Ancient civilizations pioneered early versions of contemporary mechanisms, offering valuable insights into the origins of modern technology. An astrolabe. Credit: Anders Sandberg / Flickr / CC-BY-2.0 ...

The civilization developed about 5,200 years ago, and slowly disintegrated between 3,900 and 3,000 years ago — populations largely abandoned cities, migrating toward the east.

Civilizations have recognized the power of cities to heat themselves up and cool themselves for centuries. City architects in ancient Rome called for narrowing streets to lessen late afternoon ...