Ancient Greece

Innovation in Classical Greece

Contemporary culture places a high premium on novelty. Armand D’Angour argues that we should consider the more balanced views about old and new found in classical Greece.

Olympias' Funeral Games

Robin Waterfield looks at the influence of the mother of Alexander the Great in the years following her son’s death.

Restoring Faith: The ancient Minoan civilisation

At the end of the 19th century, with religious belief under increasing attack, the British antiquarian Arthur Evans sought to ‘re-enchant’ the world with his utopian interpretation of Crete’s ancient Minoan civilisation, as Cathy Gere explains.

The Historical Socrates

The popular image of Socrates as a man of immense moral integrity was largely the creation of his pupil Plato. If we examine evidence of his trial, argues Robin Waterfield, a different picture emerges, of a cunning politician opposed to Athenian democracy.

Murder Most Foul

Robert Garland asks what murder meant to the apparently bloodthirsty Greeks and Romans.

Olympic Self-Sacrifice

Paul Cartledge explores the differences between today’s interpretation of the Olympic Games and their significance in the ancient world