We continue to consider an interesting book of the 18th century called "Hydraulic architecture, or the art of diverting, raising and controlling the waters for the various needs of life" (Architecture hydraulique, ou, L'art de conduire, d'elever et de menager les eaux pour les differens besoins de la vie), 1737. In the 1st part of the article, 3 volumes of this book were considered. Last, 4th volume dedicated to the art of building ports, and everything related to their maintenance and defense: forts, lighthouses, locks, drawbridges. But we will start by looking at the ancient ports.
antique ports
1 Plan ancient port Carthage in Africa, 2 Plan of the ancient port of New Carthage 3 Plan of the ancient port of Alexandria in Egypt, 4 Plan of the ancient port of Athens (today Fetin).
Carthage
This is what a modern port looks like Carthage:
It does not seem to look like an old port at all, but the size of the water area is about the same. If you believe the scale ancient plan, 500 toises on which are equal to 1 km. Then the bay in which he was old port, has about 7-8 km in diameter (the new port - 5x10 km - measured in the Planet-Earth program), the island in the middle, on which the city was located, is approximately 4x5 km. The military port (Port des galeries) was located separately from the commercial port (Port Marchand). But the entrance to the military port was carried out through the trade. Description of the port of Carthage given in this book:
“An arsenal was located on the island of Cohon navy; its perimeter was approximately 4000 toises (8 km), lined with the most beautiful stones, the eastern side consisted of vaulted niches capable of sheltering from the heat of the sun 220 of the most powerful ships that were then manufactured. The entrances to these niches were adorned with rich marble columns of the Ionian order, and at the end were warehouses for rigging and everything that was needed by the crews of each ship. Two excellent porticos terminated this island at either end; its perimeter, bordered by splendid wharves, included buildings intended to house the officers of the fleet; schools where pilots and other students in charge of maneuvering were trained. (and maneuvering in a confined space in the presence of a large number of ships, using only the power of the wind and sail (?), I think it was very difficult - approx. mine). There were also docks for the repair of the underwater part of the ship and shipyards for the construction and conversion of ships; in a word, every comfort imaginable. In the middle of this island was the admiral's palace, so elevated that he could see from his house everything that passed in and out of the two ports. The same splendor was observed in the trading port, which had to be passed in order to enter the port of warships; its entrance was closed by two large piers, at the ends of which there were 4-storey towers, and the distance between them for the passage of ships into the harbor was only 20 tauzes (40m). Lighthouses were placed on the tops of the towers.
This is how the place, which is now believed to have been the port of Carthage and its reconstruction, looks like:
This place is located 2.5 km north of the modern port of Carthage. My opinion: it does not fit the description of the ancient port of Carthage, if only because it is small - the diameter of the water circle is only 300 meters, and the diameter of the central island is -130 m. It could not accommodate everything that is present in the description. It was probably a harbor, but built later. On the same principle as Old Carthage, only in a very reduced version.
New Carthage
Now Cartagena is located in southern Spain. The Romans called it the new Carthage because it was founded by the Carthaginians. At the time of writing, some ports have already been reconfigured. For example, New Carthage, during its conquest by the Roman commander Scipio in 209 BC, was located on a peninsula connected to the land by a narrow isthmus. Perhaps this island was artificial? And, apparently, it was built on the principle of the old Carthage.
Manuel de la Cruz: View of Cartagena, 1786, oil on canvas, Madrid, Moncloa Palace Now this port looks completely different than in ancient times:
Modern view of the port of Cartagena Alexandria
This is how the book describes the founding of Alexandria:
"The Carthaginian Republic was in the very high point power when Alexander the Great, after the siege of Tyre, laid the foundations of Alexandria in 332 BC. This prince, wandering along the shores of Egypt to the western branch of the Nile, noticed between the island of Pharos and Lake Mareyskoe (Mareotida - my note), a place most suitable for realizing the project that he conceived for the construction of a city worthy of bearing his name.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the Ptolemy ( dynasty of rulers of Egypt in the IV-I centuries BC. e. - in the era of Hellenism - approx. my), having Egypt at their disposal, used everything possible to increase the initial glory of Alexandria: the one who was called Philadelphus (king of Egypt in 285-246 BC), has made the greatest contribution to enriching it with the works necessary to make it the greatest port in the world. He succeeded in attaching the island of Pharos to the mainland by a great causeway, dividing the bay into two separate harbors, connected by passages made in the causeway and covered by two bridges, each of which was supported by a fortress. Erected in the sea, on a foundation that, like the foundation of a dam, was over 36 feet (11 m) deep. The eastern entrance to the harbor was difficult due to the rocky stretch of coast. But on the eastern cape there was a famous lighthouse, which not only illuminated, but also protected access to the port.
