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CategoriesAncient cities
Capitals, ports and metropolises that rose, fell and were found again.
🇸🇾 Syria · Tell
Jemdet Nasr to EB III (c.3100–2300 BCE) · Uruk-derived → EBA Euphrates → Akkadian sphere
Major Early Bronze I–III town (14 ha, 12 m high) on the Euphrates Tabqa bend, excavated by Mauritz van Loon. EB I–II pro...
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Numidian to Byzantine (2nd c. BCE–7th c. CE) · Numidian / Roman
Customs station famed for 202 CE Zarai Tariff (longest Latin customs law).
🇬🇷 Greece · Submerged site
Early Helladic to Late Minoan · Minoan-influenced / Mycenaean
World's oldest known submerged town (c.3500–2800 BCE, occupation to 1000 BCE), submerged by earthquakes c.1000 BCE, with intact streets, two-storey houses, tombs, garden terraces off islet; never…
🇪🇷 Eritrea · Ancient city
Aksumite (300–700 CE) · Aksumite
Adi Quala — Southern Aksumite Satellite in Debub Region, Eritrea is a Aksumite (300–700 CE) ancient-city attributed to Aksumite. Southern Aksumite town with stele field and dam.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Second Intermediate to New Kingdom (c. 1600–1450 BCE) · Theban Egyptian (17th–18th Dynasty)
17th Dynasty war capital south palace (80×50 m) with workmen's village 150 houses.
🇬🇷 Greece · Submerged site
Archaic to Late Roman (8th c. BCE – 7th c. CE) · Delian Greek / Cycladic
Verified – Delos sacred harbour between Delos and Rheneia channel 3 m subsided. Apollo sanctuary harbour 8th c. BCE Delian League treasury. Two moles 200 m at 2–3 m, warehouses.
🇸🇾 Syria · Tell
Ninevite 5 to Islamic (c.3000 BCE–1200 CE; peak Akkadian–Mitanni) · Ninevite 5 → Akkadian → Khabur ware → Mitanni → Neo-Assyrian
Multi-period Jazira tell (12 ha, 15 m high) in the Khabur triangle, Polish-Syrian excavations by Piotr Bieliński. Sequen...
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
Old Kingdom (3rd–4th Dynasty c. 2700–2560 BCE) · Old Kingdom Egyptian
Desert pyramid field with two enigmatic pyramids: Layer Pyramid (maybe Khaba) in stepped layers, and Huge unfinished Northern Pyramid with 21 m deep T-shaft (largest known) attribu...
🇮🇱 Israel · Ancient city
Middle Palaeolithic to Natufian (c.60000–12000 BCE) · Mousterian (Neanderthal) → Aurignacian → Kebaran → Natufian
Deep Mount Carmel cave with 15 m stratified sequence from Middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian, Neanderthal ‘Kebara 2’ pelvis...
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · Ancient city
Polonnaruwa Period (1153–1215 CE) · Sinhalese medieval (Polonnaruwa period)
Panduwasnuwara is a 12th-century Sinhalese medieval capital (Parakramabahu I), a 20-ha moated rectangular city (900×500 m) with brick rampart and the Panduwasnuwara Vatadage circular relic house (8-m…
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Numidian to Byzantine (2nd c. BCE–7th c. CE) · Numidian / Roman
Hot-spring road station with bath complex and Byzantine granary fort.
🇰🇪 Kenya · Ancient city
Swahili (13th–16th c. CE) · Swahili (Ozi secondary)
Ishakani Ruins — Tana Mouth in Tana River County, Kenya is a Swahili (13th–16th c. CE) ancient-city attributed to Swahili (Ozi secondary). Tana mouth Swahili creek town near Ozi gorge.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Numidian to Byzantine (3rd c. BCE–7th c. CE) · Numidian / Roman
Hilltop municipium with cyclopean walls and Augustan arch.
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Late Archaic / Norte Chico · Caral-Supe / Norte Chico
Oldest city in Americas and largest Late Archaic New World pyramids (c.2600 BCE) – six truncated earthen pyramids with sunken plazas, residential sectors and early quipu and flutes in Supe Valley,…
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Early Bronze Age to Iron Age · Eblaite (Semitic)
Ebla (Tell Mardikh) in Idlib Governorate, Syria is a Early Bronze Age to Iron Age ancient city attributed to Eblaite (Semitic) culture.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Numidian to Byzantine (3rd c. BCE–7th c. CE) · Numidian / Roman
Byzacena civitas with Antonine arch and Saturn sanctuary (200 stelae).
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Punic (6th c BCE) – Roman – Christian (5th c CE) · Punic / Mauretanian / Roman
Coastal UNESCO port with Punic necropolis (6th c BCE tophet), Roman forum, theatre, and two Christian basilicas (Salsa martyr shrine) on promontory with offshore islet. Numidian–Ma...
🇪🇬 Egypt · Submerged site
Late Period to Byzantine (6th c BCE – 8th c CE) · Egyptian / Greek
Legendary port of entry to Egypt before Alexandria, submerged after earthquake/liquefaction 6th–8th century CE, rediscovered 2000 by Franck Goddio (IEASM) with stele of Nectanebo I, temples of…
🇨🇳 China · Pyramid
Qin Dynasty · Qin / Han-precursor
Unopened earthen pyramid mound of Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE) with 600 pits, ~8000 terracotta warriors, chariots, weapons protecting subterranean bronze palace described by Sima Qian with mercury…
🇹🇿 Tanzania · Ancient city
Swahili (13th–15th c. CE) · Swahili
Mkokotoni Ruins — Pemba North in Pemba Island, Tanzania is a Swahili (13th–15th c. CE) ancient-city attributed to Swahili. Port town with Friday mosque on Mkokotoni creek.
🇸🇾 Syria · Tell
Halaf to Islamic (c.5900 BCE–1200 CE) · Halaf-Ubaid → Ninevite 5 → Mitanni → Assyrian
Jazira tell (8 ha, 12 m high) on the Jaghjagh, French excavations by Jean-Marie Castel. Sequence Ninevite 5 to Islamic w...
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Berber / Roman / Byzantine · Roman / Berber
Veteran colony of Legio III Augusta controlling Hauts Plateaux–Aurès corridor. Tetrapylon Arch of Caracalla (214 CE), amphitheatre, basilica of St Crispina (76 m) with catacombs, Byzantine walls with…
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Roman to Byzantine (1st c CE – 7th c CE; colonia under Trajan) · Roman / Byzantine (Byzacena)
Byzacena road city at Sahara edge, Thelepte flourished as Byzantine dux capital with massive fortress (1.2 km circuit) built from Roman spolia, two basilicas with mosaics, baths an...
🇮🇶 Iraq · Tell
ED to Ur III (c.3000–2004 BCE; peak Shara temple) · Sumerian (Zabalam, Shara cult) → Akkadian → Ur III
Zabalam (Tell Ibzeikh) is the cult city of goddess Inanna of Zabalam (later Shara). Excavated by Iraqi team revealing Shara temple platform (EB), ED houses and...
