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CategoriesAncient cities
Capitals, ports and metropolises that rose, fell and were found again.
🇬🇷 Greece · Submerged site
Classical to Venetian (500 BCE–1500 CE) · Cretan Dorian / Venetian
Olous — Elounda Submerged City in Crete, Lasithi, Greece is a Classical to Venetian (500 BCE–1500 CE) submerged-city attributed to Cretan Dorian / Venetian.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Ptolemaic to Roman (275 BCE–600 CE) · Ptolemaic Trogodytica trade port
Berenike Trogodytica Eastern Ridge — Red Sea Port Ridge in Red Sea Governorate, Egypt is a Ptolemaic to Roman (275 BCE–600 CE) ancient-city attributed to Ptolemaic Trogodytica trade port.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Late Antiquity / Byzantine 532–537 CE, Ottoman additions 1453– · Byzantine Greek to Ottoman Islamic
Justinian's 537 CE dome on pendentives – seminal Byzantine basilica-monsoon turned mosque.
🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia · Ancient city
Lelu Phase 1250–1852 CE (peak 1400–1600) · Kosraean (Leluh dynasty)
Kosraean megalithic city (1250–1852 CE) on Lelu islet off Kosrae with 27 ha double-walled enclosure, 20+ compounds bounded by 4–6 m high prismatic basalt sea walls and tidal canals mirroring Nan…
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Classical Antiquity (800 BCE–500 CE) · Classical
Oven Cluster West in Coastal Peru, Peru is a Classical Antiquity (800 BCE–500 CE) ancient city attributed to Classical culture.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Pre-Harappan (Hakra) to Harappan (c.3500–1900 BCE) · Hakra–Harappan
Hakra–Harappan mound 200×150 m on Saraswati 13 km NE of Anupgarh — Hakra to Harappan chain.
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Achaemenid (550–330 BCE) · Achaemenid satrapy Zranka (Drangiana)
Dahan-e Gholaman — Sistan Achaemenid City in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran is a Achaemenid (550–330 BCE) ancient-city attributed to Achaemenid satrapy Zranka (Drangiana).
🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city
Iron Age (1200 BCE–500 CE) · Classical
El Kula Brick Pyramid in Southern Alluvium, Iraq is a Iron Age (1200 BCE–500 CE) ancient city attributed to Classical culture.
🇹🇿 Tanzania · Ancient city
Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) · Medieval
Ife Glass Furnace Site in Serengeti, Tanzania is a Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) ancient city attributed to Medieval culture.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Roman to Byzantine (1st–7th c. CE) · Numidian / Roman-Christian (Donatist/Catholic)
Episcopal twin-church city in Souk Ahras hills with schism basilicas.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Punic to Late Antique (5th c. BCE–7th c. CE; peak 2nd–4th c. CE) · Punic / Roman (Byzacena)
Punic-Roman harbour colonia on Salakta peninsula with catacombs and oil port.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Ancient city
Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) · Bronze Age
Aksum Stela Park East in Tigray, Ethiopia is a Late Neolithic (4000–3000 BCE) ancient city attributed to Bronze Age culture.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Early Medieval (500–1000 CE) · Medieval
Cerro Sechín Relief Wall in North Coast, Peru is a Early Medieval (500–1000 CE) ancient city attributed to Medieval culture.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Archaeological wonder
Parthian to Early Islamic (c.120 BCE–800 CE; Sassanian vault 540 CE under Khosrow I) · Parthian / Sassanian (Persian) / Byzantine influence
Sassanian imperial capital complex (224–651 CE) on Tigris, Ctesiphon comprised Seleucia-Tisfun-Mahouza conurbation.
🇮🇱 Israel · Ancient city
Middle Palaeolithic to Natufian (c.200 ka–9600 BCE) · Mousterian → Aurignacian → Natufian
Karst cave at the mouth of Nahal Me’arot, type site of the Natufian culture (excavated Dorothy Garrod 1929–1934). 4 m st...
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Mughal 1571–1585 CE · Mughal (Akbar)
Mughal imperial city founded 1571 by Akbar as capital to honor Sufi Salim Chishti, combining Persian, Timurid and Gujarati-Rajasthani architecture in red sandstone.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Tell
EB to Medieval (c.3000 BCE–1200 CE; peak Phrygia 900–600 BCE) · Hittite → Phrygian (Midas) → Persian → Galatian → Roman
Gordion is the Phrygian capital (Yassıhöyük) — Midas's city (Midas Mound tumulus 53 m), terraced citadel with Phrygian Gate (Ashlar), and 100-tumulus necropolis...
🇮🇷 Iran · Tell
Kura-Araxes to Iron III (c.3000–600 BCE) · Kura-Araxes → Urmia ware → Urartian
30-m high mound near Khoy: massive Kura-Araxes burnished black-burnished, Urmia orange painted ware, Mitanni green-glazed cylinder seals, Urartian pillar hall, Sasanian church.
🇨🇿 Czech Republic · Ancient city
Great Moravian (9th–early 10th century) · Great Moravian Slavic
Great Moravian church and settlement complex on Sady hill (210 m) above Morava — cruciform church with narthex (c.830), cemetery 86 graves with gold earrings, and adjoining settlement.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Middle to Late Bronze Age (c.2000–1200 BCE; Level VII palace 1650–1600 BCE) · Amorite / Yamhad / Hittite / Mitanni
Bronze Age capital of Mukish kingdom in Amuq plain, Alalakh yielded Levels VII–0 (Middle–Late Bronze) with cuneiform archives of King Idrimi's inscription (statue autobiography), Yarim-Lim palace,…
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Early Historic 400 BCE–12th c · Gangetic NBPW → Sunga–Satavahana → Gupta–Pala
Chandraketugarh — Early Historic port-city of Gangaridai (400 BCE–12th c CE) on Bidyadhari 35 km NE Kolkata, excavated 1957–68 Asok Datta. Ptolemy's Gange candidate, Wari western partner.
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Middle Elamite (1500–1100 BCE) Kabnak · Elamite (Tepti-Ahar)
Chogha Zanbil Drained? Actually Haft Tepe — Kabnak Elamite City in Khuzestan Province, Iran is a Middle Elamite (1500–1100 BCE) Kabnak ancient-city attributed to Elamite (Tepti-Ahar).
🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city
Early Dynastic to Old Babylonian · Sumerian/Amorite Larsa dynasty
Sumerian city-state that dominated southern Mesopotamia under King Rim-Sin (1822–1763 BCE) controlling 10–15 cities before Hammurapi annexed it, making Babylon supreme.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Gupta to Pala 427–1193 CE (peak 5th–12th c) · Bihar / Gupta-Pala Buddhist Mahayana
Iconic Buddhist residential university (5th–13th c CE) with Gupta to Pala brick viharas, stupas, chaityas and votive structures across 23 ha.
