Images

The Sankore Mosque, Timbuktu, Mali. The mosque, made from pounded earth and wood, was built in the late 1100s CE.

A map of the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE) at its peak c. 1337 CE after the reign of Mansa Musa (1312-1337 CE).

A 1375 CE illustration of Mansa Kanku Musa (r. 1312-1337 CE) who ruled the Mali Empire in West Africa. (Detail from the Catalan Atlas Sheet 6, National Library of France, Paris)

An aerial view of Gao and the Niger River in Mali, West Africa. The river and trade along it were fundamental in the rise of African empires such as the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE). Photo Credit: UN Photo/Harandane Dicko

The Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu, Mali. The mosque, made from pounded earth and wood, was built during the reign of Mansa Musa (1312-1337 CE), ruler of the Mali Empire. Photo credit: UN Photo/Marco Dormino

Cicero’s De Officiis and other philosophical works, printed in 1560 CE by Christopher Froschouer.

Male head carved of yellowish limestone with traces of ochre paint and crowned in the Egyptian "atef" style. He has Western Asiatic lineament, such as the beard, straight mustache, big eyes, and long neck. The nose is broken. While the right...

Jar burials occur in many cultures. In Jordan, the practice of sometimes burying infants in jars appeared in the Chalcolithic period, where the corpse would be placed in the fetal position inside a jar after breaking its rim. After that...

Grape vines were first cultivated during the Chalcolithic period. It is probable that such goblets, which are similar to modern wine glasses, were used for drinking wine. Late Chalcolithic period, 3800-3600 BCE. From Tulaylat al-Ghassul...

This is a hallmark of the Chalcolithic industry. The perforation may have been for inserting a stick; the disc would then be used for cutting, as a weapon, or just as a symbol of authority. Late Chalcolithic period, 4000-3800 BCE. From Abu...