12 Of The Most Important Cities In History - And Why They Fell From The Top

According to a famous quote frequently attributed to paracles of Athens, all good things on this earth flow into the city. Ancient cities were not just big places where lots of people lived, but vital hubs for commerce, ideas, trends, culture, and scholarship. And some of them grew so large and influential that we still know their names centuries later. Of course, the only thing more memorable than the heights reached by these legendary cities is how it all came crashing down. Today on Weird History, we're looking at some of the most impressive and important cities in World History, and how they fell from the top. But before we get into all that, make sure to subscribe to the Weird History Channel. And while you're at it, leave us a comment about what other wonders of the ancient world you would like to hear about.

据经常归于雅典帕拉克里特斯的著名名言所说，地球上所有美好的东西都流入城市。古代城市不仅是许多人居住的大地方，更是商业、思想、潮流、文化和学术的重要枢纽。其中一些城市发展得如此之大和有影响力，以至于数个世纪后我们仍记得它们的名字。当然，最值得记忆的不仅是这些传奇城市所达成的最高峰，更是它们的全盘崩溃。今天，我们在“怪异历史”中，看看世界历史上最令人印象深刻和重要的城市，以及它们如何从巅峰跌落。但在进入所有这些之前，请确保订阅“怪异历史”频道。同时，留下评论，告诉我们你还想了解哪些古代世界的奇观。

Okay, we built this city. We built this city on Weird History. Located in the modern-day Palestinian territory known as the West Bank, Jericho is most famous as the site of a great biblical battle, and for sounding like cherry coke if you're texting in the middle of your history lecture. As recounted in the book of Joshua, the Israelites faced off against the Canaanites there, ultimately bringing down the mighty walls circling Jericho through the power of their horn playing, and with an assist from the Man upstairs.

好的，我们建立了这座城市。我们在怪异的历史基础上建立了这座城市。位于现代被称为约旦河西岸的巴勒斯坦领土上，耶利哥最著名的是作为一个伟大的圣经战役的场所，如果你在历史课上用手机发短信，它听起来就像樱桃可乐。正如《约书亚记》所述，以色列人在那里与迦南人对峙，最终通过他们的角声和上帝的援助，推倒了环绕耶利哥的强大城墙。

Historically, Jericho is believed to rank among the world's oldest cities, and it definitely did have a big dang wall. Archaeologists have actually unearthed evidence of dozens of successive settlements in and around Jericho, dating back over 10,000 years, all the way to around the close of the last ice age. My 8,000 BC Jericho's Stonewall was already constructed, and it's believed that it may have been originally built to protect the city from flooding, rather than siege by invading armies. Although if you think of water as an army, it's basically the same thing.

根据历史记载，耶利哥被认为是世界上最古老的城市之一，它确实有一面很大的石墙。考古学家在耶利哥及其周围发掘出了数十个连续的定居点，可以追溯到1万年前，一直延伸到上一个冰河时期结束时。在公元前8000年时，耶利哥的石墙已经建成，据信最初是为了防止城市被洪水淹没，而不是为了抵御入侵的敌军。虽然如果把水看作一支军队，基本上也是同样的事情。

The city ranked among the world's largest and most significant by 1700 BCE, in part due to its close proximity to the relatively wealthy and urbanized Mithani Empire of modern-day Syria and Turkey. Primary sources from the Zera-Indicate Jericho was surrounded by large, but relatively unstable walls composed of mud brick. These walls, along with much of the city, appeared to have been destroyed by a major earthquake around 1573 BCE, and the area remained largely unoccupied for the next several hundred years.

公元前1700年代前，这个城市因其毗邻现代叙利亚和土耳其的相对富裕和城市化的Mithani帝国，成为世界上最大和最重要的城市之一。Zera-Indicate的主要来源显示，杰里科被巨大但相对不稳定的泥砖城墙包围。这些城墙以及城市的大部分，在公元前1573年左右的一次强烈地震中被摧毁，该地区在接下来的数百年中大部分时间都没有人居住。

However, the Israelite Biblical invasion of Canaan and the ensuing destruction of Jericho is typically dated to around 1400 BCE, after the earthquake when the town had already been depopulated. This has led most historians to conclude that the Bible's account at the Battle of Jericho is probably allegorical and not rooted in an actual event.