This excellent building, worthy of being placed among the seven wonders of the world, was executed under the direction of Sostratus, the most skillful architect of his time; its square base, each side of which was 104 toises (208m) long, on the first floor of this magnificent building was the garrison; in the middle was raised a tower of eight stories, each of which receded into a gallery, splendidly decorated, lined with square slabs of white marble of great size. At night, on the top of this tower, elevated 75 fathoms (160m), there was a great fire visible in the sea for 300 stadia, that is, at a distance of about 20 leagues (96 km).
It's a pity there is no description of what served as the source of the fire? And the description of the lighthouse differs from the modern one both in size and in appearance. This is a modern representation of what the Lighthouse of Alexandria looked like:
Reconstruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria Athens
The old plan incorrectly shows that the port of Piraeus was located near Athens. In fact, they are 8.5 km apart. This is better shown in another diagram:
Map of Piraeus and Athens: the port, consisting of three naturally isolated bays, is connected to the city by a road protected by the Long Walls, a double wall of about 10 km. It is believed that these walls were built in the 5th century BC. to protect the passage from the port to the city of Athens. Subsequently, they were destroyed and rebuilt again. A small section of this wall has survived to this day:
Thanks to such a wall, clearing the road connecting the city to the port, the citizens could withstand long sieges from land, being able to supply food and other goods by sea.
Modern view of the port of Piraeus syracuse
1 Syracuse port plan, 2 Rhodes port plan, 3 Genoa port plan, 4 Messina port plan Sicily, according to the author, is the most favorable island in the Mediterranean Sea for the construction of ports. The most beautiful of these ports was in Syracuse, the capital of Sicily, and had an amazing triple guard, more than 8 leagues in circumference (38.5 km).
aerial view of Ortigia island in Siracusa, Sicily, Italy They loved the ancient number "three". The next considered port on the island of Rhodes also had a triple fortification:
“In former times, the harbor of Rhodes was surrounded three rows of fortifications, with extremely high towers, and with a deep moat at the foot of each ring. The first ring surrounded the city behind the port, and rested on a military arsenal enclosed in a fortress, which includes a citadel. The second ring included everything, and the third was built in such a way as to protect the entrance to the harbor from the flanks.
I think that many have heard of the Colossus of Rhodes - one of the 7 wonders of the world, built or erected in 280 BC. But for some reason, modern sources are silent about the fact that it was not only a giant statue, but also a lighthouse. Here is what is written about him in this book:
“The passage to the inner harbor was between the legs of the colossus, which served as a lighthouse. The colossus was so large that ships passed between its legs with their sails raised. It was planted on the platforms of two towers, each of which was based on a rock. This colossus, which was a statue of Apollo 120 feet high (36.6m or about a 12-storey building - my note), held in one hand a scepter, and in the other hand raised up, a hearth, which gave a large flame that served to illuminate at night. To keep the light of this lantern, a ladder was located inside the colossus. The entrance to the inside of the statue was in the sole of the foot. It is said that the Rhodians erected it in honor of Apollo, shortly after Demetrius lifted the siege of the city. It was the first of the seven wonders of the world, the work of the sculptor Chares, a student of the famous Lysippus, who took 12 years to build it.
