The ruins that archaeologists dig up from underground – how did that happen
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It’s sort of like saying there’s an underground passage system in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It’s actually not – it’s the 1st floor and Main Street is technically the 2nd floor with the ground built up around it. That’s true with most cities or monuments we’ve uncovered over the years, it’s that stuff has grown/blown around things and hidden the items underneath. So for example, the Sphinx was completely covered with sand when it was first found – couldn’t see it at all the way we do today simply because of sand storms that blew the sand around it.
For found “cities”, its overgrowth of the surrounding land, trees, vines, bushes, whatever that continues to go thru a cycle of regrowing and dying, causing matter to build up underneath that mulches up and becomes dirt. Over the years (centuries or more) – it eventually gets buried from this cycle along with any other natural events that occur such as trees growing and falling, flooding, etc. that can easily cover things up.
In Pompei, it was a volcanic eruption that entombed the city with feet of ash and soot from the initial blast (pyroclastic cloud) of debris that was superheated that killed people resulting in the homes and buildings being buried but also being being killed instantly.
Well the ruins that weren’t buried got scavenged for building materials…. Why quarry and shape rocks for a house when the temple on the hill has lots of already square blocks…..
Lots of old cities/towns were built near rivers or coastlines. Floods happen, then the river changes course and the city doesn’t recover.
Wind.
Wind blows dirt. Dirt bumps up against buildings and starts to pile up. Wind blows more dirt against the piled up dirt and makes the pile bigger.
Repeat until the city is underground.
People underestimate time. Wind can blow a lot of dirt in 2000-3000 years.
People build their new city on top of the old one. Accrete the old layer on top of the new layer. Rinse repeat for millennias.
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