It’s an attractively neat idea. But when it came to paying Roman soldiers, coins did the job admirably.
Articles on Ancient history
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In today’s looksmaxxing culture, young men pursue a supposedly ‘ancient’ ideal that’s actually modern and pharmacologically constructed.
Control of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus strait was life and death for ancient Athens. Waterways are no less important – and contentious – today.
After dozens of wars between the two ancient empires of Rome and Persia, peace deals often failed to solve problems – and sometimes made the situation worse.
Israel’s airstrikes in the south of the country have damaged ancient Roman ruins, mosques, schools and churches.
Ancient furnace workers experimented with heating the ends of glass tubes to rework them. One day, someone blew into that tube and changed history.
What did Thucydides really say on this? And what’s Athens and Sparta got to do with the current state of US-China relations?
At every difficult moment in their long history, the Persian people have fought to preserve what is theirs. The Trump administration may have underestimated this.
Through fossilized tooth enamel, scientists are reconstructing the diets and landscapes that existed millions of years ago. We really are what we eat.
My research shows that chess created a space in which players – regardless of their skin colour – could engage as equals.
St Patrick was actually a Roman Briton, who was kidnapped by Irish raiders, spirited across the sea and enslaved, aged 16. How did he become Ireland’s national hero?
Some of the ancients were obsessed with living beyond 100. Here’s how they thought they could do it.
In new research, biochemical analyses align with imagery and historical sources to show how the pre-Inca Chincha society turned guano into a source of power.
New research suggests olive trees have been exploited for more than 6,000 years. The first Italian olive oil was produced perhaps 4,000 years ago.
The real heartbeat of Troy is a story that history has long forgotten.
The oldest known writing dates to around 5000 BCE. It origins are mysterious.
Pharaohs may have used this vessel to hunt hippopotami.
People in ancient times faked illnesses for all sorts of reasons. And in extreme cases, there might be a valid reason to lie.
One wonders what Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian empire, would think of the comparison.
In Greg Sheridan’s latest book, “pagan” Rome is a straw man, against which he posits early Christianity as the loving and brave hero.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia
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Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University
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Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney
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Lecturer in Archaeology and Classical Studies, Adelaide University ; School of Advanced Study, University of London
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Professor in Archaeology, University of Bristol
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Research Associate, Institute for Prehistory and Early History and Medieval Archaeology, University of Tübingen
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Professor Emerita, Classical Studies, The Open University
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Lecturer in Classical Studies, The Open University
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PhD Candidate in Classics and Archaeology, The University of Melbourne
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Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff University
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Senior Lecturer in Classical Studies, The Open University
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Professor of Classics and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University
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Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor of Greek History, The University of Queensland
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Lecturer in Roman Archaeology and Art, Royal Holloway, University of London