The Saracens, having captured the island of Rhodes in 653, found this colossus lying near the harbor for a long time, destroyed by an earthquake. They sold it to a Jew who cut it into pieces and collected 7,200 centners of metal (720 tons); it cost three hundred talents, or 1,500,000 livres of black coin."
engraving depicting a colossus from a geographical dictionary with a source of fire in his hand I wonder what they used as a light source? Is it wood? Or Greek fire? The author of the book, unfortunately, does not write about this. Or I could not find this description in the text. Greek fire (or liquid fire) is a combustible mixture used for military purposes during the Middle Ages. The first prototype of this fire just appeared during the defense of the island of Rhodes in 190. BC. (90 years later than the construction of the colossus lighthouse). It was a mixture of crude oil, sulfur and oil. (information taken from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907).
modern view of Rhodes Now deer stand in place of the colossus. Weak to make a reconstruction of a giant statue?
Rhodes. Walls of the old fortress 
Modern view of Rhodes Are these walls really about 2.5 thousand years old?
Sunken cities of the Mediterranean and Black Seas
I will make a small digression in my story, since there is one interesting point regarding all the ports located on the Mediterranean Sea and the water areas connected to them. Actually, this is the entire world ocean, by and large? But we will not cover it so broadly, here at least to understand the place. Everyone understands that the port can only be at the water level. Since he is directly related to it, and his visitors - ships, do not know how to fly through the air or climb stairs. True, they can overcome a certain height with the help of locks or special devices, but seaports, as a rule, are at sea level. And if the sea level rises, then it rises by one amount over the entire area of the water surface. And, accordingly, the shore goes under water by the same amount. And, in theory, all ports should be under water after that? All ports built BEFORE the water level rose. Such a rise in water in the Mediterranean, and, accordingly, in the Black and Seas of Azov, It was. Now researchers are finding the ruins of cities lying under water along the coast of Italy, Greece and on the opposite side of the Mediterranean Sea.
The flooded city of Pavlopetri, Greece 
The flooded city of Bailly, Bay of Naples, Italy Partially flooded Alexandria, located on the opposite side:
And the city of Heraklion, located not far from it. Now it lies two and a half kilometers from the coast under a 10-meter water column.
The ancient city of Acre is considered the Crimean Atlantis:
It was first mentioned in the 4th century BC. And it is believed that the city was completely flooded in the 3rd century AD. The reason for the flooding of the city, as well as other flooded cities, is considered to be an earthquake, as a result of which the coast sank under water. Those. not the water rose, but the land sank. This may explain the fact that not all ancient Mediterranean and Black Sea ports are now under water, but only some of them. Another option: there was a rise in the water level, and all the ports that have survived to this day were built later.
A large study of the sunken cities of the Black Sea in article series Elena Topsida
Atlantis
Speaking of sunken cities. Found an interesting reconstruction of the capital of Atlantis according to Plato's description:
According to him, this capital was located in a place created by the god Poseidon for his earthly beloved:
“When the girl has already reached marriageable age, and her mother and father have died, Poseidon, inflamed with lust, unites with her; he strengthens the hill on which she lived, separating it from the island in a circle and enclosing it alternately with water and earthen rings (there were two earthen, and three water rings) of increasing diameter, drawn like a compass from the middle of the island and at an equal distance from each other. friend."
After many centuries, when the beloved of Poseidon had already died, her numerous descendants transformed the place in which their Ancestor lived into their capital:
“First of all, they threw bridges over the water rings that surrounded the ancient metropolis, building a path from the capital and back to it. ... From the sea, they drew a channel 96 m wide and 30 m deep, and 50 stadia (9.6 km) long up to the last of the water rings: so they created access from the sea to this ring, as if to a harbor, having prepared a sufficient passage even for the largest ships. As for the earthen rings that separated the water rings, near the bridges they dug canals of such a width that one trireme could pass from one water ring to another. From above, they laid ceilings, under which swimming was to be carried out: the height of the earthen rings above the surface of the sea was sufficient for this. The largest water ring in circumference, with which the sea was directly connected, was 3 stages wide (576 m), and the earthen ring following it was equal in width to it; of the next two rings, the water one was 2 stages (384 m) wide and the earth one was again equal to the water one; finally, the water ring that encircled the island located in the middle was a stadia wide (192m).
