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The article focuses on the Liangzhu culture, the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta of China. Topics discussed include the discovery of the ancient culture by Shi Xingeng in 1936, the excavation of some cemeteries in and around Liangzhu, and the hydraulic engineering used by the inhabitants of Liangzhu to control the floodplains and feed a system of canals within the walled city.

The article focuses on archaeological discoveries that suggest prehistoric settlement and the rise of civilization predated the development of agriculture. Topics include the "Neolithic revolution" theory of archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe, communal architecture at the Wadi Faynan site excavated by archaeologist Steven Mithen and the Göbekli Tepe site discovered by archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, and possible reasons for the development of complex societies such as religion and culture.

The article explores the potential impact of climate change on ancient societies. The author presents a brief historical overview of the collapse of Mycenaean Greece and its impact on world history, noting that the fate of Mycenaean civilization is just one of many linked to climate change. Topics include research by Harvey Weiss of Yale University investigating the collapse of the Akkadian empire in Syria, evidence to suggest that major changes in climate conditions coincided with the end of the Akkadians and several other civilizations, such as the Maya in central Mexico and South America, and anthropologists' resistance to notions of environmental determinism.

The article discusses archaeological discoveries made by Carlo Bergmann and colleagues that are forcing Egyptologists to reconsider the origins of the ancient Egyptian pharaonic civilization. Discoveries made in the Sahara desert west of the Nile River show that the ancient Egyptians had strong links to the region, suggesting that their civilization may have originated there.

Details the discovery of Sungbo's Eredo, the ramparts of a thousand-year-old kingdom in Nigeria, by Patrick Darling in 1994. Description of the site; Local Yoruban legend about the Sungbo; Civilization thought to be behind the construction of Sungbo's Eredo; Skill displayed in surveying and construction by the builders of the site; Written records about the site; Radiocarbon dating of the area. INSET: Urban jungle..

Reports that computer scientists are recreating the growth and decline of ancient civilizations. Collapse of great empires within short periods of time; Historians' explanations of the reason for the civilizations' collapse; Scientists' attempt to recreate the course of history; Creation of artificial societies in machines; Matching of the simulation with evidence from particular civilizations.

The article provides information on the ancient science and astronomy research documents uncovered in what was once Timbuktu. The area was taken over by invaders from Morocco in the 1500s and, as a result, much of their written documents and culture was lost. Researchers have found some of the surviving documents and have begun to translate the text.

The article compares the Liangzhu culture to other early human civilisations. Topics discussed include the Fertile Crescent east of the Mediterranean, the emergence of city-states such as the Uruk in Mesopotamia, and the urbanization of the Indus valley in south Asia. Also mentioned are communication and trade between the people of Harappa and Mesopotamia, Indus valley artefacts, and Liangzhu's hydraulic system.

The article reports on archaeological findings of cannabis use uncovered at the Jirzankal Cemetery site in China which dates to roughly 500 BCE.

The article reports on research which geographer Erle Ellis and his colleagues at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County conducted in 2013 on the Anthropocene, a chronological term which refers to the time when humans first had impacts upon the earth's ecosystem. Contrary to previous research, Ellis' research found that the Anthropocene may have begun as early as 5,000 years ago.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including one on the effects of climate variation on ancient civilisations in the August 4, 2012 issue, one on the use of technology to self-monitor health in the August 4, 2012 issue, and one on the Schrödinger wave function by Marcus Chown in the July 28, 2012 issue.

The article discusses how ancient civilisations coped with an increase in sea level. It cites the importance of location to the survival of the Taino civilizations when waters rose in the village of Los Buchillones in Cuba. A study revealed that building homes over water may have made them less at risk of flooding. Mayans in Belize continued to grow their crops in areas which became permanently flooded wetlands by digging networks of drainage channels and raising their fields so roots sat above seawater.

Discusses finds made by anthropologist Fred Wendorf in the Nabta Playa in southern Egypt. Nomadic cattle herders which are believed to have inhabited the area; Stone slabs, megaliths, and ancient sculptures which have been unearthed; Evidence that the nomads worshipped cattle and observed constallations; Speculation as to the influence they had on the Egyptian dynasties.

This article reports on the discovery of giant avenues, ditches and enclosures beneath the trees of the Amazon in 2009. The signs of an unknown ancient civilization have been spotted from the air in an area of northern Bolivia and western Brazil. The researchers describe the structures as geoglyphs. Researchers have excavated ceramics, grinding stones and other signs of human habitation at some of the sites.

The article reports on the discovery of 5000-year-old pottery and new districts in a sunken settlement off the coast of Greece which makes Pavlopetri the oldest known underwater town. The Greek government also announced the discovery of a further 9000 square metres of buildings, streets and graves which suggests that Pavlopetri used to be an important trading port.

This article focuses on a new study which reveals that spuds were grown in the Andes at least 4000 years ago and more surprisingly, the farmers of the time apparently traded with people from faraway tropical forests. Linda Perry of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and her colleagues studied soil samples and fragments of stone tools from an ancient dwelling at Waynuna, a deserted settlement lying at an altitude of 3600 meters in the Cotahuasi valley, southern Peru. They found microscopic remains of maize, potato and arrowroot.

Presents a letter to the editor on the name of the ancient region of Thule.

The article presents information related to the book "Moche Portraits From Ancient Peru,' by Christopher B. Donnan. It is AD 500 on the desert coast of northern Peru. The master potters of the Moche civilisation are creating some of the most dazzling portrait vessels ever seen. These were real people, first appearing as warriors in their prime, then shown stripped and bound ready for sacrifice. Exactly what was happening and why remains a mystery.

Provides information on the history of the ancient city of Caral in Peru. Result of the radiocarbon dating conducted in the area; Carbon dating of archaeological artifacts found in the city; How civilization in the are had started.

Reports on a finding which suggests that agriculture was invented on the borders of Syria and Turkey, rather than in the Jordon Valley, as previously believed. Genetic evidence from wheat and lentils; Crops important to ancient civilizations; Work of Simcha Lev-Yadun.

Reports on research on Egyptian civilization by studying core samples of the Nile delta. Accumulation of fertile silt between 6500 and 5500 B.C.; Time when agriculture began; Research conducted by Daniel Stanley of the Smithsonian Institution.

Reports on the discovery of a fragment of fabric clinging to the handle of an ancient tool in southeastern Turkey. Carbon-dating as showing the age as 9000 years; Discovery of the antler handle at Cayonu near the Tigris River in 1988 by a team from the University of Chicago and Istanbul University; Analysis of threads of cloth; Use of the cloth by the people in the town of Cayonu.

Reports on research by archeologist Jacqui Wood on how ancient metalworkers fashioned intricate jewelry. Study of a ceramic pot in the Lake Ledro Museum in northern Italy that could have been used for soldering; Previous thoughts by archaeologists about ancient ceramic pots.