Strabo: The First Geographer
As the father of descriptive geography, Strabo of Amasia provides a unique view of the early Roman Empire.
Ancient Greece
The Heroic Remains of Homer’s Odyssey
For those living on the Greek island of Ithaka, The Odyssey is written all around.
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 Last Word to Dionysius
How to reform an ancient Greek tyrant? Plato’s final advice to Dionysius the Younger was not well received.
‘Epic of the Earth’ by Edith Hall review
Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer’s Iliad in the Fight for a Dying World by Edith Hall sees the signs of environmental collapse amid the adventures of Achilles.
Euripides’ Lost Plays
One of Greek tragedy’s ‘big names’, Euripides survives largely in scraps and fragments. What can 78 new lines from Ino and Polyidus reveal?
‘Sparta and the Commemoration of War’ and ‘The Killing Ground’ review
Two very different volumes, Sparta and the Commemoration of War and The Killing Ground: A Biography of Thermopylae, grapple with the myth of Sparta.
Was the Trojan Horse Real?
Did the Greeks really trick their way into Troy inside a gigantic wooden horse?
Power and Populism in Ancient Greek Courts
In ancient Greece the ‘least dangerous’ branch of government – the courts – wielded serious political power.
Plato of Athens by Robin Waterfield review
Well-researched and attractively written, Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy by Robin Waterfield grapples with a life that left few records.