Ancient Civilizations

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Ancient Civilizations is the first Habitat that is related to the Tech Tree of Civilization and gives Ideas Ideas when clicked.

Elements of the Ancient Civilization Garden

Photo	Entity	Type		Description	Age	Situation
	Stone Age Statue			The first modern humans walk the Earth, and change the world around them—creating tools, raising animals, building communities. Is there anything that can stop human progress?	Stone Age	Stone Statue
	Fire			A combustive reaction that results in heat. Harnessing the creation of fire is an important step for primitive humans. “We play with fire and take the consequences, because the alternative is cowardice in the face of the unknown.” —Ronald Dworkin	Stone Age	Fireplace, sitting Stone Age people
	Burial			Death is the last great mystery. By interring and mourning our ancestors, humans start to come to terms with our own mortality.	Stone Age	Stone grave with flowers, pregnant Stone Age Mother and Child
	Hunting			With the first tools come the first blades. Sharpened stones and sticks make it easier to catch and kill prey—turning the tables on former predators.	Stone Age	Hunter with javelin, Bisons
	Fishing			Humans develop tools to hunt fish and other sea creatures for food. From the oceans, the first life evolved, and it has produced in such abundance... let's eat it!	Stone Age	Fisher with spear, Fishes
	Cave Painting		per Tap	The juice of crushed berries and sticks of charcoal create the first drawings on the walls of caves. It's a humble start of the great tradition of human creativity.	Stone Age	Woman paints cave wall
	Dog Domestication		(Augmentations Console) 1)	Wolves that cozy up to humans, perhaps for meat scraps, evolve floppy ears, curly tails, and social skills. Once domesticated, dogs act as hunting aides, guards and—based on burial sites—beloved buddies. Our best friend emerged thousands of years before all other domestic animals—sheep, cows, goats and our other favorite pet: cats.	Stone Age	Man pets a dog
	Stonehenge		(Metabits)	Europe's most famous megalith site, built over a millennium, features a giant Altar Stone ringed by towering monoliths and burial pits. On the summer solstice, the sun rises above a Heel Stone and shines on the center.	Stone Age	Stonehenge surrounds Stone Statue
	Göbekli Tepe		(Augmentations Console)	Likely a religious temple, the world's oldest known megalith site pre-dates agriculture and the wheel. Rings of monoliths feature T-shaped pillars carved with symbols, beasts (especially snakes!), humans, and human-beast hybrids.	Stone Age	Historical Cultural site
	Lascaux Cave		(Darwinium)	Big beasts dominate the 6,000 painted figures adorning the slim passages and dark chambers of the Lascaux Cave. Is the rise of representational art about hunting? Or ritual belief? Or is it art for art's sake?	Stone Age	Man draws pictures of animals on cave wall
	Neolithic Statue			In the time before the invention of metallurgy, humans move from hunting and gathering to farming, and the first villages begin to form.	Neolithic	Clay Statue surrounded by cereal plants
	Farming			Humans begin to cultivate plants. No need to wander around gathering berries when we can grow the crops ourselves. We are no longer forced to be nomadic; for the first time we can settle down.	Neolithic	Two women harvesting crops in the field
	Livestock			Why hunt what you can raise for the slaughter? Why do the hard work when you can train an animal to do it for you? Why explore alone when you can bring along a furry friend?	Neolithic	Man with sheep and chickens on fenced pasture
	Mudbrick			One of the earliest human-manufactured building materials, this mix of mud, sand, water, and loam enables us to build permanent living structures for the first time.	Neolithic	Man forming mudbricks outside of a clay building
	Wheel			For such a simple design, the wheel makes many improvements possible, most notably for travel. The world has been transformed, and we can't imagine life without it.	Neolithic	Man mounts wooden wheel on a cart in front of a clay building
	Plow		per Tap	Agriculture is back-breaking work, but our ingenuity will always find ways to advance. This ox-drawn tool prepares the soil for planting crops, reducing the amount of work farmers need to do by hand.	Neolithic	Man plowing a field with an ox, Fence
	Horse Domestication			Beasts of burden or steeds of war? Domesticated horses are put to work plowing, hauling, and transporting.	Stone Age	Woman pets a horse, another horse in a stable, Straw bales, Fence
