The Ancient World, ETR-GYL

The modern world may look very different from the world that existed in the time of ancient civilizations, but our modern-day life continues to show the influence of cultures, traditions, ideas, and innovations from hundreds of years ago. Learn more about important historical civilizations, sites, people, and events.
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The Ancient World Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Etruria
Etruria, Ancient country, central Italy. It covered the region that now comprises Tuscany and part of Umbria. Etruria......
Etruscan
Etruscan, member of an ancient people of Etruria, Italy, between the Tiber and Arno rivers west and south of the......
Etruscan art
Etruscan art, (c. 8th–4th century bce) art of the people of Etruria. Etruscan art falls into three categories:......
Euhemerus
Euhemerus was an author of a utopian work that was popular in the ancient world; his name was given to the theory......
Euphrates River
Euphrates River, river, Middle East. The longest river in southwest Asia, it is 1,740 miles (2,800 km) long, and......
Evans, Sir Arthur
Sir Arthur Evans was a British archaeologist who excavated the ruins of the ancient city of Knossos in Crete and......
Evans, Sir John
Sir John Evans was a British antiquarian, numismatist, and a founder of prehistoric archaeology. A partner in a......
excavation
excavation, in archaeology, the exposure, recording, and recovery of buried material remains. In a sense, excavation......
Eyzies-de-Tayac caves
Eyzies-de-Tayac caves, series of prehistoric rock dwellings located downstream from Lascaux Grotto and near the......
Ezion-geber
Ezion-geber, seaport of Solomon and the later kings of Judah, located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba......
Fabius Ambustus, Quintus
Quintus Fabius Ambustus was a Roman politician and commander who, according to the Roman historian Livy (1st century......
Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, Quintus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus was a Roman military commander and statesman whose cautious delaying tactics......
Fabius Pictor, Quintus
Quintus Fabius Pictor was one of the first Roman prose historians, an important source for later writers. A member......
Fabricius Luscinus, Gaius
Gaius Fabricius Luscinus was a Roman commander and statesman whose incorruptibility and austerity were frequently......
Falisci
Falisci, ancient people of southern Etruria in Italy who, though Latin in nationality, were culturally closer to......
Farʿah, Tall al-
Tall al-Farʿah, ancient site in southwestern Palestine, located on the Wadi Ghazzah near Tall al-ʿAjjul, in modern......
Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh
Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh was the shah of Persia (1797–1834) whose reign coincided with rivalry among France, Great Britain,......
Faunus
Faunus, ancient Italian rural deity whose attributes in Classical Roman times were identified with those of the......
Fauresmith industry
Fauresmith industry, a sub-Saharan African stone tool industry dating from about 75,000 to 100,000 years ago. The......
Fayum portrait
Fayum portrait, any of the funerary portraits dating from the Roman period (1st to the 4th century) found in Egyptian......
Fellows, Sir Charles
Sir Charles Fellows was an English archaeologist who discovered ruins of the cities of Lycia—in antiquity a region......
Fenestella
Fenestella was a Latin poet and annalist whose lost work, the Annales, apparently contained a valuable store of......
feriae
feriae, ancient Roman festival days during which the gods were honoured and all business, especially lawsuits,......
Fiorelli, Giuseppe
Giuseppe Fiorelli was an Italian archaeologist whose systematic excavation at Pompeii helped to preserve much of......
fiscus
fiscus, the Roman emperor’s treasury (where money was stored in baskets), as opposed to the public treasury (aerarium).......
Five Good Emperors
Five Good Emperors, the ancient Roman imperial succession of Nerva (reigned 96–98 ce), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian......
Flamininus, Titus Quinctius
Titus Quinctius Flamininus was a Roman general and statesman who established the Roman hegemony over Greece. Flamininus......
Flaminius, Gaius
Gaius Flaminius was a Roman political leader who was one of the earliest to challenge the senatorial aristocracy......
Flavian dynasty
Flavian dynasty, (ad 69–96), the ancient Roman imperial dynasty of Vespasian (reigned 69–79) and his sons Titus......
