Some of the ancients were obsessed with living beyond 100. Here’s how they thought they could do it.
Articles on Classical antiquity
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Nymphs offer us more than just stories of sexy nature spirits. They can reveal how ancient people thought about their world and connected with their landscape.
From the fifth to third centuries BCE, the Gallic tribes of central Europe were among the continent’s most fearsome warriors. And in 387 BCE, Gallic raiders sacked and profoundly humiliated Rome.
Here’s what the ancient Greeks and Romans can teach us about the environment and ourselves. From Roman soldiers in crowded camps to emperors cleaning up rivers, there are many lessons to be learned.
Hannibal remains a towering figure in military history, not only for his tactical brilliance but also for the profound impact he had on Rome. He continues to inspire military leaders today.
Much of what they said seems as relevant now as it did 2,000 years ago, even though we might question some of their methods.
It started with the ancient Greek word for crab. Here’s what happened after that.
Fighting for voter access is an inevitable part of any democracy, from ancient Rome to the US today. Roman legislators were able to thwart elite political sway by introducing written ballots.
Without the internet, television, radio or any widespread means of communication, ancient Greek athletes had to struggle to make their success known and easily communicated to a broad public.
Reading Wilson’s Iliad, one senses something of the chant of Homer’s verse, even through the written word.
Following a number of films featuring debauched emperors, it is nowadays commonplace to associate the Greek-Roman antiquity with orgies. But is this historically accurate?
Americans of all stripes have long embraced the culture of the ancient Mediterranean, using ancient ideals to navigate a new world.
Since antiquity people have harnessed sound as a weapon, and the practice continues – in new high-tech ways – today.
Scientists have uncovered Roman farms beneath what was thought to be prehistoric forest in France.
A scholar of ancient Greek literature goes back to the account of Greek historian Thucydides on the spread of plague and finds parallels in the American response to the health crisis today.
As populism reemerges, Thucydides’s insights into the power of words to influence public sentiments remain acutely up-to-date.
Africa has one of the world’s richest fossil records, and evidence suggests that amateurs collected really important fossils long before professionals arrived on the scene.
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.
Hollywood loves a Roman action film. And recent archaeological evidence offers fresh insight into the world of the hippodrome: from sprinklers to cool horses to a mosaic displaying the four phases of a chariot race.
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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Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
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Research Scholar, Classics and History and Philosophy of Science, Stanford University
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Professor of Classical Studies, Brandeis University
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Professor of History, Iowa State University
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Research Fellow and Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol
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Professeur d'histoire ancienne, Université de Lorraine
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Associate Professor of Classics, University of Winnipeg
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Post-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow, Bowdoin College
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Senior Researcher in Ecology & Biostatistics (CNRS), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV)
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Professor of History, Australian Catholic University
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Professor of Ancient History, The University of Melbourne
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Professor, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney
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PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney