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CategoriesAncient cities
Capitals, ports and metropolises that rose, fell and were found again.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Submerged site
Hellenistic to Late Antique (275 BCE – 550 CE) · Ptolemaic / Roman
Northern lagoon harbour of Berenike Troglodytica — 70 m fort mole at –1.5 m and fort wall.
🇯🇴 Jordan · Tell
Iron Age – Byzantine (1200 BCE–600 CE) · Moabite–Ammonite–Roman
Iron Age – Byzantine (1200 BCE–600 CE) tell of Moabite–Ammonite–Roman in Balqa Governorate, Madaba Plains (c.1200 BCE).
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Ptolemaic to Byzantine (300 BCE – 500 CE) · Ptolemaic Greek / Roman Egyptian
Eastern lake harbour of Karanis at Kom Aushim — 55 m granary pier at –0.5 m on Moeris shore.
🇮🇹 Italy · Buried city
Archaic to Roman (720 BCE – 193 BCE Thurii/Copia) · Achaean Greek / Krotoniate besiegers / Thurian successors
Northern canal of Kroton's 510 BCE Crati diversion drowning Sybaris — 3.2 km silted channel with revetment.
🇺🇦 Ukraine · Submerged site
Classical to Medieval (422 BCE – 1400 CE) · Heracleian Doric / Byzantine
Western citadel harbour of Tauric Chersonesos in Quarantine Bay — 130 m mole at –2.5 m and ship-sheds.
🇮🇱 Israel · Tell
Early Bronze – Iron Age (3000–600 BCE) · Biblical Debir
Early Bronze – Iron Age (3000–600 BCE) tell of Biblical Debir in Southern District, Hebron Hills (c.3000 BCE).
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Ptolemaic to Roman (300 BCE – 250 CE) · Ptolemaic Egyptian / Roman
Eastern isthmus harbour of Soknopaiou Nesos at Dime — 50 m causeway quay at –1 m and isthmus basin.
🇧🇴 Bolivia · Ancient city
Late Pre-Columbian (500 – 1400 CE) · Casarabe (Llanos de Moxos)
Casarabe Cedro West forest island 12 m high 300 m with causeway 800 m to lagoon 200 m and field ridges 2 km; Llanos de Moxos hydraulic.
🇧🇴 Bolivia · Ancient city
Late Pre-Columbian (500 – 1400 CE) · Casarabe (Llanos de Moxos)
Casarabe Cedro West forest island 12 m high 300 m with causeway 800 m to lagoon 200 m and field ridges 2 km; Llanos de Moxos hydraulic.
🇨🇾 Cyprus · Submerged site
Iron Age to Early Byzantine (1100 BCE – 648 CE) · Cypriot-Greek / Phoenician / Ptolemaic / Roman / Byzantine
Twin lagoon harbours of Evagoras's Salamis drowned 2.0 m — Flemming 1974 mapped diagonal causeway and quays at −2 m in Famagusta lagoon.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Abusir Bana (Egyptian Arabic: أبو صير بنا), known in ancient times as Busiris (Greek: Βούσιρις; Coptic: ⲡⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ, ⲃⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲓ, romanized: pusiri, busiri, lit.
🇬🇷 Greece · Submerged site
Archaic Greek to Late Medieval (700 BCE – 1428 CE) · Greek / Elean / Frankish / Venetian
Crusader Glarentza mint-port (1205–1428) built atop Classical Kyllene trireme harbour — submerged moles at −5 m under north walls mapped by marine geophysics.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Early to Middle Formative 900–400 BCE (Olmec florescence, post-San Lorenzo apogee) · Olmec (Olmeca, language affiliation Gulf-Mixe-Zoque hypothesised)
Apogee Olmec capital (900–400 BCE) – first pyramid in Mesoamerica? – 31 m (some readings 34 m) earthen fluted pyramid-pyramid (C-1) with 10 sunken segments, Complex A (north-palatial plaza with…
🇧🇷 Brazil · Ancient city
Late Pre-Columbian (800–1600 CE) · Upper Xingu / ancestral Kuikuro Arawak
Eastern plaza K10 of Kuhikugu cluster on Seki East — 12 ha plaza with ditch and 1.2 km causeway.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Tell
Late Bronze to Iron Age (1600–600 BCE) · Mitanni → Assyrian
Late Bronze to Iron Age (1600–600 BCE) tell of Mitanni → Assyrian in Mardin Province, Nusaybin Plain (c.1600 BCE).
🇵🇪 Peru · Hypothetical site
Hypothetical Inka Late Horizon to Refuge · Hypothetical Inka mega-city
Hypothetical northern mesa plateau of Gran Paititi — 3 km natural sandstone outliers as pyramids.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Roman to Byzantine (130 – 650 CE) · Roman Egyptian / Greco-Roman
Southern necropolis and canal harbour of Antinoopolis 1–3 m buried south of Hadrianic grid — 500 m limestone avenue at –1.5 m and canal quay 80 m.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Middle Kingdom to Byzantine (1991 BCE – 400 CE) · Egyptian / Ptolemaic / Roman
Northern canal harbour of Tebtunis at Umm el-Brigat — 12 m bridge pier at –1.5 m and 60 m quay.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Archaic (Cypselid to Persian entry) · Ionian Greek (Erythraean polis, Sibylline tradition)
Ionian Sibyl city's upper-terrace Ionic Athena temple 8×13 c.540 BCE above Chios strait.
🇪🇨 Ecuador · Ancient city
Formative to Regional Development (500 BCE – 600 CE) · Upano / Kilmope / Sangay
Upano north plateau Kilimope 400 platforms 10×20 m and 20 km road segments with garden ridges 600–980 m; Upano gardens.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Archaic to Roman (Carian to Imperial) · Carian, Hellenistic, Roman
Selimiye plain Corinthian Zeus Lepsynos 2nd CE with 16 standing columns, best in Anatolia, 12 km NW Milas.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Ptolemaic to Roman (270 BCE – 230 CE) · Greco-Roman Fayum / Sobek cult
Northern lagoon harbour of Soknopaiou Nesos at Dime — 60 m quay at –3 m and 200 m crocodile causeway behind evaporite flats.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Epiclassic to Early Postclassic 600–1100 CE (peak 600–950 CE, Teotihuacan–Tula interstice) · Unclassified central Mexican (earlier linked to early Nahua/Chichimeca? distinctive not Teotihuacan nor Toltec)
Largest pre-Hispanic city on Mexican highlands by area and most elaborate urban fortification: 12 km² (1,215 ha) city on 500 m-wavy basaltic lava field (malpaís) with 7,500+ patios, 24 ballcourts…
🇪🇬 Egypt · Buried city
Middle Kingdom to New Kingdom (1780–1100 BCE) · Egyptian / Hyksos Canaanite / Minoan / Ramesside
Hyksos capital 1650 BCE — Pelusiac harbour 500x300 m for 300 ships with Minoan bull-leaping fresco palace, silted 4 m.
