Ancient Greece

The Legacy of Attalus

Pergamon became independent in the third century B.C.; Philip E. Burnham describes how its last king bequeathed his territory to Rome, and whence the Roman occupation of Asia began.

Demosthenes: Statesman and Patriot

Stephen Usher looks back at the life of a leading Athenian orator and Idealist during the city’s long war with Macedonia and its Greek allies.

The British Museum and the Xanthos Marbles

At a time when the Turkish rulers of Greece were conducting a profitable trade in ancient statues, Charles Fellows, an enlightened English tourist, rescued a precious hoard from Asia Minor. By Sarah Searight.

Herodotus: A Historian for All Time

As a new translation of the writings of the ‘father of history’ is published, Paul Cartledge looks at the methods of enquiry that make the Greek master such a crucial influence on historians today.

The Hellenistic World

Michael Grant describes how, after the death of Alexander the Great, the classical world was divided into a system of contending super-states of which our twentieth century world is the heir.

Empedocles of Acragas

Colin Davies introduces the Greek philosopher and physician who flourished in Sicily during the fifth century B.C.

Alcibiades and the Lost Empire

Stephen Usher describes how Athens might have kept her empire, had she been able to harness the talents of her splendid citizen Alcibiades.

Nicaea, Byzantine City

Anthony Bryer takes a visit to Nicaea; The seat of early Church Councils and, for a while, of the Byzantine Emperors, it has a history stretching from the reign of Alexander the Great to the present day.