1.6 The Lost Underground Cities of the Byzantine Empire

Why was the underground city built?

• War was constant, so people were seeking safety underground

• The heat was unbearable, so people sought cool relief underground

• There was no food available above ground, so people went looking for bugs underground

• People knew that treasure had been buried there

How were these underground cities built?

• Using brick and scaffolding to hold everything up

• The cities were carved directly into the underground rock

• Using natural underground caves to build the city

• Using wood and mud to hold everything up

How did people in these underground cities have access to water?

• They brought it down with them

• They dug under the Red Sea and could get water from there

• They created vents to access underground water

• They created vents to catch rainwater from the surface

When do archaeologists believe the last residents of these caves moved out?

• Sometime in the 20th Century

• Around 20,000 years ago
• Sometime in the 14th Century

• Sometime in the 11th Century

True or False: You can still visit these underground cities today.

• True

• False