
15 Civilizations That Lived in Extreme Environments
These civilizations adapted, endured, and sometimes thrived in environments that seem nearly uninhabitable by modern standards.

These civilizations adapted, endured, and sometimes thrived in environments that seem nearly uninhabitable by modern standards.

Many long-standing festivals continue today because communities preserved traditions that began more than a century ago.

Here's a tour of 20 documented artifacts and material finds that turned up far beyond their expected origins, forcing historians to rethink ancient trade, migration, and contact.

Animals sometimes show surprising intelligence through problem solving, communication, and behavior that goes far beyond what people expect.

Adults had a rich social life before television, filled with shared activities that brought communities together.

Long before global contact or shared blueprints, societies worldwide developed their own means of moving people and goods, guided by observation, the environment, and necessity.