Paititi
The Amazon has also lured explorers with tales of magnificent cities hidden within. British adventurer Percy Fawcett disappeared there in 1925 while searching for one he called the Lost City of Z. Another that may or may not have been found is the legendary Paititi – which may have been the same one Fawcett was looking for and which also shares similarities with stories of El Dorado. In addition to Fawcett, the search for Paititi has claimed the lives of many explorers who went looking for it.
But it may be a real place: in 2001, an Italian archaeologist found a report hidden in the Vatican archives from a 17th-century missionary, who came across a wealthy city the indigenous people called Paititi. This gave credence to the legend, and modern archaeologists have been looking for it since. Satellite imagery from 2012 located what appears to be a man-made ‘square mountain’ in the region, and expeditions through the difficult rainforest terrain are in the works to explore the area further.
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Yet another legendary city of gold, Cibola, sent Francisco Vásquez de Coronado on a fruitless quest across the American West in the 1540s. But although it wasn’t made of gold, Mesa Verde was a magnificent real-life lost city hidden in the rocks, rediscovered in 1888 by cowboy brothers looking for stray cattle. Although some white people may have been there before, these brothers are generally credited for the find. The home of Ancestral Pueblo people for 700 years, Mesa Verde was abandoned in the 1200s as the people migrated to different areas. First excavated as an archaeological site in 1909, Mesa Verde is now a national park. In 2019, some artefacts taken form the site by a Swedish researcher in the 1890s and displayed in a museum in Finland were repatriated to Native American tribes associated with the site.
Thonis-Heracleion, Egypt
And now for a real-life lost city found beneath the sea: the ancient Egyptian port of Thonis, also known by its Greek name Heracleion (which was originally thought to be a different city). It sank into the Mediterranean near the mouth of the Nile 1500 years ago, likely after a flood, taking with it huge 5-metre statues of Pharaoh Ptolemy II, his queen, and the god Hapy. The city was mentioned in classical texts, including those of the historian Herodotus, and Helen of Troy was even said to have made a visit here.
But after the city disappeared below the waves, no one knew where it was. A British air force pilot thought he spotted a sunken city in the location in 1933, which led to new exploration of the area. French archaeologist Franck Goddio found it in 2000 after searching for years. Because the site is so new, there’s lots more to explore: in 2019, researchers found a previously unseen temple along with jewellery and coins. It’s one of the most incredible undersea treasures ever found.
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