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"What would happen if the Pope's library were accidentally burnt? How can we reconstruct and visualize ancient and medieval pilgrimage routes? Technology is changing the way we study and preserve texts and artifacts. In a series of web-exclusive articles written by pioneering scholars developing the Digital Humanities, learn how this growing field of study is helping to analyze textual and archaeological data-and how you can help."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"The Ancient World From the first human civilizations to 500 BC in (around) a dozen podcasts" Subscribe to the podcast through iTuneshttp://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-ancient-world/id517589332

"The Ancient World From the first human civilizations to 500 BC in (around) a dozen podcasts" Subscribe to the podcast through iTuneshttp://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-ancient-world/id517589332

"This unit focuses on the location of major rivers and the different landforms that are created by fluvial systems. How humans have manipulated rivers to become settled societies. The growth of different civilisations that have development along major rivers."

"The term "myth" refers to a story that attempts in more or less symbolic form to explain the mystery of the origins of the cosmos, the earth, and humanity; the theme of life and death; and the causes and meanings of natural phenomena. All of these have bewildered humanity since ancient times. Humankind uses myth as an attempt to express its relation to nature."

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

"By combining data from coastal Cyprus and coastal Syria, this study shows that the LBA crisis coincided with the onset of a ca. 300-year drought event 3200 years ago. This climate shift caused crop failures, dearth and famine, which precipitated or hastened socio-economic crises and forced regional human migrations at the end of the LBA in the Eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia. The integration of environmental and archaeological data along the Cypriot and Syrian coasts offers a first comprehensive insight into how and why things may have happened during this chaotic period. The 3.2 ka BP event underlines the agro-productive sensitivity of ancient Mediterranean societies to climate and demystifies the crisis at the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age transition."

"By combining data from coastal Cyprus and coastal Syria, this study shows that the LBA crisis coincided with the onset of a ca. 300-year drought event 3200 years ago. This climate shift caused crop failures, dearth and famine, which precipitated or hastened socio-economic crises and forced regional human migrations at the end of the LBA in the Eastern Mediterranean and southwest Asia. The integration of environmental and archaeological data along the Cypriot and Syrian coasts offers a first comprehensive insight into how and why things may have happened during this chaotic period. The 3.2 ka BP event underlines the agro-productive sensitivity of ancient Mediterranean societies to climate and demystifies the crisis at the Late Bronze Age-Iron Age transition."

"The new findings are the result of a 14-year, high altitude study conducted in the Southern Alps. The work revealed a series of stone animal enclosures and human dwellings considered to be among the most complex high altitude Bronze Age structures in the Alps."

"New research reveals that some of the earliest civilizations in the Middle East and the Fertile Crescent may have been affected by abrupt climate change. These findings show that while socio-economic factors were traditionally considered to shape ancient human societies in this region, the influence of abrupt climate change should not be underestimated."

"The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites. Stillwell, Richard. MacDonald, William L. McAlister, Marian Holland. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press. 1976. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text. "

"Civilisation is based on the cultivation of plants, but humans rely on plants for far more than simple foodstuffs. This virtual book, written by Henry Hobhouse, the author of Seeds of Change, and Museum botanist Sandra Knapp, is an introduction to the fascinating history of cultivation and some of its impacts on today's society."

"Before we'd even become Homo sapiens sapiens, humans lived everywhere from South Africa up to Britain and over to China. There were mountain people, coastal people, people who hunted woolly mammoths, and people who'd never seen a woolly mammoth in their lives. Just like we see with distinct groups of other animals, these differences of experience, adaptation, and expectation would have made for real cultural and even physical differences between populations. A few hundred thousand years later, as groups began to settle down and build cities they often enclosed them within massive walls. The ways different cultures interact across those walls could be seen as the central story of civilization. Top archaeologists from around the world have been exploring that story for the past week in public presentations and conversations at the 2015 Dialogue of Civilizations in Beijing."

