Ancient History

Ancient History

Book cover for "Seven Rivers" by Vanessa Taylor, depicting a busy historical scene along the Nile River with many boats; text on left reads "an excerpt from" in black font on yellow background.
In this excerpt from "Seven Rivers," historian Vanessa Taylor explores how Ancient Egyptian pharaohs harnessed the Nile River to build empires and secure their power.
A small, irregular brown stone with holes—possibly linked to Denisovans—is shown next to a 1990 U.S. dime for size comparison.
In “The Secret History of Denisovans,” Silvana Condemi and François Savatier trace the story of our mysterious hominin ancestor.
Two ancient coins depicting explicit erotic scenes with human figures in sexual positions, shown against a black background.
40 min
"One of the ways you can see the Roman Empire is it's the worldwide web of its day."
A man slumps in a chair, eyes closed, as small monkey-like creatures torment him with various objects in a room near a fireplace and table.
In "The Headache," Tom Zeller Jr. explores one of the human brain's most enduring, and painful, enigmas.
Diagram showing human evolutionary relationships and gene flow among Khoisan, West Africans, Non-Africans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans over time, with percentages of genetic admixture indicated.
After more than a million years of separation, two branches of humanity reunited around 300,000 years ago, suggests new research.
A pyramid stands in a desert with three people in front, evoking experimental archeology; a modern McDonald's restaurant is visible in the background on the right.
In "Dinner with King Tut," Sam Kean examines how a burgeoning field is recreating ancient tasks to uncover historical truths.