It's hard to say where we might find traces of the world's oldest civilisation, because many ancient underwater ruins still await our discovery. Many mysteries lurk beneath the water, and we have solved only a small percentage of them.
In the Sumerian creation myth, Enki made a promise that he would create a wonderful land called Dilmun where life would flourish.
This may mean that the Sumerians were not the oldest civilisation. There is archaeological evidence that advanced ancient civilisations existed long before the Sumerians.
According to archaeologists, the mysterious underwater ruins discovered at the bottom of the Persian Gulf may be traces of the world's oldest civilisation. Discoveries made in a Persian Gulf oasis could rewrite history.
Underwater archaeologists have discovered more than 60 ancient submerged settlements under the waters of the Arab-Persian Gulf. The settlements date from around 5 500 BC and their inhabitants were 'a thriving Neolithic population practising a combination of fishing, date palm cultivation and animal husbandry'.
This may seem like a primitive culture, but scientists have made startling discoveries that give us reason to rethink our knowledge of the past. Among the many submerged ancient ruins lying at the bottom of the Persian Gulf are elaborate stone houses that could only have been built by an advanced culture.
The underwater artefacts found here are richly decorated and testify to trade with foreign lands. Scientists have discovered submerged long-distance trading nets and evidence of one of the oldest boats in the world.
Who were these people and where did they come from? There are some clues, but not many.
This unknown ancient civilisation has been wiped from the pages of history due to climate change.
Dilmun was an important place for the Sumerians. Mentioned in Sumerian economic texts as an independent ancient kingdom, it was a trading centre that flourished around 2000 BC on the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The location of Dilmun has never been confirmed and Bahrain is only a candidate. Some speculate that Dilmun may have been the legendary Garden of Eden.
Could the ancient underwater ruins scattered at the bottom of the Persian Gulf be the remains of this once important ancient kingdom? Archaeologists believe there is a possibility that underwater ruins of Dilmun have been discovered, but he highlights a more important aspect of this archaeological find.
The underwater ruins in the Persian Gulf suggest that this part of the world has been inhabited for much longer than previously thought. It was home to an advanced society. About 8000 years ago, the gulf flooded and the Indian Ocean swallowed up the culture. Scientists suggest that the underwater land would have been a 'Persian Gulf oasis' - a rich and fertile region that may have been home to people for as long as 100,000 years before it was submerged.
If archaeologists are right, the underwater ruins in the Persian Gulf clearly show that an advanced, long-lost civilisation existed in this region before the Pharaohs and Sumerians. This is incredible evidence that changes our understanding of ancient history.
