Deep within Antarctica’s Ellsworth Mountains, a pyramid-shaped peak has intrigued scientists and conspiracy theorists alike.

Beneath the rugged mountains of southeastern Iran, archaeologists are carefully unearthing traces of a Bronze Age society that could upend the accepted narrative of where writing and urban life began.

For centuries, the Royal Palace at Sanjar-Shar was an important seat of power for the Sogdians, an ancient civilization nestled in the mountains of modern day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Tucked along ...