Herodotus

The Thracians were famous as fearsome warriors, hired as mercenaries by ancient Greeks and Romans, also known for the legendary gladiator Spartacus. Ancient Thrace was a territory between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. It occupied the region that...

The ancient Greeks named the Phoenicians the "purple people" because of the rare purple dye they made out of snail shells, but they were much more than that: they were the Mediterranean seafarers who created the first alphabet It was...

The island of Santorini, also known as Thera, is famous for being inhabited by the Minoans in the Bronze Age. It then erupted in a catastrophic volcanic event which completely wiped out the civilisation there. Yet, today, there are...

No other ancient historian the likes of Thucydides has ever written a book as insightful on the mechanisms and morals of war as History of the Peloponnesian War. The history of the armed conflict between ancient Greece's most emblematic city-states,...

Ancient Greek history is full of glorious men who have left an indelible mark through their military genius, courage, artistic greatness, political savviness, and exceptional statesmanship. Their statues grace monuments, city squares, and government buildings. In their portraits, they gaze...

Whether between Greek city-states or against external powers such as Persia, ancient Greece was a hotbed for war and the exercising of power. Yet, among the clatter of swords and shields in warfare, there still existed certain laws. Perhaps the...

The Etruscans were a relatively enigmatic people who lived in ancient Italy. They dominated the central region of Italy from about 700 BCE until the rise of Rome and the southern Greek city-states. Due to the difficulties in translating...

While the history of the alphabet of a particular language may not be of interest to many, it was quite significant to the Greeks. Lots of ancient Greek records contain stories about how they got their alphabet. It was...

The city of Naukratis was the earliest ancient Greek colony in Egypt that served as the connecting and trading post between the Greek and Egyptian civilizations

Evidence preserved on papyri and ostraca as well as in graffiti indicates ancient Greek and Roman tourists visited Egypt to observe and admire the Egyptian civilization. While in ancient times people traveled—sometimes quite far—to worship, written evidence that has been...