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CategoriesAncient cities
Capitals, ports and metropolises that rose, fell and were found again.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Hellenistic–Roman (300 BCE–200 CE) · Seleucid Stratonikeia
Stratonikeia — Lagina Sanctuary Road in Muğla Province, Turkey is a Hellenistic–Roman (300 BCE–200 CE) ancient-city attributed to Seleucid Stratonikeia.
🇬🇷 Greece · Ancient city
Archaic to Roman (598 BCE–853 CE) · Syracusan Greek
Kamarina — Sicilian Colony in Sicily, Greece is a Archaic to Roman (598 BCE–853 CE) ancient-city attributed to Syracusan Greek.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Maya Classic and Chontal Postclassic · Maya (Chontal Acalan)
Chontal capital pyramid 25 m, Cuauhtémoc execution 1525.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Vijayanagara Empire 1336–1565 CE (Sangama to Tuluva) · Vijayanagara Hindu (Telugu-Kannada)
Ruined imperial capital of Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1565 CE) sprawling 25 km² on Tungabhadra River among boulder hills.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Predynastic to Early Dynastic (4000–2686 BCE) · Naqada culture (Egyptian Predynastic)
Predynastic town south of Naqada with copper-axe cemetery.
🇸🇾 Syria · Tell
Early Bronze III to Old Babylonian (2600–1700 BCE) · Eblaite / Amorite Mariote
Bi'a excavated by Einwag & Otto 1981–, 2400 BCE Early Dynastic palace with Tuttul/Dagan texts, later Amorite palace of Yasmah-Adad.
🇬🇷 Greece · Submerged site
Archaic to Classical (733 BCE – 354 BCE Philip sack) · Eretrian Greek / Methonean
Verified – Methone Thermaic Gulf earliest Greek alphabetic harbour (Methone Pieria Eretrian colony 733 BCE) with archaic harbour mole 200 m at 2–3 m due to Thermaic silt?
🇯🇴 Jordan · Ancient city
Chalcolithic (4500–3900 BCE) · Ghassulian
Teleilat Ghassul — Jordan Valley in Balqa Governorate, Jordan Valley, Jordan is a Chalcolithic (4500–3900 BCE) ancient city attributed to Ghassulian culture.
🇸🇾 Syria · Tell
Middle Bronze to Iron Age (c.2000–500 BCE; floruit LBA-Iron) · Canaanite / Ugaritic periphery → Phoenician → Neo-Assyrian
Coastal capital of Siyannu kingdom (2000–500 BCE) between Ugarit and Amurru at Jableh.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Sicán to Inca (1000–1532 CE) · Sicán / Chimú / Inca
Túcume — 26 Pyramids in Lambayeque Region, Peru is a Sicán to Inca (1000–1532 CE) pyramid attributed to Sicán / Chimú / Inca.
🇮🇱 Israel · Ancient city
Nabataean to Byzantine (300 BCE–636 CE) · Nabataean (Elusa/Elusates)
Halutza — Elusa Western Quarter in Southern District, Israel is a Nabataean to Byzantine (300 BCE–636 CE) ancient-city attributed to Nabataean (Elusa/Elusates).
🇮🇱 Israel · Ancient city
Hellenistic (125–80 BCE) over Iron Persian tell · Phoenician Hellenistic (Sidonian merchants)
Hula tell excavated by Weinberg & Berlin 1968–86, 125 BCE stuccoed luxury house with Doric stucco columns.
🇮🇱 Israel · Tell
Bronze to Iron Age (4500–733 BCE) · Canaanite/Israelite
Tel Dan — Laish / Leslie in Northern District, Upper Galilee, Israel is a Bronze to Iron Age (4500–733 BCE) tell attributed to Canaanite/Israelite culture.
🇮🇱 Israel · Tell
Bronze to Iron Age (2700–732 BCE) · Canaanite/Israelite
Tel Hazor — Upper Galilee in Northern District, Hula Valley, Israel is a Bronze to Iron Age (2700–732 BCE) tell attributed to Canaanite/Israelite culture.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Ancient city
New Kingdom Egyptian fortress (1550–1070 BCE) granite quarry → Napatan · Egyptian New Kingdom colonial
Tombos excavated by Smith & Buzon, Egyptian garrison with Nubian burials mixing.
🇧🇩 Bangladesh · Ancient city
Chalcolithic → Iron Age 500 BCE–300 CE · Iron Age Gangetic (NBPW)
Wari-Bateshwar — twin-village Early Historic port-city (Chalcolithic levels, Iron Age 500 BCE–300 CE) 70 km NE Dhaka, discovered 1933 Hanif Pathan, excavated 2000–10 Rahman.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Megalith
Aksumite · Aksumite / Ge'ez
Capital of Aksumite Kingdom (100 BCE–940 CE) with monolithic granite stelae quarried 4 km, carved to imitate multi-storey buildings with false doors/windows, elite tombs, palaces.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Late Postclassic 1116–1520 CE · Matlatzinca → Aztec
Round Temple of Ehécatl 27 m, Matlatzinca 1116–1476 CE.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Middle Horizon transitional (600–800 CE) · Moche V / Transitional
Galindo — Late Moche Urban Center in La Libertad Region, Peru is a Middle Horizon transitional (600–800 CE) ancient-city attributed to Moche V / Transitional.
🇱🇧 Lebanon · Ancient city
EB IV to Iron II (c.2400–800 BCE; peak LB Egyptian) · Amorite → Egyptian–Canaanite (Kumidi) → Hittite → Phoenician
Bronze–Iron town (4 ha, 15 m high) at the Litani–Bekaa margin, German excavations by Arnulf Kuschke and Rolf Hachmann, i...
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Neo-Inca State (1536–1572 CE) jungle capital · Inca Vilcabamba (Manco Inca)
Espíritu Pampa rediscovered by Savoy 1964, lost after 1572 Túpac Amaru execution by Toledo.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Middle Horizon (500–800 CE) · Wari (Huari)
Conchopata — Wari Craft Center in Ayacucho Region, Peru is a Middle Horizon (500–800 CE) ancient-city attributed to Wari (Huari).
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Classic Teotihuacan (250–550 CE) · Teotihuacan
Tepantitla Compound — Teotihuacan in Mexico State, Mexico is a Classic Teotihuacan (250–550 CE) ancient-city attributed to Teotihuacan.
🇨🇾 Cyprus · Ancient port
Late Bronze (1600–1150 BCE Alashiya harbour sibling to Enkomi) · Cypriot Alasia harbour town secondary
Hala Sultan Tekke Åström 1970s Dromolaxia harbour late Bronze 1600.
