Learn about China's ancient past and the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty.

The Fermi Paradox refers to the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life in the universe and the lack of evidence or contact with such civilizations. Named after physicist Enrico Fermi, the paradox...

Dr. Forrester talks about the influence that diseases, horses, and livestock had on the development of the west. She discusses the Californios, and ends with the topic of Indian reservations.

The Konar Sandal archeological site in the Jiroft area of southeastern Iran, is a Bronze Age urban settlement revealed after flooding in 2001. This site has challenged conventional understanding of ancient civilizations, with some...

Historian Nile Green, UCLA, describes why the notion of a “Clash of Civilizations” between the West and the Islamic world is inappropriate, while describing how the model of “religious economy” can help us improve both understanding and...

Nile River Valley Civilization examines how the Nile River Valley Civilization was able to flourish by analyzing the benefits of its location.

Historian Maria Mavroudi (UC Berkeley) relates a formative insight that she received as a student from the eminent Byzantist Alexander Kazhdan about how to properly look at what makes a "great civilization."

Climate change is happening. Can AI help us prepare for the consequences? In this video, we’re discussing ways that AI can be and is currently being used to help us better understand the phenomenon of climate change and the ways that our...

Astronomer Jill Tarter, Director of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, discusses Frank Drake's famous attempt to evaluate the likelihood of extraterrestrial life.

SETI Institute astronomer Jill Tarter describes the thinking behind the famous Drake Equation, characterizing key aspects of our ignorance of the existence of alien civilizations

This short history video gives an insight into how the Egyptian pyramids were built and the people who built them.

This short video explains the role of Women in the Olympic Games and mentions their own Heraia games.

This short history video explains what the Rosetta Stone is; its discovery and why it was important in helping scholars discover the meaning of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

An explorer discusses some of the reasons why the Maya civilization may have disappeared

This brief video explores some of the gods worshiped by the Romans, like Jupiter, king of the gods and Mars the god of war and explains that people made sacrifices to the gods

A Roman legionary describes the amazing construction projects undertaken by Roman builders such as the Coliseum and the Cloaca Maxima and includes the concrete they made and the fabulous arches

This short video explores what the streets of Rome looked like, what kind of buildings there were such as the forum and basilica and why there were so many takeaways.

An Egyptian worker describes the town that grew up beside the Pyramids of Giza.  He explains where the workers and their families lived and also what they ate. 

This short video describes the personal belongings, equipment, food and water the legionaries had to carry when they conquered new lands

An Egyptian priestess continues the story of the Egyptian gods, referring to Osiris, Isis, Set and Nephthys

This short video takes a brief look at the Ancient Maya numbering system which was based on 20 rather than 10 like ours is now.

An Egyptian pyramid worker describes where the workers came from, where they lived and also explains how they worked in crews under a foreman.

An Ancient Greek farmer explains all the things to see and do on a busy trip to market. 

Johnny E. Williams is the author of African-American Religion and the Civil Rights Movement in Arkansas (University Press of Mississippi 2003) and Decoding Racial Ideology in Genomics (Lexington Books 2016). The former book examines the...