Almost all the remains of ancient civilizations are excavated from the ground. And they often wait for us underground before we discover them. But have you ever wondered why ancient ruins are under the ground?
Besides the obvious reasons for this, there are a few other reasons as well. For example, natural disasters can submerge an ancient city very quickly, as Pompeii could witness.
When settlements and cities are abandoned, a long process of burial or partial burial begins. For example, archaeologists who found ancient Mayan cities initially only encountered a grassy mound within the forest. Other cities or structures can be buried by the weather, floods and winds can accumulate layers of soil and dust over the years, again leaving nothing but a questionable mound.
Not all ancient cities are abandoned, and at least some of them are buried in the ground, waiting for their fate. For example, people have been living in Rome continuously since 753 BC. Yet the remains of ancient Rome are also often buried deep. As the ground level moved over time, the doors of many buildings, including the Curia Julia, had to be slid several meters higher than they were at the time of construction.
This dramatic change in ground level is due in small part to organic matter around Rome, as explained in a video released by Told In Stone. Foliage and plant matter decay to form soil and slowly raise the ground level. Floods also contribute to this process by bringing more substance to the city.
But the biggest contributor to this ascent is that humanity is merely building on previous generations and not properly removing the rubble (or historical record) of those who came before them. In Rome and London, towns that grew into cities would often be built on top of this “made ground”, bringing demolition rubble and soil to pave the old streets.
Sometimes this is not intentional. An ancient building crumbling in ancient Rome can then be found, with stones collected and built on, while insignificant tiles and other artifacts are ignored and left for archaeologists to find.
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