This 1524 map of the Aztec capital was a window into an exotic otherworld — and largely a fiction.

Historian Eric Cline illuminates the 400-year period following ancient collapse that shaped the modern world.

David S. Goyer explains how paying attention to mystery, and not brushing it aside, became the foundation for the way he builds stories, characters, and worlds.

In this excerpt from The Breath of the Gods, Simon Winchester explores how the Sumerians first named the wind and shaped our early understanding of the natural world.

“Everyone's image of [Ancient Rome] is based on modern movies. In some ways, I think those were rather impressive, but they got some things terribly wrong.”

If you’ve gotten goosebumps when hearing a story about a stranger’s selfless heroism, or you’ve felt your chest swell at a concert, when the audience’s voice and the musician’s instruments align, you have felt awe. And, according to professor Dacher Keltner, who has spent his life studying it, it’s one of humankind’s most unifying traits:

We don't learn from history because we can't learn from history.

In the Embers series, historian M.G. Sheftall shares the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s last survivors and reveals why their testimony must endure.

"One of the ways you can see the Roman Empire is it's the worldwide web of its day."

Why do we fall in love with one person over another? The late biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher unpacks the evolutionary roots of romantic love, sex, and attachment.  Using research […]

The Gospels aren’t historical biographies but genre-defining works that blend myth, theology, and a promise of hope.

Experts and Big Think writers recommend their favorite reads for diving deeper into the history and perspectives found in the Book of Books.

An interview with renowned mythologist Martin Shaw about persona, presence, and how to spend life's finite time.

By looking back at future dreams we can see our current hopes and visions in a whole new light.

A new method of mapping migration factors in erratic movements and changing climate.

Architecture in the age of AI — argues professor Nayef Al-Rodhan — should embed philosophical inquiry in its transdisciplinary toolkit.

Are fava beans and chianti really the best pairing for human liver?

Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction.

A poignant, 2,000-year-old burial in northern Italy could be the latest evidence of an ancient friendship.

James Suzman lived with a tribe of hunter-gatherers to witness how an ancient culture survives one of the most brutal climates on Earth. His learnings may surprise you.

NuqneH! Saluton! A linguistic anthropologist (and creator of the Kryptonian language, among others) studies the people who invent new tongues.

The Trojan War was fought in Finland and Ulysses sailed home to Denmark, says one controversial theory.

After listening to the same playlist, people from the United Kingdom, the United States, and China reported feeling nearly identical bodily sensations.

Archaeologists have identified what may be Europe’s oldest human-made megastructure.

Some of the world's most satisfied societies are poor, small, and remote.

Skilled hunters adapted to the changing landscape and left tantalizing clues to who they were.

Biology plays an important role in emotional reactions, but neuroscientist Kristen A. Lindquist posits that our culture is just as influential.

Along with obsidian that dazzled scientists in Canada.

The Parthenon embodies the ideals of perfection Classical Greeks sought from architecture. The neighboring Erechtheion offers something else.

The tonal Native American language differentiates words based on pitch and makes Spanish conjugation look like child’s play.