General ancient history

Illustration by Jonty Clark

Ye olde travel guide: Kiev 978 AD. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Bluestones, like these in the Preseli hills, were used to build Stonehenge. (Photo by Paula Connelly via Getty Images)

Britain’s buried secrets. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A stone relief depicting men bringing gifts to the king, c500 BC. (Getty Images)

The Persian empire: myth vs reality. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Jerusalem: blood and gold. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Alfred Jewel: gold, rock, crystal and enamel

Objects of affection

Historical objects - toilets and medicines. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Lewis Chessmen found on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, probably made in Norway, about AD 1150-1200. (Photo by RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)

The LibraryObjects with meanings: How artefacts can give us a new take on global history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ancient civilisations and Victorian shopping. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Made of basalt, this inscribed stone dates to the sixth century BC. The figure is Nabonidus who was the last king of Babylon before the Persian invasion under Cyrus II. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)

Babylon: From riches to ruins. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A view of Machu Picchu, Peru

General ancient history

The LibraryImperial marvels

Statue of the great philosopher Confucius in Shanghai. Taken at the Shanghai Wen Miao, also known as the Shanghai Confucian Temple. (Photo by Getty Images)

The legacy of Confucius. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.