We present a short and rather self-contained introduction to the theory of finite-dimensional division algebras, setting out from the basic definitions and leading up to recent results and current directions of research. In Sections 2-3 we develop the general theory over an arbitrary ground field k, with emphasis on the trichotomy of fields imposed by the dimensions in which a division algebra exists, the groupoid structure of the level subcategories 𝒟ₙ(k), and the role played by the irreducible...