10 fascinating civilizations that are now extinct

Before their civilization faded to nothing, these people ruled parts of our planet.Here, is the list of 10 fascinating civilizations that are now extinct..........

# THE ANDAMAN

In 2010, the last living member of the Bo tribe died. The nation was extinct after 65,000 years on the Andaman Islands, an archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. Marco Polo nicknamed the archipelago “the land of the head-hunters.” In the 19th century, the British built the world’s biggest penal colony, where they sent their political prisoners. Today, the islands are a popular tourist destination.

# THE NABATAEANS

The famous city of Petra was the capital of Nabataea, a kingdom located in Syria and Jordan. The Nabataeans gave women many rights, including land ownership, which was quite rare at the time. The Nabataeans eventually succumbed to the Roman conquest. Petra, which had up to 20,000 inhabitants, was abandoned after being struck by a violent earthquake in 363.

# THE AKSUM KINGDOM

This empire stretched over 1.2 million square kilometres (slightly larger than Ontario) in Northern Ethiopia. Aksum was an ideal passage for commercial roads connecting the Mediterranean to India. It was the first African state to have its own currency. Its decline was due to a severe drought and land over-exploitation.

# THE MANDAN

The Mandan are a Native American people who lived in North Dakota and South Dakota. In 1738, the Mandan encountered European colonies. Fur trade was developed between the two parties. However, in 1837, a smallpox epidemic decimated the Mandan, who were then barely one hundred. In order to survive, the Mandan joined two other tribes, the Hidatsa and the Arikara. The last Mandan died in 1971.

# THE ETRUSCANS

The Etruscan people lived in the centre of what is now Italy, during several centuries BC. They mastered irrigation and commerce, and became more and more powerful. They rivalled with the Greeks, and transformed Rome into an actual city. The Romans freed themselves, however, and over three centuries, the Etruscans gave ground only to be crushed by the Romans who took their deities (Jupiter, Minerva, Hercules, etc.). Some aspects of Etruscan life remain unknown, since Etruscan scriptures remain indecipherable even today.

# THE PHOENICIANS

The Phoenician people from the Near East were able to develop commerce across the Mediterranean. Excellent navigators, the Phoenicians managed to stabilize their political regime and create coastal trading posts from Syria to Tunisia, where they founded the city of Carthage. For one thousand years BC, the Phoenicians also developed international trade, arousing the interest of neighbouring cultures. But only Alexander the Great was eventually able to take control of Phoenicia.

# THE ACHAEMENID EMPIRE

Settled in the North of what is now Iran, the Achaemenid Empire dominated an entire region of the planet a few centuries BC (560 to 330 BC). Their empire spread across a large part of the Middle East. Hardly centralist, the empire’s power gave the provinces autonomy. The empire finally succumbed to the Alexander the Great conquest.

# THE SUMERIANS

The Sumerian people are known for having invented writing and breaking the hour into sixty minutes. From 3000 to 2000 BC, the Sumerian culture developed and allowed its cities to be self-sufficient. Yet, political squabbles and an attack from the neighbouring Elamites put an end to the culture.

# THE VIKINGS

From the 8th to the 11th century, the Vikings endlessly conquered new territories in Europe. Aboard their famous longboats, they landed in England and France, on the Mediterranean coast, and perhaps even in Newfoundland. Eventually, the European kingdoms managed to drive them back to Scandinavia, where they had come from.

# THE HAUMAKAS

Easter Island, located off of Chile, had up to 2,500 inhabitants… until European colonies brought over their sicknesses and reduced the population to slavery in the 19th century. A few years later there were only 111 Haumaka people remaining – eight times fewer than the famous moai statues whose fabrication remained a mystery for a long time.

Source:MSN

loading...