Who was Jesus?

Jesus arrived in Palestine when the anti-Roman feeling was at a peak, so his teachings were widely accepted. Jesus's followers believed that he was the promised Messiah. However, other...

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Dead Sea Scrolls are religious writings that were first discovered in 1947, hidden in caves near the Dead Sea. The dry atmosphere of the caves had the effect of preserving the scrolls....

Why did the Romans abandon most of their empire?

In the first few centuries ad, it became clear that the Roman Empire was far too big and unwieldy to survive in its original form. A huge civil service and army were needed to maintain...

Did the Romans conquer the whole of Britain?

The Romans gradually conquered the whole of England and Wales, partly through battle and partly by making political arrangements with some of the Celtic chieftains. When the Romans...

Why was the Roman army so successful?

After the Romans had conquered most of Britain, the northern tribes continued to raid into Roman territory. Hadrian's Wall was built across from the east to the west coasts in an attempt...

How far did Roman rule extend?

At its peak, the Roman Empire extended all around the Mediterranean - into Syria, Israel, parts of Turkey, most of Europe and the Balkan regions. A huge army was needed to maintain...

How was Rome founded?

According to legend, Rome was founded in 753bc by twin brothers called Romulus and Remus, who had been raised by a she-wolf. By 509bc the original Etruscan inhabitants of Rome had been...

Who made the terracotta warriors?

In China the powerful Qin dynasty came to power in the 3rd century BC. They swiftly conquered their neighbours to make a large empire covering most of modern China. The Qin emperor...

Who was Alexander the Great?

Alexander was a king of Macedonia, a poor country that needed to expand in order to survive. Although he was only 20 when he became king, Alexander rapidly conquered Greece. He then...

How did the ancient Greeks encourage scientific thinking?

The ancient Greeks respected learning, and the works of their philosophers were influential for hundreds of years. Socrates (469-399bc) was one of the most important of these early...

What were the Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games started as one of the religious festivals held in ancient Greece in honour of Zeus, the leader of the gods. The festival was held at Olympia, home of the gods, every...

Who were the Persians?

Persia was a great empire that was ruled from the region we now call Iran. The Medes and the Persians were descended from Aryan invaders who occupied the territory almost 3,000 years...

What happened when the Romans conquered the Celts?

After fierce battles with the Romans, the defeated Celts in Gaul (modern France) soon adapted to the Roman way of life. They lived in villas and began to intermarry with their Roman...

What was the Celtic religion?

There was no single religion throughout the Celtic regions, but there was a common priesthood. These priests were known as druids. We know very little about the Celtic religion because...

Have any Celtic cultures survived?

The Celts retreated westwards from the Romans and later invaders. They soon vanished from most of the huge territory that they had originally occupied. Today true Celtic cultures exist...

What are hill forts?

Hill forts were enormous circular earthworks, which were built on high ground. They were built by the Celts, who were a warlike race. When attacked, the Celts retired to their hill...

Who were the Indo-Europeans?

About 4,000 years ago, a race of people living in southern Russia began to migrate westwards. These people are now known as Indo-Europeans, or Aryans. However, the language they spoke...

Who developed the earliest writing?

No one knows how the first writing system developed, because no records remain. The earliest known writing was recorded in the form of picture symbols on day tablets by the ancient...

What were the Indus civilizations?

Civilizations sprang up at similar times in different parts of the world. One very advanced civilization was in the Indus Valley, in modern Pakistan and India.The remains of Harappa...

Why did the Egyptian civilization develop?

The Egyptian civilization grew up as a result of the annual flooding of the River Nile. This provided a green and fertile strip of land that could be cultivated, even in an area that...

Who were the Sumerians?

The Sumerians developed the first known civilization, in 3500BC. They lived in Mesopotamia, a region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in what is now modern Iraq. The Sumerians...

How are dates measured?

Accurate dating of archaeological remains is a relatively recent science. Wooden objects up to 8,000 years old can be dated by examining the growth rings in the wood. By studying the...

Who were the first historians?

The first true historians were ancient Greeks, who wrote long accounts about historical events. However, they also wove fanciful events into their stories to make them more interesting...

What does an archaeologist do?

An archaeologist reconstructs the past by studying buildings and objects that have survived. Sometimes historical remains are astonishingly well preserved, for example the Roman cities...