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Built around 9600 BCE, this massive stone structure predates Stonehenge by thousands of years. It suggests that organized religion and complex societies existed long before agriculture was widely adopted.
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This civilization (2500–1900 BCE) had grid-based cities, underground drainage, and advanced water management systems. Their cities, like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, were more hygienic than many medieval towns.
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The Nabataeans, who built Petra, designed a system of hidden underground reservoirs and aqueducts to supply water in the desert, allowing their city to flourish.
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The Minoans (3000–1100 BCE) built multi-story buildings with advanced plumbing, flushing toilets, and a drainage system on the island of Crete.
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The Mayans (250–900 CE) developed a sophisticated calendar, tracked planets with extreme accuracy, and understood the concept of zero long before Europeans did.
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Ancient Persians (500 BCE) built Yakhchals—large domed icehouses that used wind and underground storage to keep ice frozen in the desert heat.
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The Romans (27 BCE–476 CE) used concrete formulas that lasted thousands of years, and their roads, aqueducts, and plumbing systems were so advanced that some are still in use today.
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The Khmer (9th–15th century CE) built Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, with an intricate water system that prevented floods and droughts.
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The Inca (1400–1533 CE) built Machu Picchu without mortar, cutting stones so precisely that they still hold together through earthquakes. They also had a vast road network spanning 40,000 km.
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