10 civilizations that disappeared without a trace

The Maya The Maya are perhaps the classic example of a civilization that was completely lost, its great monuments, cities and roads swalloed up by the central American jungles, and its peoples scattered to small villages.

Indus Valley Civilization One of the great civilizations of the ancient world is called simply the Indus or Harappan civilization. Once an area boasting of 5 million people situated in parts of India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, the ancient civilization suffered gradual changes in rainfall patterns

Eastern Island The people of Eastern Island represent another classic "lost" civilization, famed in part for its enigmatic, enormous stone statues of human heads (called Moai) lined up along the island's coastline

Catalhoyuk Often called the world's oldest city, Catalhoyuk was part of a large city-building and agricultural civilization thriving between 9000-7000 years ago in what is todxay south-central Turkey. It contained no roads, which is quite unlike most other cities since

Cahokia The so-called Mississippians had built a great city surrounded by huge earthen pyramids and a Stonehenge-like structure made of wood to track the movements of the stars. Called Cahokia today, you can still see its remains in Illinois. 

Gobekli Tepe One of the most mysterious human structures ever discovered, Gobekli Tepe was probably built in 10,000 BCE, and is located in today's southern Turkey. A series of nested, circular walls and steles, or monoliths, carved evocatively with animals, the place probably served as a temple for nomadic tribes in the area

Angkor Most people have heard of the magnificent temple Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But it was only small part of a massive urban civilization during the Khmer Empire called Angkor. The city flourished during the late middle ages. 

The Turquoise Mountain The Minaret of Jam, a gorgeous architectural feat built in the 1100s as part of a city in Afghanistan, where archaeological remains suggest that it was a cosmopolitan area where many religions, including Jews, Christians and Muslims lived harmoniously hundreds of years

Niya Now a desolate spot in the Taklamakan Desert of Xinjiang province in China, 1600 years ago Niya was a thriving city in an oasis along the famous Silk Road

Nabta Playa From 7000 and 6500 BCE, an incredible urban community arose in what is today the Egyptian Sahara. Archaeologists belief that their civilization includes astronomers as well
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