7.Thebes

　　Most people think of Cairoand the Great Pyramids when they think of ancient Egypt, but the heartbeatof the magical pharaonicdynasties actually beat much further up the Nile at Thebes. Thebes was the ruling capital of ancient Egypt during its most dominant eras, beginning with the Old Kingdom 4500 years ago, and is home to two of its most revered temples at Karnak and Luxor. Most of Egypt's holy rulers are also buried nearby in the famous Valley of the Kings。

　　底比斯

　　大部分人提到古埃及时就会想起开罗和金字塔，但在古埃及更为有名的还数都城底比斯。从4500年前的埃及古王国开始时，底比斯就被古埃及大多数重要的朝代定为首都。这里有令人敬畏的卡尔奈克和卢克斯特神殿，附近的国王谷是古埃及大多数统治者的安葬地。

　　8.Great Zimbabwe

　　At 1,800 acres in breadth and the only one of its kind in Africa, the complex of Great Zimbabwe confounded early European colonialists, who couldn't believe that sub-Saharanpeoples were capable of its creation. They were, in fact, and built the complicated structures sometime after 1200 AD, when a wide-reaching empire of about 20,000 Shona cattlemen ruled the area。

　　大津巴布韦

　　占地1800英亩的大津巴布韦曾是非洲独一无二的都城。早期欧洲殖民主义者见到它后大吃一惊，他们不相信撒哈拉沙漠以南的人民有能力建成如此先进的城市，但这是事实。在公元1200年后，有2万人口的修纳人王国占领该地后建造了这种都城。

　　9.Xi'an

　　The Chinese city of Xi'an was the central strongholdfor all of the country’s most important ancient dynasties going back 3,000 years. Tourists flocking to see the city’s Terra CottaArmy, 6,000 unique and life-size statues buried to protect the tomb of the great Zhou emperor Qin Shi Huang, has made Xi'an famous in modern times. That will only multiply when the emperor's sprawling mausoleum, rumored to hold invaluable treasures and rivers of mercury, is finally opened by archaeologists。

　　西安

　　3000年前，长安是中国最重要的古代王朝的核心要塞。秦始皇陵中埋藏着多达6000种世界上独一无二的与真人一般大小的兵马俑让如今的西安蜚声世界。据猜测，秦始皇的墓中除了埋藏着无价之宝外，还有用水银做成的江河。

　　10.Cahokia

　　With upwards of 30,000 inhabitants at its peak in about 1100 AD， Cahokia, Illinois remained North America’s first and biggest real city until the Northeast's population exploded in the late 18th century. This urban center of the Mississippiculture had organized leadership, commerce and a penchant for mound-building. Monk's Mound, the largest at 100 feet tall, dominates the site and was probably a mighty foundation for the home of the resident spiritualleader。

　　卡霍基亚

　　在公元1100年左右，美国伊利诺斯州的卡霍基亚都城居民一度达到了3万人。在18世纪末北美东北部人口大爆炸前，卡霍基亚一直是北美地区第一座、最大的真正意义上的城市。这座密西西比河流域的文化中心曾经出现过井然有序的社会、繁荣的商业并修建堤坝。其中的僧侣堤坝高100英尺，在城中居高临下，它很可能曾被掌权者用来作为建造居所的地基。