1.Rome

　　It’s impossible to stroll through modern Rome and not bump into reminders of its ancient past. The Forum， the Colosseum and the Pantheon， just to name a few， are lasting testaments to the capital of an empire once made up of 2.5 million square miles， three continents and about 100 million people. The empire reached its zenith in 117 AD， when the emperor Trajan ruled from Rome and months-long gladiator games were held to celebrate the city’s glory.

　　古罗马

　　即便徜徉在现代的罗马城里，你也无法不被它的历史遗迹所震撼。古罗马广场、圆形大剧场和万神殿都是古罗马曾经风光无限的有力证据。这座曾经占地 250万平方英里的都城由3块陆地组成，人口达到1亿。公元117年罗马帝国盛极一时，罗马皇帝图拉真曾举行长达数月的格斗表演以庆祝帝国的辉煌。

　　2.Athens

　　Democracy， math， philosophy， the Olympics…what didn’t come out of Athens， the ethereal capital of ancient Greece？ Athens fought long and hard， in conflicts on the sea and on land， to become leader of all Aegean city-states by the early 5th century BC. It celebrated its victories by building great temples like the Parthenon， the iconic symbol of art and architecture in ancient Greece. A plague—likely typhoid fever—contributed to the empire’s fall.

　　雅典

　　民主政治、数学、哲学、奥林匹克……还有什么辉煌成就不是出自古希腊首都雅典的呢？公元前5世纪，雅典经过海洋和陆地长期艰苦的征战成为爱琴海霸主。为庆祝胜利，雅典修建了帕台农等伟大的神庙，是祭祀女神雅典娜的主要神庙。

　　3.Constantinople

　　Today it’s shared by two continents as the Turkish city of Istanbul， but ancient Constantinople never once had to share the spotlight after Rome fell from grace in the 4th century AD. From that date through the Middle Ages， Constantinople was the world’s largest and richest city， becoming the center of the new Roman Empire， the Byzantine Empire and finally the Ottoman Empire. Art and learning flourished in its universities and cathedrals， including the spectacular Hagia Sophia.

　　君士坦丁堡

　　君士坦丁堡就是现在的土耳其城市伊斯坦布尔。它曾是世界上最大最富裕的城市，曾是拜占庭帝国和后来土耳其帝国的中心。君士坦丁堡的艺术和文化教育在当时的学校和教堂相当兴盛。

　　4.  Babylon

　　Famous for its “wondrous” hanging gardens， the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon had as turbulent a history as its location in present-day Iraq suggests. Everyone from the ancient Assyrians to Alexander the Great wanted to get their hands on this strategic location， and it would become the capital for many ruling groups over a period of several thousand years. King Nebuchadnezzar II， creator of the gardens， led the city during its splendid architectural heyday around 600 BC. 

　　巴比伦

　　古巴比伦位于今伊拉克共和国境内。这座美索不达米亚平原孕育出来的城市因其令人惊叹的空中花园而世界闻名。从古亚述人到亚历山大大帝都试图染指这一重要的战略要地。数千年来，它也一直被众多统治者定为首都。大约公元前600年，古巴比伦国王尼布甲尼撒二世占领耶路撒冷，建空中花园，创造了巴比伦在建筑学上的辉煌历史。

　　5.Cuzco

　　All roads in the Incan empire once lead to Cuzco， bustling capital in the Andes Mountains from the early 1400s until its discovery by European explorers in 1532. To retreat from the big city， Incan kings would head to their summer home of Machu Picchu further up in the mountains.

　　库斯科

　　库斯科位于秘鲁安第斯山脉。在印加帝国时期，所有的道路都可以通向这里，它曾是印加帝国的君主在夏季的避暑胜地。1532年，欧洲探险者发现了它。