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.

Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic of Marduk and Tiamat

The epic exalted Marduk as king of the gods and Babylon as the centre of the world, and it was recited at the Babylonian New Year festival.

c. 1100 BC · 5 min read

Ancient World

Kingdom of Kush: Nubia's Great African Empire on the Nile

Kush became the longest-lived state of ancient Nubia, ruled Egypt for about a century and developed its own script and culture at Meroë before declining in the 4th century AD.

c. 1070 BC – AD 350 · 8 min read

Ancient World

Phoenician Alphabet: The Script Behind Western Writing

A compact 22-letter consonantal script became the ancestor of the Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic alphabets.

c. 1050 BC · 8 min read

Ancient World

Royal Tombs of Tanis: Pierre Montet's Silver Coffin Treasures

Montet found several royal tombs, three with intact burials, whose treasures are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

c. 1047 BC · 5 min read

Ancient World

Battle of Muye (1046 BC): The Zhou Conquest of the Shang

Decisive Zhou victory; the Shang dynasty fell, Di Xin died, and the Zhou dynasty was founded.

c. 1046 BC · 8 min read

Ancient World

Duke of Zhou: The Regent Who Secured the Zhou Dynasty in China

The Duke of Zhou defeated the rebellion, extended Zhou rule over the east and handed power back to King Cheng, consolidating the new dynasty.

c. 1042–1036 BC · 5 min read

Ancient World

Sarcophagus of Ahiram: An Early Phoenician Inscription

The sarcophagus preserves one of the earliest substantial texts in the Phoenician alphabet.

c. 1000 BC · 5 min read

Ancient World

Bantu Expansion: The Great Migration Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Bantu languages, farming and ironworking spread across most of Africa south of the equator, shaping the population and cultures of the region to this day.

from c. 1000 BC · 8 min read