South China Sea: Did you mean...?

Chinese warfare involved perhaps the largest and most technologically advanced armies in the ancient world. Chariots, cavalry, swords, bows and crossbows were all staple features of the battles which raged as rulers forever struggled to dominate...

Dead Sea Scrolls jars from Qumran (Khirbet Qumran or Wadi Qumran), West Bank of the Jordan River, near the north part of the Dead Sea, modern-day State of Israel. The Dead Sea Scrolls, or Qumran Caves Scrolls, are parchment and papyrus...

Agriculture arose independently at several locations across the world, beginning about 12,000 years ago. The first crops and livestock were domesticated in six rather diffuse areas including the Near East, China, Southeast Asia, and Africa...

The Battle of Red Cliffs (also known as the Battle of Chibi, 208 CE) was the pivotal engagement between the forces of Northern China led by the warlord Cao Cao (l. 155-220 CE) and the allied defenders of the south under the command of Liu...

The Khitan people formed the Liao dynasty and ruled parts of Mongolia, Manchuria, and northern China from 907 to 1125 CE. Adopting elements of Chinese government and culture, the Khitan were more than a match for their rivals the Song dynasty...

The Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-1398 CE) was the founder of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE) which took over from the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1276-1368 CE) as the rulers of China. Born a peasant with the name Zhu Yuanzhang, the future emperor led...

The Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, led by the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), successfully crossed 8,000 km (5,000 miles) of the Pacific Ocean from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands on a balsa-wood raft. The aim of the expedition was to demonstrate...

View of the restored part of the South Propylon at Knossos (Crete), decorated with copies of parts of the Procession Fresco. This Propylon formed the south entrance to the palace. The pairs of columns with their corresponding parapets supported...

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) was one of the greatest in Imperial Chinese history. It was a golden age of reform and cultural advancement which lay the foundation for policies which are still observed in China today. The second emperor, Taizong...

The Periplus Ponti Euxini (“Circumnavigation of the Black Sea”) by Arrian of Nicomedia (c. 86–after 146 CE) is a remarkable example of Roman geographical and administrative writing from the early 2nd century CE. The term Periplus, derived...