The Cliff Palace, Colorado was founded by the Anasazi, an ancient pueblo (village) society that is thought to have flourished between the years 900 and 1200 AD. The only 100-year inhabited city was lost until 1888, when it was discovered in the desert by Richard Wetherill, Charles Mason and an Ute tribesman, Acowitz, while looking for stray cattle. Their accidental discovery was in fact the largest cliff settlement in North America.

was a small city, settled in the Stone Age and which continued to exist until approx. 1000 BC. Very well-preserved, even if swallowed by the sea (probably due to earthquakes), the city managed to provide archeologists with significant information about that period.

Akrotiri, Santorini was a Minoan outpost which, after its discovery in 1967, provided new information about the lost Cretan civilization of the Minoan, presenting a very well organized society with 3 stories high dwellings and running hot and cold water supply systems, fueled by the very Thera volcano that supposedly caused the decline of the Minoan civilization, with one great explosion that occurred around 1600 BC.

Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, discovered in 1922 is thought to have harboured one of the oldest civilizations in the world, namely the Indus Valley civilization, who reached its peak somewhere around 2000 BC. The complexity and evolution of the society is clearly evident in the ordered streets and drainage systems, along with the level of science, writing, trade, crafts, religion and architecture. Although a series of floods destroyed the city, new settlements were built directly on top of the old ones, but it is presumed that the city was finally abandoned around 1800 BC.

Machu Picchu, Peru is an old Inca city, located in the Andes, and presumably inhabited for a short period of time, most probably around 1450-1572 AD, before becoming a Spanish conquest. Its location was kept secret by the locals, until the beginning of the 20th century. A true beauty, both due to the natural landscapes and the mysterious ruins, Machu Picchu’s purpose still alternates between a regular settlement, a religious sanctuary or a royal retreat.

Troy, Turkey was discovered in 1871, by Heinrich Schliemann while digging in Hissarlik. Founded, according to archeologists, around 3000 BC, this legendary city was destroyed numerous times, but each time a new city was built on the ruins of the last. As the legend goes, Troy had mighty walls that rendered any attack futile, hence the need for the Trojan Horse trickery.

Petra, Jordan is proof of human artistry and craftsmanship in building and carving an entire city from and in red rocks. Its architecture comprises a fusion of Roman, Greek and native Nabataean styles. It was taken into Roman rule around 103 AD, but was abandoned after an earthquake destroyed its water system. Although never actually lost, this city still remains a great controversy among ancient cities that have managed to escape the cruel effects of time.

This city was lost under the ash of Mount Vesuvius for 1700 years, but it is so well-preserved nowadays, that it still presents a flawless world of white marble, political engravings on the walls, and, a more macabre effect of the volcano’s aggressive eruption, the imprints of the bodies that left ghostly figures in the ash. A treasure for archeologists and a major touristic site still making a direct connection to a world that preceded us long ago.

Tikal, Guatemala was at some point the capital city of the Mayan kingdom, being populated between approx. 200 and 900 AD. Due to the high level of preservation, the beauty and grandeur of Tikal can still be admired, since its discovery in 1848, being one of the largest surviving Mayan cities of the New World, comprising 70 m high pyramids, royal palaces and a playing arena for a well-known Mayan ball game.

Timgad, Algeria was founded during emperor Trajan’s rule, slowly becoming a large trading city. Also known as Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi to Latinists, it soon became a centre of Christian life, but after several sackings, it was abandoned around the 7th century. Lost for several centuries, it was discovered in 1881. Visitors can still gaze upon the well-preserved arch of Trajan, the baths and the temple of Jupiter, which very much resembles the pantheon in Rome, in terms of size.