Ancient timeline Greek and Egyptian history Persian history Mesopotamian history Roman history Andean history Nordic history East Asian history: Golden funerary mask of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun
Journey beyond the ruins

Explore Ancient History

Walk through forgotten cities, follow the rise of empires, meet rulers and rebels, and uncover the beliefs that shaped human civilisation.

Explore Civilisations → Travel the Timeline
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0Great civilisations
0Human history
0Stories and biographies
0Landmark monuments
Worlds of antiquity

Explore Great Civilisations

From river kingdoms to maritime empires, discover societies that transformed politics, religion, art, science and war.

Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre at Giza in Egypt
c. 3100–30 BCE

Ancient Egypt

A civilisation built beside the Nile, defined by divine kingship, monumental architecture and a vision of eternity.

Enter Egypt →
Classical Greek marble statue of the god Poseidon
c. 800–146 BCE

Ancient Greece

 Marble portrait bust of Roman emperor Vespasian
753 BCE–476 CE

Ancient Rome

 Winged sphinx from the palace of Darius at Susa
550–330 BCE

Achaemenid Empire

 Ancient Mesopotamian city and monumental architecture
c. 3500–539 BCE

Mesopotamia

 Mountain citadel of the ancient Andean world
c. 3000 BCE–1572 CE

Andean Civilisations

 Mountain landscape of ancient East Asia
c. 1600 BCE–220 CE

Ancient East Asia

 Northern fjord landscape of the Nordic world
750–1100 CE

Nordic Civilisation

 Celtic settlement in a misty green valley at dawn
1200 BCE–600 CE

Celtic Civilisation
Across the ages

A Timeline of Turning Points

Explore the complete timeline →
c. 3500 BCE

The First Cities Rise

Urban communities grow in southern Mesopotamia, supported by irrigation, trade, temples and the earliest writing systems.

c. 2560 BCE

The Great Pyramid

Khufu’s immense pyramid complex transforms the Giza plateau into a statement of royal power and cosmic order.

480 BCE

War for the Greek World

The Persian invasion brings the forces of Xerxes into conflict with a fragile alliance of Greek city-states.

27 BCE

Augustus and the Roman Empire

Octavian receives the title Augustus, establishing a new political order after generations of civil war.

Lives that shaped history

Rulers, Generals & Thinkers

Meet the people whose ambitions, ideas and decisions changed the course of the ancient world.

Meet key figures
Ancient marble portrait identified as Cleopatra VII of Egypt

Cleopatra VII

Queen of Egypt

Diplomat, monarch and the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Discover her life →
Marble portrait bust of Alexander the Great

Alexander III

King of Macedon

Conqueror whose campaigns created a vast Hellenistic world.

Discover his life →
Marble portrait bust of Roman general Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Roman General

Soldier, politician and dictator at the centre of Rome’s transformation.

Discover his life →
Modern statue representing Cyrus the Great of Persia

Cyrus the Great

King of Kings

Founder of the Achaemenid Empire and architect of Persian rule.

Discover his life →
“History is not merely the record of vanished worlds. It is the long memory of civilisation.”
Chronicle of Antiquity
Themes of the ancient world

Go Deeper

Ancient Greek hoplite sculpture carrying a shield and spear
Armies & strategy

Warfare

Explore soldiers, weapons, formations, sieges and the decisive battles that forged empires.

Enter the battlefield →
Sculpture of Hercules fighting the Erymanthian Boar
Gods & legends

Mythology

Travel through divine realms, heroic quests, sacred stories and ancient visions of creation.

Explore the myths →
Temple of Isis at Philae illuminated by sunlight
Stone & memory

Monuments

Discover temples, tombs, arenas, palaces and cities built to outlast their creators.

Visit the monuments →