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DK History: Prehistoric Pottery
WHY WERE THE FIRST POTS SO IMPORTANT? FIND OUT MOREPottery-making was invented in Japanese fishing communities, in c. 10,500 BC. When they cooked, people noticed that the clay soil underneath their fires baked and became hard. They soon began to shape clay into pots, cook them on bonfires, and leave them to cool.WHY WERE THE FIRST POTS SO… Read more
DK History: Persian Empire
HOW WAS THE PERSIAN EMPIRE GOVERNED? WHAT WAS THE ROYAL ROAD? ROYAL PALACE BIOGRAPHY: KING DARIUS I r. 522–486 BC SATRAPS FIND OUT MORE
From 539 BC to 331 BC, the Persian Empire was the most powerful state in the world. Ruled from Persia (now Iran), it stretched from Egypt to India. It had rich resources of water, fertile farmland,… Read more
DK History: Mesopotamia
HOW WERE THE SUMERIAN CITIES RULED? HOW WERE THE ZIGGURATS BUILT? FIND OUT MOREMesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Farmers used the river water to irrigate fields and grow plentiful crops. Around 3500 BC, the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia built the world’s first cities, including Ur, Uruk, and Eridu.HOW WERE… Read more
DK History: Megalithic Europe
WHO BUILT MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS? WHAT WERE STONE CIRCLES USED FOR? CHAMBER TOMBSFIND OUT MOREBetween c. 3200 BC and 1500 BC, peoples in northwest Europe began to build monuments from massive stones known as megaliths. Some were arranged in circles or lines, pointing to the sky. Others, called CHAMBER TOMBS, were buried under the earth.WHO BUILT… Read more
DK History: Mediterranean Seafarers
WHAT MADE THE TRADERS SO PROSPEROUS? MINOANSPHOENICIANSFIND OUT MOREFrom around 2000 BC, people living close to the Mediterranean Sea, such as the MINOANS, Mycenaeans, and PHOENICIANS, built strong wooden ships powered by sails and oars. They established long-distance sea routes linking Europe, Africa, and Asia, and became wealthy sea traders.… Read more
DK History: Mauryan India
WHAT WERE THE CITIES OF MAURYAN INDIA LIKE? HOW DID ASHOKA SPREAD BUDDHISM? FIND OUT MOREThe Maurya dynasty ruled India from 322 BC to 185 BC. Its greatest king was Ashoka (273–232 BC). He began his reign as a warrior, but after becoming a Buddhist, he tried to pursue peaceful policies.WHAT WERE THE CITIES OF MAURYAN INDIA LIKE? Mauryan cities… Read more
DK History: Indus Valley
HOW DID THE PEOPLE OF THE INDUS VALLEY LIVE? WHY DID INDUS VALLEY CITIES DISAPPEAR? FIND OUT MOREBetween around 3500 BC and 2000 BC, people in the Indus Valley built more than 100 towns. The largest were Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, with populations of 40,000. These towns had large temples, granaries, brick houses, and streets laid out in neat… Read more
DK History: Gupta India
WHY IS GUPTA INDIA CALLED A GOLDEN AGE? WHAT IS THE MAHABHARATA? FIND OUT MOREThe Gupta dynasty was founded by the Hindu king Chandragupta I in AD 320. From their home in northeast India, the Gupta kings won control of a large empire, which lasted for more than 200 years.WHY IS GUPTA INDIA CALLED A GOLDEN AGE? The art, architecture, science,… Read more
DK History: First Scripts
WHAT WERE EARLY FORMS OF WRITING LIKE? WHERE ELSE DID PEOPLE USE PICTOGRAMS? CUNEIFORMALPHABETFIND OUT MOREWriting was invented in Mesopotamia, around 3200 BC. Cities had grown so big that people could no longer do business by keeping every detail in their heads. Rulers needed to keep track of who had paid their taxes, which craftworkers had… Read more
DK History: First Modern Humans
