When you think of Sparta, an image will most likely form of hoplites formed in line or on march. Men in gleaming armour, surly eyes and possibly the odd six pack. Spartan society attracted a lot of interest both in the time of the ancient Greeks and later, its mystique cultivated by a lack of …
The Nike of Samothrace
Hellenistic sculptures is perhaps the most famous of the sculptures of the Hellenistic period. Now found at the Louvre, it has been speaking to visitor’s imagination for several centuries now. But where does it come from? The drama of Nike Where to begin? It has been on prominent display in the Louvre since 1884 and …
Myth and Polis X: Will the real Phocis stand up?
We have now reached the tenth part of this series. So far we have already seen why the Greeks eagerly used the legendary heroes and kings of Greek mythology for diplomatic purposes. We know how they did it, for what audience, and what role these stories played in the early history of a city. Some …
Hellenistic cities III: Hybrid Worship in Alexandria
This is third part of our series on Hellenistic cities where we explore some very famous poleis such as Alexandria or Pergamon as well as some that are a little more obscure like Megalopolis. Each post tells us more about the general history, population or specific aspects of these Greek cities. In today’s post Shiro …
Myth and Polis VI: Alexander the Great
Whichever way you look at it, when you talk about the Hellenistic world, most people immediately think of Alexander the Great. And how could they not? His deeds have captured the imagination for millennia. Whether it is his extremely fast march to India or the ease with which he inspired loyalty in his soldiers and loved …
Myth and Politics V: behind the scenes?
In the previous parts of this series, we have already seen kinship policy in action. From these examples, a few things become very clear. We do know that these kinship ties were used as an effective effective means of achieving certain goals, but do we know which ties where used and, more importantly, who these …
Numismatics and the legend of horned Bukephalos
In her last post, Michelle simon introduced us to Alexander’s horse bukephalos. One of the most famous horses of the ancient world. Despite his famed beauty and nobility, he had a rather common name, since boukephalous in greek means ‘ox-headed’. According to tradition, there were several explanations for his name, the most interesting of which …
Digital Tools for the Ancient World? Some suggestions
So you like the Ancient World? Good, then you are in the right place. Have you ever wondered how the research is done for the articles, blogs or books that you love reading? Yes? Then look no further! Of course, any good researcher starts with the traditional books and articles on the topic that you …