Ancients
Jiroft culture - Wikipedia
The Jiroft culture, also known as the Intercultural style or the Halilrud style, is an early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC) archaeological culture, located in the territory of present-day Sistan and Baluchestan and Kermān provinces of Iran. The proposed type site is Konar Sandal, near Jiroft ...
added Jul 21, 2026
Read article →Ebla tablets - Wikipedia
The Ebla tablets are a collection of as many as 1,800 complete clay tablets, 4,700 fragments, and many thousands of minor chips found in the palace archives of the ancient city of Ebla, Syria. The tablets were discovered by Italian archaeologist Paolo Matthiae and his team in 1974–75 during ...
added Jul 19, 2026
Read article →Poverty Point - Wikipedia
Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point. Nomination to the World Heritage List by the United States of America. pp. 30–32. ↑ Ford, J. A. and C. H. Webb (1956) Poverty Point, A Late Archaic Site in Louisiana. Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, vol. 46, Pt 1, New York. ↑ …
added Jul 17, 2026
Read article →Dilmun: Trade, Mythology, Evidence, Tombs | Middle East And North Africa — Facts and Details
Bahrain is the home of the world's largest prehistoric cemetery. It contains 172,000 Bronze Age burial mounds, the of oldest of which have been dated to 3000 B.C. There is evidence that the people who built these graves traded with Mesopotamia.
added Jul 16, 2026
Read article →Skara Brae - Wikipedia
Skara Brae gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as one of four sites making up "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney". Care of the site is the responsibility of Historic Environment Scotland which works with partners in managing the site: Orkney Islands Council, NatureScot (Scottish Natural Heritage), …
added Jul 14, 2026
Read article →Liangzhu culture - Wikipedia
The Liangzhu (/ˈljɑːŋˈdʒuː/) culture or civilization (3300–2300 BC) was the last Chinese Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta. The culture was highly stratified, as jade, silk, ivory and lacquer artifacts were found exclusively in elite burials, while pottery was more ...
added Jul 13, 2026
Read article →🎭Sanxingdui Mask and the Lost Civilization of Shu in Ancient China | History
But it wasn’t until the 1980s that a full archaeological team began serious excavation. In 1986, two sacrificial pits were uncovered that completely redefined the understanding of ancient Chinese history.
added Jul 11, 2026
Read article →Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex - Wikipedia
"Manufacturing and trade of Asian ... from Gonur Depe (Margiana, Turkmenistan)" in Archaeological Research in Asia 15, p. 15. ↑ Eduljee, K. E., (2005). "Dashly": "...Dashly 3 site consists of two complexes and its occupation is dated to the [middle]-late Bronze Age, (2300–1700 BCE) and the Iron Age.…
added Jul 10, 2026
Read article →The pyramids of ancient Nubia and Meroe: death on the Nile and the mortuary architecture of Kush
Initially the preserve of royals of the Kushite kings, the pyramid became a common marker of elite burials around the capital (Napata) and throughout the kingdom. The monument progressively appeared on the graves of non-ruling royal in the ...
added Jul 9, 2026
Read article →Karahan Tepe - Wikipedia
The site, discovered in 1997 by ... Göbekli Tepe Culture and Karahan Tepe Excavations project. The area is known as “Keçilitepe” by local people. It is part of a group of about 12 similar sites being investigated, known as "Taş Tepeler"....
added Jul 7, 2026
Read article →Uluburun shipwreck - Wikipedia
Cylinder Seals of the Uluburun Shipwreck", MS thesis, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2025 ... Berger, Daniel; Soles, Jeffrey S.; Giumlia-Mair, Alessandra R.; Brügmann, Gerhard; Galili, Ehud; Lockhoff, Nicole; Pernicka, Ernst (2019-06-26). Zerboni, Andrea (ed.). "Isotope systematics and chemi…
added Jul 6, 2026
Read article →Settlements of the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture - Wikipedia
The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, which existed in the present-day southeastern European nations of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine during the Neolithic Age and Copper Age, from approximately 5500 to 2750 BC, left behind thousands of settlement ruins containing a wealth of archaeological artifacts ...
added Jul 5, 2026
Read article →Caral–Supe civilization - Wikipedia
In 2004, Haas et al. wrote that ... that Caral and Aspero were but two of a much larger number of major Late Archaic sites in the Norte Chico", while noting Shady only in footnotes. Attribution of this type is what has angered Shady and her supporters. Shady's position has been hampered by a lack of…
added Jul 3, 2026
Read article →Mystery of the Varna Gold: What Caused These Ancient Societies to Disappear?
