In the centre of modern Rome, ringed by traffic and crowds, lies a valley of broken columns, arches and marble foundations. This is the Roman Forum, and beside it looms

Strung out along a high limestone ridge above the River Vienne, the Royal Fortress of Chinon is one of the most storied castles in all of France. It is not

In the far south of Burkina Faso, hidden in the bush near the borders with Ghana and Ivory Coast, stand the tall stone walls of an ancient fortress. Built of

Of all the orders of warrior-monks that arose in the Middle Ages, none has captured the imagination like the Knights Templar, the mysterious and powerful brotherhood of fighting monks whose

In 1974, farmers digging a well near the city of Xi’an in China struck fragments of clay that led to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries ever made. Beneath the

Some castles are about beauty. The Tower of London is about power, and it never lets you forget it. For very nearly a thousand years this grim, grey fortress by

Some castles are single buildings; Óbidos is a whole town wrapped in walls. In the center of Portugal, north of Lisbon, rises one of the most enchanting sights in the

For most of the second half of the fifteenth century, England tore itself apart. The crown changed hands again and again, kings were murdered, princes vanished, and the great noble

By firelight in the deep dark, Ice Age people painted horses, lions and bison on cave walls up to 36,000 years ago. These are some of the oldest artworks ever made — and they are astonishingly alive.

Before Giza, there was Djoser. Discover the world’s oldest pyramid at Saqqara — who built it, what made it revolutionary, and the debate over what “oldest” really means.