Ancient Cities Wiped Out By Disasters

ANGKOR
With hundreds of monuments and more stone than the Egyptian pyramids, this one-time Cambodian hotspot was known for housing the Khmer Empire and, most notably, Angkor Wat, a massive religious monument featuring a series of towers. But after 22 kings and 500 years, the land started to give. Rice harvests declined and construction on stone structures ceased. That was a one-two punch, but the knockout blow came in the battle of 1431, when invaders conquered the city. And that, of course, was the last time Cambodians suffered any violence or hardship.