Among the most memorable conversations preserved in Plutarch’s Life of Pyrrhus stands the dialogue between Pyrrhus, the ancient Greek king of Epirus, and his trusted adviser and Epicurean philosopher, Cineas. Their exchange illuminates the restless nature and the paradox...
The Romans killed all the men and took the women and children into slavery. Corinth was burned and obliterated...
The destruction of Corinth in 146 BC was one of the most dramatic events in the history of the Roman conquest...
The Roman conquest of Greece did not erase the architectural traditions of the Greek world in monuments and buildings. Instead, the Roman rulers added new ones, creating a new architectural landscape in which older Greek monuments and structures and...
The magnificent ancient Persian city of Ctesiphon with its mythical culture-heroes was the Roman emperors' ultimate prize in their wars against Persia. The capture of the enemy capital meant prestige, loot, and the symbolic humiliation of the Persian king.
Situated...
Most people assume the Greek and Roman pantheons were essentially mirror images—same gods, different names—but how accurate is such an oversimplification?
For instance, we all know Zeus became Jupiter, Athena morphed into Minerva, Poseidon became Neptune, and so on. But...
The mysterious Sibylline Books were a number of secretly kept Greek oracle collections that the rulers of ancient Rome consulted in times of crisis.
Only fragments of the Sibylline Books have survived. They were partially destroyed in a fire in...
The alliance between Philip V of Macedon and Hannibal Barca in 215 BC was one of the most potentially dangerous diplomatic efforts to stop the Roman expansion in the Adriatic.
Hannibal had already inflicted catastrophic defeats upon Rome in the...
In ancient Greek society, the concept of identity was closely tied to citizenship, as the Greeks—founders of democracy—defined each individual’s rights and obligations within their organized city-states.
Citizens in ancient Greece and Rome had to be documented and identified within...
"Greece, conquered Greece, her conqueror subdued, And Rome grew polished, who till then was rude."
Horace, the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.
In 146 BC, Greece yielded to the military might of the Roman Republic. Sixty years...
Dental care was a vital part of daily life for the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who recognized the importance of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Although these societies lacked toothbrushes, fluoride toothpaste, and professional dentistry as it exists today,...
