Ancient World
Paracas Culture: Necropolis Burials and Textiles of Ancient Peru
Paracas weaving and burial traditions passed into the Nasca culture, and the necropolis textiles became some of the most admired ancient fabrics in the world.
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
Sulba Sutras: Vedic Geometry and Altar Building in India
The oldest surviving Indian geometry texts, recording exact rules for building altars, the Pythagorean relation and a very accurate value for the square root of 2.
Ancient World
Lycurgus and the Spartan Constitution: How Sparta Was Ruled
Sparta acquired a mixed constitution of two kings, a council of elders, an assembly and five ephors, later credited to Lycurgus, which lasted with changes for centuries.
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
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
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
Kingdom of Urartu and the Founding of Erebuni (782 BC)
Argishti I built the fortress of Erebuni, which secured Urartian rule north of Mount Ararat and gave its name to the later city of Yerevan.
Ancient World
Olympia: The Sanctuary of Zeus and Home of the Ancient Games
The most important sanctuary of Zeus in Greece and site of the Olympic Games, rediscovered in 1766 and excavated by German archaeologists from 1875.
Ancient World
First Olympic Games (776 BC): Origins of the Ancient Olympics
A religious festival with athletic contests for Zeus that was held every four years for over a thousand years and gave the Greeks a shared calendar.
Ancient World
Fall of the Western Zhou (771 BC): King You and the Move East
King You was killed and the western capital lost; the Zhou court re-formed at Luoyi in the east, beginning the Eastern Zhou and a long decline of royal power.
Ancient World
Founding of Rome (753 BC): Romulus, Remus and the Evidence
According to legend Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine; archaeology shows villages on Rome's hills merging into a city over the 10th to 6th centuries BC.
Ancient World
Greek Colonization (c. 750 BC): Cities Around the Mediterranean
Hundreds of Greek settlements spread Greek language, religion and city life across the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts.