Ancient history

Throughout Sardinia, these newly Unesco-inscribed stone necropolises tell the story of the island's pre-Roman funerary customs. But for locals, they're the enchanted homes of fairies.

First suggested in ancient Greece, the four 'humours' personality types have shaped how we view ourselves for thousands of years – and still look oddly familiar today.

New evidence suggests an informal settlement was established after the eruption that buried much of the city.

A volcanic eruption sank Aenaria nearly 2,000 years ago. Now, underwater tours and ongoing excavations are bringing Ischia's fascinating history back to the surface.

The chestnut trees of Europe tell a hidden story charting the fortunes of ancient Rome and the legacy it left in the continent's forests.

Alberto Angela has made a career out of exploring his hometown. Here are his favourite spots to unearth Rome's millennia of secrets, from the Vatican Museums to Ostia Antica.

Writer and archaeologist Mike Pitts digs up clues to the mystery of the circle's long-lost stones.

Ruins of cities keep turning up in the forests of central America. How have these structures stayed standing for millennia?