Where did civilization begin?
Long before the rise of modern nations, humanity began building cities, developing systems of writing, establishing religious traditions, organizing governments, and creating monumental works of architecture.
The Hall of First Civilizations explores the emergence of complex human societies across the ancient world. From the earliest cities of Mesopotamia to the monumental achievements of ancient Egypt, the Indus Valley, and early China, this collection examines the ideas, innovations, beliefs, and material cultures that helped shape human history.
Discover the origins of urban life, writing, agriculture, trade, kingship, sacred architecture, and the institutions that transformed scattered communities into enduring civilizations.
Through artifacts, books, historical interpretation, and material culture, we explore one of humanity's greatest transformations: the birth of civilization.
In ancient China, bronze was more than a metal. It was a material through which ritual, political authority, ancestral reverence, and extraordinary craftsmanship found expression. This miniature vessel reproduces the celebrated Four-Goat Square Zun (四羊方尊), a remarkable example of bronze artistry from China’s Shang dynasty.