12 Newly Discovered Ancient Cities

5 - The Lost City of Heracleion 

In 2000, French underwater archaeologist, Franck Goddio, was searching for 18-century warships in Abu Qir Bay, near the canopic mouth of the Nile river, approximately ten meters beneath the waves, when a giant stone face emerged. The face belonged to a massive stone statue of Thonis-Heracleion, completely submerged, around six and a half kilometres off the Egyptian city of Alexandria's coastline. Franck also discovered 64 ships, 700 anchors, gold coins, more statues, some which towered 16 feet high, ruins of temples and several sarcophagi. The ancient city appeared to contain networks of canals, small sanctuaries and many forgotten dwellings. Archaeologists believe Heracleion City may have beginnings dating to 12th century BC, but vanished beneath the Mediterranean Sea sometime around the 3rd of 2nd century AD, though no one knows why. 

4 - Urkesh 

The city Urkesh flourished between 4,000 and 1,300 BC, the kingdom controlled trade routes between Syria and Mesopotamia, as well as the highlands copper mines. The rich and powerful city was home to the Hurrian civilisation. In mythological texts, this metropolis was called, Home to the Primordial God. Other than that, historians know practically nothing about this ancient Arab civilisation. In the 1980s, Tell Mozan was discovered, a towering mound which hid an ancient palace, temple and open plaza. A decade later, further excavations uncovered a royal palace with Hurrian written scriptures, as well as a flight of descending stairs and an underground shaft believed to be the Urkesh Passage to the Netherworld. Leading researchers to conclude that Tell Mozan, was actually, the lost, buried city of Urkesh. 

3 - The Akkadian Empire 

About 28 miles from Dohuk Iraq, researchers have discovered evidence of a Bronze-Age City, which dates back to around 3,000 BC. This ancient city is believed to have thrived for over a millennium, the walls date back to approximately 2,700 BC. Pieces of tablets, which are said to be from around 1,300 BC, were also discovered on site, the tablet fragments have led to implications that this place once housed a temple to the Mesopotamian weather God Adad. Roads and ruins of a palatial building left over from the Bronze Age, roughly 1,800 BC have also been unearthed here. All of this evidence, as well as a statue of a God-king, named Naram-Sin, point to this ancient city having once belonged to the Akkadian Empire which dates to the years 2340 to 2200 BC.   

2 - Helike

The legend goes, that a confederation of 12 cities once flourished in ancient Greece, the Achaean League, its leader, the city Helike. One night in 373 BC, the metropolis was obliterated, some believe a massive earthquake followed by a tsunami from the Gulf of Corinth wiped the cities from the face of the Earth. The rescue party found no survivors, over time, the location was lost entirely. In the early 19th century speculations of this ancient Greek city began. Researchers speculated that the base could be buried near Achaea, by the Peloponnesian peninsula. In 2001, excavations for the ancient theorised city gathered steam as ruins of columns began to take shape beneath the layers of Earth. Finally, in 2012, the destruction layer and many ancient artefacts were uncovered, which has led many to believe, that this site, is indeed, the remains of the ancient city of Helike.  

1 - The Lowland Hundred

This kingdom of legend from ancient Wales is believed to have stood from the sixth century through the 17th century, before vanishing without a trace. The stories say, that the land was submerged under water when Mererid, a priestess of a fairy-well grew angry at the ruler, and caused the water from the well to overflow, sinking the kingdom into memory. A few decades ago, the emergence of prehistoric forests during some stormy weather in Cardigan Bay West Wales, led to the possibility that this kingdom was more than legend. Further investigations revealed a wattle walkway with associated posts, fossilised human and animal footprints, as well as some ancient tools. Researchers continue to search for the remainder of this primordial Welsh World, the remnants are believed to be buried under the Cardigan Bay waters, between Ramsey Island and Bardsey Island.