements and even contributed something of his own. For example, he suggested photographing every layer and object found right on the spot.

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How Babylon Was Destroyed

Babylon is one of the most importantpolitical, economic and cultural centers of the ancient world. Scientists believe that it can be included in the number of the largest cities in the history of all mankind. The ancient city in the period from 1899 to 1917 was discovered by archaeologist Robert Koldewey - the ruins are located on a group of hills near the city of Al-Hilla, 90 kilometers from Iraqi Baghdad. Babylon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeologist Robert Koldewey

Unfortunately, during the Iraq war in 2003year, many ancient structures were destroyed and artifacts were stolen. On the territory of ancient Babylon, the American military base Camp Alpha was founded. Consequently, military equipment often traveled there, helicopters descended, and so on. Marauders acted on the spot, who stole not only small items, but also entire statues weighing several tons.

Ruins of Babylon

Ruined geoglyphs of Nazca

The geoglyphs of Nazca are giant drawings onterritory of southern Peru. They are easily distinguishable from the ISS and are figures in the form of birds, monkeys, spiders, flowers and other objects. Due to the desert climate, they are perfectly preserved to this day, but the activities of people have partially spoiled them. In 2009, the Dakar races were moved from Europe and Africa to South America. Due to the movements of racing cars and touring jeeps, at least four huge geoglyphs were accidentally damaged. People traveling by transport could not even understand that they were destroying historical monuments, because the drawings are clearly visible only from a great height.

One of the Nazca geoglyphs

What are Nazca geoglyphs and why were they needed? Here are the most interesting theories

Destruction of the Mayan Pyramid of Nohmul

Throughout its existence, representativesMaya civilizations built a huge number of pyramids. One of them was located on the territory of the state of Belize, which is located in Central America. The local pyramid was known as Nohmul and towered as much as 8 meters. According to scientists, the age of the huge structure was about 2.3 thousand years.

Construction equipment at the Nohmul Pyramid

Despite the fact that the pyramid was considered the mainlandmark of Belize, in 2013 the construction company D-Mar Construction simply demolished it. Only an insignificant fragment in the center remained from the building. The mined gravel was used to pave the road.

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Unfortunately, this is not the whole list of archaeological sites that were destroyed due to human fault. If you have other examples, write in our Telegram chat or comments.