Ancient City by Letter

A

Capital of a large kingdom that controlled parts of modern day Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

B

Capital of an ancient state of the same name, and later one of the capitals of the Achaemenid Empire

C

City-state that controlled large parts of the coastline of the western Mediterranean.

D

Sacred precinct that served as the seat of the oracle called the Pythia.

E

One of the oldest Mesopotamian cities. In Sumerian mythology, it was once the home of the water god Enki.

F

City established by Julius Caesar in 59 BC as a home for his veteran soldiers, which later became one of the centres of the Renaissance.

G

Capital of Phrygia, which has a name similar to a famous knot.

H

Capital of the Hittite Empire.

I

Town and fortress in Roman Britain built on the site of modern Exeter.

J

A city that is potentially the oldest in the world, and had the oldest known protective wall.

K

The ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilisation.

L

One of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.

M

One of the largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, home to over 700 wells.

N

The first permanent Greek colony in Egypt.

O

City home to the shrine Sumiyoshi-taisha, founded in 211.

P

The most famous city built by the Nabataeans.

Q

City founded by the Quitu culture.

R

According to legend, this city was founded by two brothers, a Trojan refugee or a Greek hero from Arcadia.

S

One of the most important Phoenician cities, and potentially the oldest. It was notable for its glass manufacturing industry.

T

The largest city in the Americas between the years 1 and 500.

U

This city was said to have been ruled by Gilgamesh during the 27th century BC.

V

The holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism.

W

This ancient Egyptian city was known to the ancient Greeks as Thebes, but was known to the ancient Egyptians as...

X

Capital of the Qin dynasty.

Y

Maya city that was a major rival of the cities Tikal and Palenque.

Z

This city was the capital of the Himyarite Kingdom until the 4th century, when it was replaced by Sana'a.