This description is interesting in that it repeats the basic principles of the ancient Mediterranean ports and star-fortresses: the alternation of three rings of water with two rings of earth, and a long canal or road (in the case of Athens) connecting the seashore with the city. Were these ports and fortresses built on the principle of the capital of Atlantis? Or were they built at the same time? And Atlantis plunged not at all 9000 BC, but at the same time when Alexandria, Heraklion, Bayi, Pavlopetri and the ancient cities of the Black Sea coast? Or were they simply built according to the same principle, now unknown to us?
Fortress of Lille, France The same three water rings and two earthen ones, only not round, but star-shaped.
We return to our ports.
Genoa
From the description in the book it follows that in 206 BC. this city already existed and prospered, which does not coincide with official version. But personally, I got used to it a long time ago.
“At the time when the Romans completed the conquest of Italy, Genoa, one of the oldest cities in Liguria, was already beautiful and flourishing. It was in his port that the Carthaginian general Magon approached in the year of Rome 548 (206 BC - my note) with a fleet of 30 warships and a large number of transport ships laden with warriors who joined the Gauls against their common enemies. This port, now more prosperous and prosperous than ever, is formed by a bay that faces south and is protected by a protruding promontory on the east side. What led to the appearance of the navy among the first inhabitants of Genoa, since in this place the ships were protected from transverse winds.
About Liguria from the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron:
“The name of Liguria comes from the once powerful pre-Indo-European people of the Ligures, whose sphere of influence in prehistoric times reached the north of Europe, until the Celts forced them back to the Mediterranean coast, where they were from. The ancestor of the Ligures was the archaeological culture of vessels with a square neck. Under the Romans, the Ligurians were assimilated fairly quickly.
The peoples of Italy in the VI century BC. e. In general, the Lirugs are a people who lived in Italy before the arrival of the Romans. Just like the Etruscans and Illyrians. The question of who the Etruscans and Illyrians were and where the Romans and Greeks came from, who forced them out of these territories, is too big to be considered in this article. The port of Genoa, in my opinion, has not changed much since those prehistoric times:
Port of Genoa, modern view Messina
Description of the port of Messina:
“Among the other ports of Sicily, Messina seems to merit special attention for its position on the strait called the Lighthouse of Messina, so formidable in because of the fury of its currents, underwater reefs and deeps, which were called the ancient Scylla and Charybdis, located at their northern entrance, whose passage is so dangerous that when the ships are blown away by the force of the current or the wind, they have no chance of salvation.
If we consider the port of Messina, we cannot deny that it is indeed admirable; it is protected on the east side by a peninsula or promontory, at the end of which is the castle of San Salvador, which protects the entrance, along with batteries, not to mention the citadel, built recently, which inspires respect from all sides. This port, which stretches along the city, is almost 1,500 tuazes (3 km) long and wide, and is in excellent condition.”
Modern view of the port of Messina There is nothing left of the fortress of the star and the tower; from the castle of San Salvador there is a wall with a column, obviously built in our time:
Between Scylla and Charybdis or the Hypeborean whirlpool
It is believed that the expression "To pass between Scylla and Charybdis" means to pass between two mythical monsters, one of which personifies a rock, the other a whirlpool:
Mythical monsters, mythical Hyperborea. What do they have in common? And the common thing is the Rock and the Whirlpool. Remember the description from the Mercator map:
“There was an unknown country, which consisted of four main islands, located in a circle around the Pole. Four large inward-flowing rivers connected the world's oceans with inland sea, in which, exactly at the point of the pole, a large black rock protruded, having a circumference of 33 nautical miles, and almost reached the sky: the Black Rock. This rock was magnetic, which explains why all compasses point north. Due to the inward speed of the flowing water, a great gyre or vortex formed around the rocky island, in which the water eventually disappeared into the depths of the earth."
Perhaps something similar to what the authors of the film tried to portray " star Wars outcast one":
My assumption is that the entire mainland of Hyperborea was an artificial structure. And, perhaps, this installation in the center of the mainland contributed to the creation of a favorable climate on the mainland, and maybe on the entire planet? Gulf Stream - is not it an echo? And the myth of Scylla and Charybdis is a description of this setting?
