Great ziggurat of ur: Did you mean...?

The Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) transformed every aspect of the cultures the Norse came in contact with. The Vikings usually struck without warning and, in the early years, left with their plunder and slaves to be sold as quickly as they...

The 'Near East' is a modern-age term for the region formerly known as the 'Middle East,' comprising Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and part of Turkey, corresponding to ancient Urartu, Mesopotamia...

Ur-Nammu (circa 2112-2094 BCE) was the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur in Sumer, who initiated the so-called Ur III period (circa 2112 to circa 2004 BCE), also known as the Sumerian Renaissance. He is best known as the king who composed...

In the year 330 BCE Alexander the Great (l. 356-323 BCE) conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire following his victory over the Persian Emperor Darius III (r. 336-330 BCE) at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE. After Darius III's defeat...

Ur was a city in the region of Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, and its ruins lie in what is modern-day Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq. According to biblical tradition, the city is named after the man who founded the first settlement there, Ur, though...

View of Great Zimbabwe's 'Great Enclosure'. This is the largest collection of ruins in southern Africa. The Gokomere Empire flourished here from the 11th Century CE to its collapse in the early 15th century CE.

A section of the Great Enclosure of Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe. Built in the 13-14th century CE using granite, the wall is 5.5 metres (18 ft.) thick in places and 9.7 metres (32 ft.) high.

The conical tower of the Great Enclosure of Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe. Built in the 13-14th century CE using granite, the purpose of the structure is not known.

The age-old concept of the “divine right of kings” allowed that a country's ruler received his or her power or authority from God. However, few, if any, were delusional enough to actually believe themselves to be a god. An exception to this...

Herod the Great was the king of Judea from 37-4 BCE. As a client king of Rome, Herod's moniker as "Great" was due more to his grand building program throughout the eastern Mediterranean world. Herod's building program generally ran from 35...