The story of how the first cities rose from southern Mesopotamia has long fascinated scientists and historians. Many explanations point to fertile soil, farming, and trade networks as the engines of ...

The underlying substance is Sumerian bitumen: a naturally occurring petroleum material (often called an asphalt-like “black goo”) long associated with waterproofing and adhesion, and even with ...

The realm of artificial intelligence (AI) has been making considerable strides in the field of language translation, particularly with ancient languages. The latest feat in this realm is the ...

The Sumerian takeoff -- Factors hindering our understanding of the Sumerian takeoff -- Modeling the dynamics of urban growth -- Early Mesopotamian urbanism : why? -- Early Mesopotamian urbanism : how?

Here, we explore six notable civilizations that have collapsed, shedding light on some of the causes behind their demise and some interesting parallels relative to today. Ancient civilizations that ...

Inscriptions on a set of four clay tablets from the ancient Near Eastern civilization of Babylonia have finally been completely deciphered, thousands of years after they were produced, a study reports ...

In recent years, Egyptologists’ understanding of the period of stability and prosperity that emerged at the end of the 4th millennium B.C.E. known as the Old Kingdom has begun to change. Excavations ...

Russell has a PhD in the history of medicine, violence, and colonialism. His research has explored topics including ethics, science governance, and medical involvement in violent contexts. Russell has ...

The Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom (2686–2125 B.C.) produced many lasting artefacts—but little DNA has survived. Teeth from an elderly man who lived around the time that the earliest pyramids were built ...