But besides the Gulf Stream, there are also local whirlpools in the oceans. They are shown in this diagram:
M2 tide, tide height shown in color. White lines are cotidal lines with a phase interval of 30°. Amphidromic points are dark blue areas where white lines converge. Arrows around these points show the direction of "running around". Officially, they are not called whirlpools, but amphidromic points. But we read what these points are:
The amphidromic point is the point in the ocean where the amplitude of the tidal wave is zero. The height of the tide increases with distance from the amphidromic point. Sometimes these points are called the nodes of the tides: the tidal wave "runs" around this point clockwise or counterclockwise. Cotidal lines converge at these points.
Some whirlpools spin clockwise, others counter-clockwise. They always move at the same speed and make 1 complete revolution in 12 hours 25 minutes, i.e. about 2 times a day. It is believed that this is due to the rotation of the moon around the earth.
And if the Mediterranean ports had the complexity of their device, then the ports of the Atlantic coast of France had (and still have) complexity many times greater. Look at the diagram of whirlpools. The tide in the Mediterranean Sea is practically absent, while off the coast of France it reaches 12 meters in some places. I already wrote about this in the 1st part, describing the complexity of the Dunkirk port device.
Ports of the west coast of France
1 La Hogue port project, 2 Cherbourg port project, 3 Granville, including the port and inland harbor project to be formed there 
Modern view of the port of La Hogue You can clearly see the areas going under the water during high tide.
Modern view of the port of Cherbourg Almost nothing remains of the old port here. Round forts at the ends of the mole were built in the middle of the 19th century. But one of them was destroyed during the 2nd World War:
Fort de l'Est (eastern end of the long sea wall), dilapidated during World War II The second one is alive
Fort de l'West (western end of the long sea wall) 
Modern view of the port of Granville That's all for now. See you again.
In the design of this article, an illustration of the siege of Carthage from computer game « total war rome 2"
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Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, as well as an important economic, industrial and cultural center of the country. The city is located in the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula, 270 km north of Lisbon, at the mouth of the Douro River and just a few kilometers from Atlantic Ocean. Porto is often referred to as the "northern capital" of Portugal.
Ancient times
The history of modern Porto dates back to ancient times, when the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by the Romans, and has more than two thousand years. In those days, the city was called Portus Kale and was a fairly large trading port of the empire.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Suebi dominated Porto, and from 585 the Visigoths. In 711, during the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, Porto was one of the first to be captured by the Moors. In 868, the commander and vassal of the King of Asturias Alfonso III the Great Vimar Peres set off to reconquer the lands occupied by the Moors. After the liberation of the area between the Minho and Douro rivers (including the city of Porto), with the permission of Alfonso III Vimar Peres, he founded and headed the county of Condado de Portucale here, from which the name "Portugal" subsequently came.
Middle Ages
In 1387, the marriage of the King of Portugal, João I, and the daughter of the English Duke John of Gaunt, Philippa of Lancaster, took place in Porto. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, which is still active today, is the oldest military alliance in world history.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Porto became one of the largest shipbuilding centers in Portugal. At the beginning of the 15th century, on the initiative of the Portuguese Infante Henry the Navigator (son of King John I), a series of expeditions were organized from Porto to the south along the West African coast, which, in fact, laid the foundations of the maritime and colonial power of Portugal, and also marked the beginning of the era of the “Great geographical discoveries».
new time
In 1809, Porto was thoroughly damaged during the invasion of Napoleon Bonaparte's troops in Portugal, and already in 1820 it became one of the centers of the Portuguese Revolution, which led to the adoption of a liberal constitution in 1822 and subsequent civil wars between the adherents of absolute and constitutional monarchies. The city played an important role in the 1910 revolution that abolished the monarchy, as well as in the 1974 revolution, which resulted in the final formation of democracy in Portugal.
In 1996 history Center Porto has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Porto is one of the most colorful cities in Europe, the architectural appearance of which so harmoniously combines various styles - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassic and Art Nouveau.
Updated: 30 June 2018On the western coast of Crete is the amazing archaeological treasure of Falasarna - an ancient port, the only one in the world and unique in its kind. This place takes us back centuries to a long-lost culture that left behind many mysteries and traces of its existence. Combination of unique natural phenomena associated with the rise and fall of the sea level in the western part of Crete, as well as the strongest devastating earthquake in 365 AD, created an artificial harbor and raised the land from the sea, revealing the treasures of a great civilization that flourished during the time of Alexander the Great.
