1. The Origins of Civilization Up until about 12,000 years ago, all humans were hunter-gatherers: that is, they lived by hunting wild game, fishing, and gathering fruits and berries. They lived in small bands, following a mobile lifestyle as they followed animal herds and moved to where more plants could be found. They owned only […]
Iron Age
The Kingdom of Kush
Introduction Egypt’s geographical position, lying in the northern portion of the long valley of the River Nile, meant that it was cut off from the rest of Africa by almost impassable desert to east and west, and by only somewhat less-impassable cataracts to the south. It therefore fell to Kush to mediate the arts of […]
Ancient India: Civilization and Society
The history and civilization of Ancient India, including timeline and overview
Africa: societies and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa
1. Geographical background The geography of Sub-Saharan Africa poses severe challenges to the rise and spread of pre-modern civilization. A hard environment The ancientness of the continent’s rocks, whose minerals have leeched out over the aeons, mean that the soil is generally of a poor quality, posing challenges for farmers. In many regions low or […]
The Classical Era of Ancient India
<< Back to Ancient India overview
The Classical Age of Ancient India was the time and place in world history where three major religions – Classical Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism – originated
The Celts
The Celts settled much of western Europe from the eighth century BCE.
Assyrian Civilization
Assyria presided over one of the final phases of ancient Mesopotamian civilization, during which period it ruled the first major empire in world history.
The Zhou Dynasty of Ancient China
<< back to the World History Atlas: Maps of Ancient China
The Zhou dynasty, the longest-lasting dynasty in Chinese history, endured from 1122 BCE to 256 BCE, and saw ancient China dramatically transformed