Dragonfly song: Did you mean...?

Greek theatre began in the 6th century BCE in Athens with the performance of tragedy plays at religious festivals. These, in turn, inspired the genre of Greek comedy plays. The two types of Greek drama would be hugely popular and performances...

A representation of Yu the Great who reigned in the 21st century BCE and founded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BCE). By the Song Dynasty painter Ma Lin, hanging silk scroll. (National Palace Museum, Taipei)

Travelling among Streams & Mountains by Fan Kuan (c. 990-1030 CE). Song Dynasty. Painted silk, 2 x 1 metres. (National Palace Museum, Taipei)

Artistic rendering of Consort Yu (also Yuji, born Yu Miaoyi), the young concubine of Xiang Yu, King of Chu (r. 206-202 BCE). She was captured in one of the skirmishes of the Chu-Han Contention (206-202 BCE) in which the forces of Liu Bang...

Left: A Chinese tea bowl of black glazed stone ware, Song Dynasty, 960-1279 CE. Right: A Chinese lacquered bowl stand, Yuan Dynasty, 13th century CE. (British Museum, London)

Painting of the giantesses Fenja and Menja grinding salt with the magic grindstone Grótti, a scene from the Old Norse poem "Song of Grótti". Painted by Carl Christian Peters (1822-1899 CE).

Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia c. 3500 BCE. It is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians and the greatest among those of the Sumerian...

The Vedas are the religious texts which inform the religion of Hinduism (also known as Sanatan Dharma meaning “Eternal Order” or “Eternal Path”). The term veda means “knowledge” in that they are thought to contain the fundamental knowledge...

The Aztecs engaged in warfare (yaoyotl) to acquire territory, resources, quash rebellions, and to collect sacrificial victims to honour their gods. Warfare was a fundamental part of Aztec culture with all males expected to actively participate...

The Mongols conquered vast swathes of Asia in the 13th and 14th century CE thanks to their fast light cavalry and excellent bowmen, but another significant contribution to their success was the adoption of their enemies' tactics and technology...