The Ancient World Websites

The Ancient World

Websites

Cave of Lascaux Online: The first prehistoric cave paintings in Europe were discovered in 1879. Since then, over 200 decorated caves and rock shelters have been found in France and Spain. The most spectacular of these prehistoric paintings are at Lascaux. Unfortunately, the original Lascaux Cave is no longer open to the public but this website provides an excellent reconstructed copy of the cave.

Megalithic Map: This website allows you to find megalithic and prehistoric sites in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The map is divided into sections that users may click upon to obtain more specific information. After clicking on a particular section, users will be directed to another interactive map containing detailed information about each particular megalith in the region, accompanied by information about the closest village and other relevant geographical details.

Mark Millmore's Ancient Egypt: On this website you will find lots of Egyptian material. There are stories of the great kings & queens. You will find out about the fabulous buildings of the ancient Egyptians. See interactive maps, as well as pyramid & temple reconstructions. There is a basic description of hieroglyphic writing. And for a bit of fun you can send a friend their name as an eCard using the hieroglyphic translator. There are also images of hieroglyphs you can use in your own projects. You will learn about Egyptian numerals and can test your knowledge with some mathematical problems set out using the ancient numbers.

How to Make a Mummy: More than 5,000 years ago, after burying their dead, the ancient Egyptians learned that the burning desert sands desiccated corpses. Instead of turning to dust, the skin shriveled up and clung to the bones. Mummification - the practice of dressing for success, eternal success - had begun. And since they did not want to spend eternity looking rotten, those who could afford to had their bodies painstakingly embalmed. Embalming, as practiced in ancient Egypt, was a lost art, until Bob Brier decided to learn by doing. He and a team of experts retraced the steps of the Egyptian masters. The story is told on this National Geographic website.

Makers of Ancient Strategy

Sieges of Alexander the Great

Ancient Egyptian Virtual Temple: This website, produced by Ma'at Publishing, enables you to move through a computer generated reconstruction of an Egyptian temple. As well as the temple the website has sections on Religion & Beliefs, Culture & Daily Life, Trade, Places & Maps of Egypt, Mummies, Egyptian Calendar, Art, Architecture, Pyramids, Literature & Wisdom Texts, Music & Dance, Wine & Winemaking, Hieroglyphs, Egyptian Medicine, Priests & Physicians, Temple Gardens and Animals of Egypt.

Ancient Egypt: The British Museum's web site on ancient Egypt is intended for students aged 8 to 11. The website site is divided into ten chapters which address themes or topics relevant to ancient Egypt. For each chapter there is a ‘Doormat' page, which is an atmospheric introductory page to the chapter. Within each ‘chapter' there are three sections: ‘Story', ‘Explore' and ‘Challenge'. The 'Story' is a presentation of information in a narrative form. The 'Explore' is a non-linear presentation of information. The 'Challenge' is an activity that allows pupils to practise certain skills (historical, analytical, mathematical, observational) within the context of a theme or topic relevant to ancient Egypt.

Treasures of Ancient Egypt: From the earliest times, Egyptians denied the physical impermanence of life. They formulated a remarkably complex set of religious beliefs and funneled vast material resources into the quest for immortality. This exhibition focuses on the understanding of the afterlife among Egyptians some 3,000 years ago, in the period of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) through the Late Period (664-332 BC). The New Kingdom marked the beginning of an era of great wealth, power, and stability for Egypt, and was accompanied by a burst of cultural activity, much of which was devoted to the quest for eternal life. This exhibition, sponsored by the Chevy Chase Bank, is divided into six sections: Journey to the Afterworld, The New Kingdom, The Royal Tomb, Tombs of Nobles, The Realm of the Gods, and The Tomb of Thutmose III.

Egypt: Secrets of an Ancient World: This excellent website on ancient Egyptian civilization has been produced by the National Geographic Society. It includes Explore the Pyramids where visitors can scroll across the different pyramids, revealing their interior organization and a number of facts about their construction. There is also a timeline that gives information about each of the different Egyptian dynasties. Other features include a quiz game on daily life in Ancient Egypt and several lesson plans on Mummies.

The Tomb of Tutankhamen: In February, 1923, the National Geographic Magazine published an illustrated article by Maynard Owen Williams on the Tomb of Tutankhamen. The article and photographs now appears on this National Geographic website. The material is organized under three headings: Arrival in Luxor, The Official Opening and Entering the Tomb. There is also a filmed supplement, Mysteries of Egypt.

