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our shared human past

The New York Times ran an article on the ancient Chinese ziqi today. The instrument is making something of a comeback in contemporary China and dates from the Waring States Period (c. 600 BCE). Please click here to learn more about its revival in relation to renewed interest in traditional Chinese culture.

At the Ancient History Encyclopedia, we like to introduce our users and contributors to other organizations and institutions which provide assistance in the study and preservation of the ancient past. One such organization is Archaeology Southwest. This is a private nonprofit which aims to increase public awareness in the rich past of the ancient cultures…

Teachers or instructors might be interested in accessing images of the ancient world from the New York Public Library’s Picture Collection. With over 1.700 images covering a range of subjects from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other cultures around the Mediterranean, this is a great resource for the classroom. All the images were rendered or…

For several decades, scholars and archaeologists have debated what caused the decline and collapse of the Classical Maya (c. 250-900 CE). Most content that it was a combination of agricultural mismanagement and environmental changes, which doomed the city-states of the formidable Maya. MSNBC published this article last month, which suggested that changes in religious rites…

Rock art is both ubiquitous and mysterious: it exists on every continent except Antarctica, yet remains largely enigmatic. With advances in neuroscience and with the aid of medical imaging technology, scholars are now beginning to unravel the mysterious of rock art design and purpose. What has been uncovered is likely to both shock and surprise…

Many are unaware that it was possible to sail from the Mediterranean Sea to Red Sea before the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 CE. Nile-to-Suez canals existed more than two thousand years ago, providing a steady flow of trade and traffic between East and West. In the March/April 2012 edition of Saudi Aramco…

The Economist magazine has posted this video review of “Nomads & Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture of Kazakhstan” at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York City. Please click here to access the video. We promise that you won’t regret doing so! The objects are beautiful and most have…

Channel News Asia is reporting that the remains of a Stone Age man has been unearthed off the southern Chinese coast in Fujian Province. Archaeologists from Taiwan believe that the 8.000 year old skeleton might be an ancestor to Taiwan’s aboriginal peoples. The man was believed to be around thirty-five years of age around the…

Here’s a listing of more spring exhibitions which might of be of interest to many of you: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in Los Angeles, California USA, will be exhibiting Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico until July 1, 2012. With over 200 objects ranging from…