Treasure found in prehistoric graves in Bulgaria is the first evidence of social hierarchy, but no one knows what caused the civilization's decline
added Jul 2, 2026
Read article →Elam - Wikipedia
UK: /ˌsuːziˈɑːnə/; Ancient Greek: Σουσιανή Sousiānḗ), a name derived from its capital Susa. Elam was part of the early urbanization of the Near East during the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age). The emergence of written records from around 3000 BC also parallels Sumerian history, where slightly earli…
added Jul 1, 2026
Read article →Nok culture - Wikipedia
Scientific field work began in ... sculptures within their Iron Age archaeological context, and was subsequently concluded in 2021. ... Nok male figure; 500 BC – 500 AD; terracotta; 49.5 cm × 22.2 cm × 16.8 cm (19.5 in × 8.7 in × 6.6 in); from northern Nigeria; Kimbell Art ...
added Jun 30, 2026
Read article →Features - The Many Faces of the Kingdom of Shu - Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2024
A bronze depiction of a rooster was unearthed from Sanxingdui’s Pit 8, one of several examples of avian imagery discovered at the site. A bronze mask measuring more than four feet wide and two feet tall depicts a human face with exaggerated eyes.
added Jun 26, 2026
Read article →Nan Madol - Wikipedia
Nan Madol is an archaeological site adjacent to the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, now part of the Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state in the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. Nan Madol was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628.
added Jun 25, 2026
Read article →'World-class aquifer' enabled ancient African kingdom to thrive in the Sahara for hundreds of years | Live Science
The water level of the aquifer eventually fell below the levels that it could feed into the foggaras, leading to a decline in the Garamantian kingdom after about A.D. 100, Schwartz said. But the region's underground water is still being exploited by Libya's
added Jun 24, 2026
Read article →Kingdom of Aksum - Wikipedia
Excavations by archaeological ... use of stelae, evolving from plain and rough markers to some of the largest monuments in Africa. The granite steles in the main cemetery, housing Aksumite royal tombs, were transformed from plain to carefully dressed granite, eventually carved to resemble multi-stor…
added Jun 23, 2026
Read article →Tiwanaku - Wikipedia
It is called the "Plataforma Lítica" ... in the Tiwanaku site. According to Ponce Sangines, the block is estimated to weigh 131 metric tonnes. The second-largest stone block found within the Pumapunku is estimated to be 85 metric tonnes. Scattered around the site of the Puma Punku are various types …
added Jun 22, 2026
Read article →Nabta Playa: A mysterious stone circle that may be the world's oldest astronomical observatory | Live Science
What it is: An ancient stone circle in the Egyptian desert that may be the oldest known astronomical observatory · Where it is from: An desert area of southern Egypt, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) southwest of Aswan, that was once inhabited ...
added Jun 20, 2026
Read article →Cahokia - Wikipedia
At its apex around 1100 CE, the ... people. Cahokia was the largest and most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, which developed advanced societies across much of what is now the Central and the Southeastern United States, beginning around 1000 CE...
added Jun 19, 2026
Read article →Sargon of Akkad - Wikipedia
Sargon of Akkad (/ˈsɑːrɡɒn/; Akkadian: 𒊬𒊒𒄀, romanized: Šarrugi; died c. 2279 BC), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.
added Jun 18, 2026
Read article →Megalithic Temples of Malta - Wikipedia
The development of the chronological ... Age in Malta into a number of phases. The first evidence of human habitation in the Neolithic occurred in the Għar Dalam phase, in c. 5000 BC. The Temple period, from c. 4100 BC to roughly 2500 BC, produced the most notable monumental remains. This period is …
added Jun 16, 2026
Read article →Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The whole necropolis of Tarquinia, ... extensive complexes known. Tarquinia is famous for its 200 painted tombs, the earliest of which date from the 7th century BCE....
added Jun 15, 2026
Read article →Petra | ASCE
To maintain a water supply in the desert, they cut into solid rock to build canals coupled with piping; built reservoirs and cisterns to maintain sustainability; and included particle-settling basins that served to purify the water.
added Jun 14, 2026
Read article →Sanxingdui - Wikipedia
Vermilion is interpreted "not be coloring but something ritually offered for the head to taste, smell, and hear (or something that gave it the power to breathe, hear, and speak)". Based upon the design of these heads, archaeologists believe they were mounted on wooden supports or totems, perhaps dre…
added Jun 12, 2026
Read article →The ancient remains of Great Zimbabwe
Believed to be the work of the Shona (who today make up the majority of Zimbabwe's population) and possibly other societies that were migrating back and forth across the area, the city was large and powerful, housing a population comparable ...
added Jun 11, 2026
Read article →Sacred City of Caral-Supe - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The 5000-year-old 626-hectare archaeological site of The Sacred City of Caral-Supe is situated on a dry desert terrace overlooking the green valley of the Supe river. It dates back to the Late Archaic Period of the Central Andes and is the oldest ...
added Jun 10, 2026
Read article →Features - Rites of the Scythians - Archaeology Magazine - July/August 2016
But to their surprise, they found two gold vessels, as well as an array of other gold objects, that made up one of the most elaborate Scythian hoards ever discovered. Below are images from the excavation showing the context of these spectacular ...
added Jun 9, 2026
Read article →Çatalhöyük - Wikipedia
These excavations revealed this section of Anatolia as a centre of advanced culture in the Neolithic period. Excavation revealed 18 successive layers of buildings signifying various stages of the settlement and eras of history. It has been strongly suggested that a number of the purported wall paint…
added Jun 7, 2026
Read article →The Nubian kingdom of Kush, rival to Egypt | National Geographic
They mark the site of the ancient city Meroë, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The center of a powerful civilization, Meroë served as the capital city of Kush whose robust culture thrived for centuries.
added Jun 7, 2026
Read article →Yucatán Cenotes: Ancient Water Sources in Mexico's Arid ...