Florian
Florian was a Roman emperor from June to September 276. The brother, by a different father, of the emperor Tacitus,......
Folsom complex
Folsom complex, an early archaeological complex of North America, characterized by a distinct leaf-shaped projectile......
Fontéchevade
Fontéchevade, a cave site in southwestern France known for the 1947 discovery of ancient human remains and tools......
Foote, Robert Bruce
Robert Bruce Foote was a British geologist and archaeologist, often considered to be the founder of the study of......
Fosse Way
Fosse Way, major Roman road that traversed Britain from southwest to northeast. It ran from the mouth of the River......
Fourier, Joseph
Joseph Fourier was a French mathematician, known also as an Egyptologist and administrator, who exerted strong......
France
France, country of northwestern Europe. Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western......
Frankfort, Henri
Henri Frankfort was an American archaeologist who completed a well-documented reconstruction of ancient Mesopotamian......
Frere, John
John Frere was a British antiquary and a founder of prehistoric archaeology. Frere was a country squire and, from......
Friedländer, Ludwig Heinrich
Ludwig Heinrich Friedländer was a German historian noted for his comprehensive survey of Roman social and cultural......
Frontinus, Sextus Julius
Sextus Julius Frontinus was a Roman soldier, governor of Britain, and author of De aquis urbis Romae (“Concerning......
Fulvia
Fulvia was the wife of Mark Antony, and a participant in the struggle for power following the death of Julius Caesar.......
Furtwängler, Adolf
Adolf Furtwängler was a German archaeologist whose catalogs of ancient Greek sculpture, vase painting, and gems......
Fāriʿah, Tall al-
Tall al-Fāriʿah, ancient site in northern Palestine, located near the head of the Wādī al-Fāriʿah northeast of......
Gabinius, Aulus
Aulus Gabinius was a Roman politician and a supporter of Pompey the Great. Gabinius was a military tribune under......
Galba
Galba was a Roman emperor for seven months (ad 68–69), whose administration was priggishly upright, though his......
Galerius
Galerius was a Roman emperor from 305 to 311, notorious for his persecution of Christians. Galerius was born of......
Gallehus Horns
Gallehus Horns, pair of gold, horn-shaped artifacts from 5th-century Scandinavia that constituted the most notable......
Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars, (58–50 bce), campaigns in which the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar conquered Gaul. Clad in the bloodred......
Gallienus
Gallienus was a Roman emperor who ruled jointly with his father, Valerian, from 253 until 260, then was the sole......
Gallio, Junius
Junius Gallio was a Roman official who dismissed the charges brought by the Jews against the apostle Paul (Acts......
Gallus
Gallus was a Roman emperor from 251 to 253. Gallus came from an ancient family of Perusia (modern Perugia, Italy),......
Gallus Caesar
Gallus Caesar was the ruler of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire, with the title of caesar, from 351 to......
Ganges River
Ganges River, great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent. Although officially as well as popularly......
Gaohou
Gaohou was the first woman ruler of China, wife of Gaozu, the first emperor (reigned 206–195 bc) of the Han dynasty......
Gaozu
Gaozu was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220), under which the Chinese imperial system......
Gard, Pont du
Pont du Gard, giant bridge-aqueduct, a notable ancient Roman engineering work constructed about 19 bce to carry......
Gardner, Percy
Percy Gardner was an English archaeologist who was noted for his contributions to the study of Greek numismatics.......
Garrod, Dorothy Annie Elizabeth
Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod was an English archaeologist who directed excavations at Mount Carmel, Palestine......
Garstang, John
John Garstang was an English archaeologist who made major contributions to the study of the ancient history and......
Geometric style
Geometric style, style of ancient Greek art, primarily of vase painting, that began about 900 bc and represents......
Georgia
Georgia, country of Transcaucasia located at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main......
Germanicus
Germanicus was the nephew and adopted son of the Roman emperor Tiberius (reigned 14–37 ce). He was a successful......
Germany
Germany, country of north-central Europe, traversing the continent’s main physical divisions, from the outer ranges......
