Pompeii, Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat - the names of these cities are familiar even to schoolchildren, there are hundreds of photos of these places on the Internet, and this is where tourists want to visit. But there are places on the planet that are no less ancient and interesting, but not such publicized places. In our review of 15 amazing cities that were built several thousand years ago and are of great interest today.
1. Carthage
Carthage, located on the territory of modern Tunisia, was founded by the Phoenicians in the first millennium BC. The city flourished quickly and began to enjoy great influence due to its coastal location, but soon competitors - the Romans - appeared. Carthage ultimately fell under the onslaught of the Romans in 146 BC. and was destroyed.
2. Ciudad Perdida
The current name of Ciudad Perdida is translated as “The Lost City”. This place is also known in Colombia as Buritaka or Teyuna. Founded in 800 BC the city is 650 years older than the famous Inca city of Machu Picchu. It was only accidentally discovered in 1972. The city is believed to have a population of about 8,000.
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3. Troy
Most people know about Three from Homer's Iliad or from a Hollywood movie. In fact, it was the oldest settlement in the northwest of the present territory of Turkey. The oldest excavations at this site date back to the 3rd millennium BC, and the Trojan War took place in the 13th century BC.
4. Skara Bray
On the largest of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, a Neolithic settlement was discovered - Skara Bray. It is much older than the Great Pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in England. For thousands of years, the settlement was hidden under a layer of sedimentary rock until a violent storm uncovered stone dwellings in 1850. Skara Bray was inhabited from 3180 to 2500 BC.
5. Memphis
Although the name is associated with a modern city in the US state of Tennessee, Memphis was the first capital of Egypt and remained one of the main cities in Egypt for thousands of years. Legend has it that King Menes built the city in 3100 BC. Memphis continued to be one of the main centers of the region even after the 10th century BC. the Egyptian capital was moved to Thebes.
6. Caral
In this photo, the city of Caral looks like nothing more than an extension of the Peruvian desert. In fact, these are the remains of one of the largest cities of culture, Norte Chico. Caral is considered one of the oldest cities in the Americas and was inhabited from 2600 to 2000 BC. There were 3000 people living in Karala.
7. Babylon
More legends than facts are associated with the next ancient city. Babylon - a large city in ancient Mesopotamia - was built on the coast of the Euphrates River (the territory of modern Iraq). Babylon was considered the sacred city of Akkad and was also the first ancient city with a population of over 200,000. Babylon was originally founded in 2300 BC, after which it played a prominent role in the region throughout ancient history. Ancient texts primarily mentioned the city's luxury, vibrant colors and legendary hanging gardens.
8. Taxila
Taxila, located in northwestern Pakistan, has undergone a tremendous amount of cultural change. The ancient city was the capital of the ancient Indian people of the Gandharas. For the first time in history, the city is mentioned in connection with its conquest by the Persian king Darius the Great in 518 BC. Taxila was eventually destroyed by the Huns in the fifth century. Among its ruins, there are Hindu, Buddhist and Greek temples.
9. Timgad
The Roman colony in Algeria was founded by Emperor Trajan in 100 AD. in honor of his parents and older sister. In the current ruins of the city, the perpendicular buildings used by the Romans in their cities, and which are still in use today, are clearly visible. The city of 15,000 remained peaceful for 400 years, until it was conquered by the Arabs. After that, the city slowly absorbed the sand, and was rediscovered only in 1881.
10. Mohenjo-Daro
This city in the Indus Valley of Pakistan is one of the first urban centers in the world. It was built in 2600 BC. and flourished for about 600 years. For unclear reasons, the city was abandoned 900 years after its founding, and was rediscovered only in 1922. Since then, excavations have unearthed many artifacts as well as evidence of ancient technological advances. Mohenjo-Daro literally means "the hill of the dead."
11. Great Zimbabwe
Great (or Great) Zimbabwe is the name of a complex of stone ruins of the most ancient South African city on the territory of modern Zimbabwe. Great Zimbabwe is believed to have been the cult center of the ancestors of the Bantu people. The city began to be built in the 12th century BC, and construction continued for about 300 years. At its peak, the city had about 18,000 inhabitants.
12. Hatra
The ancient city of Hatra in Iraq was the capital of the first Arab kingdom. Its thick, high walls helped to withstand even the attacks of the Romans. Hatra flourished as a center of trade and religion during the Parthian kingdom, but was eventually destroyed during the invasion of the Iranian Sassanid dynasty. Greek, Roman and Oriental traditions are clearly observed in the architecture of the city.
13. Sanchi
The city of Sanchi was built over a period of over a thousand years, from the third century BC to 1200. The city was abandoned in the 1300s as the influence of Buddhism in India declined significantly. As a result, the ancient city was swallowed up by the jungle, and it was discovered in 1818 by a British officer.
14. Hattusa
Hattusa became the capital of the Hittite Empire (territory of modern Turkey) in the 17th century BC. About six hundred years later, the city disappeared into oblivion, along with many other Bronze Age settlements in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Archaeological evidence suggests that people gradually left the city after the collapse of the Hittite empire.
15. Chan-Chan
Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in South America, located in what is now Peru. It was built by the Chimu people around 850 AD. Chan Chan had a population of about 30,000 until the city was conquered by the Inca Empire in 1470.