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Inca Gold Sun Mask
A gold-sheet mask representing the sun god Inti from the La Tolita part of the Inca empire. The design is typical of masks of Inti with zig-zag rays bursting from the head and ending in human faces or figures. (National Museum, Quito, Ecuador...
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Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro (c. 1475-1538) was a Spanish conquistador who was second-in-command to Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478-1541) during his expedition that attacked the Inca civilization from 1531. Almagro then led his own expedition to explore Chile...
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Inca Gold Female Figurine
A gold female figurine from the Inca civilization, 15-16th century CE, Peru. Height 15 cm. Such precious figures were typically buried with important people. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
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The Extent of the Roman Empire
Time has seen the rise and fall of a number of great empires - the Babylonian, the Assyrian, the Egyptian, and lastly, the Persian. Regardless of the size or skill of their army or the capabilities of their leaders, all of these empires fell...
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Egyptian Empire
The Egyptian Empire rose during the period of the New Kingdom (c. 1570- c. 1069 BCE), when the country reached its height of wealth, international prestige, and military might. The empire stretched from modern-day Syria in the north to modern-day...
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Inca Tunic
An Inca royal tunic with the typical geometrical designs and colours favoured by Inca weavers. (Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collections, Washington D.C.)
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Inca 12 Angle Stone
The famous stone from an Inca wall in Cuzco, Peru. The stone has 12 angles and illustrates the great precision Inca masons employed in ensuring their stone blocks fitted so well together that no mortar was needed. (15th century CE).
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Boran & Azarmiduxt: Queens of the Sassanian Empire
Boran (r. 630, 631-632) and Azarmiduxt (r. 630-631) were the only queens of the Sassanian Empire who ruled with the power of absolute monarchs. Daughters of Shahanshah (king of kings) Khosrow II (r. 590-628), Boran and Azarmiduxt, tried to...
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Coronation of Manco Inca Yupanqui
An early 17th-century illustration by Felipe Guáman Poma de Ayala showing the coronation of the new Inca ruler, Manco Inca Yupanqui on 16 November 1533. Manco Inca was a puppet ruler of the conquistadors but he rose up in rebellion and led...
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Khmer Empire
The Khmer empire was a powerful state in South East Asia, formed by people of the same name, lasting from 802 CE to 1431 CE. At its peak, the empire covered much of what today is Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam. By the 7th...