Are they extinct civilizations?

Anthropology
Introduction

• Throughout the course of human history, great civilizations have been built, thrived, and
declined. Many of these have been well documented by historians, and later civilizations
have been able to track their rise and fall. But some seem to have suddenly disappeared.
Some civilizations left clues as to what caused their demise, while the loss of others
remains a mystery.
Why does a Civilization go extinct?

• Famine

• Disease

• War/ Colonialism

• Climate Change

• Instant disappearing
The maya
• At its height, the Maya empire extended
throughout the Yucatán Peninsula, modern-day
Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Mexico, making
it one of the most dominant civilizations of its
time. The Maya were quite advanced,
demonstrating remarkable engineering skills and
employing complex mathematics. The
civilization appeared unable to sustain itself and
experienced a dramatic decline about 900 CE.
Archeologists now believe that the Maya were
victims of ongoing war coupled with climate
change that resulted in famine, forcing an exodus
from their largest cities. Decimation of the
countryside, resulting in diminishing resources,
may also have played a role.
The Khmer
empire
• On the other side of the world, the Khmer
empire had spread across modern-day
Cambodia. Angkor was one of the
civilization’s largest cities, with an
extensive system of roads and canals and
an estimated population of as many as one
million people. The Khmer empire was at
its height between 1000 and 1200 CE, and
experts are unsure what caused the
civilization to disappear, leaving its cities
at the mercy of the relentless jungle.
Theories range from war to environmental
catastrophe.
 • The Indus civilization, also known as the Harappan civilization, was one of the

The Indus largest in ancient history, extending over parts of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
and containing as many as five million people. At its height, the civilization boasted
some of the world’s most impressive architecture, among other achievements. It

civilization
disappeared approximately 3,000 years ago for reasons unknown. One theory
suggests that it fell victim to climate change that resulted in drought and famine.
Easter Island
• Famous for the massive stone heads that line its
coast, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) was home to a
thriving Polynesian civilization that first settled
the island about 700 CE. Its residents were skilled
navigators of the sea and demonstrated other
advanced abilities. Some speculate that
diminishing natural resources may have led to the
civilization’s decline. Disease and other factors
may also have played a role.
Çatalhöyük
• Modern-day south-central Turkey was
once home to one of the world’s oldest
cities: Çatalhöyük. It was part of an
extensive civilization that flourished
between 9,000 and 7,000 years ago and
then suddenly disappeared. What made
Çatalhöyük unique was its hivelike
structure—houses were constructed next
to each other and entered through holes
in the roof, accessed via ladders and
aerial walkways. Though the people are
long gone, they left behind a wealth of
items detailing their lives and rituals.
The Mississippians
• From about 700 CE until European contact and
colonization, much of the American Southeast and mid-
continent was home to an agrarian civilization known
as the Mississippians. One of their largest cities,
Cahokia, was located near modern-day Collinsville,
Illinois. Estimated at six square miles, Cahokia featured
a massive central plaza, large earthen pyramids, and
wood structures similar in shape to Stonehenge that
were used to track the stars. Some estimate the
population of Cahokia at 40,000, with many living in
villages outside the main city. As with other lost
civilizations, experts don’t know with certainty what
led to the gradual demise of the Mississippians. Popular
theories suggest that the decline was the result of
environmental degradation or of famine and disease
resulting from poor sanitation.
Conclusion

• As we can see in the examples of extinct civilizations the responsible of this are the
same humans, first because they are not able to take care of the ecosystem they have,
second because they are not thinking about the problems they have in the present time
and they do not measure the consequences of their own actions.