	Mining			There are many valuable rocks and minerals buried beneath the earth. By digging them up on a massive scale, humans gain access to a wealth of materials for building and crafting.	Neolithic	Man chopping stones in front of a mine entrance
	Pyramids		(Augmentations Console)	The Pyramids of Giza are tombs for three generations of Egyptian pharaohs, the biggest built for Khufu out of 2.3 million stones. Gleaming white with a polished stone face when new, they align with the Temple of Ra, the Sun God.	Neolithic	Group of pyramids
	Sphinx		(Darwinium)	With the head of a pharaoh and body of a long-pawed lion, the Great Sphinx guards the pyramid of Khufu's son, Khafre. Carved from a single limestone rock, the world's largest monolith statue faces east to greet the rising sun.	Neolithic	Sphinx complex
	Çatalhöyük		(Metabits)	Perhaps 8,000 people live in this "First City" at its peak, a honeycomb of two-room, mudbrick homes. The modest dwellings of this egalitarian society are so tightly packed that rooftops serve as streets, with holes and ladders for entrances.	Neolithic	Historical Cultural site
	Cat Domestication		(Augmentations Console) 1)	Small wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) thrive on the grain-eating mice and kitchen scraps of villages in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. Tamer cats get along better with humans and soon dominate, but they retain some wild instincts. When humans faced rodent infestations caused by an agricultural boom, cats found an opportunity for a mutually beneficial relationship. Now the relationship has evolved to include another benefit: snuggles and pets.	Neolithic	Woman sitting on chair in a tent pets a cat
	Bronze Age Statue			Following the Neolithic Age, the Bronze Age is marked by the invention of (what else?) smelted bronze, a blend of copper and tin. During this period, some civilizations develop writing systems, centralized governments, organized warfare, medicine, and religion.	Bronze Age	Egyptian style female statue
	Sail			By capturing the power of the wind, travel by boat becomes the fastest way to cross long distances.	Stone Age	Woman in a Sailboat circumnavigates a Bronze Age island
	Pottery			We've mastered the use of clay, which is easier to shape and mold than wood or stone. Far subtler creations are soon to emerge, both practical and artistic.	Neolithic	Woman shapes pottery on a turntable in front of a clay kiln
	Medicine			Treating infections, genetic diseases, and accidental injuries involves herbs and draws on a rudimentary knowledge of the human body. Hardy individuals who survive into teenhood can expect to live another 15 to 20 years on average.	Bronze Age	Woman treats sick person under a tent in front of a clay building
	Paper			The days of clay tablets, animal skins, and papyrus scrolls are over. Versatile and portable, wood-pulp paper is the new best thing to write on. In Europe, it will replace parchment.	Bronze Age	Two people harvest papyrus and process paper in front of a clay building
	Writing			Having mastered writing, our ideas and impressions are no longer ephemeral. Now they are permanent—sometimes literally etched in stone.	Neolithic	Man carves writing into stone slabs
	Ziggurat of Ur		(Metabits)	Sumerian kings amplify the power of their city-states by building ziggurats, or "mountains to the gods." The terraced complex of Ur is crowned by the temple of Nanna, the moon god of wisdom who saw the future as the past.	Bronze Age	Historical Cultural site, on top Bronze Age Statue
	Trojan Horse		(Darwinium)	The union of a Trojan king's son and a Spartan king's wife sparks a war that will endure for millennia in literature. As the story goes, Greeks infiltrate and sack Troy by hiding inside a wooden gift horse. A true tale or tall tale? Perhaps a bit of both. Charging from the belly of the towering beast, Odysseus and his troops destroy Troy, ending a 10-year war. The Trojan horse myth spins a tale, but the Trojan defeat rings true: A site in Turkey holds evidence of a great city that burned in 1180 BCE.	Bronze Age	Wooden hollow horse on wheels, hidden soldiers inside
	Hanging Gardens		(Augmentations Console)	Imagine tiers of fruit trees and lush plants rising high above the desert, a royal garden defying belief on every level. With state-of-the-art irrigation and leak-proof rooftops, this world wonder will be written about for millennia, long after it disappears.	Bronze Age	Historical Cultural site