然而，以色列人对迦南的圣经入侵和随后对耶利哥的破坏通常被认为是在公元前1400年左右发生的，在那场地震之后，这个城镇已经无人居住。这使得大多数历史学家得出结论，耶利哥战役的圣经记载可能只是象征性的，而不是基于实际事件。

Another ancient city famed for its large walls was Babylon, located in the banks of the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq. Babylon was founded around 2300 BCE and became an important military center during the reign of King Hammarabi in the 1700s BCE. Though the wider Babylonian empire started to fray after Hammarabi's death, the city itself remained an important center for commerce and culture. Under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, around 600 BCE, Babylon once more was widely considered the center of the world. Its influence was so great that it even became an inescapable pop song in the early arts, and now it's stuck in your head. You're welcome.

巴比伦是古代有名的一座城市，以其宏伟的城墙而闻名，位于现今伊拉克幼发拉底河畔。巴比伦建于公元前2300年左右，在公元前1700年哈梅拉比国王的统治时期成为一个重要的军事中心。虽然哈梅拉比死后巴比伦帝国逐渐瓦解，但这座城市本身仍然是一个重要的贸易和文化中心。在公元前600年左右，由于尼布甲尼撒二世的统治，巴比伦再次被广泛认为是世界的中心。它的影响力是如此之大，以至于它甚至成了早期艺术中不可避免的流行歌曲，现在它在你的脑海中萦绕。不用谢。

King Nebuchadnezzar II constructed Babylon's famed 40-foot walls in three rings around the city. Wide enough for chariots to race around on top of them, presumably with some room left over to install box seats. Nebuchadnezzar was an enemy of the Israelites and famously destroyed the temple of Jerusalem in a siege in 587 BCE, so it's not exactly surprising that he's depicted as a villain in the Hebrew Bible and his city of Babylon portrayed as a den of sin and evil. Though the Old Testament's depiction largely stuck, just as it did with Jericho's walls at Tumbling Down, it may not have been entirely accurate. Other primary texts from the ancient world suggest that Babylon was an enlightened center for arts, culture, and scholarship, as well as a progressive city where women enjoyed equal rights and there was a tolerance for the practice of all faiths and religions, and you know, bodacious chariots races.

巴比伦二世国王在城市周围分成三圈建造了著名的40英尺高的城墙，宽度足够宽，可以供战车在其顶部上飞驰，想必还有足够的空间设置包厢。巴比伦二世是以色列人的敌人，并在公元前587年的围攻中著名地摧毁了耶路撒冷的圣殿，所以在希伯来圣经中，他被描绘成一个恶棍，他的巴比伦城被描绘成一个罪恶和邪恶的巢穴，这并不令人感到意外。虽然旧约圣经的描述在很大程度上仍然存在，就像耶利哥的城墙在《倒塌》中一样，但它可能并不完全准确。来自古代世界的其他主要文本表明，巴比伦是一个艺术、文化和学术交流的中心，同时也是一个进步的城市，在那里妇女享有平等的权利，对所有信仰和宗教的实践都有容忍，而且那里还有壮观的战车比赛。

After Nebuchadnezzar's death in 562 BCE, Babylon quickly tumbled from its position atop the ancient hierarchy. The city fell to the Persian Empire in 539, became part of the Muslim Empire by the 7th century, and went on to serve as a tourist attraction for big book of Daniel fans. Interestingly, early European visitors often mistook the nearby town of Faluja for Babylon during their Middle Eastern trips.

公元前562年尼布甲尼撒去世后，巴比伦很快从古代等级制度的高位下跌。这座城市在公元539年被波斯帝国攻占，到了7世纪成为伊斯兰教帝国的一部分，并成为大卫书粉丝的旅游胜地。有趣的是，早期欧洲游客在中东旅行时经常把附近的法卢杰镇错认为是巴比伦。

Another majorly important city located in modern-day Iraq was Err, seated along the Persian Gulf. Likely founded around 5000 BCE as a small village, Err had significantly grown in size and importance by around 3800. Err was located at the point with a Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the Persian Gulf, making it an important center for trade and travel. There was probably a big t-shirt stand there. You do not let prime tourist trappory listate like that go to waste, no matter what century you live in.

