Phillips Payson O’Brien
The American-born writer and academic Phillips Payson O’Brien on an admirable dictator, and his fascination with failure.
classical greece
War Classics – Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War
Graham Goodlad recalls one of the great works of military history.
In View
MHM’s round-up of the latest military history titles
Volos: Archaeology and myth in Thessaly
Looking for somewhere off the beaten track to explore in Greece? Martin Davies is our guide to the rich prehistoric heritage of Volos.
Greek islands quiz
On which Greek island would you find the acropolis of Lindos?
Ancient Greece Quiz
Which philosopher was the tutor of Alexander the Great?
Kallos: eternal beauty
What did kallos mean to the Greeks? As the Museum of Cycladic Art explores this concept, Lucia Marchini talks to Nikolaos Stampolidis to uncover divine, mortal, and internal beauty in the Greek world.
Spinning Salamis
Soon after the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC came another famous battle as allied Greek city-states fought to resist the invading armies of the Persian Empire. The Greek victory at Salamis 2,500 years ago was mythologised by Athenian playwrights and others, monumentalising their city’s role in saving all that was good and Greek. David Stuttard guides us through the drama.
Democracy in Athens: power to the people?
Paul Cartledge, who has written the biography of the revolutionary idea of democracy, explains how it was practised in ancient Athens where it originated.
Sex, sport, and sacrifice: reconstructing the ancient Olympics
Forget London 2012. What about Olympia in 388 BC? Archaeologist Neil Faulkner has just published a new book that attempts to reconstruct the lived experience of the ancient games. So what were they really like?