Archaeologist Elpida Hadzidaki spent 20 years of her life researching and excavating ancient Falasarna so that we could see the ancient Acropolis, two cemeteries and the ancient port.
The uniqueness of the ancient port of Falasarna
The artificial harbor of ancient Falasarna was built in the 4th century BC. during the time of Alexander the Great according to a technique that combines Phoenician and ancient Greek shipbuilding technologies.
One of the most powerful earthquakes in the history of the Earth, which occurred in 365 AD. e. led to the disappearance of Falasarna and its culture, but left a unique legacy for contemporaries. The uplift of the western part of the island of Crete led to a change in underwater infrastructure, brought port facilities to land, which allowed archaeologists to explore the bottom of the sea ... on land.
Two years ago, a large part of the ancient embankment was discovered, which is perfectly preserved. Even the mooring places of triremes (warships) with traces of ropes have been preserved, and there are no analogues to such finds anywhere else in the world.
Various structures for flood protection and traces were also found, which indicate that there was a flood on Falasarna earlier, and people were looking for ways to protect themselves from natural disasters.
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Falasarna
Falasarna has been inhabited since the Neolithic and pre-Minoan times. Many people here were destroyed in the era Bronze Age during earthquakes, so the frightened inhabitants left Falasarna for 2000 years. Then, around the 8th - 7th century BC, the Dorians from Laconia came to Falasarna and began building a new settlement on the old ruins.
A state functioning in a normal legal regime and having a political system was created, which became the impetus for the development of a progressively developing society. Falasarna was one of the first cities to have laws engraved in stone and placed in temples (especially at the beginning of the era). The state had a Doric system of government like in Sparta, but without a king. There were no kings, there were rulers, a senate, a popular assembly and slaves. In general, there was a democratic system, as was at that time in Athens, Sparta and other Greek cities.
The main economic direction of Falasarna was sea routes thanks to which it was an international shopping center with broad economic and cultural ties with the peoples of the East.
At the excavation site in Falasarna, many coins were found from various ancient cities of Crete, such as Kydonia, Polyrinia, Eleftherna, Aptera, and also from Sicily. Which means that there was a trade and exchange of products. Vessels from Egypt, with which trade relations developed, were also found.
The naval superiority of Falasarna was so great that she controlled the entire coast of the western part of the island of Crete from Cape Krios to the island of Andikitira. Falasarna flourished from the 4th century BC, when Persian gold began to infiltrate the Greek world to stop Alexander the Great's advance against King Darius and his empire. In Falasarna, with the money received from the Persians, they began to increase the height of the city walls and erect military buildings.
One of the sources of income for the city - the state of Falasarna, was piracy and the organized slave trade, which in turn provoked the wrath of Rome. Falasarna was first destroyed by the Romans in 67 BC. during the famous expedition of the Great Pompey against pirates from Cilicia (in ancient times, the southeastern region of Asia Minor), as well as during the military operation of the commander Quintus Caecilius Metellus against the Cretan cities.
An analysis of the data obtained during the excavations shows that after the destruction caused by the Romans, there were two major natural disasters in Falasarna. According to stratigraphic data, the first disaster occurred in 66 AD, it was a tsunami from a strong earthquake. The second and last blow to Falasarna was caused by the largest earthquake in the history of mankind in 365 AD, when the western part of the island of Crete rose from the depths of the sea by 6.5 meters in a few seconds, after which, a huge tsunami covered the port with tons of mud and sea deposits for 1600 years.
A glorious civilization that flourished for 300 years is lost and still buried underground in Falasarna, waiting to rise to the surface again centuries later.
The age of the port, according to scientists, is 4600 years. Cheops, also known as Khufu, reigned from 2580 to 2550 BC. The harbor was built 180 kilometers south of Suez, in the foothills of the desert mountains.