	Mummification		1)	Imagine tiers of fruit trees and lush plants rising high above the desert, a royal garden defying belief on every level. With state-of-the-art irrigation and leak-proof rooftops, this world wonder will be written about for millennia, long after it disappears. You've raised the dead from an Egyptian tomb! To thwart robbers, builders design hidden chambers, false floors, and tricky hallways. After burial, a machine drops a load of boulders to seal the doorway, and a pharaoh's curse instills fear of death to intruders.	Bronze Age	Excavation site behind pyramids, opened sarcophagus with mummy
	Iron Age Statue			The ability to create tools and weapons made of iron—an abundant ore that's easily smelted—makes bronze obsolete. Elaborate craftsmanship, proto-urban societies, and nominally fortified cities begin to emerge.	Iron Age	Roman-looking soldier in a temple, raising his sword and holding a shield
	Aqueduct			Towns grow into cities, creating a thirst for accessible water. Concrete bridges and clay or metal pipes are engineered to traverse ravines and mountains. By gravity alone, aqueducts transport water for miles. A Roman system will stay in use for 2,000 years.	Iron Age	Roman-looking woman uses a groma (surveying tool) on an aqueduct
	Government			Governments are systems organized to maintain a state—to make laws and run the affairs of a community, for example. They can take many forms, such as tyranny, monarchy, aristocracy (rule by elites), theocracy, and democracy.	Iron Age	Members of the government meet in a round columned building
	Military			A growing class of organized, professional warriors serves to defend their homeland and attack others. Advances in weaponry and martial arts allow military aristocracies to rise in power in Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa.	Iron Age	Asian military with spears guarding in front of and on the Great Wall
	Gunpowder			One of the earliest known chemical explosives, gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpetre). Saltpetre oxidizes and burns the two fuels, causing gas to rapidly expand and propel solids.	Iron Age	Asian man Asian man sets off fireworks
	Philosophy		(Augmentations Console)	Philosophy literally translates to "love of wisdom". This innately human field of study seeks answers to the mysteries of existence, asking questions about reality, reason, the mind, the universe, and even knowledge itself.	Bronze Age	Woman sitting in armchair with propped up arm
	Parthenon		(Metabits)	A treasure and a treasury, the ornate centerpiece of the great Acropolis is also a tribute to Athena, namesake of Athens. The Greeks take marble sculpture to new heights, with detailed battle scenes and stone goddesses draped in seemingly transparent robes.	Iron Age	Historical Cultural site
	Colossus of Rhodes		(Darwinium)	Towering high over Rhodes, a busy Greek port, the bronze sun god Helios stands for victory and free trade. Despite his powerful stature, the wealthy island suffers repeated attacks. At just 57 years old, Helios tumbles in an earthquake and vanishes with time.	Iron Age	Historical Cultural site
	Great Wall		(Augmentations Console)	Over a period of 2,000 years, from the Qin state to the Ming Dynasty, a barrier rises and will eventually stretch thousands of miles along China's north border. Studded with lookout towers and bastions, one Great Wall unites diverse groups in defense.	Iron Age	Historical Cultural site
	Great Library		(Augmentations Console) 1)	What if we collect all the world's knowledge in one place? A copy of everything written? This quest gives rise to the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, with half a million papyrus scrolls, all handscribed. Sadly, not a shred, not even a building stone, will endure. How did every trace of the Great Library disappear? It's a mystery: Ancient texts describe fires set by Roman invaders, obliterating books, but later mentions prove the library endured. And what about the massive stones and foundation—unburnable?	Iron Age	Historical Cultural site, burns after repeated clicking on it
	Nazca Lines		(Augmentations Console)	In Peru, Nazca artists draw 300 giant figures, animals, plants, and symbols in the desert. It's easy! Just drag a tool to remove rust-colored sand and expose paler grains below. About 1,300 kilometers of lines in the sand form the collection, best viewed from above.	Iron Age	Historical Cultural site
	Middle Ages Statue			In Europe, the Middle Ages span from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the fall of Constantinople 10 centuries later. It's a period of mass migration, population decline, and political instability. But, what's happening elsewhere?	Middle Ages	Asian-looking monk sitting cross-legged on a stone quader inside asian temple
