History is the study of the human past, and memes may be the hottest new way to present and interpret what happened back then. From the trials and tribulations of Ea-Nasir, the Babylonian copper merchant to the debates between Redditors over the structure and centralization policies of the German Empire in the 19th century, memes are a site of informed and productive discussion about what the past may and has meant. These memes from Reddit's /r/historymemes carry on that tradition.

Some may remember history as a very serious topic from back when they studied it in school. But the people of the past were just as goofy as we are now, and it's possible they would've laughed or smiled slightly while in the midst of scrolling these memes, just as you are now. Some things are eternal: love, friendship, conflict, the pleasure of sharing food and, of course, memes. When future people dig up traces of this civilization, millennia hence, they will find our memes. And they will know who we were.