◆ Treasures of Civilizations ◆
Articles
Dive into the stories, beliefs, and achievements of history's great civilizations.
Overview
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku, City by the Lake
A highland civilization beside Titicaca.
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Cultural
Ancestral Puebloans
Cliff Cities of the Southwest
Stone villages built into canyon walls.
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Cultural
Muisca Confederation
El Dorado, the Gilded One
The Muisca rite that became a legend.
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Cultural
Ancient Egypt
Life Along the Nile
How the Nile shaped daily life and belief.
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Educational
Ancient Greece
The Birth of Democracy
How Athens built the world’s first democracy.
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Cultural
Roman Empire
Roman Engineering Marvels
Aqueducts, roads, and concrete that lasted millennia.
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Overview
Mesopotamia
Writing in Mesopotamia
From clay tokens to cuneiform.
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Educational
Ancient China
The Four Great Inventions
Paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass.
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Educational
Maya Civilization
Maya Astronomy and the Calendar
How the Maya tracked the heavens.
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Cultural
Persian Empire
Roads of the Persian Empire
How roads and tolerance held an empire together.
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Overview
Indus Valley Civilization
The Planned Cities of the Indus
Grids, drains, and mysteries.
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Cultural
Inca Empire
Engineering in the Andes
Roads, terraces, and Machu Picchu.
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Cultural
Aztec Empire
Tenochtitlan, the Island City
A capital built on a lake.
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Cultural
Feudal Japan
The Way of the Samurai
Warriors, honor, and bushidō.
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Cultural
The Viking Age
The Voyages of the Vikings
Raiders, traders, and explorers.
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Cultural
Byzantine Empire
Hagia Sophia, Wonder of Byzantium
The great domed church of Constantinople.
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Cultural
Khmer Empire
Angkor Wat
The largest religious monument on Earth.
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Cultural
Roman Britain
Life in Roman Britain
Roads, baths, and walled towns at the empire’s edge.
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Educational
Carolingian Empire
Charlemagne and the Revival of Learning
How a Frankish king rekindled European scholarship.
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Cultural
Al-Andalus
The Golden Age of Córdoba
A city of libraries, scholars, and the Great Mosque.
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Holy Roman Empire
What Was the Holy Roman Empire?
A thousand-year patchwork at the heart of Europe.
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Overview
Kievan Rus’
The Birth of the Rus’
River trade and faith forge the first Russian state.
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Educational
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Conquests
How horsemen built the largest land empire ever.
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Cultural
Kingdom of Aksum
Aksum, an African Trading Power
Coins, stelae, and Red Sea commerce.
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Cultural
Mali Empire
Mansa Musa and Timbuktu
Gold, pilgrimage, and a city of books.
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Educational
Kingdom of Kush
The Black Pharaohs of Kush
Nubian kings who ruled Egypt and built pyramids.
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Cultural
Nabataean Kingdom
Petra, City of Stone
How desert traders carved a city from cliffs.
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Overview
Ancient Israel & Judah
The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
Jerusalem, the Temple, and a lasting legacy.
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Cultural
Kingdom of Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya, a Cosmopolitan Capital
A Siamese city of temples and global trade.
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Overview
Majapahit Empire
Majapahit, the Island Empire
A Javanese power across the archipelago.
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Educational
Đại Việt
Đại Việt Against the Empires
A nation forged by resisting invasion.
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Educational
Joseon Dynasty
King Sejong and the Birth of Hangul
An alphabet designed so everyone could read.
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Cultural
Benin Empire
The Benin Bronzes
Guild masterpieces of a West African kingdom.
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Overview
Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe
The Great Stone City
A vast dry-stone capital of a gold realm.
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Educational
Ancient Egypt
The Gods of Egypt
A guide to the major deities of the pantheon.
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Cultural
Roman Empire
Daily Life in Ancient Rome
Baths, forums, and bread and circuses.
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Educational
Ancient Greece
The Birth of Philosophy
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
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