Nara is the name of the period and its capital city. You need to know this city's location relative to other major locations in Japan.
This specific site on the map was the location of Heij?ky?, the Nara Palace and the court capital in the years 710-784. Although the palace was destroyed and the land turned to agricultural use for over 1000 years, the Japanese government has recently rebuilt key structures, including the main palace.
See more info here:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/870and
http://www.pref.nara.jp/nara_e/dd_aspx_itemid-1501.htm#itemid1501