Videos

The caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain contain a rich fossil record of the earliest human beings in Europe, from nearly one million years ago and extending up to the Common Era. They represent an exceptional reserve of data, the scientific...

The Toji Temple was founded in the early Heian period. The temple dates from 796 CE, two years after the capital moved to Heian-kyō, which is presently Kyoto, Japan.

Krákumál is a long (29-stanza) skaldic poem in Old Norse about a dying warrior's great exploits and death in a snake-pit, composed in the voice of Ragnar Lothbrok but dating to centuries after his death. This video features a reading from...

The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (Ragnarr Loðbrók) is an outstanding Old Norse tale, and the foremost medieval source for the legend of the most famous Viking hero. Dr. Jackson Crawford is Instructor of Nordic Studies and Nordic Program Coordinator...

Mount Songshang is considered to be the central sacred mountain of China. At the foot of this 1500 metre high mountain, close to the city of Dengfeng in Henan province and spread over a 40 square-kilometre circle, stand eight clusters of...

Founded by Darius I in 518 B.C., Persepolis in present-day Iran was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire. It was built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, where the king of kings created an impressive palace complex inspired...

Located at the crossroads of several trade routes from the 2nd millennium B.C., Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans. The 13th-century citadel, 12th-century Great Mosque and various...

Tiya is among the most important of the roughly 160 archaeological sites discovered so far in the Soddo region, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The site contains 36 monuments, including 32 carved stelae covered with symbols, most of which...

Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus, Syria is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, it was the centre of a flourishing craft industry, specializing in swords and lace. The city has some 125 monuments from...

The Roman aqueduct of Segovia, probably built c. A.D. 50, is remarkably well preserved. This impressive construction, with its two tiers of arches, forms part of the setting of the magnificent historic city of Segovia. Other important monuments...