Gerzean culture
Gerzean culture, predynastic Egyptian cultural phase given the sequence dates 40–65 by Sir Flinders Petrie and......
Geta, Publius Septimius
Publius Septimius Geta was a Roman emperor from 209 to 211, jointly with his father, Septimius Severus (reigned......
Ghassulian culture
Ghassulian culture, archaeological stage dating to the Middle Chalcolithic Period in southern Palestine (c. 3800–c.......
Gibbon, Edward
Edward Gibbon was an English rationalist historian and scholar best known as the author of The History of the Decline......
Gildo
Gildo was a Moorish potentate who rebelled against Rome in 397–398. In 375 Gildo helped the Romans crush his brother......
Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh, the best known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been......
Giza, Pyramids of
Pyramids of Giza, three 4th-dynasty (c. 2575–c. 2465 bce) pyramids erected on a rocky plateau on the west bank......
Glycerius
Glycerius was the Western Roman emperor from 473 to 474. Glycerius was made emperor on March 5, 473, by Gundobad,......
Gordian I
Gordian I was a Roman emperor for three weeks in March to April 238. Gordian was an elderly senator with a taste......
Gordian II
Gordian II was a Roman emperor who ruled jointly for three weeks in March-April 238 with his father, Gordian I.......
Gordian III
Gordian III was a Roman emperor from 238 to 244. After the deaths of the joint emperors Gordian I and Gordian II......
Gortyn
Gortyn, ancient Greek city toward the western end of the southern plain (Mesara) of Crete (near modern Áyioi Dhéka).......
Goth
Goth, member of a Germanic people whose two branches, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths, for centuries harassed......
Gracchus, Gaius
Gaius Gracchus was a Roman tribune (123–122 bce), who reenacted the agrarian reforms of his brother, Tiberius Sempronius......
Gracchus, Tiberius Sempronius
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman tribune (133 bce) who sponsored agrarian reforms to restore the class......
Grand Egyptian Museum
Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), museum in Giza, Egypt, housing archaeological artifacts from thousands of years of......
Gratian
Gratian was a Roman emperor from 367 to 383. During part of his reign he shared this office with his father, Valentinian......
Great Bath
Great Bath, ancient structure at Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, an archaeological site featuring ruins of the Indus civilization.......
Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza, ancient Egyptian pyramid that is the largest of the three Pyramids of Giza, located on a......
Great Sphinx of Giza
Great Sphinx of Giza, colossal limestone statue of a recumbent sphinx located in Giza, Egypt, that likely dates......
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China, extensive bulwark erected in ancient China, one of the largest building-construction projects......
Greco-Persian Wars
Greco-Persian Wars, (492–449 bce), series of wars fought by Greek states and Persia over a period of almost half......
Greek calendar
Greek calendar, any of a variety of dating systems used by the several city-states in the time of classical Greece......
Greek law
Greek law, legal systems of the ancient Greeks, of which the best known is the law of Athens. Although there never......
Greek mythology
Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks and Classical antiquity.......
Greek philosophy
Greek philosophy, in the history of Western philosophy, the foundational and profound philosophical contributions......
Greek pottery
Greek pottery, the pottery of the ancient Greeks, important both for the intrinsic beauty of its forms and decoration......
Greek religion
Greek religion, religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Hellenes. Greek religion is not the same as Greek......
Greek Revival
Greek Revival, architectural style, based on 5th-century-bc Greek temples, which spread throughout Europe and the......
Guangwudi
Guangwudi was the Chinese emperor (reigned ad 25–57) who restored the Han dynasty after the usurpation of Wang......
Gujarat
Gujarat, state of India, located on the country’s western coast, on the Arabian Sea. It encompasses the entire......
Gujrat
Gujrat, city, northeastern Punjab province, Pakistan. The city lies just north of the Chenab River and is connected......
Gupta dynasty
Gupta dynasty, rulers of the Magadha (now Bihar) state in northeastern India. They maintained an empire over northern......
Gylippus
Gylippus was a Spartan general who, during the Peloponnesian War, broke the Athenian siege of Syracuse, Sicily.......

The Ancient World Encyclopedia Articles By Title