位于现代伊拉克的另一个重要城市是伊尔，位于波斯湾沿岸。伊尔可能在公元前5000年左右建立为一个小村庄，到公元前3800年左右已经显著增长。伊尔位于底格里斯河和幼发拉底河汇入波斯湾的交汇点，是贸易和旅游的重要中心。那里可能有一个大型T恤衫摊位。无论你生活在哪一个世纪，都不会让这样一个主要的旅游陷阱白白浪费。

Ernamo, who led the city from 2047 to 2030 BCE, actually created an early code of laws. His son and successor, Shulgiyevur, built a 150-mile-long wall to separate his kingdom from Sumer, and also invested in cultural and community-related advancements. Man, these cities were really into walls. The city is also notable for possibly being the birthplace of the biblical Abraham. The book of Genesis identifies Abraham's birth city as Urkazdim, believed by many historians to be the same place as Urr. Other scholars believe Abraham may have come from a different city named Urr, and that the writers of the book of Genesis simply confused the two names. Which book of Genesis are we talking? The Gabriel or Collins version.

从公元前2047年到2030年领导这座城市的Ernamo实际上创造了早期的法律法规。他的儿子和继任者Shulgiyevur建造了一道长达150英里的城墙，将他的王国与苏美尔分开，并投资于文化和社区相关的进步。这些城市真是对城墙情有独钟。这座城市还因为可能是圣经中亚伯拉罕的出生地而引人注目。《创世纪》将亚伯拉罕的出生地标识为乌卡兹迪姆，被许多历史学家认为是与乌尔相同的地方。其他学者认为亚伯拉罕可能来自另一个名为乌尔的城市，而《创世纪》的作者只是混淆了这两个名字。我们在谈论哪个《创世纪》？是Gabriel版还是Collins版？

Err remained an important center for trade and scholarship until it was sacked in 1750 BCE, which was more or less a route of passage for ancient cities. Climate change in the area also caused the Persian Gulf to recede a bit from the city limits, making the land less viable for commercial interests. At this point, most residents migrated to other populated areas of Mesopotamia or Canaan.

埃尔一直是贸易和学术的重要中心，直到公元前1750年被洗劫，这在古城市中更或多或少成为一条通道。该地区的气候变化也导致波斯湾从该城市的范围内向后退，使这片土地对商业利益不太可行。此时，大多数居民迁移到美索不达米亚或迦南的其他有人口的地区。

The ancient Sumerian city of Eradou was founded in 5400 BCE in present-day Iraq. The city had a great deal of religious significance to the Sumerians, who believed it had been founded by the goddess Innana, and was home to Enki, the god of wisdom and magic. Sounds like that guy's house was probably pretty easy to pick out. It's believed by many that Eradou's religious practices had a direct influence on the ancient Israelites. Local myths included a story about a great flood, and a man named Udipishdom, who was instructed by the gods to preserve life by building a great arc, which bears a number of similarities to the Old Testament story of Noah. It's also thought that Eradou might have inspired the Old Testament stories about the city of Babel, and that the city's notable tower might have been the original Tower of Babel mentioned in the story.

古代苏美尔城市厄拉多于公元前5400年在今天伊拉克建立。这座城市对苏美尔人来说具有重大的宗教意义，他们认为这座城市是女神伊南娜创建的，也是智慧和魔法之神恩基的家园。听起来那位神祇的房子可能很容易被人发现。许多人认为厄拉多的宗教实践直接影响了古代以色列人。当地的神话包括一则关于一场大洪水的故事，以及一个叫乌蒂皮什顿的人被神指示通过建造一个巨大的方舟来保护生命，这与旧约中挪亚的故事有许多相似之处。人们也认为厄拉多可能启发了有关巴比伦城的旧约故事，并且这座城市显着的塔可能是故事中提到的原始巴别塔。

Around the year 600 BCE, Eradou was abandoned. Some evidence points to possible overuse of the land as an explanation, though the specifics remain unclear. Maybe it was a seller's market that year, and they flipped the whole city for Airbnb's.

