Ancient World
Indus Valley Civilisation: Bronze Age Cities of South Asia
The largest urban culture of the Bronze Age world flourished for some seven centuries, then gradually broke up into smaller regional village cultures after about 1900 BC.
Era · c. 3000 BC – AD 500
Ancient World
The first cities, empires and written records, from the pyramids of Egypt to Greece and the Roman Empire.
Ancient World
Shahr-i Sokhta: The Bronze Age Burnt City of Eastern Iran
A large Bronze Age city of the Helmand delta that flourished through crafts and long-distance trade, later abandoned; a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.
Ancient World
Warka Vase: Uruk's Carved Alabaster Masterpiece from Sumer
One of the earliest surviving works of narrative relief sculpture, it was stolen in April 2003 and returned damaged in June 2003, then restored.
Ancient World
Uruk: The World's First Great City in Ancient Mesopotamia
Uruk grew into the largest settlement of its time, where monumental temples, mass administration and writing first appeared together, setting the model for Mesopotamian cities.
Ancient World
Invention of Cuneiform: How Sumer Created the First Writing
Bookkeeping signs on clay developed into cuneiform, a script used for about 3,000 years to write more than a dozen languages of the ancient Near East.
Ancient World
Memphis: Ancient Capital of Egypt and Its Ruins at Mit Rahina
Memphis served as Egypt's capital through the Old Kingdom and stayed one of its chief cities until Alexandria and later Cairo eclipsed it.
Ancient World
Narmer and the Unification of Egypt (c. 3100 BC)
Upper and Lower Egypt were ruled as a single kingdom, and Narmer is usually counted as the first king of the First Dynasty.
Ancient World
Sumerian Base-60 Numbers: Origins of Our 60-Minute Hour
Mesopotamian scribes created the first known place-value number system, in base 60, whose legacy survives in hours, minutes, seconds and the 360-degree circle.
Ancient World
Umm el-Qa'ab at Abydos: Royal Cemetery of the First Pharaohs
The cemetery preserved the burials of Egypt's earliest kings and later became revered as the tomb of the god Osiris.
Ancient World
Byblos: One of the Oldest Continuously Inhabited Cities
A leading Bronze and Iron Age port of the Levant whose name gave Greek its word for papyrus and, indirectly, the word Bible.
Ancient World
Merneith: First Dynasty Queen and Possible Early Female Ruler
Merneith probably governed Egypt as regent for the young king Den and received a royal-scale tomb at Abydos.
Ancient World
Kalibangan: Fire Altars and the World's Oldest Ploughed Field
Excavations at Kalibangan revealed a pre-Harappan ploughed field, a planned Harappan town and rows of fire altars, shedding light on Indus farming and ritual.