Latest Posts
Subordinate Woman or Favored Leader: Portrayals of Mary Magdalene in Christian Canonical & Non-Canonical Gospels
In the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John, the repeated mention and identification of Mary Magdalene by name validates her presence and prominence among Biblical women. Furthermore, when amongst a group of women, her name is frequently the first listed (though not always). Moreover, Jesus appears to Mary first after his resurrection in several of the books too. Despite these distinctions above nearly all other women, she is specifically named only eleven times in eight chapters of the Gospels (two chapters each).
Historical contraception: birth control before "the pill"
Among the various forms of contraception described emerge three clear categories of contraception: techniques, herbo-pharmacology, and devices.
Philosophies of Imprisonment in Late Antiquity
In order to understand how the conceptual perception of prisons changed with different social groups, one must first understand what prisons were meant to be and what they actually were. Prison structure was governed on logic, with different types of prisons to separate the accused from the condemned. From the structure, scholars can understand the purpose of the prison, and current scholarly debate revolves around the intention of the law-makers.
Young Achilles in the Roman World
Achilles is the only epic hero whose life can be followed quite literally from the cradle to the grave
Flavian Visual Propaganda : Building a Dynasty
In addition to demonstrating the application of the three themes in these instances, I would like to draw particular attention to the interrelation of the following: the misunderstood significance of the Temple of Isis in the Flavian triumph; the refiguring of Nero
The Disposal of Human Waste: A comparison between Ancient Rome and Medieval London
This essay examines the waste disposal options used in Ancient Rome and Medieval London, two cities that dealt with sewage in different ways.
Death in ancient times
‘Many a physician has slain a king!’ the emperor Hadrian shouted aloud as he lay on his deathbed.
Seneca
In two contrasting versions of the play Oedipus, one by the Roman Seneca, (3 BCE-65 CE), and another written about 500 years earlier by the Greek Sophocles (497-406 BCE) there are notable contrasts
Athena in the Twenty-first Century
Like many contemporary women, Athena moves in what is primarily a man
TravelAll posts
EXHIBITS – Defining Beauty: The Body in Ancient Greek Art
My review of the British Museum’s – Defining Beauty: The Body in Ancient Greek Art which explores daily life, gender, sexuality, athleticism, heroism, and the social and political ideologies the Greeks espoused through their views on the human form.
NewsAll posts
Basel papyrus is an ancient medical text, researchers find
Since the 16th century, Basel has been home to a mysterious papyrus. With mirror writing on both sides, it has puzzled generations of researchers.
Research network sheds new light on drinking and eating habits in the Roman world
The landmark 50th issue of the journal Internet Archaeology is featuring pioneering research that is investigating new ways of analysing millions of Roman artefacts associated with the consumption of food and drink.
Ancient human remains and a medieval mystery unearthed in southern England
Excavation of a Bronze Age burial mound in south west England leads to the discovery of an intact 4,000 year old human cremation as well as evidence of unaccountable activity from the medieval period on the same site.
2,100-year-old ‘hawk’ mummy actually a stillborn baby, scan reveals
A tiny Egyptian mummy long believed to be that of a hawk is actually a rare example of a near-to-term, severely malformed fetus
BooksAll posts
BOOKS: Hot New Ancient History Releases!: January
If improving your reading is your goal for 2016, you’ve come to the right place! Here are our hot new ancient history releases for January!
New Releases: Ancient Books for the Holiday Season!
A few new releases for the historian on your shopping list!
The Death of Caesar: New Light on History’s Most Famous Assassination
Barry Strauss talks about his new book The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination.
The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt
In these four videos, Gene Kritsky, author of The Tears of Re, talks about beekeeping in Ancient Egypt
New Open Access Book on Vergil’s Political Commentary
Leendert Weeda examines Vergil’s political views by analyzing the whole of the poet’s work and introduces the notion of the functional model, which suggests that the poet does not primarily have a literary objective, but a functional one.
Fall of Roman Empire can be explained by biology, researcher says
Forget the Vandals – the fall of the Roman Empire can be explained by biology, according to a new book.