Cities of the ancient Near East

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).

The KI 𒆠 determinative was the Sumerian term for a city or city state.[1] In Akkadian and Hittite orthography, URU𒌷 became a determinative sign denoting a city, or combined with KUR𒆳 "land" the kingdom or territory controlled by a city, e.g. 𒄡𒆳𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭 LUGAL KUR URUHa-at-ti "the king of the country of (the city of) Hatti".

Mesopotamia

Further information: Geography of Mesopotamia and Mesopotamia

Lower Mesopotamia

(ordered from north to south)

Upper Mesopotamia

Map of Syria in the second millennium BC

(ordered from north to south)

Zagros and Elam

(ordered from north to south)

Anatolia

Settlements of Bronze Age Anatolia, based on Hittite records.

(ordered from north to south)

The Levant

(all ordered alphabetically)

Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, separated by just a few miles of the Red Sea, have a history of related settlements, especially near the coast.

Kerma (Doukki Gel)

Horn of Africa

Egypt

This is a list of ancient Egyptian sites, throughout all of Egypt and Nubia. Sites are listed by their classical name whenever possible, if not by their modern name, and lastly with their ancient name if no other is available.

Nomes

The nomes of Ancient Egypt, in lower Egypt
The nomes of Ancient Egypt, in upper Egypt

A nome is a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt.

Lower Egypt

Upper Egypt

Lower Egypt (The Nile Delta)

Middle Egypt

The area from about Al Fayyum to Asyut is usually referred to as Middle Egypt.

Upper Egypt

Northern Upper Egypt

  • Abydos (Ancient: "Abedju")
  • Apollinopolis Parva (Modern: "Qus", Ancient: "Gesa" or "Gesy")
    • Qus Necropolis
  • Antaeopolis (Modern: "Qaw el-Kebir", Ancient: "Tjebu" or "Djew-Qa")
  • Athribis (Modern: "Wannina", Ancient: "Hut-Repyt")
  • Beit Khallaf
  • Tentyris (Modern: "Dendera", Ancient: "Iunet" or "Tantere")
    • Temple of Hathor
  • Diospolis Parva (Modern: "Hiw", Ancient: "Hut-Sekhem")
  • el-Hawawish
  • el-Salamuni
  • Khemmis or Panopolis (Modern: "Akhmin", Ancient: "Ipu" or "Khent-Min")
  • Khenoboskion (Modern: "el-Qasr", "el-Saiyad")
  • Koptos (Modern: "Qift", Ancient: "Gebtu")
  • Naga ed-Der
  • Nag' el-Madamud (Ancient: "Mabu")
  • Ombos (Naqada) (Modern: "Naqada", Ancient: "Nubt")
  • Shanhûr

Southern Upper Egypt

Lower Nubia

Map of Nubia

Upper Nubia

  • 'Amara East
  • 'Amara West[2]
  • Abahuda (Abu Oda)
  • Aksha (Serra West)
  • Askut Island
  • Buhen
  • Dabenarti
  • Dibeira East
  • Dorginarti Island
  • Dibeira West
  • Faras
  • Gebel el-Shams
  • Gebel Barkal
  • Kor
  • Kumma
  • Meinarti Island
  • Qustul
  • Semna
  • Semna South
  • Serra East
  • Shalfak
  • Uroarti Island

The Oases and Mediterranean coast

  • Siwa Oasis
    • Aghurmi
    • el-Zeitun
    • Gebel el-Mawta
    • Qaret el-Musabberin
    • Umm el-'Ebeida
  • Bahriya Oasis
    • el-Qasr
    • el-Bawiti
    • el-Hayz
  • Farafra Oasis
    • 'Ain el-Wadi
    • el-Qasr
  • el-Dakhla Oasis
    • Amheida
    • Balat
    • Deir el-Hager
    • el-Qasr
    • Kellis (Modern: "Ismant el-Kharab")
    • Mut el-Kharab
    • Qaret el-Muzawwaqa
  • el-Kharga Oasis
    • Baris
    • Gebel el-Teir
    • Hibis
    • Kysis (Modern: "Dush")
    • Nadurs
    • Qasr el-Ghueida
    • Qasr Zaiyan
  • Mediterranean Coast

Sinai

Eastern Desert

Notes and references

Bibliography

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ancient Near East maps.

References

    External links