8 Astonishing Ancient Sites in the Americas: The Nazca Lines

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) composing the 'Missa Solemnis', February-April 1820. Oil painting by August Klober. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Jesse Greenspan

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Jesse Greenspan Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.

Exploration

South America is a large continent with a rich history including fascinating people and places like the Inca, Machu Picchu, Che Guevara, Augusto Pinochet, Easter Island and more.

South American History

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature and Film History

The Middle Ages, the medieval period of European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, are sometimes referred to as the "Dark Ages."

Middle Ages

Ancient Egypt was home to one of the greatest empires in history, with leaders like Tutankhamen (King Tut), Cleopatra, Ramses II and landmarks like the Great Pyramid at Giza and the Sphinx.

Ancient Egypt

Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

European History

Ancient America was home to sophisticated civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Olmec and Aztec societies, and mysterious ruins like Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Serpent Mound, Tikal, Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines.

Jesse Greenspan

Stories

Did Polynesian Voyagers Reach the Americas Before Columbus?

Why Did the Vikings Disappear From Greenland?

How Did Beethoven Die?

10 Unsolved Ancient Mysteries