Cavemen were not the wife-dragging, club-wielding savages that most people believe them to be. Flints and Stones, a site sponsored by the University of Newcastle, takes you back to prehistoric times and shows a far more complex society and its people. You can view cave paintings, participate in ancient ceremonies and take a quiz to see if you would survive as a hunter-gatherer.

The FORVM ROMANVM is a lively site centered in an ancient Roman marketplace, and is produced by a group of three students in The Netherlands. Although loaded with great clickable maps and photographs, the site's real strength lies in the anecdotes and gossip about Rome's most infamous citizens that pepper every page.

Find out which Emperor made his horse a Senator but was not fiddling while Rome burned. Plenty of shortcuts and a spirited writing style make this site appealing to every age.

The Ice Maiden was the find of a lifetime for archaeologist Dr. Johan Reinhold, and National Geographic Online has devoted no less than three separate pages to this teenage Inca who offered herself as a sacrifice to the gods centuries ago.

Through his journal, photographs and audio clips, you can experience the excitement as Dr. Reinhold discovers the mummy of the Ice Maiden. Then you can view the actual computer autopsy of the Ice Maiden.

Finally, beginning in National Geographic's October 1997 Edition, you can join Dr. Reinhold and his team online as they conduct another journey through the Andes Mountains in Peru to explore the life of the ancient Incas. This is a great series from the folks at National Geographic.

National Geographic has done a wonderful job of introducing people to all aspects of history and geography through its print editions. National Geographic Online carries on that tradition with arresting photography, catchy graphics and an amazingly fast download time. The living history pages at this site will take you to meet Ghengis Khan and take you on a tour of a 14th century castle. Kids will love trying life as a buccaneer at Pirates!

Palenque: The Lost City of the Maya is an historical exploration site sponsored by Lost Worlds. The site combines VR (Visual Reality) and chat technologies to allow visitors to tour the Mayan ruins, view artifacts and talk in real time with archaeologists and Mayan villagers.

It's a fascinating site that combines an actual archaeological dig with a trip back in time. Palenque Lite is now available for those who don't want to wait to download the plugins. Find out what really happened to this ancient South American civilization.

Odyssey in Egypt is a collaborative effort that has linked several classrooms with an actual archaeological dig of a 4th Century Coptic Monastery. Registered schools receive additional curriculum support and daily contact with the dig's director, but much of the information is available online to the general public. Photos, QuickTime movies, daily updates and e-mail contact with locals and dig members make this a very engaging site.

Adventure Online is true to its name, providing online adventures of many descriptions including travels through time. Project Magellan 1997 will allow visitors to join the Schurmann Family as they retrace the path of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

Family journals, e-mail contact and photographs are available on site and you will be able to check the family's exact location. The project continues through the year 2000. Also at the Adventure Online site are links to Maya 97 Adventure , California Missions and Secret Chambers of the Ancients.

The Medieval Exhibit at Learner.Org is a highly interactive site. The site is organized around bite size snippets of information with links that allow you to find out more. The interactive links allow you, as a medieval physician, to diagnose a patient and proscribe an appropriate cure. You can also try your hand as a medieval musician and sample some of the fare at a medieval banquet. Great sound bites and images make this site a must for the armchair historian.

A Jaunt Around Restoration London is an amazing site produced by Molly Brown to promote her new book. Again, this site is notable for its attention to period gossip - the stuff of which great history lessons are made. The impetuous Merry Monarch, Charles I and his equally merry courtiers provided lots of material.

Be sure to visit the King's Palace at White Hall, Bedlam and St. Giles to view life as it was for the commoners during the Restoration. The site also has great links to info on The Plague and the Great Fire of London ( remember London Bridges?). This site is a favorite of mine, combining lots of information with great quotes and images.

Finally I want to mention two sites which will allow you to visit famous historical sites that you may never see otherwise. The Web Acropolis takes you on a guided tour of the religious center of ancient Athens. Stonehenge VR allows you to watch the sun rise over these ancient stones and learn more about the mysteries that surround them.

I hope you enjoyed this short tour through time.