Ancient World
Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara: Egypt's First Pyramid
Egypt's first pyramid was completed as a six-step tomb at the heart of a vast stone funerary complex, opening the age of pyramid building.
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
Imhotep: Architect of Djoser and Later God of Medicine
Imhotep was remembered as the inventor of stone architecture and a great sage, and was eventually worshipped as a god of healing.
Ancient World
Dholavira: Indus Water Engineering in the Rann of Kutch
Dholavira became one of the five largest Indus cities, famous for its water management, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Ancient World
Meidum Pyramid: The Collapsed Pyramid of Sneferu's Era
The pyramid was completed as a smooth-sided pyramid but later lost its outer layers, leaving a tower-like core rising from a mound of debris.
Ancient World
Tomb of Hetepheres: Khufu's Mother and Her Hidden Burial
The only largely intact royal burial equipment of the Old Kingdom was recovered, but the queen's alabaster sarcophagus proved to be empty.
Ancient World
Bent Pyramid of Dahshur: Sneferu's Changing-Angle Pyramid
An experimental pyramid whose slope was reduced partway through construction; it kept more of its original casing than any other Egyptian pyramid.
Ancient World
Mummification in Ancient Egypt: Methods, Beliefs and History
Artificial mummification became the standard Egyptian way of preparing the dead for eternity and lasted until the spread of Christianity.
Ancient World
Rakhigarhi: The Largest Indus Valley Site and Its Ancient DNA
Rakhigarhi is ranked among the largest Indus settlements, and a 2019 study of a woman buried there produced the first published genome from the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Ancient World
Royal Cemetery of Ur: Queen Puabi and the Great Death Pits
About 1,850 graves were excavated, including 16 so-called royal tombs with lavish treasures and the remains of sacrificed attendants.
Ancient World
Indus Script: The Undeciphered Writing of the Harappans
The script remains undeciphered; its language is unknown and no proposed reading has won general acceptance.
Ancient World
Harappa: The Indus City That Gave a Civilisation Its Name
Harappa became the first Indus city to be excavated, gave the Harappan civilisation its name and remains one of the best-studied Bronze Age cities in South Asia.
Ancient World
Red Pyramid of Sneferu: Egypt's First True Smooth Pyramid
The first successfully completed true pyramid in Egypt, and the model for the pyramids of Giza.