🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex
Tiryns
Mycenaean 1600–1100 BCE, acme 1300–1200 BCE · Mycenaean
Cyclopean citadel with earliest vaulted galleries in Europe and megaron palace.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Archaeological wonder
El Palmar
Maya Classic 250–900 CE · Maya (El Palmar dynasty)
Ridge-top Maya capital revealing Copán–Calakmul dynastic marriage, 250–900 CE.
🇨🇳 China · Ancient city
Sanxingdui Archaeological Site
Shu Culture 1200–1000 BCE (Sanxingdui period III) · Shu (Sichuan Basin, non-Han?)
Shu Kingdom sacrificial pits (1200–1000 BCE) revealed 1929 and sensationally 1986 with two pits of bronzes unlike Anyang Shang: 2.6 m bronze standing figure, mask with 132 cm protruding eyes, and…
🇯🇵 Japan · Ancient village
Yoshinogari Site
Yayoi period 400 BCE–300 CE (peak 1st–3rd c CE) · Yayoi (Kyushu farmer, Korean peninsula immigrants)
Largest Yayoi (400 BCE–300 CE) moated village and chiefdom at Yoshinogari hills, 40 ha inner enclosure within 117 ha, with outer moat 2.5 km, watchtowers, raised-floor granary precinct, and king's…
🇷🇺 Russia · Rock art
Kalbak-Tash Chuya Confluence — Katun Mouth Petroglyphs
Neolithic to Turkic to Historic (3000 BCE – 1900 CE) · Afanasievo to Karakol to Turkic to Russian surveyors
Confluence outcrops with elk and runic at sacred Two Rivers junction.
🇹🇭 Thailand · Ancient city
Phu Khao Thong
Late Iron Age port (c.400 BCE–200 CE, bead industry 200 BCE) · Indian Ocean bead-trading port companion to Khao Sam Kaeo
Western Kra Isthmus bead port (400 BCE–200 CE) — Tamil-Brahmi sherds and rouletted ware at Ranong.
🇮🇹 Italy · Temple complex
Selinunte Archaeological Park
Archaeic-Classical 651–409 BCE · Greek (Megaran colonists)
Largest Greek archaeological park with colossal unfinished Temple G.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Temple complex
Hagia Sophia
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 Ruins (Leluh)
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…
🇮🇳 India · Temple complex
Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
Chola 1003–1010 CE · Hindu (Shaiva, Tamil Chola)
Chola granite imperial vimana 66 m still tallest pre-modern; capstone ramp mystery.
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art
Tamgaly II North Outcrop Petroglyphs
Late Bronze to Saka-Wusun · Andronovo, Saka, Wusun
Isolated granite outcrop 600 m north of Tamgaly Main Gorge, a whale-backed ridge exposing 22 vertical panels with 180+ peckings contrasting valley-floor schist.
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Sullecthum (Salakta)
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.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Archaeological wonder
Ctesiphon (Taq Kasra)
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.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Fatehpur Sikri
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.
🇵🇪 Peru · Megalith
La Congona Fortress
Late Intermediate Chachapoya 1100–1470 CE · Chachapoya
Ridge-top Chachapoya defensive hill-fort, 1100–1470 CE.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Longmen Binyang Central Cave — Mt Long Gate Middle Grotto Sanctuary
Northern Wei to Tang (493 – 750 CE) · Buddhist imperial Luoyang under Empress Dowager Hu
Central Binyang 11 m Buddha of Northern Wei Emperor Xuanwu at Yi Gorge.
🇮🇳 India · Archaeological wonder
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
Lower Paleolithic 100,000 BCE to Early Historic 1st c BCE (Mesolithic art 10,000–5000 BCE) · Early Indian hunter-gatherer to Mesolithic
Seven hills of Vindhyan sandstone with >750 painted rock shelters spanning Lower Paleolithic to Historical (100,000 BCE–1st c BCE), including Auditorium Cave with cupules and Zoo Rock.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Chandraketugarh
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.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Rock art
Wadi Sura North Gallery (Gilf Kebir North)
Neolithic rock art (6500–3200 BCE) · Gilf Kebir pastoral (Saharan Neolithic)
North wall of Wadi Sura with Archers vs cattle battle scene.
🇵🇪 Peru · Archaeological wonder
Laguna de los Cóndores Annex
Late Intermediate Chachapoya 1200–1470 CE, chachapoya mummy bundles · Chachapoyas
Northern annex of famed Laguna de los Cóndores cliff 150 m north of main 6-mausoleum group above lake: 8 painted gable-roofed chullpas (mausoleums) with tiered niches containing ~60 seated mummy…
🇰🇭 Cambodia · Ancient city
Angkor Thom and the Bayon
Khmer Empire 1181–1243 CE (Bayon peak Jayavarman VII) · Khmer Mahayana Buddhist (with Shaiva syncretism)
Khmer capital city (late 12th century by Jayavarman VII) covering 9 km² walled square with Bayon state temple – 54 towers with 216 enigmatic smiling Avalokiteshvara faces blending Mahayana compassion…
🇱🇾 Libya · Road station
Barca Road Station (El Marj – Ptolemais Waystation)
Greek to Byzantine (6th c. BCE–7th c. CE) · Greek (Cyrenean) / Roman
Inland mansio between Barca and Ptolemais with milestone cluster.
🇻🇳 Vietnam · Ancient village
Go O Chua
Neolithic transition to Bronze Age (c.2500–2000 BP, ~500 BCE) · Neolithic–Oc Eo transitional (pre-Funan)」「Go O Chua culture
Pre-Funan mound (500 BCE) on Vam Co Tay — cord pottery and earliest Vietnamese chordophones (music).
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Yungang Grottoes
Northern Wei 460–525 CE (Tanyao 460–465, later sinicized 471–524) · Xianbei Northern Wei Buddhist
45 major caves on 1-km sandstone cliff with 51,000 statues (460–524 CE) of Northern Wei before capital moved to Luoyang.