Ancient Civilizations

The world as we know it today is built on the ruins of 10,000 years of advanced cultures. This collection will introduce you to some of the best-studied, including Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Mayan, Indus, and Egyptian.

  • Great Temple at Yeha
    Yeha: Saba' (Sheba) Kingdom Site in Ethiopia
  • Modern knifemaker polishing a Damascus steel blade
    Damascus Steel: Ancient Sword Making Techniques
  • The Behistun Inscription, Iran
    Behistun Inscription: Darius's Message to the Persian Empire
  • New HIghway along the Southern Silk Road to Khotan
    Khotan - Capital of an Oasis State on the Silk Road in China
  • Karakorum's Stone Turtle
    Karakorum: Genghis Khan's Capital City
  • Reconstruction of a Celtic iron-age barn.
    European Iron Age La Tène Culture
  • Aztec deities: Huitzilopochtli (Father of the Aztecs), Tonatiuh (God of the Sun), Centeotl (God of Maize), Chalchiuhtlicue (Goddess of Running Water), Xipe Totec (God of Fertility and Sacrifice)
    Important Aztec Gods and Goddesses
  • View of the Qorikancha in Cuzco, Peru from below
    The Inca Empire: South America's Kings
  • Machu Pichu ruins on a cloudy day.
    10 Ancient American Civilizations
  • Close-up of Aztec Calendar stone carving
    The Legend of the Fifth Sun
  • black and white Indus seals
    Indus Seals and the Indus Civilization Script
  • Paved Street in Pompeii at Sunrise
    The Streets of Pompeii
  • Ruins of Ancient Village, Mehgarh
    Mehrgarh, Pakistan and Life in the Indus Valley Before Harappa
  • The magnificent ruins of the Great Mosque at Kilwa Kisiwani
    Kilwa Kisiwani: Medieval Trade Center on Africa's Swahili Coast
  • Tlaltecuhtli Scuplture, Templo Mayor, Mexico City
    Tlaltecuhtli - The Monstrous Aztec Goddess of the Earth
  • Roman Forum at sunrise
    The 10 Most Interesting Unknown Ancient Empires
  • A Statuette of Huehueteotl
    Profile of Huehueteotl-Xiuhtecuhtli, Aztec God of Fire
  • Close up of reeds on the water during sunset.
    Mesopotamian Reed Boats Changed the Stone Age
  • Carnac Standing Stones, Brittany
    Mesolithic Period, Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers in Europe
  • The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, located in Xian, China, was built in the year 707 A.D during the Tang Dynasty
    Chang'an, China - Capital of the Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties
  • Sun Stone or Aztec Calendar Stone, found in Tenochtitlan in 1789, Mexico, Azteca Civilization, 15th century
    The Aztec Calendar Stone: Dedicated to the Aztec Sun God
  • Temple of Hephaestus with snow on December 29, 2016 in Athens
    Greek Temples - Residences for the Ancient Greek Gods
  • Full color photograph of an ancient Hounds and Jackals board game that is on display in a museum.
    Egypt's 58 Holes, the Ancient Board Game Called Hounds and Jackals
  • Mexico, Teotihuacan, Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan. Detail of carved head of plumed serpent.
    Quetzalcoatl - Pan-Mesoamerican Feathered Serpent God
  • Plastered Skulls from Jericho, Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Period
    Jericho (Palestine) - Archaeology of the Ancient City
  • Heroon at Toumba, Lefkandi
    Lefkandi
  • Reconstructed Linearbandkeramik Farmhouse, Archeon
    Linearbandkeramik Culture - European Farming Innovators
  • Pyramid caravan
    The New Wonders of the World
  • Bas reliefs of Persian guards, Winter Palace of Darius (Tashara)
    Persepolis (Iran) - Capital City of the Persian Empire
  • Copal crystals in a cast iron container burn on a grate
    Copal, the Blood of Trees: Sacred Source of Maya and Aztec Incense
  • Mississippian Mound C at Etowah, seen from the top of Mound A
    Mississippians Were the Mound Builders in North America
  • Zapotec Ruins of Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico
    Monte Alban - Capital City of the Zapotec Civilization
  • Alpaca near Saksaywaman Temple, Cusco, Peru
    Timeline of the Andean Cultures of South America
  • ancient ritual grain server with dragon handles
    Enormous Bronze Age Shang Dynasty Capital of Yin, China
  • amphitheater with unexcavated pyramids of sacred city of Caral in background
    The Norte Chico Civilization of South America
  • This photograph of a group of Inuit people on St. Lawrence Island in front of their semi-subterranean house was taken by F. D. Fujiwara in 1897. Walrus meat is drying on the rack over the doorway
    Prehistoric Semi-Subterranean Arctic Houses
  • Traditional Berber Village (Ksar) in High Atlas Mountains
    The African Berbers
  • China flag
    Why Erlitou Is Known as the Bronze Age Capital of China
  • Mosque ruins on a sunny day.
    Chronology of the Medieval Swahili Coast Traders
  • Maps: Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Scythia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
    Scythians in the Ancient World
  • Stockfish on Wood Racks
    Overview of Viking Trading and Exchange Networks
  • Traditional Mongolian Herder. Khangai mountains
    The Ancient Societies of the Central Asian Steppe
  • Bayon Temple at Angkor Wat
    The Fall of the Khmer Empire - What Caused Angkor's Collapse?
  • The Pyramids of Teotihuacan
    Capital City of Tenochtitlan
  • Man in Traditional Indian Clothing
    The Aztec Triple Alliance
  • The Great Wall of China, in winter
    Top Characteristics of Ancient Civilizations
  • Ur Iii Cuneiform Tablet
    An Introduction to Sumerian Art and Culture
  • Pilgrims Arrive at Medina Mosque to Begin Pilgrimage to Mecca
    Islamic Civilization: Timeline and Definition
  • Harappa, Pakistan of the Indus Valley civilization
    Who Were the Aryans? Hitler's Persistent Mythology
  • Migration of Aztecs to Tenochtitlan, drawing from Boturini Codex manuscript, Mexico, 16th century
    Aztlán, The Mythical Homeland of the Aztec-Mexica
  • Illustrated map of mammoth bone dwellings.
    Mammoth Bone Dwellings
  • Bars of tethered copper, one of the first metals to be used by humans
    The Ancient History of Copper
  • Wild Horses Running
    Understanding the Role of Pastoralism in Civilization
  • Areal of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon.
    Chaco Canyon
  • The East Gate at Angkor Thom surrounded by jungle.
    Angkor Civilization
  • Norse chessmen, from a Viking hoard, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
    Viking Raids - Why Did the Norse Leave Scandinavia to Roam the World?
  • Artifacts from the Pre-Clovis Occupation at Debra L. Friedkin Site
    Guide to the Pre-Clovis Culture
  • Tapestry of an Eagle holding a snake, from The Founding of Tenochtitlan.
    Aztecs or Mexica
  • Small viking boat on display at Aurlandsfjorden, Norway
    Viking Social Structure
  • A row of moai sculptures against a cloudy Easter Island sky
    How the Moai of Easter Island Were Made and Moved
  • K'inich Ahkal Mo' Nahb
    The Dynastic Rulers Who Took the Throne of Palenque
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