Cities of the ancient Near East
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Uru was the Sumerian term for a city or city state, written with the cuneiform ideogram URU 𒌷 
.
In Akkadian and Hittite orthography, URU became a determinative sign denoting a city, or combined with KUR "land" the kingdom or territory controlled by a city, e.g. 𒈗𒆳𒌷𒄩𒀜𒋾 LUGAL KUR URUHa-at-ti "the king of the country of [the city of] Hatti".
The largest cities in the Bronze Age Ancient Near East housed several tens of thousands. Memphis in the Early Bronze Age with some 30,000 inhabitants was the largest city of the time by far. Ur in the Middle Bronze Age is estimated to have had some 65,000 inhabitants; Babylon in the Late Bronze Age similarly had a population of some 50-60,000, while Niniveh had some 20-30,000, reaching 100,000 only in the Iron Age (ca. 700 BC).
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[edit] Mesopotamia
- Further information: Mesopotamia
[edit] Lower Mesopotamia
[edit] Sumerian, Akkadian and early Amorite cities
The five "first" cities said to have exercized pre-dynastic kingship:
- Eridu (Tell Abu Shahrain) -
- Bad-tibira (Tell al-Madain) -
- Larsa (Tell as-Senkereh) -
- Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah) -
- Shuruppak (Tell Fara) -
Other principal cities (ordered from north to south) :
- Hamazi - location unknown
- Upi (Upija, Opis, Akshak) - location uncertain
- Akkad (Agade) - location unknown
- Kish (Tell al-Uhaymir and Ingharra) - location uncertain
- Nippur (Nibru, Afak) -
- Adab (Tell Bismaya) - location uncertain
- Isin (Ishan al-Bahriyat) -
- Umma (Tell Jokha) -
- Girsu (Ngirsu, Tello, Telloh) -
- Umma (Umm al-Aqarib) - location uncertain
- Lagash (Tell al-Hiba) -
- Uruk (Unug, Warka) -
- Ur (Uru.Unuki, Tell al-Muqayyar) -
Minor cities (ordered from north to south) :
- Eshnunna (Tell Asmar) - location uncertain
- Der (Badrah) - location uncertain
- Kutha (Tell Ibrahim) - location uncertain
- Borsippa (Birs Nimrud) -
- Dilbat (Tell ed-Duleim) -
- Marad (Wanna es-Sadun) - location uncertain
- Kisurra (Abu Hatab) - location uncertain
- Zabala (Tell Ibzeikh) - location uncertain
- Kisiga (Kuara, Tell el-Lahm) - location uncertain
[edit] Babylonian cities
- Bab Ilu (Babylon) -
[edit] Upper Mesopotamia
(ordered from north to south)
- Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dagi) -
- Urfa -
- Shanidar cave - location uncertain
- Urkesh (Tell Mozan) -
- Haran -
- Carchemish (Djerabis) -
- Washukanni (Tell el Fakhariya) - location uncertain
- Nemrik - location uncertain
- Tell al-Hawa - location uncertain
- Yarim Tepe - location uncertain
- Telul eth-Thalathat - location uncertain
- Tepe Gawra - location uncertain
- Arpachiyah - location uncertain
- Shibaniba (Tell Billa) - location uncertain
- Tarbisu (Sherif Khan) - location uncertain
- Ninua (Niniveh) -
- Qatara (Zamahe, Karana, Tell Rimah) -
- Arbil (Qalinj Agha) -
- Tell Taya - location uncertain
- Tell Hassuna - location uncertain
- Imgur-Enlil (Balawat) - location uncertain
- Tell al-Rimah - location uncertain
- Palegawra cave - location uncertain
- Qal'at Jarmo - location uncertain
- Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta (Tulul el-Aqar) - location uncertain
- Nuzi (Yorghan Tepe) - location uncertain
- Gerd-i Resh - location uncertain
- Tell al-Fakhar - location uncertain
- Terqa (Tell Ashara) - location uncertain
- Doura Europos -
- Haradum (Khirbet ed-Diniyeh) - location uncertain
- Tell as Sawwan - location uncertain
- Nerebtum (Tell Ishchali) - location uncertain
- Tutub (Khafajah) - location uncertain
- Tell Agrab - location uncertain
- Badra (Tell Aqr) - location uncertain
- Seleucia -
- Ctesiphon (Taq Kisra) -
- Tell Uqair - location uncertain
[edit] Assyria and Mitanni
(ordered from north to south)
- Nagar (Tell Brak) -
- Dur Sharrukin (Khorsabad) -
- Nimrud (Kalhu) -
- Emar (Tell Meskene) -
