The Swanscombe skull, found in Kent in 1935-36, is England's oldest human cranium, about 400,000 years old. It belonged to a young woman who lived by the ancient Thames, when lions and other large animals roamed southern England. Early scientists argued about whether she was a modern-type human or a primitive one; later work placed her among the early Neanderthal lineage, close to Homo heidelbergensis. Her story shows how interpretations change as methods improve, and how a single fossil can be reread many times. The remains are in the Natural History Museum in London.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.