大约在公元前600年左右，埃拉杜被遗弃了。一些证据表明可能是土地过度利用而导致的，但具体情况仍不清楚。也许当时是卖方市场，他们把整个城市翻转成了Airbnb。

The city of Carthage was an important trading hub along the Mediterranean with a large port, and it was one of the wealthiest cities of the ancient world. For a time, that particular superlative usually didn't last long, and saw the ancient wall building. Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers who followed what was known as the Punec Religion. While they were initially able to trade peaceably with e Greeks and Romans, along with other civilizations, dotting them in a training at the time, Carthage's vast resources wealth and geographical significance made them a tantalizing target for conquest. Carthage's various battles with their Roman neighbors, beginning in 264 BCE and culminating with a city's destruction in 146 BCE, were known as the Punic Wars. General Hannibal, who famously invaded the Roman Empire with North African war elephants and presumably loved it when a plan came together, was fighting on behalf of Carthage during the Second Punic War.

迦太基城是地中海沿岸重要的贸易中心，拥有一个大型港口，并是古代世界最富有的城市之一。尽管这个超级“最”通常不会持续太久，并出现了古老的城墙建筑。迦太基城由跟随被称为“潘涅克宗教”的腓尼基移民所建立。虽然他们最初能够与希腊人和罗马人以及其他文明和平贸易，但由于迦太基城的丰富资源和地理重要性，这使得它成为征服的有诱惑力的目标。迦太基城与罗马邻居的各种战斗始于公元前264年，以城市在公元前146年的摧毁而告终，这些战斗被称为“潘涅战争”。在第二次潘涅战争中，著名的汉尼拔将军代表迦太基作战，带领北非战象侵入罗马帝国，并可能喜欢一个计划实现的感觉。

After the Romans burned Carthage to the ground at the close of the Third Punic War, the city was later rebuilt by both the Romans and Byzantine empires, only to be continually raised in future conflicts. Remember what we said earlier about how being the wealthiest city wasn't always a good thing, it's like having the most toys on the playground. Eventually, somebody's going to make you eat sand. Today, Carthage sits around 10 miles outside the modern-day city of Tunis.

在第三次布匿战争结束时，罗马人烧毁了迦太基。后来，迦太基市被罗马和拜占庭帝国重新建造，但在未来的冲突中，它不断地被摧毁。就像之前我们所说的，成为最富有的城市并不总是一件好事，这就像在操场上拥有最多的玩具一样。最终，总有人会让你吃沙子的。如今，迦太基市位于现代突尼斯市外约10英里的地方。

The Egyptian city of Alexandria, which remains the country's second largest city to this day, was founded in 331 BC by Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great. Hey, if nobody intervened when he started calling himself the Great, nobody's going to start saying a word when he starts naming cities after himself. Under the reign of Alexander's successor, former general Talameos Sotir, the city quickly became a focal point for all of Hellenistic civilization. In addition, it was home to two iconic treasures, the lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the famed library of Alexandria, among the greatest stores of the world's knowledge at the time.

埃及的亚历山大港是该国第二大城市，到今天仍然存在。它是由马其顿征服者亚历山大大帝于公元前331年建立的。如果当他开始自称伟大时，没有人干涉，那么当他开始为自己命名城市时，也没有人会说一个字。在亚历山大大帝的继任者、前将军塔拉梅奥斯·索蒂尔的统治下，这座城市很快成为整个希腊化文明的核心。此外，它也是两个标志性的宝藏所在地：亚历山大灯塔，古代七大奇迹之一，以及著名的亚历山大图书馆，当时是世界上最大的知识宝库之一。

Talameos moved to Zampyrus capital to Alexandria by 305 BC. Over the next few hundred years, it would continue growing, ultimately ranking as the largest city in the world by 30 BCE. Alexandria was attacked, sacked, and rebuilt numerous times during the periods of Greek and Roman domination of the Mediterranean, but ultimately it was the combination of a devastating tsunami in 365 and the rise of Christianity that triggered its decline. Once the practice of pagan religions was outlawed by Theodecius I in 392, Alexandria's many old temples and religious sites were destroyed or converted into churches, which is a bit like converting an Arbys into a bank. Sure, it's a bank now, but we all know what it used to be. And after the noted teacher and philosopher, High Pasha, was whacked in Alexandria in 415, which was seen as a symbolic victory for Christianity over paganism, it encouraged many more residents to flee the city.

