Contemporary
Battle of Chosin Reservoir (1950): Fighting Retreat in the Cold
UN forces broke out of the Chinese encirclement and reached the coast, but northeastern Korea was abandoned and the troops were evacuated from Hungnam.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Ancient World
Late Bronze Age Collapse: The End of an Interconnected World
The Hittite empire, Mycenaean palace states and many Levantine cities collapsed, Egypt and Assyria were weakened, and the region entered the early Iron Age.
Ancient World
Tikal: Rise of the Great Maya City in the Guatemalan Jungle
Tikal became one of the largest and most powerful cities of the Classic Maya world before declining in the 9th century AD.
Ancient World
Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng: The Bronze Bells of 433 BC
One of the richest Warring States tombs ever found; its set of 65 two-tone bronze bells transformed knowledge of early Chinese music and bronze-casting.
Ancient World
Upanishads: Origins of Ancient Indian Philosophy and Brahman
The Upanishads introduced the ideas of brahman, atman, karma, rebirth and liberation that became central to Hindu philosophy and shaped Buddhism and Jainism.
Ancient World
Pyrrhic War (280-275 BC): Pyrrhus of Epirus Against Rome
Pyrrhus won costly battles but failed to defeat Rome or Carthage and withdrew to Greece in 275 BC; Rome went on to control southern Italy.
Ancient World
Oracle of Delphi: The Pythia and the Sanctuary of Apollo
For about a thousand years the Pythia's answers guided Greek cities and rulers; the sanctuary declined under Christian rule and was excavated by French archaeologists from 1892.
Ancient World
Great Sphinx of Giza: History, Builder and Mysteries
The largest monolithic statue of the ancient world, carved from the Giza bedrock and still a defining symbol of Egypt.
Ancient World
Code of Ur-Nammu: The Oldest Surviving Law Code in History
The oldest surviving collection of laws, issued by the Third Dynasty of Ur and later identified on tablets in Istanbul and the British Museum.
Prehistory
Chinchorro Mummies: The World's Oldest Artificial Mummies
The oldest known tradition of deliberate mummification; inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Prehistory
Ain Ghazal Statues: Neolithic Plaster Figures from Jordan
Two caches of about 32 plaster statues and busts were found in 1983 and 1985, revealing early large-scale human sculpture.
Prehistory
Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel: Ice Age Ivory Sculpture
Reassembled from hundreds of fragments over seven decades, the Lion Man is one of the oldest known figurative sculptures and the oldest known depiction of an imaginary being.