Tigris River Dries Up And This Is Found

Bright Side

The Tigris River drying up has revealed some amazing discoveries! As the water receded, it uncovered ancient cities and artifacts that were hidden for centuries. Archeologists found old structures, pottery, and even cuneiform tablets with ancient writing. These finds give us a glimpse into the rich history and culture of the civilizations that once thrived there. It's like a real-life treasure hunt, showing how nature can unveil secrets from the past!  #brightside   Animation is created by Bright Side.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Summers in the Middle East get so hot that they change the landscape dramatically and

00:04make entire cities resurface from the past.

00:07That's what happened in 2018 when the city built by a mysterious empire on the Tigris

00:12River was finally released from its water trap.

00:17Archaeologists rushed to the location as they didn't want to miss a rare chance to excavate

00:21the site and learn more about the history of the place.

00:25They believe they've found the Bronze Age city, Zakikou, founded over 3,000 years ago

00:31and fully submerged in the 1980s when a dam was built in its place.

00:35It used to be a busy hub for the Mitanni Empire for caravans on the popular trade route.

00:41It had water, which is a rarity in the area, and it was a guarantee for success.

00:46We know very little about the once-powerful empire as scientists haven't found any written

00:50chronicles in the excavated sites.

00:53That's why the archaeologists were thrilled to find an entire palace for the local ruler.

00:58Several years later, when the area became free from the water again, they found some

01:03fortifications to protect the city from foes.

01:06The highlight of their expedition was finding a huge public storehouse for trade goods and

01:11harvests, piles of wheat and barley, and imported metal and wood.

01:16Bread was the staple food for the locals, and they also loved big pots of vegetable

01:21soups and stews for lunch.

01:23Each household kept sheep, goats, cows, and pigs, so they had a steady source of milk

01:28and meat for special occasions.

01:31All the constructions found so far were built from bricks molded from mud.

01:35The walls that were underwater for over 40 years are so well-preserved as if they went

01:40down yesterday.

01:42The royal palace stands out as it's larger than the other constructions, has thicker

01:46walls and even pavements made of baked mud bricks that were sealed to be waterproof.

01:51The local king must've been in good relations with the emperor of the larger empire, of

01:56which Akiku was dependent.

01:59Traders who lived in the city collected wooden beams and took them to storehouses.

02:04The beams arrived down the Tigris River from the forests in the mountains in the north

02:08and east of Mesopotamia.

02:10Merchants came here to sell their goods, and then crossed the Tigris on their way to the

02:15borderlands.

02:16Sakiku was thriving as a center of commerce for about six centuries until it was hit by

02:21a massive earthquake in 1350.

02:24Archaeologists found five ceramic vessels holding over 100 clay tablets made close after

02:30the earthquake.

02:31It's almost a miracle that small tablets of unfired clay managed to survive underwater

02:36for decades.

02:38People who created those must've carved notes on clay while it was still wet.

02:43They wrote about anything, from newly stored harvests to notes for other kingdoms.

02:48Then they would let the message dry in the sun.

02:51Scribes even had to learn a different language so that everyone outside the city could read

02:56it.

02:57Scientists believe the tablets they found used to be part of a private archive.

03:01They hoped to decipher the notes to learn more about the history of Sakiku and the whole

03:05empire after the terrible earthquake.

03:09The damage to the buildings was so enormous that it was impossible to restore Sakiku to

03:14its former glory.

03:16And if there had been any survivors, they must've left the city.

03:20Several decades later, the Assyrians, who also lived in Mesopotamia, settled here.

03:25They built their houses on the ruins of the abandoned city and used whatever structures

03:29they could find from the previous residents as outer walls.

03:33But they stayed here only for 50 years, then decided to build a new capital on more fertile

03:38soil to make some good cash from agriculture.

03:43Archaeologists working in Sakiku had to halt excavations when the water levels went back

03:47up and covered the city.

03:49They sealed the ruins in tight-fitting plastic sheets and put stones and gravel on top.

