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Tagsancient-city
119 places carry this tag, across every kind and continent it appears in.
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Early Bronze (3500–2900 BCE) · Kura-Araxes Early Bronze
Early Bronze (3500–2900 BCE) ancient-city of Kura-Araxes Early Bronze in East Azerbaijan, Moghan (c.3350 BCE).
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Iron Age Urartian (880–780 BCE) · Urartian Early Kingdom
Iron Age Urartian (880–780 BCE) ancient-city of Urartian Early Kingdom in Muș Province, Malazgirt (c.880 BCE).
🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city
Iron Age (1000–714 BCE) · Hurro-Urartian
Iron Age (1000–714 BCE) ancient-city of Hurro-Urartian in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Sidekan (c.1000 BCE).
🇸🇩 Sudan · Ancient city
Middle Kingdom to New Kingdom, c.2500-1500 BCE (Kerma–Egyptian) · Kerma (Kushite)
Dokki Gel sacred city 1 km south of Kerma (Ancient Dukki Gel): massive ceremonial city of Classic Kerma kingdom (2500-1500 BCE) with four successive cruciform palatial enclosures, each 100×100 m,…
🇹🇳 Tunisia · Ancient city
Phoenician to Late Antiquity (7th c BCE – 7th c CE; peak 2nd–3rd c CE) · Phoenician / Numidian / Roman (Africa Proconsularis)
Two-kilometre strand city on Djerba's southeastern causeway shore, Meninx was the island's Phoenician emporion turned Roman civitas capital, famed for murex purple second only to T...
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Mahajanapada 600 BCE → Gupta 4th–6th c CE · Northern Panchala Mahajanapada → Mauryan → Gupta
Ahicchatra — capital of Northern Panchala Mahajanapada (c.600 BCE–1100 CE) near Ramnagar, Bareilly district, excavated 1940s–60s by ASI (V.K. Sinha).
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Ancient city
Sogdian 7th c BCE → Samanid 9th–10th c → Mongol 1220 CE · Sogdian Maracanda → Sasanian → Samanid Samarkand
Afrasiab — ancient Samarkand / Maracanda (7th c BCE–1220 CE) 3 km north Registan, excavated 1874–present by Vyatkin, Shishkina, Grenet.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
PGW 1100–600 BCE (Kuru) → NBPW 600–300 BCE → Historic · Kuru Mahajanapada (PGW culture) → NBPW Early Historic
Hastinapura — capital of Kuru Mahajanapada (c.1100–600 BCE, PGW 1100–600 BCE, NBPW 600–300 BCE) at Hastinapur, Meerut district, excavated 1950–52 by B.B. Lal (ASI).
🇻🇳 Vietnam · Ancient city
Funan 2nd–6th c CE → Chenla 6th–9th c → Khmer 9th–12th c · Funan Óc Eo (Mekong Delta) → Chenla → Khmer
Gò Tháp — Funan (Óc Eo culture) port-city centre (2nd–12th c CE) 25 km north Cao Lanh, Thap Muoi Mekong floodplain, excavated 1998–2010s Le Xuan Diem and DAA.
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Satavahana 2nd c BCE–2nd c CE → Vakataka → Yadava · Satavahana Deccan urban (Godavari)
Paithan (ancient Pratishthana) — Satavahana capital (2nd c BCE–2nd c CE) on Godavari 56 km south Aurangabad, excavated 1970s by Allchin and 1990s Sontheimer.
🇨🇳 China · Ancient city
Early Shang Erligang 1600–1400 BCE (Xia→Shang transition) · Early Shang (Erligang culture, Zhengzhou phase)
Erligang (Zhengzhou Shang City) — Early Shang walled capital (c.1600–1400 BCE, Erligang culture) under modern Zhengzhou old city, excavated 1950s–80s An Jinhuai and Zou Heng (Henan Institute).
🇮🇳 India · Ancient city
Mahajanapada 600 BCE → Mauryan → Gupta 4th c CE · Vatsa Janapada → Mauryan → Sunga–Gupta (Middle Ganga)
Kausambi (Kosambi) — capital of Vatsa Mahajanapada (c.600 BCE–300 CE) on Yamuna 56 km SW Prayagraj, excavated 1949–56 by G.R. Sharma (Allahabad University).
