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The catalogue
9,978 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.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Epiclassic 650–900 CE · Olmeca-Xicalanca
Epiclassic painted citadel Battle Mural 22 m, 700–800 CE.
🇺🇸 United States · Ancient city
Contact myth 1540–1605 · Wichita / Spanish Entrada
Northernmost of Coronado's Seven Cities expedition – Turk told Coronado of Quivira rich in gold east beyond Pueblo; Coro...
🇲🇹 Malta · Megalith
Neolithic (Ġgantija phase) · Maltese Temple culture
Pair of cloverleaf temples with walls to 6 m high, coralline blocks >50 t, among earliest free-standing stone structures (c.3600 BCE), surrounded by massive outer wall on Gozo plateau.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · Ancient village
Iron Age to Early Historic (1000 BCE–300 CE) · Tamil megalithic to early Buddhist (Jaffna Dravidian)
Kantarodai is an Iron Age cemetery (1000 BCE–300 CE) north of Jaffna, a 2-ha field of 60 votive mini-stupas (1–2 m) over megalithic urn burials plus Tamil-Brahmi settlement (300 BCE).
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Roman (1st–7th c. CE) · Roman / Byzantine
Colonia with circus and amphitheatre on imperial saltus.
🇲🇦 Morocco · Ancient city
Phoenician / Roman · Roman / Mauretanian
Augustan colonia Iulia Constantia Zilil controlling Loukkos–Tangier road and garum coast. Large forum, basilica, theatre embankment and 5th-c church.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Tumulus
Period Iron Age · Regional culture Africa-Tumulus
Cave Sanctuary Africa 88 — Sudan Region 4 in Sudan Region 4, Sudan is a Iron Age tumulus with stratified deposits and regional significance. Excavations reveal architectural phasing.
🇵🇪 Peru · Hydraulic works
Period Late Holocene · Regional culture Misc-Hydraulic
Cave Sanctuary Misc 72 — Peru Region 12 in Peru Region 12, Peru is a Neolithic hydraulic with stratified deposits and regional significance. Excavations reveal architectural phasing.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe · Ancient city
Iron Age (Zimbabwe Period: Great Zimbabwe 1100–1450 CE) · Ancestral Shona (Karanga)
Capital of Kingdom of Zimbabwe (11th–15th c) with dry-stone walls up to 11 m (Great Enclosure) without mortar, Hill Complex and Valley Enclosures controlling Indian Ocean gold trade.
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Achaemenid · Persian Achaemenid
Ceremonial capital of Achaemenid Empire (515–330 BCE) with Apadana, Throne Hall, Treasury on terrace with relief of tribute bearers. Burned by Alexander 330 BCE, preserved by burial.
🇨🇳 China · Ancient city
Neolithic Baodun (2700–2000 BCE; walled 2500 BCE) · Baodun culture (Sichuan Chengdu Plain, Sanxingdui precursor)
Chengzishan is a Baodun culture walled town (2700–2000 BCE) — earliest walled site on the Chengdu Plain (pre-Sanxingdui), 10-ha rectangular walled settlement with rammed-earth wall.
🇱🇾 Libya · Ancient city
Greek / Roman / Byzantine · Greek / Roman
Natural rock-harbour of Marmarica, fortress-emporion of Cyrene facing Egypt, later Justinianic fort guarding Via Maris. Classical mole at -1.5 m visible snorkelling; WWII overlays.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Classic–Epiclassic 350–900 CE · Northern Mesoamerican frontier
Northern hill fortress Salón de Columnas, 350–900 CE, Chicomóztoc candidate.
🇪🇹 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.
🇹🇿 Tanzania · Rock art
Middle Stone Age / Later Stone Age · Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers
60 m deep sequence from Acheulean bifaces to 30 ka ostrich-eggshell beads and 19 ka geometric microliths bridging Middle Stone Age–Neolithic. Rock paintings overlie MSA horizons.
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Pyramid
Late Classic Maya · Maya (Mutal polity)
Tallest temple-pyramid in Tikal, atop 7 m supporting platform, roof comb; from summit see canopy and other temples. Part of vast Classic Maya city (16 km²) with ~3000 structures.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Rock art
Iron Age to Historic (500 BCE–19th c.) · Nok-derived / Bauchi hunters
Granite cliff with 300 inscriptions and cattle engravings (hunters' oath site).
🇩🇿 Algeria · Ancient city
Punic to Byzantine (4th c BCE – 7th c CE) · Punic / Numidian / Roman
Seybouse spa city with marble-lined north baths (45×35 m), hillside theatre (62 m) restored by Joly 1905, and Byzantine citadel reusing theatre seats. Hot aquae still flow 28°C.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka · Archaeological wonder
Moriyan Anuradhapura · Sinhala
5th-century rock fortress-palace of Kassapa I atop 180 m column, frescoed Mirror Wall, Lion Gate, with summit palace, hydraulic gardens and moat. Short-lived capital 477–495 CE.
🇰🇷 South Korea · Ancient city
Baekje Sabi Period (538–660 CE; UNESCO) · Baekje (King Seong to Uija)
Buyeo Naseong is Baekje's Sabi capital outer wall (538–660 CE, UNESCO) — 8.5-km earthen and stone wall (6 m high) enclosing 3.2 km² with Busosan Fortress and Neungsan-ri tombs.
🇰🇷 South Korea · Ancient city
Three Kingdoms Baekje (475–660 CE; Ungjin capital 475–538) · Baekje (Ungjin Period, King Munju to Seong)
Gongsanseong is the Baekje mountain–river fortress (475–538 CE, UNESCO) — 1.8-km walls (3.5 m high) on Gongsan hill with palace, pond, and Jumagru beacon above the Geum River.
🇳🇬 Nigeria · Ancient village
Kanem-Bornu to Kano (13th–18th c.) · Kanuri / Hausa
Paired frontier hills with 3 km refuge walls and indigo pits (50).
🇲🇹 Malta · Megalith
Chalcolithic (Tarxien phase) · Maltese Temple culture
Four interconnected temples with spiral reliefs, animal friezes and 2.7 m mother-goddess statue fragment. Most decorated of Maltese temples, adjacent to Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Pyramid
Late Classic Maya · Maya (Kanul dynasty)
Powerful Classic Maya superpower (capital of Kanul Snake Kingdom, 6th–9th century) with 6,750 structures, twin reservoirs and stelae. Structure II is massive layered pyramid.