03:54They hope it will help protect the priceless site from water erosion and prevent it from

03:59disappearing again.

04:00They realize how important water from the dam is for the region, but if it recedes again,

04:06they say they'll definitely continue the excavations.

04:11There was a bustling community in today's Talimakan Desert in China around 1,600 years

04:17ago.

04:18It lived along the Naya River, which ran through the desert for miles and got its water from

04:22the melting snow in the mountains.

04:25After 3 years of work in the area, archaeologists and scientists managed to dig up 8 tombs in

04:30the desert.

04:31Thanks to the desert heat, the clothes and artifacts inside them were almost as good

04:36as new.

04:37The people who wore those must've lived in the ancient city of Naya.

04:41Naya used to be part of a prosperous kingdom at the heart of the Silk Road trading route

04:45and had a population of over 3,000 people.

04:48Then desert sands went rogue and swallowed the city whole.

04:53Archaeologists only found the ruins of Naya in the early 20th century.

04:58Scientists from different countries have tried to solve its mysteries.

05:01It looks like the tombs discovered at the end of the 20th century belonged to the wealthy.

05:06There were some expensive items inside – a quiver and bow, metal arrowheads, gold earrings,

05:12and a glass bead necklace, a lacquer box with a comb, makeup, and a sewing kit in one of

05:18the tombs.

05:19There was also some silk of top quality, and even the bright colors like green and yellow

05:24haven't faded on it.

05:26The fabric also had Chinese characters with quotes from historical books, which helped

05:31scientists identify the period in which it was made.

05:35Archaeologists later found a large dwelling site and the clearing of three ruined buildings.

05:39It will probably take many more years to understand why the city had fallen and what happened

05:45to its people.

05:49Saudi and French archaeologists teamed up near Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, and

05:54stumbled upon an ancient settlement dating back 8,000 years.

05:58The scientists used all sorts of cool tech, like laser scanning, drones, and aerial photography,

06:04to unearth this Neolithic-era gem.

06:07They found the settlement in a local archaeological hotspot.

06:11Among the treasures they uncovered were a stone temple, remnants of an altar, and over

06:162,000 graves.

06:18All these finds tell us about ancient practices and rituals.

06:22The team also found the foundations of four massive buildings, corner towers, and open-air

06:27courtyards, all with underground reservoirs to store water for agricultural use.

06:33There was also a smart irrigation system with canals and cisterns, which let the city thrive

06:38in one of the driest deserts in the world.

06:41Rock drawings etched into the nearby mountain depicted the daily life of the locals.

06:46The excavations have been going on in the area for over 40 years, and scientists still

06:51keep finding new artifacts to answer more of their questions.

06:55Fishers have stumbled upon ancient bones, tools, and artifacts that are 9,000 years

07:00old on the North Sea floor.

07:03British and Dutch archaeologists and paleontologists rushed to see the finds as they were hoping

07:08it could be evidence of the submerged Doggerland.

07:11And they weren't disappointed.

07:13There were even perfect sets of footprints left by Mesolithic people who lived here.

07:1812,000 years ago, during the last major ice age, the British Isles weren't islands at

07:23all.

07:24There was a landmass made of many hills, marshlands, and dense forests that connected them to the

07:29European continent.

07:31That landmass was Doggerland, where a prehistoric hunter-gatherer society lived and thrived.

07:37But then, the sea levels started going up at the speed of 3 to 6 feet a century as glaciers

07:43were slowly but surely melting.

07:45The locals had to move to areas that today belong to England and the Netherlands.

07:50Experts decided to learn more about the history of Doggerland, using data from oil companies

07:55working in the North Sea.

07:57So far, they've created digital models of what the area of 18,000 square miles might

08:03have looked like before it vanished beneath the waves.

08:06They still need to analyze samples of ancient insects and plants and the DNA of animals

08:11to get a full picture.

08:13That's it for today!

08:14But – hey!

08:15– if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends!

08:19Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

Category

Transcript

Recommended