🇹🇯 Tajikistan · Ancient city
Sogdian 5th–8th c → Early Islamic 8th–9th c CE · Ustrushana Sogdian (Shahriston) → Samanid
Bunjikat — capital of Ustrushana (5th–9th c CE) 40 km SE Khujand, excavated 1940s–90s Negmatov (Tajik Academy).
🇵🇰 Pakistan · Ancient city
Kushan 1st–3rd c CE → Gupta → Hepthalite 5th c · Kushan Gandhara (Taxila valley)
Sirsukh — last great city of Taxila (late 1st c CE–mid 5th c CE) 2 km NE Sirkap, Taxila valley, founded under Kushan Kujula Kadphises/Kanishka after 80 CE.
🇹🇲 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.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Ancient city
Sogdian–Hephthalite 4th–8th c CE (Bukhara Khudats) · Sogdian Bukhara (Zeravshan oasis) → Early Islamic
Varakhsha — palace-city of Bukhara Khudats (4th–8th c CE) 40 km west Bukhara, excavated 1937–58 Shishkin and Tolstov.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Ancient city
New Kingdom, 19th-20th Dynasties, c.1300-1050 BCE (Seti I–Ramesses II) · Ancient Egyptian
Amara West walled town on island 70 km north of Sai: palatial administrative capital of Kush under viceroy (King's Son of Kush) from Seti I to Ramesses IX.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
New Kingdom, Amarna Period, c.1350 BCE (Akhenaten / Amenhotep IV) · Ancient Egyptian (Akhenaten)
Sesebi walled town on west bank between 2nd-3rd Cataracts: rectangular fortified settlement 270×200 m with Aten temple (Akhenaten) later converted to Amun temple by Seti I.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · Ancient city
Achaemenid 4th c BCE → Sogdian 4th–8th c → Samanid 9th–11th c · Sogdian Bukhara (City of Merchants) → Samanid Islamic
Paykend — Sogdian–Islamic Silk Road city of merchants (4th c BCE–11th c CE) 50 km west Bukhara, excavated 1910s–2000s Semenov and Naymark.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Ancient city
Neo-Hittite Iron I–II (1200–717 BCE) over Late Bronze · Neo-Hittite / Aramaean
Carchemish Outer Town in Gaziantep Province, Euphrates ford, Turkey is a Neo-Hittite Iron I–II (1200–717 BCE) over Late Bronze ancient city attributed to Neo-Hittite / Aramaean.
🇮🇷 Iran · Ancient city
Early–Middle Bronze (2700–2100 BCE) · Halil Rud (Jiroft)
Early–Middle Bronze (2700–2100 BCE) Halil Rud (Jiroft) ancient city at Kerman Province, Jiroft plain, Halil River – northern citadel mound of jiroft twin city (dims North mound 13 m high; city 400 ha together).
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Late Intermediate 1100–1470 CE Chachapoya cliff-house · Chachapoyas
Most dramatic Chachapoyas cliff village: 30 structures (houses and mausoleums) fused to vertical sandstone wall via timber beams slotted into cliff, accessed via rope ladders 200 m above cloud forest…
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Late Preclassic to Late Classic 400 BCE–900 CE, peak 600–850 CE · Maya (Comitán Lakes, Late Classic Lacandon fringe)
Lake city on Lagartero chain of karst lakes at Chiapas-Guatemala border: temples and ballcourt on islets linked by stone causeway 300 m to lakeshore palace, with hundreds of incensarios (Lakamulpán…
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Ancient city
Middle Preclassic to Late Classic 1000 BCE–950 CE, Mirador Basin fluorescence · Maya (Mirador Basin Preclassic)
Huge Preclassic center on basin SE ridge 15 km N of Calakmul: massive E-Group (355 m platform) aligning equinox sunrise, Triadic Structure A 30 m pyramid, and Late Classic intrusive occupation after…
