The eruption of the volcano Vesuvius on August 24, A.D. 79, caught the ancient town of Pompeii (now part of Italy) off-guard.
Pompeii, Italy —
The eruption of the volcano Vesuvius on August 24, A.D. 79, caught the ancient town of Pompeii (now part of Italy) off-guard.
OLIVER BLUM/DPA /LANDOV
The pre-Hispanic Tiwanaku Empire flourished in what's now Bolivia until its collapse in the 12th century. The current theory is that climate change caused crops to fail.
Tiwanaku, Bolivia —
The pre-Hispanic Tiwanaku Empire flourished in what's now Bolivia until its collapse in the 12th century. The current theory is that climate change caused crops to fail.
AIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty Images
The 5,000-year-old Neolithic village of Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands of Scotland was uncovered after a powerful sandstorm blew through the town in the 1800s.
Skara Brae, Scotland —
The 5,000-year-old Neolithic village of Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands of Scotland was uncovered after a powerful sandstorm blew through the town in the 1800s.
DeAgostini/Getty Images
Ancient Puebloans, also called the Anasazi, made a life in the brutal climate located in what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Part of the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde shows dwellings and kivas (partially or wholly underground chambers).
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado —
Ancient Puebloans, also called the Anasazi, made a life in the brutal climate located in what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Part of the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde shows dwellings and kivas (partially or wholly underground chambers).
Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Petra was established as the capital city of the Nabataeans. Now part of Jordan, it's one of the best-known archaeological sites in the world.
Petra, Jordan —
Petra was established as the capital city of the Nabataeans. Now part of Jordan, it's one of the best-known archaeological sites in the world.
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
Knossos was the center of the Minoan civilization, a powerful Bronze Age culture that flourished between about 3000 B.C. and 1400 B.C., in what is now Greece.
Knossos, Greece —
Knossos was the center of the Minoan civilization, a powerful Bronze Age culture that flourished between about 3000 B.C. and 1400 B.C., in what is now Greece.
De Agostini/Getty Images