6 ‘lost’ cities archaeologists have never found

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archaeologist have been busy digging up lost civilizations, but they haven’t found everything yet. There are still some famous ancient cities, including the capitals of great kingdoms and empires, that have never been excavated by scholars.

We know these cities existed because ancient texts described them, but their locations may have been lost over time.

In a few cases, looters discovered these cities and looted large quantities of artifacts from them. But the robbers did not come forward to reveal their location. In this countdown, LiveScience will take you to visit six ancient cities whose whereabouts remain unknown.

1. Aretha Grieg

Shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, thousands of ancient inscriptions from a city called “Irisagrig” began to appear on antiquities markets. From the clay tablets, scholars can see Iris It was prevalent in Iraq about 4,000 years ago.

These stele indicate that the ruler of this ancient city lived in a palace with many dogs. They also kept lions to feed their cattle. Those who cared for the lions, known as “lion shepherds,” were given rations of beer and bread. The inscription also mentions a temple dedicated to Enki, the god of mischief and wisdom, and says that festivals were sometimes held at the temple.

Scholars believe looters discovered and looted Irisagrig during the 2003 U.S. invasion. So far, archaeologists have not found the city, and the looters who did not have yet to come forward to determine its location.

2. Itavi

The Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhat I (reigned from about 1981 to 1952 BC) ordered the construction of a new capital. The capital was called “Itjtawy”, a name that can be translated as “The Seizer of Two Lands” or “Amenemhat is the Seizer of Two Lands”. As its name suggests, Amenemhat faced considerable unrest. His reign ended with his assassination.

Despite the assassination of Amenemhat, Itjtawy would remain the capital of Egypt until around 1640 BC, when the northern region of Egypt Egypt Taken over by a group called the Hyksos, the kingdom fell apart.

Although Itjtawy has not yet been discovered, archaeologists believe it is located somewhere near the ruins of Lishte in central Egypt. This is partly because many elite tombs, including the pyramid belonging to Amenemhat I, are located in Lishte.

3.Akkad

The city of Akkad (also known as Agad) was the capital of the Akkadian Empire, which flourished between 2350 and 2150 BC. At its height, the empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to Anatolia. Many of its conquests occurred during the reign of “Sargon of Akkad”, who lived around 2300 BC. One of the most important structures in Akkad is “Yurmash”, a temple dedicated to Ishtar, a goddess associated with war, beauty and fertility.

Akad has never been found but is believed to have been built somewhere in Iraq. Ancient records indicate that the city was destroyed or abandoned when the Akkadian Empire ended around 2150 BC

4. Yahudu

Al-Yahudu, the name means “town” or “city” of Judah, was a place in the Babylonian Empire where the Jews lived after the fall of the Babylonian kingdom. judah conquered Babylon In 587 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar II exiled part of the population, as the Babylonians often did after conquering a region.

It is understood that about 200 stone tablets exist in the settlement, which show that the exiles living in the settlement maintained their faith and used Yahweh (the name of God), in their name. Archaeologists have not yet determined the location of Yahudu, but like many lost cities, it was likely located in what is now Iraq. Given that the tablets appear on antiquities markets and there are no records of them being found in archaeological excavations, it appears that looters at some point managed to locate it.

5. Vascani

Vashkani was the capital of the Mitanni Empire, which existed between approximately 1550 and 1300 BC and included parts of northeastern Syria, southern Anatolia, and northern Iraq. It faced stiff competition from the Hittite Empire to the north and the empires of Western Europe. Assyrians The southern empire and its territories were gradually lost to them.

Washkani has never been discovered, and some scholars believe it may be located in northeastern Syria. The people who lived in the capital, as well as throughout much of the empire, were called “Hurrian” and they had their own language, which is known today from ancient texts.

6. Tinis

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Thinis (also known as Tjenu) is an ancient city in southern Egypt that flourished early in the history of ancient civilization. According to the ancient writer Manetho, when Egypt was unified about 5,000 years ago, this was where some of Egypt’s early kings ruled. In an article published by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ali Seddik Othman, an inspector at Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, noted that shortly after the unification of Egypt, the capital was moved to Memphis, and Thinis became the capital of Nome (a province in Egypt) during the Old Kingdom (approximately 2649 to 2150 BC). Abydos Magazine.

Although Thinis is believed to be located near Abydos in southern Egypt, its identity has never been confirmed. Part of the reason is that some 5,000 years ago, many members of society’s elite, including the royal family, were buried near Abydos.