10 Civilizations That Mysteriously Disappeared Without a Trace

History has shown that it is early civilizations that laid the foundation for the modern world we live in today, many of which thrived and flourished and later transformed into some of the largest empires. However, not all of them met such prosperous ends; many civilizations disappeared with seemingly no clear explanation, leaving little evidence of what happened to their people. While in many cases, internal fights or diseases brought by colonizers can explain the fall of a civilization, there are several instances where the reason behind their decline is inexplicable. This article delves into ten examples of such civilizations whose disappearance still baffles historians to this day, with the answers to the mysteries likely lost to time.

The Nabateans were a nomadic tribe who, in the 6th century BCE, migrated from Arabia to the legendary and world-famous ancient city of Petra, Jordan's most popular tourist site today. Transitioning from their Nomadic lifestyle and settling in this southern Jordanian territory – among other locations in the region –, the Nabateans created impressive sandstone structures, such as temples and tombs carved into cliffs. This was despite the presence of another tribe, the Edomites, already living in the area.

The Kingdom of Nabatea, known for economic advancements and resistance to Alexander the Great and even Roman military conquest for a while, only prospered for a few centuries before mysteriously disappearing around the 4th century AD. This raises the question: how could a civilization that built a whole empire, simply vanish into thin air? Among the many theories regarding the disappearance, one of the most intriguing suggests that the Wise Men who visited Jesus at his birth were actually Nabateans. This theory does indeed have some justifications and could explain their disappearance as the Nabateans fulfilling their purpose once Jesus was born and then vanishing. Nevertheless, one thing is certain; after the kingdom eventually fell under Roman rule, the Nabateans left their home in Petra in an organized manner. Where they've gone to, however, remains unknown.

The Garamantes were descendants of Berber tribes, among others, who settled in what is now Libya by 1000 BC and thrived there for about one and a half millennia. This ancient Black African civilization was known for its rich culture and advanced agricultural techniques; they built tunnels beneath the surface to extract water for agricultural irrigation.

No one knows for sure, however, what led to the downfall of their kingdom, but it’s possible that eventually, they could no longer sustain themselves with their environment. It is believed that after extracting over a hundred billion liters of water from the soil where they lived, they may have simply run out and would have likely required more supplies and human labor for further extraction. While this is the most widely accepted theory, the ultimate cause of the disappearance of this Saharan civilization is unknown.

Over a thousand years ago, in the 980s, Icelandic farmers built a settlement in Greenland that lasted for over 400 years, after which they mysteriously vanished, according to archeological findings, leaving no clear explanation or reason behind the disappearance. Apart from the hard evidence, legends of this Viking society also existed in European folklore, which made Greenland also a point of interest for imperialism for later centuries.

While historians and researchers have put forward several hypotheses about what might have happened to the Greenlanders, the exact reasons why they vanished, leaving behind stone buildings still intact, are beyond their comprehension. It is unclear whether the civilization died out entirely or fled elsewhere, but some of the potential explanations include rising sea levels, droughts, cooling temperatures, illnesses, environmental decline, confrontations with the Inuit, and economic challenges. In any case, by the time missionaries arrived in Greenland in the early 18th century, they found no civilization living there – only the remains of one, along with the mystery this ancient society had once left behind for future generations.

La Venta, in what is now the Mexican state of Tabasco, is an archeological site once inhabited by the Olmec civilization during the pre-contact era. In ancient times, this city was the center of the Olmec society, which fell in its entirety when La Venta was depopulated. Flourishing between 900-400 BC, the Olmecs were known for their sophisticated religious beliefs and the gigantic stone heads they created. Today, the city’s partially uncovered remnants can be seen on the site, making it significant from an archeological perspective.

Seeking answers, researchers still study the Olmec civilization, which vanished inexplicably and was taken up by the wild for hundreds of years. It was the first main civilization in Mesoamerica, giving way to other great cultures like the Maya and the Aztecs. However, when it mysteriously disappeared, it took with it most of the knowledge needed to fully understand the Olmecs and the later cultures. While there is no known cause for the depopulation, some researchers believe that negative changes in the environment, particularly damage to rivers' ecology due to agricultural activities, are the key to the puzzle.

The Dorset people lived in the Arctic region (now Canada and Greenland) from around 800 BC to 1300 AD before the ancestors of the Inuit – although it is believed that some Inuit may have been direct descendants of the Dorset.

