Ancient Civilizations
112 sourced historical stories, arranged by subject.
Ancient CivilizationsHan tombs preserved writings as well as objects
The Han tombs at Mawangdui in Changsha yielded silk manuscripts, paintings, and everyday objects, preserving texts on medicine, philosophy, and other fields of knowledge. The discoveries allow researchers to compare excavated texts with transmitted books. Different versions of an ancient work do not always contain exactly the same material.
Ancient CivilizationsCliff dwellings sheltered a community high above the canyon floor
The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde belonged to a long history of Ancestral Puebloan settlement, farming, and construction. Their dramatic location attracts attention, but changes in water supplies, community organization, and migration explain far more about the people who built them.
Ancient CivilizationsPainted vessels and monumental temples preserved a coastal Andean world
The Moche civilization flourished in northern Peru from about 100 to 800 AD, during the Regional Development Epoch. The capital of a Southern Moche polity was near present-day Moche, Trujillo, Peru, with several other, possibly independent, regions under Moche influence.
Ancient CivilizationsCave murals preserve styles from many dynasties
The Mogao Caves are a complex developed over a long period, rather than a building from a single era. Their murals, sculptures, and documents show the beliefs and arts of different times.
Ancient CivilizationsAn Indus city had planned streets and drainage
Mohenjo-daro belonged to the Indus civilization. Its neighborhoods, brick buildings, and drains demonstrate ancient urban organization, and the site also preserves a large bathing structure.
Ancient CivilizationsA mountaintop capital organized the valleys below
Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Municipality in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The site is located on a low mountainous range rising above the plain in the central section of the Valley of Oaxaca, where the latter's northern Etla, eastern Tlacolula, and southern Zimatlán and Ocotlán branches meet.
Ancient CivilizationsTwo stone lions guarded the gateway of a Bronze Age citadel
Mycenae’s monumental Lion Gate guarded a Bronze Age citadel in the Greek Peloponnese. Centuries later, excavators uncovered rich graves and gold objects that stirred comparisons with Homer’s stories. Archaeology has also shown why spectacular discoveries cannot simply be identified with named heroes of the epics.
Ancient CivilizationsA Pacific city was built on artificial islands
Nan Madol's artificial islets and basalt structures formed a political and ceremonial center off Pohnpei. Elite residences and mortuary spaces stood within an unusual lagoon setting. Archaeological dating and local traditions offer different kinds of evidence for how the site developed and functioned.
Ancient CivilizationsDesert geoglyphs were formed by removing surface stones
Peru's Nazca Lines include geometric shapes and animal figures. Their makers moved darker surface stones aside to reveal lighter ground beneath, creating visible lines.
Ancient CivilizationsWinter sunlight reaches the chamber of an Irish passage tomb
Newgrange was built in Ireland more than five thousand years ago as a great mound containing a passage and chamber. Around the winter solstice, sunlight can enter through an opening above the doorway. Archaeologists have debated its rituals, burials, construction, and the meaning of this alignment.
Ancient CivilizationsTerracotta faces survived an early ironworking society
Nok terracotta sculptures emerged from excavations and mining in Nigeria, preserving faces, ornaments, and bodily postures from an early society. Archaeologists connect the culture with farming and ironworking, while the figures' original purposes remain uncertain. Fragmentary discoveries make careful interpretation especially important.
Ancient CivilizationsFlying buttresses helped cathedral walls bear vault thrusts
Notre-Dame de Paris uses Gothic architectural techniques. Flying buttresses support its walls from outside, allowing tall interior spaces to be combined with large window openings.