Ancient, Prehistoric and Early People of Asia Note: If you can't find what you want here - check the World page! You might also try this Alexa search for Ancient+History+Asia Infoplease.com Searchbox search for: in  All InfopleaseAll Almanacs   General   Entertainment   SportsBiographiesDictionaryEncyclopedia The countries and regions of Asia - from the About.com guide on Geography The countries and regions of the Middle East - from the About.com guide on Geography Information about Asia - from Infoplease.com encyclopedia Scrolls From the Dead Sea: The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Scholarship brings before the world a selection from the scrolls which have been the subject of intense public interest. Over the years questions have been raised about the scrolls' authenticity, about the people who hid them away, about the period in which they lived, about the secrets the scrolls reveal, and about the intentions of the scrolls' custodians in restricting access. The Library's exhibition describes the historical context of the scrolls and the Qumran community from whence they may have originated; it also relates the story of their discovery 2,000 years later. In addition, the exhibition encourages a better understanding of the challenges and complexities connected with scroll research. World History Archives (Asia & Oceania) - Pro bono web pages from Hartford Web Publishing.  The World History Archives are collections of documents for teaching and learning about world history from a working class perspective. The presence of documents here does not imply an endorsement of their content nor a warrant of their authenticity. PETRA'S GREAT TEMPLE - Brown University archaeologists excavating the Great Temple of the ancient Nabataeans in the heart of the lost city of Petra.  This is an INTERACTIVE DIG from ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine Online ,  an official publication of the Archaeological Institute of America.

The Ancient Indus Valley - produced by Omar Khan.  This is one of the  leading Websites about the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, with over 600 illustrated pages by the world's top scholars. Much of the information published here has not yet made it to scholarly journals.  Also, when you reach the page through the link above, you will find at the bottom, a link to The Archaeology of Southeastern Balochistan - The unexpected results of the recent Joint German-Pakistani missions in Kalat, in areas archaeologists have never explored before.  Coming in December 2000: Embodying Indus Life: Terra Cotta Figurines from Harappa - The Indus people through their own handmade representations.  Click on the Home link (bottom of page) and you will find some other spectacular sights and sounds including, photos, postcards engravings, lithographs, rare newsreels and movies and the sounds of Gandhi, Nehru and others.

Kamat's Potpourri: The History, Mystery, and Diversity of India - This is an advertisement-free, personal website whose contents range from pre-historic rock paintings to documenting contemporary communities and it is a hodge-podge of Indian history, arts and culture.  The site is extensive and contains such things as a timeline of India, a timeline of Indian art, Indian attire through the centuries and the Hero-stones of India (The Mahasati and other hero-stones provide time-capsules of ancient India).  Kamat's Potpourri contains thousands of pages of content, and once you visit the site you will no doubt be drawn back again and again.  The site is updated often and has a "What's New" section in the upper left of the main page Kamat's Potpourri.  For help in navigating the site, see FAQ.  Kamat's Potpourri has been reviewed by Time.com (The Online Edition of TIME Magazine), Encyclopedia Britannica Online - India Edition and many others.  See a partial list at the page of Media Reviews.

Peter Brown's Australian and Asian Paleoanthropology - Peter Brown is a Professor at the University of New England.  Besides the Australian and Asian Indexes, this site contains research resources, teaching resources and links for the in depth study of Paleoanthropology.  Peter Brown has also provided "the online skeleton".  The online skeleton is an introduction to the human skeleton in Adobe Acrobat PDF format ( free Adobe Acrobat Reader ).  You are free to use this document as long as it is not for commercial gain and you must acknowledge where you obtained it.

The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia - Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.  The COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS link will take you to some very beautiful objects along with an explanation of what they are and where they were found.  For example: Palaeolithic Art - Palaeolithic items are represented by artifacts from the Caucasus, Crimea, Russian steppes, Siberia and Altai.  These are characteristic stone implements 500,000 to 350,000 years old excavated in Armenia, the Kuban and Altai regions, and in the vicinity of the River Dnestr. The DIGITAL COLLECTION link is one of the most interesting we have seen.  You have the options of an 800x600 display, a 1024x768 display, and you can zoom on the image.  The other great thing is the similarity search (do a search of more artwork with similar atributes or visual properties)

Asia & India - (includes China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam), and India).  This is a links page with a short explanation of most of the links.  Covers time, place, events and cultural references such as clothing and samuri.

History of China  from 2000 B.C.E to the present, by Leon Poon - a very ambitious, ongoing project that Leon has undertaken. This is very, very interesting material, and quite educational.

Ancient China to Modern Times - From TeacherNet.  TeacherNet is the "BEST on the WEB" and is very highly recommended by Ancient Man.

Ancient India - Evolution of Indian Civilizations - Archaeology has provided evidence of the beginnings of ancient India.  Rigveda which is perhaps the oldest document in human history has also provided evidence of life in ancient India.  Do you have an interest in India? You can learn much more by visiting InvestIndia.com

Thailand - Welcome to the land of smiles! - Introduction, History (from 650 A.D. to present), Monarchy, and Religion (The national religion is Theravada Buddhism, a branch of Hinayana Buddhism, practiced by more than 90 % of all Thais.).  Presented by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Exploring Ancient World Cultures: China - From the University of Evansville.  Read the translations of The Analects of Confucius and The Art of War.  Read Mike Carson's essay "Reflections on The Tao Te Ching."  ~ Ancient man suggests, 'Use Argos Search to further explore Confucius an/or the Tao Te Ching.'

Exploring Ancient World Cultures: India - From the University of Evansville.  The translations of The Bhagavad Gita and The Dhammapada can be found at this site.

Exploring Ancient World Cultures: The Near East - From the University of Evansville.  Here you can find the essay by Arthur A. Brown on Storytelling, the Meaning of Life, and The Epic of Gilgamesh .  Take the Famous Near Eastern Rulers Quiz and then have it graded.  Pretty neat!

Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Early Islam - Read Selections from the Qur'an and  An Introduction to Islam; an essay by Mohammad I. Hussain, M.D.

History of Indian handicrafts - Ancient design employed in handicrafts, the birth of Indian handicrafts, Indian textiles, Rigvedic literature speaks of ancient crafts, and Buddist influence on sculpture.  At Handicraft Materials you can find a lot of information about cane & bamboo, coir, gems, glass, ivory, jute, leather, metalware, papier mache, pottery, stone craft, textile, woodcraft.  There is more to be found at Indian Handicrafts Making Process.  Here you can find out about beads, bronze casting , carving, chikan , embroidery, enamelling, engraving, EPNS, filigree, hand printing, inlay, painting, phulkari bagh, polishing , tie dye, weaving.  At Indian Handicrafts Products -  The beautiful artifacts that have surfaced from the Harrappan and Mohanjodaro civilization sites reveal the artistic inclinations of the ancient man. Today, the same technique and crafts perfected over centuries continue to captivate the aesthetics of the modern person. Here you learn about  antiques, decorative items, furniture, garments, home furnishing, home products, jewellery, toys & dolls, wall hangings. ~This is a great site!  Very well done. ~Ancient Man

www.indtravel.com - India , the home of one of the world's oldest and richest civilisations, great religions, treasure trove of rich and diversified cultures, historical monuments, arts, music, and philosophy. The IndTravel.com website will give you great insight into the history, culture, people, travel tips, religions, languages, and the flora & fauna of India.