	Organized Religion			Our early myths and legends have become rules used to define our world. From shamans to priests, the structures of religion have become a dominant and powerful presence in society.	Middle Ages	Muslim man and woman praying in a mosque
	Forge		1)	At the heart of a medieval town is the blacksmith, crafting weapons for hunting or war and tools for farming, cooking, and building. A master trains apprentices, but only the best open their own forges. The very best craft ironwork for churches and castles. Holy Gravity! Heavy, expensive, hindering of every little move... At what point does a full-body suit of armor become obsolete? Toward the end of the Middle Ages, there's a muzzle-loaded hand-held weapon that changes everything.	Middle Ages	Blacksmith working on sword in a forge with forge furnace, Knight's armor falls apart after multiple clicks
	Coinage		(Augmentations Console) 1)	Coins are small metal discs of different value that represent currency and enable commerce. Standardization of these coins allowed for buying, selling, and saving across different nations. Just as a four-leaf clover is 1-in-10,000, having your coin the same side in a row is a very small probability. In other words, today is your lucky day!	Age of Exploration	Wooden table with Coin (part of "Paper Money"), click on table for start of minigame "Coin Simulator"
	Paper Money			When carrying around coins becomes too heavy, paper money comes in to fill our wallets more comfortably.	Middle Ages	Wooden table, Market stalls
	Wind Mill			Like water mills, windmills capture the power of a natural energy source with every spin but they don't need to be near rivers. Their ingenuity is refining the design and locale to maxmize a flighty power source.	Middle Ages	Wind Mill on a higher place of the Ancient Civilization Garden
	Feudalism			A powerful upper class owns the land, and peasants farm it. In Europe, feudalism requires serfs to pay homage and pledge fealty to nobles or a monarch. In Japan, a ruling warrior class of shoguns controls daimyó—feudal magnates who own most of the land.	Middle Ages	People of different classes interact in a palace, also Leader of "The Silk Road"
	Observatory			Islamic centers for observing the night sky enter a Golden Age. Meanwhile, in 906 CE, Maya astronomers build El Caracol, a viewing tower with 20 windows for tracking the Sun and stars. The planet Venus, seen as the Sun's twin, merits three windows of its own.	Middle Ages	Observatory from the Mayan culture, Maya Astronomy
	Printing Press		per Tap	Hand-written books take a lot of time and work to make; with the printing press it's done faster than ever. Using movable type, we can instantly reproduce the same page, making as many copies as we need. Ideas can spread faster and further now.	Middle Ages	Apparatus of a printing press
	Illuminated Manuscripts			The art of hand-crafting picture books with fancy calligraphy, gilded pages, and colorful inks falls largely into the patient hands of religious scholars. The vellum and parchment tomes will preserve scripture, history, and lore for centuries.	Middle Ages	Monk in front of a desk with an open book (within Oxford University)
	Rapa Nui		(Metabits)	On a western Polynesian outpost, also called Easter Island, Rapa Nui carve Moai out of volcanic stone. The larger-than-life statues embody the spirit of ancestors, with giant heads, torsos, and coral eyes—but no legs. Hundreds of Moai ring the shoreline, gazing inward.	Middle Ages	Historical Cultural site
	Oxford University		(Augmentations Console)	When English scholars are banned from the University of Paris in 1167, Oxford flourishes as a leading center of higher learning. Theology, liberal arts, law and medicine anchor the fields of study. Colleges for science, languages, and economics follow.	Middle Ages	Historical Building
	The Silk Road		(Darwinium)	Ancient Chinese routes and Persia's Royal Road expand into a network connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Paper, silk, gunpowder, and spices flow west. Livestock, leather, tools, metals, and more flow east. Ideas, beliefs, and knowledge flow freely.	Middle Ages	Camel caravan with human leader (Feudalism) wandering between the localities Paper Money and Government
