A U.S. Army training film on the provisions and applicability of Article 3 of Geneva Conventions of 1949, as related to treatment of military and civilian victims of the type of insurgencies that were common in the 1950s through the1970s.

An anouncement that encourages people to donate to a United Nations clothing drive for Russians whose homes were destroyed curing WWII.

How has Brazil become the melting pot it is today? Find out by reviewing Brazil’s historical highlights and how the economy has evolved over the centuries. Learn about the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s; how Portugal extended rule and...

Explore the fascinating life of King Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh of ancient Egypt, in this interactive “seek and find” adventure. As we uncover the story of his short but mysterious reign, viewers can search for hidden treasures and...

So far we've been focused predominately on Mesopotamia and the Near East. But the Indian subcontinent is also home to one of the earliest civilizations in human history, the Indus Valley civilization. When did this begin? Where were...

The first place that human civilization truly began was Ancient Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. This was followed by Egypt, Greece, and many others. How did these regions develop through to the...

Monte Albán was abandoned around 800 CE during a widespread period of upheaval across Mesoamerica, likely due to a mix of internal elite conflict, environmental stress, and growing disconnect between rulers and commoners. While power...

During the Classic period, Monte Albán experienced a flourishing of elite culture, seen in its art, rulers’ monuments, richly decorated tombs, and increasingly exclusive ceremonial spaces. Tombs and murals emphasized genealogy, divine...

Around 200 CE, Monte Albán underwent major political changes marked by the rise of a new elite, internal conflict, and a transformation of its ceremonial core—reflected in the dismantling and reuse of earlier monuments like the danzantes...

The Zapotecs developed one of Mesoamerica’s earliest and most extensive writing systems, with a large corpus found at Monte Albán—though the script remains mostly undeciphered today. While we can read some calendar glyphs and names, the...

Monte Albán’s Building L houses many danzantes—stone reliefs long thought to depict dancers but now widely interpreted as representations of sacrifice, with some scholars suggesting alternative meanings like bloodletting rituals. These...

Monte Albán’s early history is marked by rapid growth and aggressive expansion, transforming it into the dominant power in the Valley of Oaxaca by 300 BCE. As it extended control over surrounding regions through conquest and influence,...

Monte Albán, founded around 500 BCE, was built on a commanding mountaintop at the heart of the Valley of Oaxaca, offering spiritual prestige and strategic defensibility. Despite its challenging terrain, the city rapidly grew into the...

Before Monte Albán rose to prominence, San José Mogote was the leading settlement in the Valley of Oaxaca around 1300 BCE. Thanks to advanced irrigation, it grew into the valley’s largest village and an important ceremonial center. Over...

The Mexican state of Oaxaca boasts a rich pre-Columbian history, having been one of the earliest regions in the Americas to domesticate crops and develop permanent settlements. It was home to the Zapotec civilization, who built urban...

Wari textiles were masterpieces of color and precision, including elite tapestry tunics woven entirely by hand with complex patterns, animals, and symbols of religious power. These luxury items, along with finely crafted jewelry made...

Wari art, especially their colorful and detailed pottery, reflected both their religious beliefs and political power. Influenced by coastal cultures like the Nasca, Wari ceramics featured images of the staff deity, warriors, animals, and...

The Wari believed in a complex spiritual world centered on dualism and a powerful life force, which was represented in their religious art by the staff deity—a figure tied to both life and death. Religious ceremonies included offerings...

The Wari were master engineers who revolutionized farming in the Andes with advanced irrigation systems and expertly designed agricultural terraces. These terraces included layers for drainage, heat retention, and soil replacement,...

The city of Wari began as a Warpa settlement and grew into a bustling capital with somewhere between 10,000 and 70,000 residents. Its unique architecture included D-shaped buildings, multi-story buildings with patio structures, and...

The Wari emerged around 600 CE as the first true empire in the Andes, transforming from the local Warpa culture into a powerful state that united many peoples. Their success was built on smart farming systems, artistic innovation, and...

The Inca Empire built on Wari knowledge and infrastructure, repurposing their roads, urban planning techniques, and possibly even record-keeping tools like quipus. While the Inca did not copy Wari art styles directly, they may have...

The Wari spread their influence not just through diplomacy and feasting, but also with a powerful religious ideology centered on the staff deity, which legitimized their rule and appeared widely in their art. Their expansion often...

The Wari used grand feasts as a political tool to build loyalty and relationships with local leaders and communities. These celebrations included food, chicha (maize beer), and beautifully crafted vessels, sometimes enhanced with special...