Iron Age Era

1200 BCE – 550 BCE · 46 sites

All sites in this period

World Record

Most-Visited Ancient Site in the World

Great Wall of China

700 BCE – 1644 CE

The largest defensive structure ever built by human hands — a sprawling system of walls, forts, and watchtowers stretching over 21,000 kilometres across northern China, constructed and rebuilt across more than two millennia by successive dynasties from the Warring States period through the Ming. Far more than a single wall, it represents the accumulated military engineering of an entire civilization defending its northern frontier against nomadic incursion.

Iron AgeClassicalImperial China

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Country Record

Oldest City in Italy

Pompeii

700 BCE – 79 CE

The Roman city of Pompeii was buried in the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, its extraordinary preservation offering an unparalleled window into ancient daily life.

Iron AgeClassicalHellenistic

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Troy

3000 BCE – 500 CE

The legendary city of Homer's Iliad, located at Hisarlık in northwestern Türkiye. Multiple settlement layers spanning over 4,000 years make it one of the most storied archaeological sites in the world.

Iron AgeClassicalRoman

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Country Record

Earliest Known Site in Iraq

Babylon

1894 BCE – 539 BCE

Capital of ancient Babylonia, Babylon flourished under Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II, famed for its Hanging Gardens and Ishtar Gate, before falling to Persia in 539 BCE.

Bronze AgeIron Age

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Continent Record

Most-Visited Ancient Site in Africa

Carthage

814 BCE – 700 CE

Ancient Phoenician city-state that became Rome's greatest rival, later reborn as a Roman metropolis, embodying over a millennium of Mediterranean history.

Iron AgeClassicalHellenistic

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Country Record

Earliest Known Site in Greece

Delphi

800 BCE – 393 CE

Ancient Greek sanctuary and seat of the famed Delphic Oracle, occupied from 800 BCE to 393 CE, perched on Mount Parnassus.

Iron AgeClassicalHellenistic

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Palmyra

2000 BCE – 273 CE

Ancient oasis city in Syria, Palmyra was a crucial hub on the Silk Road, famed for its fusion of Greco-Roman and Persian architecture and the brief but dramatic reign of Queen Zenobia against Rome.

Bronze AgeIron AgeHellenistic

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Country Record

Longest Continuously Occupied Site in Iraq

Ur

3800 BCE – 500 BCE

Ur, a major Sumerian city-state in southern Mesopotamia, flourished from 3800 BCE to 500 BCE, renowned for its massive ziggurat, opulent royal tombs, and as the traditional birthplace of Abraham.

ChalcolithicBronze AgeIron Age

Lachish relief from Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh, now in the British Museum

Country Record

Known by the Most Names in Iraq

Nineveh

705 BCE – 612 BCE

The greatest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire — Sennacherib's "city without rival" on the Tigris across from modern Mosul, with 80 kilometres of walls enclosing palaces, hanging gardens, and the world's first great library: 30,000 clay tablets assembled by Ashurbanipal recording the full scope of Mesopotamian knowledge.

Iron Age

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Olympia

776 BCE – 393 CE

Ancient sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games, hosting athletes and pilgrims from 776 BCE until its closure in 393 CE.

Iron AgeClassicalHellenistic

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World Record

Oldest Temple in the World

Karnak

2055 BCE – 100 BCE

The Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site ever built, developed over two thousand years as the preeminent cult center of the god Amun-Ra, showcasing the architectural ambitions of dozens of pharaohs and the evolving political power of Thebes.

Bronze AgeIron AgeClassical

Country Record

Oldest Complex in Türkiye

Derinkuyu

800 BCE – 1923 CE

The deepest known underground city in the world, extending 85 meters below the surface with 18 levels. It could shelter approximately 20,000 people along with livestock and food stores.

Iron AgeClassicalByzantine