Cyber Monday, the online sibling of Black Friday, is the next day on everyone’s mind. No doubt the world and itself will be pouring over web pages, sifting through sales looking to bag a bargain.
Cyber originates from the Greek word “cybernetics” to mean “skilled in steering or governing”. So in the spirit of all things cyber, we’re looking back and taking a virtual trip around the world. We’re here to explore those special parts of the globe that were the most important for shaping our world today. Which in turn, paved the way for the digital era that we live in, starting in Europe!
Leonardo da Vinci – Italy
Our first stop, Italy. The land of fine taste and fine art which has born some of the world’s most famous artists, philosophers and musicians. One of which we owe homage to for something that us travellers could not live without – the aeroplane! Many people know him for his artistic genius, but Leonardo da Vinci was also an aerodynamics aficionado. He produced the earliest known sketches, papers and plans on flying machines! Way before the first aeroplane was built!
Leonardo da Vinci spent his life working all over Italy – every travellers dream! He was in Rome, Bologna, Venice and Milan. That’s a great tour of Italy to do and a perfect way to get a taste of true Italian culture!
The Ancient Romans – Rome
Recently, scientists discovered that the Romans were nanotechnology pioneers. A lot of the things we take for granted were originally built by them. They were the ones who paved the way for roads (excuse the pun!), created the first ever book and invented modern plumbing systems. One of their most revered constructions were the aqueducts. Even though the Romans didn’t invent them, they bought the construction of a fresh water supply system to an all time high.
If you are lucky enough to visit Rome, you will never be far from magnificent ancient structures. Some of the most famous which are still in use today are; The Pantheon, The Church of Santa Sabina, The Castel Sant’Angelo, The Colosseum and Ponte Fabricio.
Archimedes – Sicily
Archimedes name always crops up when we talk about people being ‘ahead of their time’. Once a Greek inventor, engineer, mathematician and astronomer, he created several instruments that were used against the Roman invasion of Syracuse, once a part of Greece. It wasn’t Austin Powers who invented the death ray! Archimedes was apparently the first to use a shiny, concave surface to concentrate rays of sun used to burn down Roman ships!
Syracuse is Sicily’s own timeless beauty and a truly unique place full of history. If you’re particularly interested in ruins, this is a great place to visit. The town is home to a true Roman Amphitheatre, a limestone cave shaped like an ear and one of Sicily’s biggest archeological sites – the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis.
The Ancient Mayan Civilisation – Central America
The Mayan civilisation have captured our attention by being so unusual in that they were able to build and sustain a civilisation in a rainforest climate. Explorers have plunged into the depths of Central American jungles and discovered ancient ruins, buried cities and truly impressive pyramids. The Maya peoples were the most advanced astronomers of their time, building pyramids to reflect astronomical events. They were also the first to present the concept of zero.
You can find the pyramids in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize and are well worth a tour to walk amongst the ruins and discover this ancient civilisation. Tucan Travel have multiple tours that visit the Maya regions, most of which include one of the largest archeological Mayan civilisation sites – Tikal. Climb the pyramid in the early hours to experience one of the best sunsets you will ever see!
The Inca Civilisation – Peru
The ancient Inca civilisation produced the largest empire ever seen in the Americas and in the world at that time. They are famous for their magnificent architecture and conquering diverse landscapes spanning dense jungles, barren deserts and towering mountains. One of the most recognised being Machu Picchu. The site has become so popular on everyone’s bucket list that the government have put a cap on the amount of visitors per day in a bid to preserve the site. The Incas had no written language, but used a system of knots on strings to keep records!
A great way to explore the Inca remains are to hop on a tour to visit some of the main sites; Machu Picchu, Historical Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Ollantaytambo.
The Ancient Egyptian Civilisation – Egypt
A blog about ancient civilisations wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the Egyptians. Historians have been entranced by their history for years and have only recently started to decipher their written records. You can see the Egyptian hieroglyphs inside the momentous pyramids which took decades to build. The largest of them weighing as much as 16 Empire State buildings! The Egyptians were also the first to use makeup – they knew the power of the smokey eye!
Visiting the pyramids is a popular bucket list item and is definitely worthy of it! Tours to Egypt will usually include a trip to the Valley of the Kings, The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Dead Sea.
If you’re a bit of a history buff, Tucan Travel offer a great variety of tours to show you around the best ancient civilisation sites. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed!
Roxy is part of the marketing team for Tucan Travel. She has been travelling solo for years, predominantly around Asia, Indonesia and Europe. You can find her on LinkedIn here.