The port was found near a huge papyri archive, which is the oldest known to date. These papyri describe the process of building a port that was used by King Cheops to bring in the materials needed to build the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Because the port is located far from Giza, most likely it served for the supply of relatively light copper and minerals used for making tools. And the tools have already been used to build the pyramid.
According to the head of the excavations, Professor Pierre Tallet of the Sorbonne, the very fact of the existence of this harbor gives us an idea of the effectiveness of management and its (Cheops) ability to organize very complex logistics operations almost five thousand years ago.
Archaeologists, in particular, found 22 ship's anchors covered with limestone in the mooring area, which probably fell from ships, since no signs of wrecks were found. Several large vessels for storing various things were found next to the anchors, as well as pottery kilns. Near the pier, scientists found the remains of large stone structures 30 meters long and 8 to 12 meters wide.
Talle believes that these were the administrative centers that coordinated the operation of the port, and were also used to store materials and food for the miners working in the Sinai. Well, and as a kind of hotel for sailors.
Between two of these structures, archaeologists found a cache of 99 stone anchors, some of which are still with ropes. A significant number have inscriptions in red ink with the name of the vessel. This is really an impressive level of organization for that time.
Tiwanaku, or Tiaguanaco - the ruins of the mysterious ancient city, which is located in the Andes at an altitude of about 4000 meters. This place is located 19 kilometers from the beautiful lake South America- Titicaca. With him, as scientists believe, the secrets of this ancient Indian city are connected. However, is it Indian? But first things first. Let's start with the lake.
Titicaca is a very beautiful freshwater lake with an area of 8,370 sq. km. (For comparison, the area of Lake Onega is 9,700 sq. km.). It is located on the Altiplano plateau on the border of Peru and Bolivia at an altitude of 3800 meters and is even navigable. Geologists have found very Interesting Facts from the life of this lake. It turns out that in the past this territory was located much lower, and the lake was a sea bay. This is evidenced by traces of the sea surf on the rocky shores, as well as the unusual fauna of the reservoir. Alpine freshwater lake, located 250 kilometers from Pacific Ocean and not connected with it through rivers, inhabited mainly by marine species of fish and crustaceans. Researchers suggest that in the past a terrible geological catastrophe occurred here, which caused a sharp rise in this piece of land. In the mythology of the Incas, there are also legends about this, telling about a terrible flood that hit the world.
In the photo: panorama of the Kalasasaya temple in Tiwanaku This is evidenced by the remains of the city of Tiwanaku, which, according to researchers, was previously a major seaport and was located on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The terrible catastrophe that happened is also evidenced by the remains of people found along with household items, fragments of buildings and other objects that are not at all typical for traditional burials. And a number of city buildings resembles a sea embankment. This city was the center of the Andean civilization of the same name. What remains of it raises more questions from researchers than it answers. The time of construction of the ancient structure is not exactly determined, and inside the city there are buildings of different ages. In all likelihood, the city was built, completed and rebuilt for more than one millennium. Some researchers believe that the most ancient parts of Tiwanaku were built in 200 BC, and later structures date back to 600-1000 AD.
In the photo: Gate of the Sun
Older buildings differ markedly from the newest structures. These are, for example, the Gate of the Sun and the Kalasasaya Temple. They are composed of gigantic slabs with perfectly even edges, which fit together with amazing precision. Many researchers doubt that all this was built by the civilization of the Indians. Most likely, these are the ancient remains of a city of a more highly developed, unknown science civilization. And the Indians who came here simply used the preserved foundations and sections of buildings, eventually completing them.
The fact that Tiwanaku and Lake Titicaca are closely related is also evidenced by a relatively recent find at the bottom of the lake. In 2000, an underwater temple was discovered here, to which stone steps lead, and its age dates back to about 500 AD. Moreover, the steps lead to a high-mountain trail on land. The temple has dimensions of 50 by 200 meters, and there is an agricultural terrace near it. The location of the temple at the bottom of the lake also raises a lot of questions and has not yet found an intelligible explanation.
In the photo: the wall of the Kalasasaya temple, lined with perfectly even blocks The ruins of the city of Tiwanaku are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Research into Lake Titicaca and its associated ancient city continues. And there is no doubt that a lot of interesting things related to the ancient civilizations of our planet will be found here.
