
Ancient Near East

What was happening in the world during the height and fall of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia?

What was going on around the world during the rise and height of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia?
Tiny timeline: ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in ...

The Sasanians were the last pre-Islamic Iranian dynasty who ruled an expansive empire stretching across western and central Asia.
Sasanian art, an introduction

Reading Assyrian art isn't easy — but it's always worth it.
Assyria vs Elam: The battle of Til ...

Led by aggressive warrior kings, Assyria dominated the fertile crescent for half a millennia, amassing vast wealth.
Assyria, an introduction

Ashurbanipal wasn't just an Assyrian king, he was a propaganda king.
The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal

Despite what their sworn enemies the Greeks would have you believe, the Persians ruled a tolerant multi-ethnic empire.
Ancient Persia, an introduction

Founded by the famed Sargon the Great, Akkad was a powerful military empire.
Akkad, an introduction

Sumer was home to some of the oldest known cities, supported by a focus on agriculture.
Sumer, an introduction

Shown with an architectural plan in his lap, this prince constructed temples to the gods and likenesses of himself.
Seated Gudea holding temple plan

One of the most precious artifacts from Sumer, the Warka Vase was looted and almost lost forever.
Warka Vase

What was the first bill of human rights? This seal encouraged freedom of worship throughout the Persian Empire.
The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia

At the center of Ur, a rubbish dump grew over the centuries—it evolved into a cemetery for the elite.
Standard of Ur and other objects from ...

One of the oldest known forms of writing, cuneiform was the writing system for fifteen languages over 3,000 years.
Cuneiform, an introduction

Leveraging their enormous wealth, the Assyrians built great temples and palaces full of art, all paid for by conquest.
Assyrian Sculpture

For two thousand years, Babylon’s lost Tower and Hanging Gardens have haunted European imagination.
Babylonia, an introduction

From physical models to virtual reality, reconstructing ancient sites and objects can help us understand the past.
Archaeological reconstructions

Artists have depicted the Tower of Babel throughout the ages, a symbol of the extraordinary—but it did exist.
Towers of Babel

What do the 60-minute clock and the zodiac have in common? The answer lies in ancient Babylon.
The Babylonian mind

The soaring audience hall of the Achaemenid Persian kings was an imposing space, designed to impress.