	Himeji Castle		(Augmentations Console)	A capstone of the Edo Period in Japan, this feudal complex centers on a steep, six-tiered keep. Three moats, a wall, watch towers, fireproof plaster cladding, booby traps, maze-like narrow passages with samurai poised above... Himeji Castle never falls.	Middle Ages	Historical Building
	Age of Exploration Statue			Pushing the boundaries of land and sea, explorers open the globe to trade, colonialism, and an unprecedented exchange of knowledge and culture. Fighting the spread of disease remains a challenge.	Age of Exploration	Historical sailor statue with sextant and spyglass on central tower building
	Cannon			Super-size a gun with powerful propellant and a sturdy barrel, and we can launch heavy balls over great distances. Artillery units cut large swathes of destruction across battlefields and blow holes ships, changing the way we fight wars.	Age of Exploration	Row of cannons on seaside in front of the bank building
	Musket			In the early 16th century, Europeans use muzzle-loaded long guns to pierce armored suits—soon to be obsolete. The slow load time is mitigated by soldiers firing in orchestrated volleys with greater accuracy and range.	Age of Exploration	Row of Musketeer on seaside in front of the bank building
	Caravel			Explorers, traders, and pirates favor fast, versatile ships. Caravels have rounded bottoms and square sails for speed and triangular sails for steering near shore. Portugal relies on early models to set up trading posts and forts along the African coast.	Age of Exploration	Caravel moored in the harbor
	Banking		per Tap	As globe markets grow via international trade, humans develop the need for institutions to regulate money and how it is handled.	Age of Exploration	Banker sitting at a table in a historical bank building
	Galleon			Long, sleek, and sturdy, these multi-deck sailing ships can carry tons of cargo across open ocean. Cheap to build, galleons convert easily into warships, becoming a mainstay of naval warfare by the late-16th century.	Age of Exploration	Galleon stationed in the harbor
	Magellan's Expedition shown as Sail		(Darwinium)	Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese noble, and all but 18 men of his 270-member crew die en route. But one ship out of five, captained by a Basque navigator, returns to Spain in 1521 to complete the first round-the-world voyage.	Age of Exploration	Historic fleet with five galleons and one captain circles entire island of Ancient Garden
	Machu Picchu		(Metabits) 1)	At the cusp of the Amazon basin and the Andes, Machu Picchu is a pinnacle of civil engineering. Without the wheel or iron, Incas design stone structures, terraces, and water systems that will stand up to 500 years of earthquakes and landslides. What's not to love about a smaller, cuter, tamer cousin to the llama? These sacred animals sustain entire communities living remotely in the Andes, providing wool, milk, fuel (from dung), string, and meat.	Age of Exploration	Historical Cultural site, Inka with Alpaca
	Taj Mahal		(Augmentations Console)	Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen One of the Palace") died in childbirth, and Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan builds a marble mausoleum to immortalize her. The four faces feature identical symmetry, with a blend of Indian, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic styles.	Age of Exploration	Historical Cultural site
	Scientific Revolution Statue			As the European Renaissance came to a close, new ideas about math, biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy changed the way we thought about the world. With the emergence of modern science, human's intellectual progress as a species gets a sudden boost of speed.	Scientific Revolution	Heliocentric model with sun, earth and moon on the central tower building
	Bird "Seagull"			Modern birds have much in common with their dinosaur ancestors, including hollow bones, brooding of eggs, and feathers.		Air over Ancient Civilization Garden
	Bird "Red-footed Booby"			Follow the bird of paradise to the Galapagos Islands! This bright fellow flies a different course, and might just bring you along with him.		Air over Ancient Civilization Garden
	Neoaves "Blue Jay"		(glitch)	Almost 95% of all known species of birds belong to the Neoave clade. They are extremely diverse, and appeared shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs.		Air over Ancient Civilization Garden
	Eagles "indefinite"			Eagles are large birds of prey with strong curved beaks. They have muscular legs and sharp, gripping talons. Regal and strong, many cultures see them as symbolic of power.		Air over Ancient Civilization Garden

¹⁾ only on the first execution