Eridu (Iraq, 30°48′57″N, 45°59′46″E, population 6,000 in 3700 ʙᴄ) was founded c.5400 ʙᴄ, abandoned for long periods, before it was finally deserted c.600 ʙᴄ.
Uruk (Iraq, 31°19′20″N, 45°38′10″E, population 80,000 in 2800 ʙᴄ) was an ancient Sumerian walled city of 6 km², once rules over by Gilgamesh.
Ur (Iraq, 30°57′46″N, 46°6′12″E, population 100,000 in 2100 ʙᴄ) was another Sumerian city which rose to prominence when its king defeated that of nearby Uruk.
Yinxu (China, 36°8′22″N, 114°18′11″E, population 120,000 in 1300 ʙᴄ) was the capital of China during the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 ʙᴄ), but only rediscovered in 1899 ᴀᴅ.
Pi-Ramesses (Egypt, 30°47′11″N, 31°49′20″E, population 160,000 in 1200 ʙᴄ) was a new capital built by the Pharaoh Ramesses II (1279-1213 ʙᴄ) near the old site of Avaris.
It was abandoned c.1060 ʙᴄ when a Nile branch silted up, changed course and left the city without water.
Thebes (Egypt, 25°43′14″N, 32°36′37″E, population 120,000 in 1000 ʙᴄ), now known as Luxor, became the largest city after the decline of Pi-Ramesses.
Xi'an (China, 34°20′29″N, 108°56′25″E, population 125,000 in 900 ʙᴄ) is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang and Xi'an).
In 770 ʙᴄ, the capital was moved to Luoyang due to political unrest.
Babylon (Iraq, 32°32′11″N, 44°25′15″E, population 200,000 in 600 ʙᴄ) in ancient Mesopotamia was originally founded c.2300 ʙᴄ and finally abandoned c.1000 ᴀᴅ after the Muslim conquest of Persia.
Xiadu (China, 27°53′18″N, 119°31′15″E, population 320,000 in 400 ʙᴄ) was one of the capitals of Yan during the Warring States period.
Carthage (Tunisia, 36°51′29″N, 10°19′51″E, population 500,000 in 300 ʙᴄ) fell into decline as a result of the Punic Wars (264-146 ʙᴄ).
Alexandria (Egypt, 31°12′0″N, 29°55′7″E, population 1,000,000 in 100 ʙᴄ) became the largest city c.500 ʙᴄ with a population of 600,000.
It was the first city to reach one million inhabitants.
Xi'an (population 1,000,000 in 700 ᴀᴅ) is the only city on this list to reclaim the title of most populous.
Baghdad (Iraq, 33°20′26″N, 44°24′3″E, population 1,200,000 in 1000 ᴀᴅ) was founded in 762 ᴀᴅ as the new capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, just north of Ctesiphon and ancient Babylon.
Hangzhou (China, 30°15′0″N, 120°10′0″E, population 1,500,000 in 1300 ᴀᴅ) grew as the result of commercial and administrative activities together with an influx of refugees from the Mongol invasion to the north.
Nanjing (China, 32°3′0″N, 118°46′0″E, population 1,000,000 in 1400 ᴀᴅ) became the capital of the Ming dynasty in 1368 ᴀᴅ after the overthrow of the Mongol Yuan dynasty.
However, Beijing became the capital of a more unified China in 1420 ᴀᴅ.
Another contributory factor in the reduction in urban populations may have been outbreaks of plague.
Ayutthaya (Thailand, 14°20′52″N, 100°33′38″E, population 1,000,000 in 1700 ᴀᴅ) was founded in 1351 ᴀᴅ by King U-thong of Siam.
It was destroyed by the Burmese army in 1767 ᴀᴅ.
Beijing (China, 39°54′27″N, 116°23′50″E, population 1,100,000 in 1800 ᴀᴅ), previously Peking, has consistently been one of the largest cities in the world since the fifteen-century.
London (UK, 51°30′40″N, 0°7′11″W, population 1,948,000 in 1841 ᴀᴅ) become the first city to reach two million inhabitants.
New York (USA, 40°42′52″N, 74°0′21″W, population 7,774,000 in 1925 ᴀᴅ) was the first urban area to reach ten million inhabitants.
Tokyo (Japan, 35°41′22″N, 139°41′30″E, population 15,000,000 in 1965 ᴀᴅ) was the first urban area to reach twenty and thirty million inhabitants.
It is also likely to be the first to forty million.
