Ancient History

Read more about the rise and fall of ancient civilizations. Uncover the people, events, and cultures that laid the foundation for modern society—from Egyptian pharaohs, to legendary Roman emperors and beyond.

Menu section: History & Culture · 278 stories on nationalgeographic.com

Recent stories in Ancient History: A New Discovery Offers a Glimpse into the World of the Hittites—in Their Own Words; The Ancient Romans Had a Strange Ritual After Thunderstorms; Unlooted Tombs Shed Light on the Incan Empire's Greatest Rivals; Did This Ring Belong to Pontius Pilate?; This Synagogue Held One of the Oldest Versions of the Bible in Greek; What Happened to Cleopatra’s Children With Marc Antony?; The Ancient Princess Who Crushed Enemies With Her Quick Tongue; Ancient Polynesians Took a 1,700-Year Break From Voyaging. This Is Why They Returned to the Sea.; This Ancient Egyptian Fashion Enchanted a Pharaoh; How Heinrich Schliemann Rediscovered Troy—and Then Destroyed It; This queen was said to be as fair as Helen of Troy—but she was no political pawn; The surprising detour of the Silk Road, the world’s original superhighway; Archaeologists found 37 people buried in one giant 'death jar'; The ancient Nigerian sculptures that rewrote African history; One thing Hollywood gets right about Ancient Rome; Pompeii's Secrets: How AI is Rewriting the Story of Mount Vesuvius; Could Pompeii happen again? An archaeologist answers questions about the lost city; Inside the making of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi; These 6 archaeology discoveries reshape what we know about the Bible; Enslaved people built the Roman Empire. Here's how their legacy has survived.; ‘Who says dead men don’t talk?’: Uncovering Herculaneum’s haunting final moments; Inside the stunning recovery of the lost Herculaneum Scrolls; A peek into the personal life of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor; Albania's Sazan Island has been fought over for millennia; Was there a real Tower of Babel? This temple is the leading contender.