eli5: Why were some ancient cities like Palmyra and Machu Picchu left to ruin and fall apart over hundreds of years instead of being repopulated?
In: 1677
Cities (or better word “settlements”) that die usually do so because the difficulty to maintain them outstrips the benefits of the people living there.
Machu Picchu sits on a difficult mountaintop and was a resort town for a king and cost too much to maintain… so probably whoever inherited it just abandoned it.
Palmyra is in the desert. It probably grew from a local oasis and was conquered many times. But without enough money coming in to sustain it in the desert (food water need to be shipped in) then it will cease to exist as a nice place to live.
This happens continuously. Look at Flint Michigan as a modern day example. Look at Phoenix Arizona as a future example (Phoenix will not last forever and be abandoned like many other southeastern ghost towns)
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