The first species of human ancestors inhabited the planet millions of years ago. Humanity as we know it is made up of the species Homo sapiensas most people know, and emerged between 400,000 and 100,000 years ago.
However, what few people know, or at least don’t remember, is that the true “evolution” of humanity took place from the moment when human beings stopped being nomads and started to establish villages, and consequently societies.
However, as we well know, not all civilizations have survived over the millennia to the present day. After all, there have been many wars, disputes and plagues that have ended up decimating many societies that once existed, leaving behind only a few signs of their passage through the Earth.
5 Ancient Civilizations That Were Almost Forgotten
The list below contains some of the societies that were almost forgotten by humanity, or that have only now been discovered by scientists. Check them out:
Nabataeans
Few people know about the Nabataeans, but many people have heard about their capital, the city of Petra. These people are considered by many to be direct ancestors of the Arab peoples. Their location is considered to be comprised of the countries of Jordan and Israel, and they lived around two centuries AD.
Sanxingdui
In contrast to the previous item, very little is known about the Sanxingdui civilization – which lived in the current city of Guanghan, China. There are almost no traces of this ancient civilization, however, through findings such as bronze figures and some relics made of precious metals and jewelry, it is estimated that this civilization lived around the 11th to 12th centuries BC.
Caral
This is a closer example for Brazilians, as it is a civilization that lived next to us, in the Andes Mountains, precisely where Peru is today. However, they did not come across the Incas, as they came a little before them.
This civilization had great development in agriculture, trade and education. This is because there are traces that they had great knowledge in the fields of astronomy and mathematics. Although their existence was discovered only a few years ago, this civilization lived around 3,000 to 1,800 years BC.
Aksum or Axum
The kingdom of Aksum, or Axum, is considered to belong to the region that today makes up the country of Ethiopia. They are mainly known for being traders with India and other Mediterranean kingdoms of the time.
However, these people did not resist the rise of Islam, and especially the fall of Rome. Thus, they lived around the 1st to 7th centuries AD.
Cucuteni
The culture that dominated the region that today comprises countries such as Moldova, Ukraine and Romania was known as Cucuteni or Trypillia. This culture is considered by some historians to be the one that founded the first European civilizations.
Most of the remains found today are figures, tools and sculptures made of ceramics, therefore, these are considered to be the main elements of this society. Therefore, from what is currently known, this culture existed for at least a millennium, estimated to have existed between 4,500 and 3,000 BC.
