From phallus-shaped wind chimes to explicit erotica on lamps and cups, sex is everywhere in ancient Greek and Roman art. But our interpretations of these images say much about our own culture.
Articles on Ancient Greece
Displaying 201 - 220 of 247 articles
The idea that the athletic contests – held in honour of the Greek god Zeus for over a thousand years – were shut down by a puritanical Christian emperor makes for a good story. But is it true?
Politicians assume that voters cannot face the financial truth. To democracy experts this is just wrong. Involving voters results in better budgets as shows history from ancient Greece.
Sappho sang of desire, passion and love – mostly directed towards women. As new fragments of her work are found, a fuller picture of her is emerging, but she remains the most mysterious of ancient poets.
As the Olympics get underway, what would the man who founded the modern Olympic movement think? Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of the Olympics as a tool of peace and faith in youth still resonates.
A giant rally in Thessaloniki and another in Athens show the strength of feeling in Greek Macedonia – and all over a country’s name.
In Athenian society, it appears some elite courtesans were better educated than traditional wives. Other sex workers were sold into the role as children.
The dream of a “gay utopia” is a constant in gay and lesbian historical imaginings over the last 200 years. But the Greek attitude to same-sex attraction was not nearly as permissive as many have assumed.
Does ancient Greek war hawk Pericles provide clues to a besieged Donald Trump’s next move? War has always been a helpful distraction for cornered world leaders.
The ancient Greeks knew what made a good leader. Why does it seem we have forgotten their lessons?
The story of the Odyssey is a quintessential quest that relates to the passage through life and the importance of love, family and home. Odysseus’s adventures have influenced everyone from Batman to Bob Dylan.
The story behind the marathon is more complicated than it seems.
A central idea in the Iliad - a poetic work focused on the war for Troy - is the inevitability of death. The poem held a special place in antiquity, and has resonated in the millennia since.
How the idea of a hyper-connected society could quickly go from utopia to dystopia and why neither scenario is likely to last.
As populism reemerges, Thucydides’s insights into the power of words to influence public sentiments remain acutely up-to-date.
A long time ago, in an empire far, far away …
Many of the constellations we know in the night sky come from myths of the ancient Greeks. But similar stories are told by the oldest living cultures on Earth, including those of Australia.
For the first time in recent memory the possibility of imprisoning political rivals has entered the political discourse of a modern western election. But ostracism is an ancient democratic tradition that offers an alternative approach.
For centuries, historians have assumed that ‘primitive societies’ couldn’t have possibly come up with advanced techniques on their own.
How medieval spires and snarling gargoyles went out of fashion and then made a spectacular return under – you guessed it – the Victorians.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia
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Emeritus Professor of Classics, La Trobe University
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Professor of Classical Studies, Brandeis University
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Honorary Professor of Classics and Ancient History, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor of Greek History, The University of Queensland
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Paul Eliadis Chair of Classics and Ancient History, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Political Science, Macalester College
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Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
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Professor in Philosophy, Australian Catholic University
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Professor of Law, Wayne State University
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Professeur d'histoire ancienne, Université de Lorraine
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Research Scholar, Classics and History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford University
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Senior lecturer, UNSW
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Associate Professor of Classics, University of Winnipeg