- Dur Katlimmu - location uncertain
- Arrapha (Kirkuk) -
- Ashur (Assur) -
- Nuzi (Gasur, Yorghan Tepe) -
- Mari (Tell Hariri) -
- Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar Quf) -
- Shaduppum (Tell Harmal) -
- Sippar-Amnanum (Tell ed-Der) -
[edit] Zagros and Elam
(ordered from north to south)
- Hasanlu Tepe - location uncertain
- Zend-e Suleiman -
- Takht-e Suleiman -
- Ecbatana (Hamadan) -
- Behistun -
- Sialk -
- Awan - location unknown
- Susa -
- Dur Untash (Chogha Zanbil) -
- Shahr-i-Sokhte -
- Pasargadai -
- Naqsh-e Rustam -
- Parsa (Persepolis) -
- Anshan (Tepe Malyan) -
- Palace of Cyrus near Charkhab Borazjan - location uncertain
[edit] Anatolia
(ordered from north to south)
- Nicaea -
- Sapinuwa - location uncertain
- Yazilikaya -
- Hattusa -
- Ilios (Wilusa, Ilion, Troas, Troy) -
- Karum Kanesh (Nesa, Kültepe) -
- Milid (Arslantepe, Malatya) -
- Çayönü -
- Çatalhöyük -
- Kizzuwatna - location unknown
- Adana -
- Tarsus -
- Attalia (Antalya) -
[edit] the Levant
(all ordered from north to south)
- Ebla (Tell Mardikh) -
- Ugarit (Ras Shamra) -
- Qatna (Tell Mishrifeh) -
- Qadesh -
- Tadmor (Palmyra) -
- Baalbek (Heliopolis) -
- Damascus (Dimashq) -
- Gilgal Refaim (Rujm el-Hiri) -
Canaan
- Hazor -
- Megiddo -
- Shechem (Sychar, Neapolis) -
- Ai -
- Jericho (Tell es Sultan) -
- Jerusalem (Jebus) -
- Gath - location uncertain
- Hebron -
Philistia
Phoenicia
[edit] Egypt
(all ordered from north to south)
Lower Egypt
- Heraclion -
- Pikuat (Canopus, Kanobos) -
- Per-Wadjet (Buto, Butosos, Tell el-Fara'in) -
- Alexandria -
- Khaset (Xois) -
- Damanhur (Hermopolis Parva, Tell al-Naqus) - location uncertain
- Tell Kedua -
- Djanet (Tanis, Zoan) -
- Zau (Sais, Sa el-Hagar) -
- Thmuis (Tell El-Timai) -
- Naucratis -
- Tjafanet (Tahpanhes, Daphnae Pelusiae, Baal Zephon) -
- Tell Abu Sefeh -
- Pi-Ramesse (Per-Ramessu, Raamses) -
- Hatwaret (Avaris, Tell ed-Dab'a) -
- Pa-Kes (Faqus, Goshen) -
- Tell abu ar-Rus -
- Taremu (Leontopolis, Tell al Muqdam) - location uncertain
- Tjeku (Succoth, Tell el Maskhuta) - location uncertain
- Per-Bastet (Bubastis, Tell Basta) -
- Heroopolis -
- Pi-Atum (Pithom) -
- Hut-Heryib (Athribis, Benha) -
- Ney-ta-hut (Leontopolis, Tell el-Yahudiya) -
- Iunu (Heliopolis) -
- Troyu (Tura) - location uncertain
Middle Egypt
- Br-wsir (Abusir) - location uncertain
- Saqqara Serapeum -
- Saqqara -
- Mennefer (Memphis) -
- Itj-Tawy (Lisht) -
- Tpyhwt (Aphroditopolis, Atfih) - location uncertain
- Hatwaret (Hawara) -
- Hat-nen-nesu (Heracleopolis) -
- Tayu-djayet (Ankyronpolis, Al-Hiba) - location uncertain
- Per-Medjed (Oxyrhynchus) -
- Dehenet (Akoris) - location uncertain
- Hebenu (Kom el-Ahmar) - location uncertain
- Beni Hasan - location uncertain
- Speos Artemidos - location uncertain
- Khnum (Khemennu, Hermopolis) -
- Akhetaten (Tell el Amarna) -
- Meir - location uncertain
- Zawty (Lycopolis, Asyut) - location uncertain
- Tjebu (Djew-Qa, Antaeopolis, Qau, Qaw el-Kebir) - location uncertain
Upper Egypt
- Apu (Akhmim, Khen-min, Panopolis) -
- Tjenu (Thinis, Girga) -
- Abdju (Abydos) -
- Ta-ynt-netert (Dendera) -
- Gebtu (Coptos, Qift) -
- Tukh Pyramid -
- Nubt (Ombos) - location uncertain
- Naqada (Nagade) -
- Gesa (Apollonopolis Parva, Qus) - location uncertain
- Waset (Thebes, Luxor) -
- Iuny (Hermonthis, Armant) - location uncertain
- Djerty (Tuphium, Tod) - location uncertain
- Per-Hathor (Aphroditopolis, Gebelein) - location uncertain
- Iunyt (Ta-senet, Latopolis, Esna) -
- Nekheb (Eileithyiaspolis) -
- Nekhen (Hierakonpolis, Kom El-Ahmar) -
- Behdet (Idfu) -
- Nubt (Ombos, Kom Ombo) -
- Abu (Elephantine) -
- Pilak (Philae) -
Wawat (Nubia)
[edit] Kush + Ethiopia
- Kerma -
- Jebel Barkal -
- Napata -
- Meroë (Wadi Tarabil cemetery) -
- Meroë -
- Aksum -
- Queen of Sheba's palace at Axum/Dongur -
[edit] See also
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