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The catalogue
2,183 places to sift through. Narrow by kind, country, period or how firmly each one is established — contested and pseudoarchaeological claims are labelled here, never hidden.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Old Babylonian · Shamshi-Adad / Shubat-Enlil
Tell Leilan Shubat-Enlil Palace at Hassakeh, Tell Leilan, Syria is a Old Babylonian ancient city of the Shamshi-Adad / Shubat-Enlil tradition, built c.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Earthwork
Hausa Kingdom of Kano to Sokoto (1095–1807 CE; peak 14th–18th c.) · Hausa (Kano)
Ancient Kano City Walls (Badala) are West Africa's most impressive earthwork: 14 km main wall, 10 m high with 40 m base and moat, plus outer and inner walls totalling 40 km, founded 1095 CE by…
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Terminal Classic – Postclassic (900–1520 CE) · Maya (Putún-Chontal / Campeche coast)
Postclassic salt–shell island port (900–1520 CE) on Uaymil sand barrier island north of Jaina, 25 km offshore Campeche mangroves: 20 low platforms 1–2 m high with columned halls, oratories and…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Late Bronze Age to Byzantine (c.3000 BCE–12th century CE; peak Julio-Claudian to Severan) · Carian → Hellenistic Greek → Roman → Byzantine
Aphrodite's marble city with 30,000-seat stadium, Tetrapylon and Sebasteion reliefs.
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Late Horizon Inca Imperial (1480–1536 CE) · Inca (Topa Inca Yupanqui – Wanka campaign)
Planned Inca city founded by Topa Inca Yupanqui c.1480 to replicate Cusco as headquarters for conquering Guarco (Huarcu) kingdom of Cañete valley: full Qorikancha-like Temple of the Sun with…
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
Egyptian New Kingdom extraction to Kushite Napatan/Meroitic · Kushite (25th Dynasty / Napatan / Meroitic)
Kushite holy city at Kawa (Gematen) — Temple T of Taharqa c.683 BCE plus hundreds of small sandstone pyramids 3–7 m for Meroitic elite 700 BCE–400 CE.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Hellenistic to Early Byzantine (classical antiquity to c.640 CE earthquake) · Pisidian → Hellenistic → Roman Imperial → Byzantine
Pisidian highland Roman city at 1,600 m with restored Antonine Nymphaeum and cliff theatre.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Hittite Empire (Old to New Kingdom) · Hittite (Nesite with Hurrian scribes)
Hittite administrative second capital (c.1600–1180 BCE, peak 1400–1200 BCE) on two hills Ağılönü and Tepelerarası, built by Hatti kings as storehouse/forward capital during Kaskaean wars when Hattusa…
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Early Intermediate Moche 100–700 CE (Sipán tombs 100–300 CE Early Moche, late tombs to 700) · Moche (Mochica, north coast of Peru)
Moche necropolis-platform complex (100–700 CE) with two adobe pyramids (Huaca Rajada 10 m and Huaca de la Raya) covering 10 elite tombs – crowning discovery of 1987 Lord of Sipán (Señor de Sipán,…
🇬🇪 Georgia · Submerged site
Greek to Byzantine (6th c. BCE Greek emporion – 14th c. patriarchate) · Milesian Greek / Roman / Byzantine Colchian–Abkhaz
Northernmost Black Sea Roman fortress — east wall and mole now –0.5 to –4 m on Pitsunda lagoon-sea spit.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Numidian to Late Antique (3rd c BCE-7th c CE; industrial peak 1st-3rd c CE) · Numidian / Roman
Pottery Sigus.
🇲🇹 Malta · Ancient city
Early Historic (regional) · Early Historic
Western Hypogeum Necropolis Inner — Hypogeum, Paola (59-09) at Hypogeum, Paola, Malta is a Early Historic (regional) ancient city of the Early Historic tradition, built c.
🇵🇹 Portugal · Ancient city
Iron Age to Roman (c.800 BCE–300 CE) · Castro culture (Bracari, Celtic Lusitanian transition)
Citânia de Briteiros (Iron Age c.800 BCE–300 CE, peak 200 BCE–100 CE) sprawls 24 ha over Monte São Romão 385 m above the Ave valley, northern Portugal's largest proto-urban castro with three ramparts…
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Classical (regional) · Classical
Great Derinkuyu Fortress Outer — Derinkuyu, Cappadocia (59-43) at Derinkuyu, Cappadocia, Turkey is a Classical (regional) ancient city of the Classical tradition, built c.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Early Historic (regional) · Early Historic
Lower Rajasthan Necropolis A — Rajasthan, Jaipur (54-43) at Rajasthan, Jaipur, India is a Early Historic (regional) ancient city of the Early Historic tradition, built c.
🇷🇺 Russia · Submerged site
Archaic to Roman (c.550 BCE – 240 CE) · Ionian Greek / Bosporan
Kerch Strait narrows emporium — lower harbour 1.5–4 m submerged on Taman spit opposite Kerch, controls Bosporus passage.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Late Classic to Terminal/Postclassic 550–1200 CE (Río Bec apogee 730–830) · Maya (Río Bec–Chenés, between Calakmul and Chenés region)
Major Río Bec–Chenés fortified Maya capital surrounded by unique 2 km-long, 16 m-wide, 5 m-deep continuous ditch-moat (English ‘Be’ecs ditch’) enclosing 25 ha core – only fully ditched major Maya…
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan · Ancient city
Achaemenid 5th c BCE → Khwarezmshahs 11th–13th c CE → Golden Horde · Khwarezmian → Seljuk → Khwarezmshahs → Mongol
Konye-Urgench — capital of Khwarezm (Achaemenid–Golden Horde, 5th c BCE–17th c CE) 35 km south Uzbekistan border, excavated 1930s Tolstov and 1990s Berlin.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Pyramid
Late Postclassic (Tlahuica / Aztec) · Tlahuica / Aztec
Tlahuica twin-temple pyramid at Teopanzolco — 35×25 m double pyramid c.1200 CE with 11 nests; 2017 earthquake revealed hidden Tlaloc temple.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Medieval (regional) · Medieval
Great Derinkuyu Sanctuary North — Derinkuyu, Cappadocia (59-47) at Derinkuyu, Cappadocia, Turkey is a Medieval (regional) ancient city of the Medieval tradition, built c.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Medieval (regional) · Medieval
Royal Derinkuyu Reservoir Inner — Derinkuyu, Cappadocia (59-48) at Derinkuyu, Cappadocia, Turkey is a Medieval (regional) ancient city of the Medieval tradition, built c.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Chalcolithic (regional) · Chalcolithic
Southern Saqqara Sanctuary East — Saqqara, Serapeum (59-06) at Saqqara, Serapeum, Egypt is a Chalcolithic (regional) ancient city of the Chalcolithic tradition, built c.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Early Bronze Jezirah 0–III (Chalcolithic to Early Dyn to Akkadian) · North Mesopotamian Jezirah (Ebla-Mari world)
Circular double-walled Early Bronze city (c.3400–2200 BCE, EJ 0–III) in 130mm rainfall steppe — proof Jezirah cities flourished without southern irrigation via dry-farming + wadi runoff.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Early Historic (regional) · Early Historic
Upper Saqqara Enclosure II — Saqqara, Serapeum (59-15) at Saqqara, Serapeum, Egypt is a Early Historic (regional) ancient city of the Early Historic tradition, built c.