"The roots of our own urban civilization lie in the remarkable developments that took place in the third millennium B.C. This was a time of astonishing creativity as city-states and empires emerged in a vast area stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley. Although remote in time and place, this urban revolution, first represented by the formation of cities in southern Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), must be looked upon as one of humanity's defining moments. These complex centers of civilization, such as the city of Uruk, which arose toward the end of the fourth millennium B.C. in the fertile plains bordered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, stimulated great inventions, such as writing, and witnessed a flowering of artistic expression. Much of this art demonstrated devotion to the gods and celebrated the power of kings. The growth of cities and powerful ruling families led to a demand for luxury items. These were fashioned from materials obtained largely from abroad and were destined for temples and tombs such as the famous Royal Graves at Ur (ca. 2500 B.C.). Partly as a result of these advances in Mesopotamia, other major civilizations developed along the great maritime and land routes that connected them to one another."

"The roots of our own urban civilization lie in the remarkable developments that took place in the third millennium B.C. This was a time of astonishing creativity as city-states and empires emerged in a vast area stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley. Although remote in time and place, this urban revolution, first represented by the formation of cities in southern Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), must be looked upon as one of humanity's defining moments. These complex centers of civilization, such as the city of Uruk, which arose toward the end of the fourth millennium B.C. in the fertile plains bordered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, stimulated great inventions, such as writing, and witnessed a flowering of artistic expression. Much of this art demonstrated devotion to the gods and celebrated the power of kings. The growth of cities and powerful ruling families led to a demand for luxury items. These were fashioned from materials obtained largely from abroad and were destined for temples and tombs such as the famous Royal Graves at Ur (ca. 2500 B.C.). Partly as a result of these advances in Mesopotamia, other major civilizations developed along the great maritime and land routes that connected them to one another."

"Google Maps of the Ancient World"

"Google Maps of the Ancient World"

"Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq, is often referred to as the cradle of civilization because it is the first place where complex urban centers grew. The history of Mesopotamia, however, is inextricably tied to the greater region, which is comprised of the modern nations of Iran, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, the Gulf states and Turkey: the Near or Middle East. "

"Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern day Iraq, is often referred to as the cradle of civilization because it is the first place where complex urban centers grew. The history of Mesopotamia, however, is inextricably tied to the greater region, which is comprised of the modern nations of Iran, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, the Gulf states and Turkey: the Near or Middle East. "

"HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD ANCIENT HISTORY NEWS AND RESOURCES"

"HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD ANCIENT HISTORY NEWS AND RESOURCES"

"Just Curious: Ancient Civilizations" Greece, Egypt, Maya, Mesopotamia, Rome, and Vikings links

"Just Curious: Ancient Civilizations" Greece, Egypt, Maya, Mesopotamia, Rome, and Vikings links

Breaking Ground may as well have been titled "Against all Odds," as the women archaeologists whose lives and careers we remember here faced innumerable challenges and difficulties but prevailed to contribute significantly to the expansion of our knowledge of the ancient world. Most entered this male dominated field at a time when few educational opportunities or careers were open to women. They excavated in countries where traditional, patriarchal societies did not generally allow women leadership or even public roles. Yet we found English women as early as the 19th century gaining government permissions to excavate in Egypt and Greece. We found women traveling alone through deserts and mountains and gaining acceptance from Bedouin tribes. We found them directing fieldwork using male workers whose own wives held subservient roles. The women archaeologists' rewards were almost purely intellectual, as many received no (or almost no) compensation for their demanding jobs, but of adventure there was plenty. Their activities were arduous, often dangerous, and required determination, stamina, a love of adventure, and certainly dedication.

"Recently Google Maps Mania reviewed the Hestia Project's Herodotus Timemap. Herodotus, sometimes known as the Father of History, was a fifth century Greek historian. In his 'Histories' Herodotus recounts the origins of the Great War between the Greeks and Persians and the rise of the Persian Empire."