Choose your time.
The same world. Another time.
01 · Before written records; dates vary by region
Prehistory
Enter a world without written records through stone tools and cave art. Follow the animals of Lascaux and discover both evidence and unanswered questions.
02 · China, Egypt, Rome and beyond; use regional chronologies
Ancient Worlds
From Qin unification to Cleopatra’s court and Pompeii’s streets, explore different ancient worlds through institutions and everyday lives.
03 · Period boundaries differ by region
Medieval Worlds
Follow Heian Kyoto’s avenues and court passages through diaries, paper and clothing. Period boundaries differ by region.
04 · Late 15th–early 17th centuries; boundaries vary
Sengoku
Explore Honnōji and Sekigahara through messengers, armies and people awaiting decisions in a changing political world.
05 · 1603–1868; conventional political period
Edo
Explore more than two centuries through an ordinary day in Edo and Ryōma’s maritime work in the final decades.
06 · 18th–20th centuries; use each work’s date
The Modern World
Follow Napoleon’s artillery and law, and Titanic’s ports and wireless room, through changing institutions and individual choices.
07 · 20th–21st centuries; define periods by region and subject
Contemporary History
Enter a Berlin night through people hearing television news and gathering at a checkpoint. Records reveal a border opening and what followed.
Period boundaries vary by region and scholarly framework. PAST uses broad categories to help you discover experiences.