South American history: Aztec doctor treating people with smallpox (1500s AD, Codex Mendoza) The Inca, Brazil, and Chile In 1500 AD, the Inca Empire dominated the east coast of South America. Further north, [...]
History of Brazil: The Tapuia people, ca. 1650 (by Albert Eckhout) Tupi war with Tapuia In the late 1400s AD, the Tupi people had just won a big war with the Tapuia people. [...]
(Tomb of Rekhmire, Egypt, ca. 1450 BC) Who invented the first bellows? About 14,000 BC, potters in China started to use kilns to fire clay pots. By about 3500 BC, people in West Asia were beginning to [...]
History of lead: A Roman anchor from Palermo, Italy What did ancient people use lead for? Lead is a kind of metal that is very heavy. (See if you can get some lead, [...]
A Roman shepherd, probably a slave (Istanbul, 500s AD) Many Roman people were owned by other people, or by the Roman government, as slaves. Because the Romans didn't really have hourly wage [...]
Roman women: an old woman, about 50 AD. The sculptor has made her look silly on purpose to make fun of old women Were women oppressed in ancient Rome? Roman [...]
A barmaid brings a drink to two men sitting on chairs. The words show the men arguing about whose drink it is. (Caupona of Salvius, Pompeii, 79 AD) The Roman Empire was so [...]
Roman freedmen - A gravestone for a freedwoman, put up by her husband, who was also a freedman (ILS 1221, Rome, 80 BC) What are freedmen and freedwomen? Freedmen and [...]
A page from a manuscript of Terence, written about 825 AD (now in the Vatican) Terence was born about 185 BC, soon after the end of the Second Punic War. His whole [...]
Roman circus games: Roman chariot-racing mosaic from Vienne, France Chariot-racing and gambling In addition to gladiatorial games, people in ancient Rome also really loved chariot-racing. Both men and women went to [...]
