Greece

Graffito engraved on the temple of Seti I at Abydos, reading ‘Eruthemis son of Pasi-…’. Photo by Irene Soto, Ancient World Image Bank (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World).

Cypriot Graffiti in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian monuments are covered in graffiti made by visitors from Cyprus. Why were they there, and what does it mean?

A Roman copy of a Greek bust of Pericles. Luisa Ricciarini/Bridgeman images.

Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens

Pericles lends his name to an entire era of ancient Greek history, but we know little about him for certain. Statesman, demagogue, or Athenian original: who was he really?

Coin portraying King Ptolemy of Cyprus, c.65 BC, minted in Cyprus. Art Institute Chicago. Public Domain.

The Roman Annexation of Cyprus

In the first century BC Cyprus was caught between a waning Ptolemaic dynasty and an ambitious, indomitable Rome.

Marble head of Demosthenes, Roman, 2nd century AD. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Demosthenes’ by James Romm review

Demosthenes: Democracy’s Defender by James Romm looks for hope amid the sound and fury surrounding the great orator of ancient Athens.

Map of the world according to Strabo, by James Playfair, 1814. David Rumsey Map Collection. Public Domain.

Strabo: The First Geographer

As the father of descriptive geography, Strabo of Amasia provides a unique view of the early Roman Empire.

The ceiling of the Tomb of the Diver, Paestum, c.480 BC. Peregrine/Alamy Stock Photo.

‘The Diver of Paestum’ by Tonio Hölscher review

The Diver of Paestum: Youth, Eros and the Sea in Ancient Greece by Tonio Hölscher – and translated by Robert Savage – searches beneath the surface for the meaning behind a beguiling fresco.

Odysseus returning to Penelope, from Homer’s Odyssey, terracotta plaque, c.460-50 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

The Heroic Remains of Homer’s Odyssey

For those living on the Greek island of Ithaka, The Odyssey is written all around.

Marble bust of Thucydides. Totontonian new/Alamy Stock Photo.

The Ancient Greek World at War

For the ancient Greeks, the Peloponnesian War was a conflict involving the entire world. For Thucydides, it was a lesson in the realities of human nature

Plato’s Cave, Flemish school, 16th century. Bridgeman Images.

Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius

How to reform an ancient Greek tyrant? Plato’s final advice to Dionysius the Younger was not well received.

Carthusian monks at the dining table, from an account of rules of the Carthusian Order, the Netherlands, 15th century. British Library/Bridgeman Images.

The Violent Life of the Medieval Monks

Meant to live a life of perfect peacefulness and contemplation, in reality monks were human and fallible. How violent could life in the medieval cloister be?