Looking around your city, it may be hard to imagine that there might be a time when it will disappear. But that’s exactly what happened to these communities.

Hashima Island, Japan

Hashima Island was formerly one of the most populated cities in the world. The 6-hectare island provided jobs for more than 5,000 people, many of whom made their living at the island’s underwater coal mines. When the mines were closed, Hashima Island was abandoned.

Consonno, Italy

Consonno was a tiny town with a population of less than 300 and had its roots in the Middle Ages. Then Mario Bagno came along and decided to turn the area into the Las Vegas of Italy. He knocked down nearly every building. Then a landslide struck, burying the access road and the project was never finished. Today, Consonno has been abandoned.

Eastern Settlement, Greenland

Eastern Settlement in Greenland isn’t just an abandoned city. It’s also a mystery. Once the most populated area in Greenland, the area was abandoned and no one knows why. The last known writings from the area applied to a wedding in 1408 and offered no clues. It remains one of many ancient mysteries researchers can’t explain.

Troy, Turkey

Troy was regarded immortal (不朽的) in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. For many years, the Troy of Ancient Greece was merely the stuff of legend but in the 1800s its location was discovered in what is now Turkey. The site contains layers of ruins archaeologists are still studying.

A castle was the fortress(堡垒)and home of a king or nobleman.

Most of the castles we think of today were built in Europe. They were constructed from about 1,000 AD to about 1,500 AD, during a period known as the Middle Ages.

Castles played an important role after the fall of the Roman Empire. When a king granted land to nobles, the nobles promised in return to serve the king and provide him with soldiers. Nobles built castles on the lands given to them. But some nobles simply claimed land as their own and built a castle on it. That was asking for trouble. There were many power struggles between nobles and kings, and among the nobles themselves.

A typical stone castle had several main parts. At the centre of the castle was a tall and very strong building called the keep. This is where people in the castle made their last stand if the outer defences failed. The keep was set in a courtyard, where there were workshops, stables, and a kitchen.

High, thick walls surrounded the keep and the courtyard. Strong, round defensive towers stood at the corners of the walls. Guards walked along the tops of the walls and towers.

Many stone castles were surrounded by a wide ditch called a moat. Some moats were filled with water, but many were not. The only way into the castle was across a wooden drawbridge over the moat. If enemies attacked, the defenders raised the bridge. Then they lowered a heavy iron-and-wood barrier called a portcullis to block the entrance to the castle.

A well-built castle was a pretty safe place to be. Attackers had a hard time getting in. But they still had some options. They could go over the walls using ladders. They could smash (撞碎) through the walls or doors. Or they could dig under the walls and try to get part of the wall to fall down. If none of those things worked, they could just camp outside until the defenders ran out of food.

Attackers sometimes brought large machines called siege engines with them to break through castle doors or walls. This was a heavy wooden beam with a metal cap. In the early 1500s, cannons entered wide use in warfare. Cannonballs could dig into the base of stone walls and weaken them. The walls then fell under their own weight. As a result, castles were no longer needed.

In the Commonwealth Games England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate Olympics teams, unlike the Olympics where they compete together as Britain.

What are the Commonwealth Games?

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years between members of the Commonwealth of Nations—a group of independent countries, most of which used to be part of the Britain. The Games were first held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. The event was named the Commonwealth Games in 1978.

The history of the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games have been held every four years since they started and have grown much bigger. At the first Commonwealth Games, only 11 nations and 400 athletes were involved in six sports. For a long time, the Games only included individual sports such as athletics, boxing and swimming. In 1998, team sports such as cricket, hockey and netball were introduced. The Commonwealth Games have featured many fantastic feats and the athletes have broken a wide range of records.

Paralympic progress

At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, Canadian athlete Chantal Petitclerc became the first athlete with a disability to win a gold medal in the wheelchair 800-meter race. She said, “It meant so much to me that the Commonwealth Games decided that a performance is a performance-and it doesn’t matter if you accomplish it in a wheelchair. Paralympic athletes continue to take part in the Commonwealth Cames’ main sports programs, and many have broken records and made history.