E-Dig Egypt: This website is based on work carried out by archaeologists from the British Museum at an Egyptian burial site called the Tomb of Senneferi. The Dig Director, Nigel Strudwick, has created a website detailing their work over the last few years. Students are given the opportunity to take part in a virtual archaeological dig, carrying out some of the roles found on a real dig. The website is designed as a Webquest, with children taking on roles and completing a task.
A variety of activities, resources and questions are presented in a structured way, which children can work through to complete their 'mission'. The resources and activities can also be used individually, to teach or consolidate specific curriculum areas or concepts.

Atlas of the Valley of the Kings: Discover each tomb in the Valley in this interactive Atlas. Investigate a database of information about each tomb, view a compilation of more than 2000 images, interact with models of each tomb, and measure, pan, and zoom over 250 detailed maps, elevations, and sections. Experience sixty-five narrated tours by Dr. Weeks and explore a 3D recreation of tomb KV 14. The website also enables you to explore the Theban Necropolis through a giant aerial photograph. You can zoom in to see individual architectural details of temples and palaces as well as the topography of the area.

Hittite Fortifications

The Complete Pompeii

Akhet Egyptology: An excellent website on the history of Ancient Egypt. Find out about the people of this amazing culture, and learn about the gods they worshiped, the Pharaohs they followed and the tombs and statues they left behind. So look around this website and find out more about famous people like Tutankhamun, the elaborate preparations they made for an eternal life. See the masks and jewelry which the dead took with them into their tombs and the elaborate mythology that inspired it.

Curse of Tut: Fact or Myth: This website was created by the students at the John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, New York and a group of students in Brazil. The website enables students to learn about the fascinating life of King Tut. Students can learn the facts behind the myth and decide for themselves about the truth of the curse. They can also decode the hieroglyphs to write their names. USA Brazil SchoolLink, which fostered this project, taps the multicultural capacities of the web. Teachers will enjoy the spatial reasoning required to solve the Lock Key puzzle.

Ancient History: This website from the British Museum explores the people, culture, beliefs and history of ancient India using animations, 3D models and objects from the British Museum's collection. It is designed for primary school teachers and pupils, and includes online activities, background information and worksheets.

Clickable Mummy: A mummy is a preserved body. Best known mummies are Human And Egyptian, but artificial mummification was practiced by various cultures. This website, part of the Akhet Egyptology: The Horizon to the Past project, allows you to click on different parts of the Mummy to view interesting facts and information about the mummification process.

Illustrated History of the Roman Empire: This website provides a comprehensive history of the Roman Empire. The main content is organized under the headings: The Founding, The Kings, The Republic, Early Emperors, The Decline, The Collapse, Constantinople, Religion, Society and The Army. The website also contains interactive maps of Roman Italy, the Roman Empire and the City of Rome.

Rome Virtual Tours: The Colosseum in Rome is the greatest of the many amphitheatres of the Roman Empire, and a marvel of Roman engineering. Opened by the emperor Titus in A.D. 80, it held about 50,000 people. This extraordinary building was constructed to allow people to watch killing and bloodshed for amusement. Gladiators fought each other to the death, and other men fought animals brought to Rome from all parts of the empire. This website provides a virtual tour of the building. You can also explore the Roman Forum and other important historical sites in Rome.

The Romans: This Grid Club website for young people includes information organized under the headings: Roman Empire, Roman Republic, Imperial Age, Roman Army, Roman Fort, Towns, Building Technology, Roads and Travel, Farming and the Countryside, Trade and Ships, Town House, Family Life, Food and Drink, Public Baths, Entertainment, Religion and the End of the Roman Empire.

Thermopylae 480 BC

Discovery

The Romans: This section of History on the Net contains easily accessible information on the lives of Romans in Rome, their conquest of England and Europe and subsequent downfall of the Roman Empire.

Hadrian's Wall is the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. It is the best known frontier in the entire Roman Empire and stands as a reminder of past glories of one of the world's greatest civilisations. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1987, Hadrian's Wall ranks alongside the Taj Mahal and other treasures of the great wonders of the world. Spanning nearly 2,000 years of history, dramatic and wild landscapes, towns and cities, a visit to Hadrian's Wall is a must for anyone living in or visiting the North of England.

The Legend of Rome: This one-hour lesson from History on the Net guides pupils through the story of Romulus and Remus with explanation and a missing word exercise. They are then invited to write their own cartoon version of the story using a word document template which can be opened online.

Ancient Rome: Created in 1995, the Rome project serves as an annotated index of Internet resources covering all aspects of ancient Roman history and culture. Internet sites are listed by topic, subjects include the military, law and politics, philosophy, drama, literature, archaeology, religion etc. Particular emphasis has been placed on including sites that feature primary source material, visual resources (photographs, illustrations, and reconstructions), as well making available recently published research that has appeared in secondary sources. To facilitate research, articles relating to specific aspects of the Roman experience are excerpted from more general sites and listed separately under the appropriate topical headings. Additionally, a clickable map of the Roman Empire enables students to locate Internet resources specifically related to individual provinces of the Empire. Links to reviews of recent publications by topic are also provided.

