In this special edition, explore the real stories of ancient cultures, from pharaohs and emperors to the lives of ordinary people. Travelling across centuries from Egypt, Greece and Rome to China and Persia, learn about remarkable characters and their often turbulent world. Discover: - Fresh insights into ancient mysteries - Expert accounts of major events - Striking images of ancient wonders - Biographies of key figures, from Alexander the Great to Augustus

WELCOME

Evolution of ancient empires • Peter Jones highlights the most significant moments in the history of the world’s first great civilisations

EGYPTIANS • Unearth the secrets of the great civilisation that emerged along the Nile over 5,000 years ago, famed for royal burials and remarkable pharaohs

Revelations in the Valley of the Kings • The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun nearly a century ago was far from the end of archaeological revelations in Egypt’s famed royal cemetery. Aidan Dodson explores the treasures that have been unearthed since Howard Carter located King Tut’s golden coffin

The Valley of the Kings • Explore one of the world’s richest archaeological sites with a map that details the position of the tombs and outlines some of its ancient secrets

TUTANKHAMUN BEHIND THE MASK • We know much about the treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but what do we know of the daily life of the famous boy king? Charlotte Booth reveals the hobbies and pastimes of the ancient Egyptian monarch

Sport and spoils • Here are some of the trappings that tell of the king’s life

WHAT KILLED TUTANKHAMUN? • Ever since Howard Carter found his tomb more than 90 years ago, Egyptologists have been striving to establish how the pharaoh met his end

THE FEMALE ‘KINGS’ OF ANCIENT EGYPT • Cleopatra the Great has become virtually synonymous with the term ‘female pharaoh’. Yet, as Joann Fletcher reveals, Mark Antony’s famous wife was merely the last woman ruler in a legacy spanning three millennia

Sobeknefru: The crocodile queen

Khentkawes I: The mother of Egypt

Arsinoe II: The queen and female king

GUIDEBOOK TO THE AFTERLIFE • In ancient Egypt, the end of life marked the start of a challenging journey – one that could be smoothed using the spells compiled in a Book of the Dead. Rob Attar explores how these books were used to ensure a speedy and successful path through the next world

GREEKS • Learn how the cradle of democracy also produced an iconic sporting event and history’s most ambitious empire-builder

THE MINOTAUR’S ISLAND • When Arthur Evans excavated Knossos in 1900, he found evidence of a peaceful, sophisticated society – a civilisation he named the Minoans. Yet, say Bettany Hughes and Tim Kirby, later finds suggest that Crete was a troubled island shaken by earthquakes, arson attacks and human sacrifice

Beyond Knossos • The Minoan way of life and death: six more fascinating sites to visit on Crete

The battle of Marathon – more important than Hastings? • Two and a half millennia ago, a small Athenian army defeated a huge Persian invasion force in a clash that has been hailed as a turning point in world history. Michael Scott asks: how significant was the battle of Marathon?

The battle of Marathon

Pheidippides’ legacy • From the battle of Marathon to the modern Olympic games

Greek democracy • Athenians enjoyed more power over their political destinies than any other citizens in history. Indeed, says Peter Jones, they would have regarded modern democracies as a sham

Democrats and slaves • Classical Athens is renowned for being the birthplace of democracy. Yet it also holds the dubious distinction of being the first society with large numbers of slaves. Coincidence? Probably not, as Paul Cartledge explains

How life...