Aksum was a kingdom centred in what is now Eritrea and northern Ethiopia that controlled trade between the Roman world and India in late antiquity. In the 3rd century the prophet Mani listed it alongside Persia, Rome and China as one of the four great powers. Its rulers minted their own coins, adopted Christianity as the state religion in the mid 4th century, and at its height under Kaleb in the 6th century ruled territory across the Red Sea in Yemen. Trade declined as Persian and Arab power grew and Roman trade faltered, and the kingdom collapsed around 960.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.