However, as a nomadic tribe, known for being the first to build igloos, the Dorset people struggled to sustain their lifestyle when the region began to warm, as it led to significant changes in their travel and hunting routines. Around the same time, other groups, including Indians, European Norse, and the Inuit, discovered and entered Dorset territory, likely introducing diseases previously unknown to them, something that has historically caused the fall of many civilizations.

Overall, societies much more advanced probably played a role in their extinction, but the exact cause remains unknown, with only legends and speculation left behind as to why they suddenly disappeared after thousands of years.

Cahokia was a pre-historic Native American settlement, the largest of its time north of Mexico – even larger than Paris at the time, in fact. Thriving from around 1100 to 1200 along the Mississippi, near present-day St. Louis, this Mississippian culture built impressive temples, roads, and enormous dirt mounds – possibly the tallest structures in North America for centuries to come – that served different purposes, such as community hubs and burial sites.

Nevertheless, despite its impressive and flourishing society, it was rapidly deserted. Theories range from diseases and natural disasters to economic and social issues, but with no written records from the time, they remain mere speculation, and the mystery of the lost city of Cahokia is still studied today.

Thriving for nearly a millennium from the 1st to the 8th century in modern-day Peru, the Moche, a South American civilization with a rich culture, counted approximately 25,000 people. Not only were they skilled craftsmen, creating pottery, working with metal, and constructing two large temples that can still be seen today, but they were also known for their advanced agriculture and irrigation techniques.

Thanks to the artifacts found in the region they inhabited, archeologists have learned much about them – except what ultimately happened to them. Around the 6th century, an intense climate change occurred, causing significant cooling, followed by a series of natural disasters. Some researchers believe that these events – floods, droughts, and earthquakes – led to the Moche’s demise, similar to other civilizations that struggled during these challenging times worldwide.

Another potential explanation is civil wars or conflicts with other tribes. This is supported by archeological evidence of the sudden emergence of military forts and weapons around the time their civilization fell. There are many theories, but what ultimately erased the Moche from the face of the Earth is unclear.

Occupying a vast area in present-day Central America and Mexico, the Maya civilization – one of the most advanced of its time with a population of over 10 million and employing technologies we still barely understand today – fell abruptly around 950 AD. Not only is the number of Maya who died unknown, but so is the true cause of their collapse; some speculate it was starvation, while others point to draughts, climate change, diseases, overpopulation, or warfare as potential factors.

Today, the general consensus is that no single event caused the downfall of the Maya; rather, a combination of factors led to their demise. Historians have been extensively studying this once-thriving ancient civilization, whose remains still stand today. Nonetheless, despite all the theories, no definitive answer has yet been found to the mystery, and although the Maya people still live in Latin America today, how their ancestors dispersed after leaving the cities remains unclear.

The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as Anasazi, lived in the American Southwest from around 100 to 1600 AD. During their 1,500-year civilization, they built settlements high up in the mountains, defensive walls for security, and even an extensive road system – many of which still stand today.

The prosperous community, however, met a mysterious end, with their once peaceful existence suddenly giving way to aggressive rule by the local leaders for reasons unknown. This may explain the construction of defensive walls around the settlements, offering a new potential cause for their disappearance. Previously, a two-decade drought was believed to have forced them to flee, but the most mysterious aspect of all is that their belongings were still in place, suggesting that perhaps they intended to return – though why they never did might never be known.

Roanoke Island in North Carolina was one of the first English colonies in North America, established around 400 years ago by 117 middle-class Londoners. Known as “The Lost Colony”, it was inexplicably abandoned at the end of the 16th century, with the settlers vanishing without a trace. This mystery, deeply rooted in early American history, is amongst the most famous, still fascinating both historians and enthusiasts.

With only few colonists and supplies, however, a colony leader, named John White, returned to England for resources, expected back half a year later. Nevertheless, due to unexpected complications, it took him three years to return. When finally arriving, he found the settlement completely abandoned and the houses taken down, with only one clue potentially indicating where the colonists had gone; the word Croatoan, carved into a post - an island near Roanoke, also home to the Native American tribe inhabiting it. White planned to search for the lost colony but was forced to return to England when his ship was damaged, never reaching the island.

Recent archeological findings have found evidence of Roanoke colonists being present on Croatoan island indeed, possibly assimilating into the tribe, although their skeletons have never been found. Despite countless theories, some pointing to darker explanations, experts are still unsure of the true fate of the lost colony.