Ancient technology: why did it have to end?

If ancient civilizations were so advanced, where is the proof, and why did the technology go away, only to have to be rediscovered?

This week, I discuss the legend of Atlantis, a mythical city sunken in the ocean. The legend has captivated many, because of the mystery of its sudden sinking into the sea, and because of the stories of this civilization's rapid advancements despite being an overwhelmingly peace-loving culture. Many dismiss this story as purely fable, that it could not have possibly existed. The Atlanteans had electricity, sophisticated plumbing, incduing flushing toilets and running water, they were politically, intellectually, and scientifically advanced. And many believe that this would just not have been possible 3,000 years ago.

The archaeological evidence is mounting against this belief. Not only is there physical proof that Atlantis might have actually existed on the Minoan island of Thera, but there is evidence that such advancements as plumbing, sophisticated scientific thought, and relatively modern medical procedures were theorized, studied and put into practice (see the Antikythera Mechanism).

The possibility that ancient civilizations could have stumbled upon ideas and implemented them so long ago is hard to understand. Where did it all go? Why wasn't it continued and used and further developed? Some of the most advanced civilizations ended abruptly, victims of Mother Nature, taking their knowledge and practices with them. It is possible that the isolation that some of these ancient cultures were forced to deal with (as a result of geography) would have kept their information from being shared and developed by neighboring cultures. It is also possible that they guarded their technology with their lives. It was survival of the fittest, after all. In our world where we covet information, guard it so fiercely, and reluctantly share it at times, it is not hard to understand why we are so baffled at the loss of major technology. We feel that it is our life support now.

But can you imagine what life would be like had those technologies from 3,000 years ago (and even earlier!) never been destroyed? Had we never had to rediscover and relearn information, where would we be now?