Abydos

Ancient Egypt

Nova Romana is a virtual Roman town. See pictures of the Roman Empire, visit houses, shops and temples. Become a centurion in the ancient Roman army, or pay a visit to the Celtic village. You can find out all about daily life in a Roman town. There's lots of activities and background information on Rome, Pompeii, Hadrian and much more.

History of Ancient Rome: This section of work covers many aspects of Ancient Rome. The topics covered are Ancient Rome; the story of Romulus and Remus; how Rome was governed; the Roman Army; the army and warfare; the Roman Empire; Julius Caesar; the invasion of England; the Romans and Boudica; the Romans and Druids; Hadrian's Wall; Roman villas; Roman medicine; slaves in Rome; Roman roads; education in Rome; Roman engineering; entertainment in Rome; Roman baths; food in Rome; the Roman and trade; Rome and Christianity and the fall of Rome.

Justinian's Flea

Hannibal's Last Battle

Hadrians Wall is one of Rome's most outstanding architectural achievements and yet only briefly mentioned in records so far found. According to these records the Wall was built to 'keep out the barbarians' from the north. At its full capacity in terms of occupation and build it must have presented itself as one almighty fortification and a somewhat awesome sight from a distance to the so called barbarians! This site, produced with the help of Tyne & Wear Museums, will guide you through the remains of Hadrians Wall.

Roman Britain: Guy de la Bédoyère is the author of the recently published Roman Towns in Britain. To promote the book he has decided to put sections of the book on his website. He also includes other material and covers topics such as Defying Rome: Boudica, Roman Towns, Roman Army in Britain, Auxilia, English Milled Coinage, Carausius, Gods and Goddesses of Roman Britain and Hadrians Wall.

Viking Boat: This project from Minersville Area High School got its start as a requirement for senior graduation. Sixteen seniors were divided into groups of from one to three. Just like the Viking builders, each senior had a set of building tasks. The project's goal was to replicate a twenty-one foot cargo boat. Plans were obtained from the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. Upon completion of the boat successful sea trials were held on a local lake and the boat was donated to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Washington for its final resting place. Educationally, the project combined the disciplines of Social Studies with Industrial Technology. The website was created and maintained entirely by the students. The site includes the boat's history, sailing and tour information, photos of the boat's construction, displays including a visit to the Smithsonian Institution, animated blueprints, and a 360 degree view of the boat.

The Ancient World

Cleopatra

World Monuments Watch: The World Monuments Watch, a global program launched in 1995, calls attention to imperiled cultural heritage sites around the world, and directs timely financial support to their preservation. A panel of leading international experts selects the List of 100 Most Endangered Sites from nominations submitted to WMF every two years by governments, organizations active in the field of cultural preservation, and individuals. The website has a photograph of each threatened monument and a brief account of its history.

Ancient Sites Directory: The countryside of the UK is endowed with an incredible wealth of prehistoric structures. Some are famous, others obscure and difficult to find. Many are under threat from vandalism, land development and pollution. The objective of this website is to heighten awareness of the prehistoric past that surrounds us and in doing so help to protect this precious gift of our ancestors. The author has personally visited all of the prehistoric sites featured on these pages, photographed them and recorded his thoughts. Directions and grid references are given for each featured site enabling the reader to find them and reach their own conclusions.

Palestine in Late Antiquity

Hannibal's Last Battle

Athenian Agora: The American School of Classical Studies has been excavating in the area of the Athenian Agora since 1931, bringing to light the history of the area over a period of 5000 years. Finds range from scattered pieces of pottery of the late Neolithic period (ca. 3000 BC) to the contents of 19th and early 20th century basements. The Agora of the 5th and 4th centuries BC has been the main focus of attention. Public documents inscribed on stone, weight and measure standards, and jurors' identification tickets and ballots reflect the administrative nature of the site, while traces of private dwellings in the area immediately bordering the open square, with their household pottery and other small finds, throw light on the everyday lives of Athenian citizens. This website has been designed to provide you with more information on the Athenian Agora.

North American Prehistory: The first Americans were Big Game Hunters who followed their prey across the Bering Land Bridge in Alaska during the last Ice Age. This website will tell you where they settled and where they lived. North America is filled with fascinating rock art done by the ancient people that once inhabited this region. This Minnesota State University website provides information about rock art in general and has a collection of ancient pictures from famous sites across North America.