Borders of Time

Age III · 500 BCE – 500 CE

Classical

A geometric vase from ancient Rhodes, reproduced in an early encyclopaedia illustration
Geometric vase from RhodesUnknown maker from ancient Rhodes · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

An era of large empires and enduring ideas across Eurasia — Greece and Rome, Persia, Maurya and Han China — linked by routes like the Silk Road. Much of the world's lasting philosophy, religion, and science took shape here.

Maps of this age

11 maps