6 NEWS
A sword found off Israel’s shores
tells the tale of crusaders and
castles at a time when Muslims and
Christians battled to control the Holy Land.8 PROFILES
American-born Wong Kim Ark’s
battle for citizenship went all the
way to the Supreme Court. His victory set a
legal precedent that endures to this day.12 WORK OF ART
Albrecht Dürer’s 1513 engraving
“Knight, Death, and the Devil”
elevated printmaking to a fine art, and its
creator to the role of Renaissance master.14 ENIGMAS
Scholars were stunned to find an
Egyptian mummy wrapped in
the pages of an Etruscan book. How did the
linen make its way from Italy to Alexandria?92 DISCOVERIES
The raising of the 12th-century
merchant ship Nanhai No. 1 has
revealed clues to China’s economic
ambitions at sea in the Song era.18 Egypt’s First Pharaoh
King Narmer united the lands of the Nile some 5,000 years ago. A stone
palette carved as a symbol of his formidable new power sheds light on
the beliefs and customs of ancient Egypt at the dawn of its civilization.
30 Drinking With Dionysus
God of wine and theater, Dionysus brought holy ecstasy to his followers and
terrifying revenge to his foes. Associated with rebirth, he shaped religious
practices across the Mediterranean world until the dawn of Christianity.
44 Florence’s Crowning Glory
Florentines had long dreamed of a huge dome for their cathedral when, in
1418, Filippo Brunelleschi said he could build one without scaffolding. His
rivals scoffed, but the great Duomo slowly rose into the Tuscan skies.
64 Majesty and Might of Palenque
Palenque’s imposing temples and Great Palace proclaimed
the glory of the gods and the brilliance of this Maya city’s
seventh-century ruler, Pakal the Great.80 Buddhist Beauty in Ajanta
Detailed reliefs, colorful murals, and sacred
statues fill man-made caves carved from the
stone cliffs of Ajanta, India, a repository of
centuries-old Buddhist masterpieces.Features DepartmentsGOLDEN TREASURES. CHAIN RECOVERED FROM THE WRECK
OF THE 12TH-CENTURY CHINESE MERCHANT SHIP NANHAI NO. 1VOL. 8 NO. 2RUINS REVEALED
The Great Palace (left) and the
Temple of the Inscriptions (right)
stand surrounded by the Mexican
jungle at the Maya site of Palenque.