Civilisation Gallery

World at night

World at night. Satellite map showing the world at night. Lights show areas of human population, with brightly lit areas marking dense urban populations (large cities). The dark areas include remote and undeveloped areas, and also uninhabited areas such as deserts, forests and oceans. The brightest and most urbanised areas are in North America (upper left), Europe (upper centre), and Japan and South Korea (upper right). Most of South America (lower left), Africa (centre) and Australia (lower right) are dark, as are the polar regions and large areas of Asia. Other well-lit areas include large cities in China, India, South-East Asia, the Middle East and Russia. For this map in the day, see E050/585

© M-sat Ltd/Science Photo Library

Pottery Bottle, Peru, South America

This bottle is likely to have been made by the Chimú people, who lived in northern Peru. It dates from AD1100-1300 and depicts a human-like figure holding a monkey. Much Chimúan pottery incorporates representations of human-like characters and animals, usually monkeys or seabirds, into their design. The geometric patterns on the pot are thought to represent waves, representing the culture's relationship with the sea and maritime excursions. The consistency of the shapes and decorations are often achieved via the mass production technique of press moulding'. The Chimú are best known for making black pottery, which is thought to have been accomplished by reducing oxygen levels during the clay firing process. Before firing the clay, they would often burnish the vessel in order to give it a unique silver sheen; it is because of this that Chimúan pottery was very rarely painted. The majority of Peruvian pottery is black in colour, characterised by a distinctive metallic look. The bottle is 21.0 cm high and 15.0 cm wide. TRURI : 1927.49

© RIC, photographer Mike Searle

Hannibal Crossing Rhone On Elephants

One of the great military leaders of history, the Carthagenian general Hannibal began the Punic Wars with the Roman Empire in 218 BC after conquering most of Europe en route from Spain to Italy with his elephants and army. Famously crossing the Pyrenees, the Rhone (where he possibly employed rafts to ferry his elephants) and the Alps, he was forced to return to Africa in 203 after defeating the Roman army in every engagement without reaching his goal of Rome. (Print by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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