Forgotten Ancient Civilisations Of The World

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History remains a witness to so many lost as well as existing civilisations. There have been millions of civilisations which had flourished during the time immemorial and then just vanished into the sands of time. We do know about a lot of these civilisations which reached their zenith in terms of art, culture, administration and other forms of civilisation. In fact these old and lost civilisations hold so many unknown secrets within its ruins. But unfortunately we have been unable to decipher the secrets.

Some of these forgotten civilisations were mighty kingdoms in those times. For most of us, ancient history means only Egypt, Rome and Greece. Rest of the world is like engulfed in the darkness. But the truth remains that there were some mightier kingdoms than these three which have been lost in time. Very few of us actually know about these mighty civilisations of which now only the ruins are left.

Let us have a look at these forgotten civilisations of the world:

Aksum

The Ethiopian kingdom of reality, Aksum has been the centre of countless legends. Famous as the lost kingdom of the Queen of Sheba and the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, Aksum was an international trading power. With the rise and expansion of Islam, the Aksumite empire was gradually lost in time.

Kush

This ancient kingdom was known for its abundance of gold and other natural resources. The kingdom of Kush boasted of a highly stratified and urban society supported by large scale agriculture. An interesting fact about this civilisation is that the Kush rulers conquered Egypt in 750 B.C. and ruled for over a century. This civilisation swept off by the Assyrian invasion. Nothing much is known about its end because its script remains an undecipherable mystery.

Yam

It was a trading partner and a possible rival of the Egyptian kingdom. According to the descriptions of the Egyptian explorer Harkhuf, Yam was the land of incense, ebony, leopard skins, elephant tusks and boomerangs. This clearly indicates that Yam was a prosperous kingdom. Hieroglyphs show that Yam existed about 700 kilometers south west of Egypt. This means the Egyptians had to cross several hundred miles to establish trade relations with Yam.

The Mitanni Kingdom

The Mitanni state existed around 1500-1200 BC. The kingdom consisted of the area around the modern Syria and northern Iraq. Sources say that the famous Egyptian queen Nefertiti was born a Mitannian and was married to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Interestingly the Mitannian culture exhibits the ancient Indian influence. They believed in the concepts of Karma, reincarnation and cremation. This makes the link between Mitanni and Egypt even more intriguing.

Tuwana

The kingdom of Tuwana flourished in the Turkey region. It had significant amount of wealth and possessed great cultural riches. The kingdom used an hieroglyphic language known as the Luwian and later adopted the alphabetical Phoenician script. There is also a possibility that Tuwana may have been the origin of the Greek alphabet.

Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta Maurya is a famous name in history. It would not be wrong to say that he was the Alexander of India. The Mauryan empire under the leadership of Chandragupta had a carefully planned bureaucracy and government. Chandragupta personally defeated many Macedonian generals like Seleucus Nicator. After his death, the kingdom gradually became weak. His grandson, Ashoka's death was the final blow for this mighty kingdom.