In the western delta of the Nile, about 72 kilometers southeast of Alexandria, lay the ancient city of Naucratis (Ναύκρατις), a Greek enclave that played a crucial role in cultural and commercial exchange between Greece and Egypt. Founded in the 7th century BCE, Naucratis became the first permanent Greek settlement in Egypt and, for much […]
Cities
Posted inGeography
New Satellite Images Show Construction Progress of Nusantara, Indonesia’s New Capital City in the Jungle
The jungles of eastern Borneo, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, have begun to rapidly transform since mid-2022 due to the construction of Nusantara, Indonesia’s ambitious new capital. The epicenter of this transformation is an area near Balikpapan Bay, in the province of East Kalimantan. The President of Indonesia made the decision […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Travel
Merv, the City in Present-Day Turkmenistan that was the World’s Largest City in the 12th Century
To the south of present-day Turkmenistan, near the modern town of Mary, lie the remnants of what was once one of the most important oasis cities on the Silk Road. So significant was it that not only did it become the capital of the Seljuk Empire, but during the 12th and early 13th centuries, it […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Saxon City of Lundenwic Found by Archaeologists Under London’s National Gallery
Archaeologists in London may have discovered some missing pieces of the city’s early history. A team digging at the northern end of Trafalgar Square found evidence that Saxon London’s center was larger and extended further west long ago than previously believed. The excavation took place as part of a renovation project celebrating the 200th anniversary […]
Posted inArchaeology
Pueblo Bonito, the Enigmatic Anasazi City Abandoned in the 12th Century
In the northern part of the state of New Mexico in the United States, you’ll find the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Within it, the archaeological site of Pueblo Bonito is the largest settlement among those remaining from the ancient Anasazi culture (also known as Pueblo Culture). Lieutenant James H. Simpson of the United States […]
Posted inArchaeology
Complex Network of Tunnels Dating Back 6,000 Years Discovered in China’s Ancient Houchongzhai Stone Town
Recent archaeological excavations at the site of the ancient Stone City of Houchongzhai, located in Qingshuihe County in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, have revealed significant new details about its sophisticated three-level defensive system. Dating between 4300 and 4500 BC, during the historical period known as Early Longshan, the city of Houchongzhai was […]
Posted inAntiquity
Eridu, the First City in History According to Mesopotamian Sources
Near the present-day city of Basra in Iraq, and about 12 kilometers southwest of the site of ancient Ur, is the site of Eridu (Eridug in Sumerian), the southernmost of all the great Mesopotamian cities and, according to the Sumerian King List, the oldest city in history. The mound that housed ancient Eridu was identified […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
6000 Years Ago, the Oldest Cities in Europe Ensured their Food with Cereals and Peas, without the Need for Meat
Around 6,000 years ago in the forest steppe region northwest of the Black Sea (now part of Ukraine and Moldova), massive settlements began emerging as part of the Trypillia culture. Known as megasites, some of these earliest farming communities sprawled across up to 320 hectares, with populations of around 15,000 people. Experts believe these were […]
Posted inGeography, Modern Era
Kaliningrad, the Strategic City no one Wants
Similar to what happened with the Treaty of Versailles in 1918, the end of World War II reshaped the European map, with a special impact on the eastern part of the continent and the borders between Germany, Poland, Russia, and the present Baltic states. This resulted in some cities that previously belonged to one country […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Ancient Lost City that withstood the Decline of the Roman Empire discovered in Italy
For centuries, the town of Interamna Lirenas in central Italy was thought to be an unremarkable backwater that declined after the fall of the Roman Empire. However, recent archaeological excavations by a team from the University of Cambridge have uncovered startling new evidence that challenges our understanding of life in Roman Italy. What was once […]