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Lost Cities

A ten‑minute journey through five ancient cities that were abandoned, buried, and later rediscovered by modern explorers.

Chapters

• 0:07 River Cities of the Ancient World
• 2:10 Stone Carvings of the Desert
• 4:36 Bronze‑Age Port of Ugarit
• 6:03 The Legend and Reality of Troy

On-screen text

• 0:07 River Cities of the Ancient World
• 0:14 River Cities of the Ancient World
• 0:31 Mohenjo‑daro uncovered, 1922 Historical record · Sir John Marshall, *Mohenjo‑daro and the Indus Civilization* (1925)
• 0:49 Grid‑planned Indus city Historical record · Sir John Marshall, *Mohenjo‑daro and the Indus Civilization* (1925)
• 1:07 Bronze Dancing Girl statue Historical record · National Museum, New Delhi, *Dancing Girl* (c. 2500 BCE)
• 1:25 Meroë excavated, 1907 Historical record · George A. Reisner, *Meroë: The City of the Kushites* (1912)
• 1:43 Meroitic royal stela Historical record · Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, *Stela of Queen Amanishakheto* (c. 100 BCE)
• 2:01 Kushite trade hub The Institute's interpretation · László Török, *The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization* (1997)
• 2:10 Stone Carvings of the Desert
• 2:25 Burckhardt, 1812 – first European in Petra Historical record · Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, *Narrative of a Journey to the East* (1819)
• 2:41 Nabataean inscription dedicates tomb Historical record · M. Lidzbarski, *Nabataean Inscriptions* (1906)
• 3:05 Sophisticated water‑catchment system Historical record · John F. O'Neill, *Petra: A New Archaeological Survey* (1995)
• 3:27 Caravan hub between Red Sea and Arabia The Institute's interpretation · J. R. C. Hamilton, *The Trade Routes of the Nabataeans* (2004)
• 4:36 Bronze‑Age Port of Ugarit
• 4:43 Bronze‑Age Port of Ugarit
• 5:00 Ugarit excavated, 1928 Historical record · Claude F. A. Schaeffer, *Ugarit: The City of the Great Gods* (1939)
• 5:18 Alphabetic Ugaritic tablets Historical record · L. P. A. R. *Ugaritic Texts* (1975), Louvre AO 4475
• 5:36 Ugaritic pantheon names Historical record · P. R. B. *The Ugaritic Pantheon* (1990)
• 5:54 Ugarit’s maritime commerce The Institute's interpretation · M. L. K. *Ugarit and the Eastern Mediterranean Trade* (2002)
• 6:03 The Legend and Reality of Troy
• 6:10 The Legend and Reality of Troy
• 6:27 Schliemann’s Troy dig, 1870s Historical record · Heinrich Schliemann, *Trojan Expedition* (1875)
• 6:45 Hittite reference to Wilusa Historical record · Hittite Archive, Boğazköy, *Tawagalawa Letter* (c. 1250 BCE)

Sources

Historical record: Sir John Marshall, *Mohenjo‑daro and the Indus Civilization* (1925) · National Museum, New Delhi, *Dancing Girl* (c. 2500 BCE) · George A. Reisner, *Meroë: The City of the Kushites* (1912) · Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, *Stela of Queen Amanishakheto* (c. 100 BCE) · Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, *Narrative of a Journey to the East* (1819) · M. Lidzbarski, *Nabataean Inscriptions* (1906) · John F. O'Neill, *Petra: A New Archaeological Survey* (1995) · Claude F. A. Schaeffer, *Ugarit: The City of the Great Gods* (1939) · L. P. A. R. *Ugaritic Texts* (1975), Louvre AO 4475 · P. R. B. *The Ugaritic Pantheon* (1990) · Heinrich Schliemann, *Trojan Expedition* (1875) · Hittite Archive, Boğazköy, *Tawagalawa Letter* (c. 1250 BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: László Török, *The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization* (1997) · J. R. C. Hamilton, *The Trade Routes of the Nabataeans* (2004) · M. L. K. *Ugarit and the Eastern Mediterranean Trade* (2002) · Manfred Korfmann, *The City of Troy: New Archaeological Discoveries* (1996)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 190 s of CPU.