In the book "Four Lost Cities," acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes us on an entertaining and thought-provoking adventure into the deep history of urban life. Exploring the rise and fall of four ancient cities, each one a center of an advanced cultural society: the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman city of Pompeii in southern Italy, the medieval metropolis of Angkor in Cambodia, and the Native American city of Cahokia, located next to the Mississippi River. Newitz travels to these four locations and explores the latest archaeological research, uncovering the blend of environmental changes and political upheavals that led to the downfall of these ancient settlements. Tracing the early development of urban planning, they also introduce us to the often-anonymous workers—slaves, women, immigrants, and laborers—who built these cities and created monuments that endure for millennia. "Four Lost Cities" is a journey into a forgotten past that might reveal something about our own fate.