What is the most iconic ancient civilization?

From Bronze Age city builders and Mediterranean seafarers to jungle-temple architects and desert-empire founders, this lineup spans continents and millennia. Which one defined the world for you?

1

Roman Empire

Mediterranean superpower that shaped law, engineering, and language across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East.

1000pts

BE

2

Ancient China

Dynastic civilization that produced the Great Wall, silk, gunpowder, and a continuous written tradition.

955pts

WE

3

Ancient Egypt

Nile-valley civilization famous for pyramids, pharaohs, hieroglyphs, and a 3000-year cultural continuity.

749pts

DI

4

Inca Empire

Andean civilization that built Machu Picchu and a road network spanning the spine of South America.

681pts

5

Indus Valley Civilization

Bronze Age urban culture along the Indus with planned cities like Mohenjo-daro and an undeciphered script.

624pts

6

Ancient Greece

Birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and Western drama, centered on city-states like Athens and Sparta.

624pts

DI

7

Babylonian Empire

Mesopotamian power famed for Hammurabi's Code and the Hanging Gardens.

624pts

8

Olmec Civilization

Mesoamerica's 'mother culture,' best known for colossal stone heads carved from basalt.

499pts

DZ

9

Carthage

North African maritime empire and Rome's great rival in the Punic Wars.

416pts

10

Aztec Empire

Postclassic Mesoamerican empire centered on Tenochtitlan with monumental temples and a tribute economy.

357pts

11

Maya Civilization

Mesoamerican culture renowned for stepped pyramids, astronomy, and an intricate hieroglyphic script.

356pts

12

Mesopotamia

The land between the Tigris and Euphrates that gave the world writing, the wheel, and the first cities.

356pts

13

Minoan Civilization

Bronze Age Cretan culture famed for the palace of Knossos and vivid frescoes.

356pts

14

Persian Empire

Achaemenid superstate of Cyrus and Darius, the largest the world had seen in the 6th century BCE.

208pts

15

Phoenicia

Seafaring traders of the Levant who spread the alphabet across the Mediterranean.

0pts