WHERE DID THE FIRST MODERN HUMANS LIVE? WHO WERE NEANDERTHALS AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR? HOW DID MODERN HUMANS REACH OTHER AREAS? FLINT-KNAPPINGABORIGINALSFIND OUT MORE Homo sapiens sapiens (modern humans) first evolved between 200,000 BC and 100,000 BC. They were like us, physically, and had the same brain power. They developed many… Read more
DK History: First Metalworkers
WHAT WAS BRONZE USED FOR? HOW WAS BRONZE FIRST MADE? WHO MADE THE FIRST BRONZE OBJECTS? FIND OUT MOREFrom around 9000 BC, people in different lands began to work with nuggets of soft metals, such as copper. Later, they discovered how to extract metals, such as tin, from rocks by smelting (heating). Finally, they discovered how to melt metals… Read more
DK History: China's First Empire
HOW DID THE FIRST EMPEROR UNITE CHINA? HOW DID CHINA FEED ITS PEOPLE? WHAT WAS CHINA’S BEST–KEPT SECRET? TERRACOTTA WARRIORSFIND OUT MOREChina was a collection of kingdoms ruled by rival dynasties (powerful families) until 221 BC, when one king conquered the others and became the first emperor. The name “China” comes from his title, Qin Shi… Read more
DK History: Celts
WHAT WERE CELTIC WARRIORS FAMOUS FOR? WHO WERE THE DRUIDS? FIND OUT MOREThe tribespeople who lived in western Europe before the Roman conquest were called Celts. Each tribe was made up of three main classes—druids, warriors, and farmers—and the largest settlements were hilltop forts.WHAT WERE CELTIC WARRIORS FAMOUS FOR? Celtic warriors were… Read more
DK History: Ancient Rome
HOW DID ROME EXPAND? WHAT WAS THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT ROME? HOW WERE ROMAN SOLDIERS RECRUITED? SENATORSEMPERORSFIND OUT MORERome began, around 1000 BC, as a settlement of farmers and shepherds in central Italy. Over the course of the next thousand years, it developed into a powerful city-state, and became the capital of an empire that stretched… Read more
DK History: Ancient Greece
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT MYCENAEAN KINGS? WHO DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS WORSHIP? WHAT WERE ANCIENT GREEK PLAYS ABOUT? WHY DID THE GREEKS VALUE SPORTS? BIOGRAPHY: ALEXANDER THE GREAT 356–323 BC CITY-STATESHOPLITESFIND OUT MOREGreece was home to a rich civilization that reached its peak between 500 BC and 300 BC. Its people lived by farming, fishing… Read more
DK History: Ancient Egypt
WHY WERE NILE FLOODS IMPORTANT? WHO DID THE EGYPTIANS WORSHIP? WHY DID EGYPTIAN CIVILZATION LAST SO LONG?PHARAOHSPYRAMIDSMUMMIFICATIONFIND OUT MOREFrom around 3100 BC to 30 BC, the dry desert land of Egypt was home to an advanced civilization. The Ancient Egyptians produced massive PYRAMIDS, fabulous golden treasures, and wonderful works of… Read more
DK History: Agricultural Revolution
WHY DID CHANGES TAKE PLACE IN FARMING? WHO WORKED ON THE LAND? BIOGRAPHY: THOMAS WILLIAM COKE 1752–1842 MECHANIZATIONFIND OUT MOREThe 18th and 19th centuries saw great changes across Europe and North America in the way people farmed. Scientific methods were used to improve crop yields and breed better livestock. MECHANIZATION made farming more… Read more
DK History: Age Of Migrations
WHO WERE THE BARBARIANS? WHO WERE THE HUNS? ANGLES AND SAXONSFIND OUT MOREIn AD 285 the Roman Empire divided into eastern and western parts, each with its own emperor. Despite this reorganization, by around 400 the western empire could no longer hold out against waves of invading barbarian tribes from northeastern Europe. In 410, Rome itself was… Read more
Some Ancient Civilizations
Some Ancient CivilizationsName Approximate dates Location Major citiesAkkadian 2350–2230 B.C. Mesopotamia, parts of Syria, Asia Minor, Iran Akkad, Ur, ErichAssyrian 1800–889 B.C. Mesopotamia, SyriaAssur, Nineveh, CalahBabylonian 1728–1686 B.C. (old)625–539 B.C. (new) Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine BabylonCimmerian 750–500 B.C. Caucasus, northern… Read more
