We call futile victories "pyrrhic," after an ancient Roman battle. But that battle may have been misinterpreted--or had a different conclusion altogether.

A Curious Reader asks: When and how did the handshake originate?

An ancient ball game called Ulama is making a comeback in Mexico. What do we know about the earlier iteration of the game?

Scientists studying fallen civilizations suggest that the culprit is overshoot in combination with climate change. What does this mean for our current era?

A handful of archaeological sites and the written language Meroitic are all that remains of the Kingdom of Kush, located in what is now Sudan.

Globalization is the watchword of our time, but maybe Alexander The Great was the first global citizen.

Ancient civilizations utilized various creative strategies to supply their populations with usable and drinkable water.