I expected the article to describe a volcano or earthquake had covered some ancient settlements, however, it appears that the inhabitants actually excavated the earth and lived underground.
Wonder what they were afraid of and why they ‘hunkered’ down.
Mad Mo’s fanatics were coming.
Cool in the summer, not cold in the winter.
Lots of reasons to go underground.
They retreated underground during times of invasion. At least some of these underground cities were not discernible from the surface. Entrances were hidden. Sometimes people just preferred it down there; the weather is better.
The “rock” there is easy to dig, carve, excavate, etc., being volcanic tuffa, IIRC. Visited the area when I was stationed in Turkey in the mid-80’s. All the level ground was fields and pasture, pretty much. Pretty easy to go into the sides of the hills and gullies, and if you were patient, you could have a palace compared to the sort of house you would build on the flat areas.
Bill in OKC