With urban life in Arbil starting around the 23d century BC, it is one of the longest continuously inhabited sites in the world, having been occupied by Assyrians, Persians, Sasanians, Arabs and Ottomans. Today, it is the Most recently, Arbil has garnered attention for the Middle Paleolithic stone tools excavated by Czech archaeologist Karel Novacek from a 9-meter-deep pit within the citadel walls.
Drapers' Gardens is a site in the City of London occupied during Roman times then left unsettled for millenia - because of heavy waterlogging from tributaries of the River Walbrook - until 1967 when an eponymous skyscraper was erected there. When this skyscraper was demolished, ahead of a new building being erected, an archaeological survey was carried out at the site, revealing a wealth of highly-preserved Roman remains - effectively a microcosm of Roman Londinium.
The remains dated from 63 AD to 383 AD, and included 19 metal vessels - possibly hidden in a well by a wealthy family during a Saxon raid on the city - as well as hundreds of brooches, a wooden door with its original hinges, a ruler, various Roman roads and wooden bridges, and even the skull of a bear, which may have died in a nearby ampitheatre. The artefacts are now in the possession of the Museum of London.
The ancient Latin city of Gabii was a city-state that was both a neighbour of, and a rival to, Rome in the first millennium BC. Gabii is located in the region of Italy once known as Latium. The site of Gabii was occupied since at least the 10th century BC until its decline in the second and third centuries AD. Major excavations have been carried out on the cemetery of Osteria dell'Osa in Gabii. These tombs have been divided into 14 groups, with each group exhibiting a set of distinctive traditions and each believed to represent a different community which has settled in the area.
Pingyao is one of the most well-preserved medieval town in all of China and has become a major tourist destination. The town is notable for its still existing city wall along with the hundreds of buildings that date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the 19th century, the town became a banking capital for the country.
Southwark is a Borough of South-East London, with a history almost as long as that of the City of London itself. It is commonly referred to as "London's first suburb."
As the landing point of Roman London bridge, it had an obvious importance in Roman times - indeed, at Tabard Street in Southwark in 2004, a plaque was discovered with the earliest reference to "London" from the Roman period on it. However, Southwark probably wasn't considered as a distinct entity from Roman Londinium during this era - rather, it was simply Londinium's southern extremity. Evidence from the Roman period suggests Southwark was burned to the ground during Boudicca's revolt in 61 AD.
Kissonerga-Skalia was an ancient town located on the southwest coast of Cyprus, inhabited during the Early Middle Bronze Age Period (ca. 2400-1650 BC).
It was at least 12 hectares in size, contained about 30 houses, and had a population of less than 1,000 people. Cyprus was a fairly insular place during the time that it flourished – most of the other Cypriot settlements were inland.
It has been hypothesized that the people of this town were more open to the outside world than their fellow Cypriots. To date there has been little evidence of vast trading between Kissonerga-Skalia and the wider East Mediterranean. However site excavator Dr. Lindy Crewe, of Manchester Museum, is optimistic that such evidence will present itself in future seasons.
Copper fishing equipment, seashells, freshwater crab and gaming stones are all present at this site. Excavators have also come across a large structure that may be the remains of an ancient fortress. So far they’ve uncovered 17 meters of the wall of it. The dating is sketchy but it was in use no later than ca. 1550 BC and appears to have been built ca. 1750 BC. Whether this was truly a fortress, or whether it was a perimeter wall or large building, remains a mystery.
Dangeil is located nearby the fifth Nile cataract in Sudan – about 350 kilometres northeast of Khartoum.
It’s currently being explored by the Berber-Abidiya archaeological project - a joint project between the British Museum and the Sudan National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM). It has an area the size of 24 football fields and it will take generations until it is fully excavated. It is threatened by development.
The bulk of the finds have been from the Kingdom of Meroe (3rd century BC – 3rd century AD) – including a 1st century AD temple.
At the end of 2008 the team found three statues which date from an earlier period. These include a one ton rendering of the 25th dynasty pharaoh Taharqa (ruled ca. 690-664 BC). This is the furthest south that any statue of a pharaoh has been found. Dr. Julie Anderson told Heritage Key that she believes there is an older temple that dates back to Taharqa’s reign. It’s likely located nearby or right underneath the 1st century AD temple.
Pi-Ramesses was an Egyptian capital constructed by Ramesses II ca. 1270 BC. The name means “The House of Ramesses Beloved of Amun Great of Victories.” It is located near modern day Qantir, not far from Tell el-Daba (Avaris). Ramses probably built it so that he could be closer to Egyptian territories in Asia.
It was in use for about 200 years, but was abandoned at the time when Egypt was slipping into the Third Intermediate Period, around 1070 BC. The site is vast – at least 10 square kilometres.
The city appears to be referenced in the Book of Exodus which says that the Israelis started out from a city named “Rameses,” - after the Egyptians were forced to let them go.
Ramesses II married the eldest daughter of the Hittite king Hattusili III, creating an alliance between the two civilizations. The alliance seems to have gone beyond marriage and politics. Evidence indicates that Hittite shields were manufactured in the workshops of Pi-Ramesses during this time – possibly with the assistance of Hittite experts.
Located in the eastern Nile Delta, this site was used as a capital by the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period. They were an Asiatic people who controlled part of Egypt during this time. The site is strategically placed, giving whoever controls it access to the Sinai, Levant and southern Egypt.
It was abandoned for a time, after the Hyksos were driven out of Egypt. It was rebuilt during the 18th dynasty of Egypt. It included three palaces, indicating that it was used by Egyptian royalty.
The most astonishing finds were the Minoan frescoes that decorated two of the palaces. These depict bull-leaping scenes. They are similar in many respects to the frescoes painted at the Palace of Knossos in Crete.
How these frescoes got to Egypt is a mystery. The excavator of the site, Manfred Bietak, has proposed that a Minoan princess got married to a member of the Egyptian royal family. The Minoans sent artists to paint the frescoes as a way to commemorate this wedding.
Is a site on the southeast coast of Cyprus near the modern day village of Pyla. It was inhabited for only a brief period of time ca. 1250 – 1200 BC. The population is estimated to have been between 500-1,500 people.
The site contains roughly 200 houses. These were one story high, with a stone foundation and mud brick superstructure. They would have had 100 to 150 square meters of space.
Most of the site is surrounded by a stone wall. Archaeologists used to believe that this was a defensive fortification. However, a recent dig has found that it was poorly made and would have been of limited use during an attack. Instead of defence it may have been used for town planning or to mark off a point where the town ended.
Why the site was inhabited for such a short period of time is a mystery. It’s near an ancient harbour and Egyptian pottery has been found on the site – indicating a trade relationship. It also had access to arable farmland.
One theory is that it was inhabited by Mycenaean refugees. However, recent survey work has found that only 8 percent of the pottery, which dates from the period, is Aegean in character.
