When did humans first come together in cities and what were they like to live in? Illustrated with spectacular photographs of the sites of ancient cities today, as well as fabulous objects and works of art, this book provides a fascinating exploration of cities that shaped the ancient world.

From the world's first cities, in Mesopotamia, to the spectacular urban monuments of the Maya in Central America, the cities described here represent almost three millennia of human history and development.

Under John Julius Norwich's expert editorship, eminent historians and archaeologists with first-hand knowledge of each site bring these silent ruins to life as the teeming metropolises they once were.