Book review – ancient history
Are Egypt’s obelisks more stunning even than the pyramids?
On the banks of the River Thames in central London, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, known as Cleopatra’s Needle, reaches towards…
What did the ancient Greeks believe?
It is a curious fact that the modern Hebrew for ‘atheist’, Tim Whitmarsh notes in passing, is apikoros. The word…
Augustus: here was a Caesar! Or at least his great-nephew
It’s strange that tourists rarely visit the most famous site in Roman history. The spot in Pompey’s assembly hall where…
Financial crises are nothing new in Greece — they go back at least to the Peloponnesian War
Financial crises are nothing new in Greece. Back in 354 BC, at a time when Frankfurt was still a swamp,…
How the Romans went about their business
When Ovid was seeking ‘cures for love’, the most efficient remedy, he wrote, was for a young man to watch…
Ancients on oldies: tips on ageing from the Romans are all Greek to Richard Ingrams
A few months ago I went to a lunch at Univ, my old college in Oxford, to celebrate the 95th…
Darius III: Alexander’s stooge
The ‘Great Kings’ of Persia were renowned for their good looks and imposing stature, but they will always, throughout history, be eclipsed by the Greeks, says Tom Holland
What made Romans LOL?
At the beginning of The Art of Poetry, Horace tells a story that, he promises, will make anyone laugh: ‘If…
Pompeii’s greatest gifts are not all archeological
The first visitor to take a break on the Bay of Naples was Hercules. He had just defeated some rebellious…
Management consultancy! Sculpture park! Sports stadium! The many faces of the Delphic Oracle
Sam Leith finds the most sacred site of Ancient Greece still a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
In defence of Herodotus
How many writers would give their eye teeth to have a book reissued 2,500 years after their death? It certainly…