Preparing to dredge Chichen Itza’s sacred cenote · Chichen Itza's sacred cenote is but one of many in the Yucatán, and the most famous, possibly due to the booty Thompson extracted from it.
added Jun 6, 2026
Read article →Tour the mighty palaces of the heroes of the Iliad | National Geographic
Although composed in the eighth ... cities. Amateur archaeologist Frank Calvert conducted initial excavations on the mound of Hisarlik in the 1860s, now widely believed to be the site of Troy....
added Jun 6, 2026
Read article →Olmec colossal heads - Wikipedia
The heads all display distinctive headgear and one theory is that these were worn as protective helmets, maybe worn for war or to take part in a ceremonial Mesoamerican ballgame. The discovery of the first colossal head at Tres Zapotes in 1862 by José María Melgar y Serrano was not well ...
added Jun 5, 2026
Read article →Hittites - Wikipedia
Hittite laws, much like other records of the empire, are recorded on cuneiform tablets made from baked clay. What is understood to be the Hittite Law Code comes mainly from two clay tablets, each containing 186 articles, and are a collection of practiced laws from across the early Hittite Kingdom.
added Jun 5, 2026
Read article →Archaeological Site of Carthage - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The property comprises the vestiges of Punic, Roman, Vandal, Paleochristian and Arab presence. The major known components of the site of Carthage are the acropolis of Byrsa, the Punic ports, the Punic tophet, the necropolises, theatre, amphitheatre, circus, residential area, basilicas, the Antonin b…
added Jun 4, 2026
Read article →Code of Hammurabi - Wikipedia
The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed c. 1753 BC. It is the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian, purportedly by Hammurabi, sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon.
added Jun 4, 2026
Read article →Göbekli Tepe - Wikipedia
Göbekli Tepe, a monumental complex built on a rocky mountaintop with no clear evidence of agricultural cultivation, has played a prominent role in this debate. Recent findings suggest a settlement at Göbekli Tepe, with domestic structures, extensive cereal processing, a water supply, and ...
added Jun 3, 2026
Read article →Late Bronze Age collapse - Wikipedia
The German historian Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren first dated the Late Bronze Age collapse to 1200 BC. In an 1817 history of Ancient Greece, Heeren stated that the first period of Greek prehistory ended around this time, based on a dating of the fall of Troy to 1190 BC. In 1826, he dated the end of …
added Jun 3, 2026
Read article →Indus Valley Civilisation - Wikipedia
The cities of the ancient Indus were noted for their urban planning, baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, clusters of large non-residential buildings, and techniques of handicraft and metallurgy. Mohenjo-daro and Harappa very likely grew to contain between 30,000 ...
added Jun 3, 2026
Read article →Phoenicia - Wikipedia
This network facilitated exchanges among cradles of civilization such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. They founded colonies and trading posts throughout the Mediterranean; among these, Carthage in the Mediterranean Maghreb developed into a major power by the 7th century BC.
added Jun 2, 2026
Read article →The famous Archaeological Site Of Knossos Palace Crete Crete's #1 Attraction
Immerse yourself in the rich history and myths of Knossos Palace Archaeological Site. Your guide to exploring this iconic attraction in Crete.
added Jun 2, 2026
Read article →Minoan civilization - Wikipedia
The Minoans constructed enormous labyrinthine buildings which their initial excavators labeled Minoan palaces. Subsequent research has shown that they served a variety of religious and economic purposes rather than being royal residences, though their exact role in Minoan society is a matter of cont…
added Jun 2, 2026
Read article →Epic of Gilgamesh - Wikipedia
The Epic of Gilgamesh (/ˈɡɪlɡəmɛʃ/) is an epic from ancient Mesopotamia. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh (the variant "Bilgames" was once thought to be the earlier Sumerian form), king of Uruk, some of which may date back to the Third ...
added Jun 1, 2026
Read article →Enki: The Tricky Sumerian God of Wisdom
He is shown in the story Inanna and the God of Wisdom as possessor of the meh, the laws and powers concerned with all of life and the gifts of civilization - the possessions of the gods alone - which he allows Inanna to take from him during a drunken party. Although he sends various forces after her…
added May 31, 2026
Read article →Sumerian religion - Wikipedia
Wall plaque showing libations by devotees and a naked priest, to a seated god and a temple. Ur, 2500 BCE. Sumerian religion was the religion practiced by the people of Sumer, the first literate civilization found in recorded history and based in ancient Mesopotamia, and what is modern day Ir…
added May 31, 2026
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