The Sphinx is believed to have been built as a guardian for the burial complex at Giza. Can you solve the mind-bending riddle of the Sphinx?

For those who haven't unraveled this ancient brainteaser, the answer appears at the bottom of the page. In the meantime, welcome to the Beyond Books exploration of ancient civilizations.

The Great Wall of China has stood for over 2000 years -- a tribute to the ingenuity and skill of the ancient Chinese culture. Though it is known as the "Great Wall," it is actually a series of walls built over several centuries.

Trying to understand ancient civilizations is a bit like unraveling riddles. At times, it can be difficult trying to figure out why cultures behaved in certain ways. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that ancient cultures did not keep an abundance of written records. Also making the exploration tough is frequent lack of physical traces of these civilizations. Buildings crumble. New civilizations are built on the ruins of older civilizations. Desert sands cover some civilizations, while the sands of time cover others.

But putting pieces together and trying to figure out the past is not only meaningful — it's fun.

Your exploration of ancient civilizations will take you to exciting places and introduce you to intriguing people, including Julius Caesar.

Here's a coming attraction of the people, places, ideas, and things coming at you: 3.5 million-year-old Lucy; mummies; pyramids; Cleopatra; "an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth"; the birth of major religions Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism; the birth of democracy; the first Olympics; Julius Caesar; gladiators; the invention of writing, paper, and the wheel; kingdoms built of stone in Africa; the Great Wall of China; the introduction of such concepts as zero, time, and monotheism (the belief in one god); Samurai; martial arts; palaces of gold; and even the Sphinx. Whew!

The study of ancient civilizations and people raises some profound questions. Who are humans? Where did we come from? Where are we going?

As you explore these civilizations, see if you can make sense of this Sphinxlike statement from author William Faulkner: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." It may help you see where you are going.

1. How Do We Know?
   1. Archaeologists and Their Artifacts
   2. Anthropologists and Their People
   3. Historians and Their Time
   4. Geographers and Their Space
2. Prehistoric Times
   1. "I Love Lucy"
   2. Food, Clothing and Shelter
   3. A Page Right Out of History
   4. First Technologies: Fire and Tools
3. Ancient Egypt
   1. Life along the Nile
   2. Egyptian Social Structure
   3. Dynasties
   4. Mummies
   5. Pyramids
   6. Women of Ancient Egypt
4. The Early Middle East
   1. Life in Sumer
   2. Babylonia
   3. Hammurabi's Code: An Eye for an Eye
   4. Assyrians: Cavalry and Conquests
   5. Persian Empire
   6. Phoenicians: Sailing Away
   7. Hebrews and the Land of Milk and Honey
   8. Birth of Christianity
   9. Muhammad and the Faith of Islam
5. Ancient Greece
   1. Rise of City-States: Athens and Sparta
   2. Democracy Is Born
   3. Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes
   4. Greek Literature
   5. Art and Architecture
   6. Thinkers
   7. Alexander the Great
   8. The Olympic Games
6. Ancient Rome
   1. The Roman Republic
   2. Julius Caesar
   3. The Pax Romana
   4. Life of the People
   5. Gladiators, Chariots, and the Roman Games
   6. The Fall of the Roman Empire
7. Africa
   1. Kingdom of Ghana
   2. Mali: A Cultural Center
   3. Benin and Its Royal Court
   4. Great Zimbabwe
   5. Life on the Desert
8. South Asia: India and Beyond
   1. Early Civilization in the Indus Valley
   2. The Caste System
   3. The Rise of Hinduism
   4. The Birth and Spread of Buddhism
   5. The Gupta Period of India
9. China
   1. The Middle Kingdom
   2. Shang Dynasty -- China's First Recorded History
   3. Han Dynasty -- Cultural Heights
   4. Tang Dynasty -- The Golden Age
   5. Taoism and Confucianism -- Ancient Philosophies
10. Japan: An Island Nation
    1. Japanese Religion and Spirituality
    2. Early History and Culture
    3. Feudal Japan: The Age of the Warrior
    4. The Martial Arts
    5. Life During the Edo Period
11. Central and South American Empires
    1. Blood of Kings: The World of the Maya
    2. Deciphering Maya Glyphs
    3. The Inca Empire: Children of the Sun
    4. The Aztec World
    5. Clash of Cultures: Two Worlds Collide