公元前305年，塔拉米奥斯移居到了赞皮鲁斯首都亚历山大港。接下来的几百年里，它不断发展壮大，到公元前30年成为世界上最大的城市。在希腊和罗马统治地中海期间，亚历山大港遭受了多次攻击、洗劫和重建，但最终导致它衰落的是365年的毁灭性海啸和基督教的崛起。公元392年，由提奥多修斯一世颁布的禁止异教徒信仰的法令导致亚历山大港的许多古老寺庙和宗教场所被毁或改建成教堂，有点像把阿比斯转成银行一样，虽然现在是银行了，但我们都知道它曾经是个什么。而415年在亚历山大港被杀的知名教师和哲学家海帕沙，被视为基督教战胜异教的象征性胜利，鼓励更多居民逃离了这座城市。

Located in modern-day Mali, just north of the Niger River, Tim Buktu was originally a seasonal settlement and probably timeshare location, founded by nomads before permanent residents arrived in the 12th century. Following a crucial visit by the leader of the Mali Empire, Manson Musa, in 1325, the city became an important center for African trade, particularly salt, gold, ivory, and slaves. Salt was such an important commodity at the time, 14th century Arabic historian Al-Omeri wrote that, in West Africa, you could trade a cup of salt for a cup of gold dust, however you should not use the gold dust this season or fries.

提姆布克图位于现今的马里，紧邻尼日尔河以北。它最初是由游牧民族建立的季节性定居地，很可能也是一个分时租赁地点。直到12世纪定居者才到来。1325年，马里帝国的领导人曼松·穆萨对该城市进行了重要的访问，使其成为非洲贸易特别是盐、金、象牙和奴隶的重要中心。当时，盐是如此重要的商品，以至于14世纪阿拉伯历史学家阿尔-奥梅里写道，在西非，你可以用一杯盐换取一杯金尘，但本季节或油炸时不应使用金尘。

By the 14th century, Tim Buktu was folded into the Mali Empire and then absorbed by the expanding Songhai Empire in 1468. It became an important center for Islamic learning and development, home to a number of influential mosques and scholars. When a Moroccan army defeated the Songhai in 1591, they made Tim Buktu their new capital, but this nonetheless kickstarted a period of gradual decline.

到了14世纪，廷巴克图被纳入了马里帝国，并在1468年被扩张的宋海帝国吞并。它成为了伊斯兰学习和发展的重要中心，拥有许多有影响力的清真寺和学者。当摩洛哥军队在1591年击败了宋海帝国时，他们将廷巴克图作为新的首都，但这也开始了一个逐渐衰落的时期。

Tenote Cheatlong near present-day Mexico City served as the center of the Aztec Empire during the 15th century until the time of the Spanish conquest.

特诺特·契特隆位于今天的墨西哥城附近，是15世纪时阿兹特克帝国的中心，直到西班牙征服的时期。

According to Aztec legend, Tenote Cheatlong's founders arrived on the future site of the city in the year 1345. They were apparently following directions from the war god Witzilo Putsli, who had promised them great wealth if they founded a city in his honor, which if we're being honest, kind of sounds like a divine fishing scam.

根据阿兹特克的传说，特诺特切特隆的创始人于1345年抵达了这座城市未来的场所。据说，他们是在遵循战争之神维兹蒂洛·普特斯里的指引，他承诺如果他们建立一个以他为名的城市，就会得到巨大的财富，说实话，这有点像是一个神圣的钓鱼骗局。

When Witzilo Putsli's nephew attempted to start a rebellion against the god, he was slain and his heart was thrown into lake Tets Coco. The heart's resting place became the center of the future city of Tenote Cheatlong.

当Witzilo Putsli的侄子试图发动反叛行动反对神明时，他被杀害并且他的心脏被扔进了Tets Coco湖中。这块心脏的安息地成为了未来的城市Tenote Cheatlong的中心。

Tenote Cheatlong served as the center of Aztec political and religious life for nearly 200 years, and at the height of the empire's prominence, it was home to an estimated 200,000 residents.

特诺特·契特隆在阿兹特克政治和宗教生活中担任中心近200年，帝国鼎盛时期，约有20万居民居住在那里。

The city fell to Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortez on August 13, 1521, marking the formal end of the Aztec civilization.

在1521年8月13日，西班牙征服者埃尔南·科尔特斯攻占了这座城市，这标志着阿兹特克文明正式结束。

So what do you think? Which of these ancient cities would you have liked to visit? Let us know in the comments below and while you're at it, check out some of these other videos from our Weird History!.

那么你认为呢？你想去哪个古城参观呢？请在下方评论区让我们知道，同时不妨观看我们“Weird History”频道的其他视频。