Guide to the classics: Homer’s Iliad
Homer’s Iliad is usually thought of as the first work of European literature, and many would say, the greatest. It tells part of the saga of the city of Troy and the war that took place there.
Guide to the Classics: Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars explores vice and virtue in ancient Rome
The stories of virtue and vice in the Caesars are carefully selected to illustrate whether emperors measured up to this standard.
Guide to the classics: Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War
His sharp analysis of the kind of forces that stir popular sentiments and drive collective decision making still resonates in the modern world.
Can You Solve these Ancient Riddles?
We bring you ten riddles from the ancient world. Can you solve them?
Was Helen really to blame for the Trojan War – or just a scapegoat?
The question of Helen’s involvement in such a significant conflict clearly poses difficult questions – and has done ever since the age of Homer.
Roman gladiators were war prisoners and criminals, not sporting heroes
For centuries, the bloody gladiator conflicts that the Romans staged in amphitheatres throughout the empire have engrossed and repelled us. When it comes to gladiators, it is almost impossible to look away. But the arena is also the place where the Romans feel most foreign to us.
20 Ancient Greek Proverbs
Some wit and wisdom from the classical world – here are proverbs from 20 ancient Greek writers.
Three ancient cities to rival London, Paris and New York
By Zena Kamash London, Paris and New York are global cities: modern hubs for travel, technology and trade, their names and images echo…
Why Easter is called Easter, and other little-known facts about the holiday
The naming of the celebration as “Easter” seems to go back to the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England, Eostre, who was celebrated at beginning of spring.
Mythbusting Ancient Rome – did all roads actually lead there?
We all know the phrase ‘all roads lead to Rome’. Today, it is used proverbially and has come to mean something like ‘there is more than one way to reach the same goal’. But did all roads ever really lead to the eternal city?