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Ancient / Classical History

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July 2009

07/02/09 - Greeks
A brief look at what we mean when we refer to Greeks in ancient history.

07/01/09 - Lucilius
Glossary entry on the father of Roman satire.

June 2009

06/30/09 - Strabo
Glossary entry on the geographer Strabo.

06/29/09 - Furies (Erinyes)
Alecto
Megaira
Tisiphone

06/29/09 - Execution of Socrates
Socrates took the cup of hemlock in front of witnesses, asked questions, commented, and died, as Plato records in the Phaedo.

06/29/09 - Assassination of Caesar
On the Ides of March Caesar fell victim to a bloody assassination.

06/28/09 - Is Caesar Salad Named for Julius Caesar?
This question really does come up from time to time and considering the fact that Parmesan could be any cheese from Parma and Romaine is actually Roman lettuce, it could even work -- for historical alternative fiction.

06/27/09 - Seasonal Diseases
The Hippocratic Corpus includes a list of diseases associated with each of the four seasons.

06/27/09 - Countries in Ancient History
A handy page to find introductions to the major ancient Eurasian countries and geographic areas.

06/26/09 - Weekly Quiz
To be fair, it has been years since I did a weekly quiz, but this quiz is on a week's worth of blog posts.

06/26/09 - Maecenas
Glossary entry on one of the arts patrons under Augustus.

06/25/09 - Mars
Glossary entry on the very popular Roman god who corresponds with the unpopular Greek Ares.

06/24/09 - Cleopatra and Antony
Review of Diana Preston's popular history of the age and romance of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

06/24/09 - Aeneid Maps
Two maps showing the path the ships of Aeneas and his companions took from Troy to Latium in the Aeneid.

06/23/09 - Characters From the Aeneid
Annotated pictures of characters from Vergil's Aeneid.

06/22/09 - Vergil Quotes
Some of the memorable lines from verificable places in the corpus of Vergil, and why the list is restricted.

06/22/09 - Aeneid Glossary
A growing list of mostly people, with some places from the Aeneid. Initial focus is on Book VI.

06/20/09 - Roman Numerals
A list of Roman numerals.

06/16/09 - Roman Education
An overview of the ancient Roman education system.

06/11/09 - Seneca Quotations
Some of the famous sayings of Seneca that are used in English, plus references to their source.

06/11/09 - Roman Republic Timeline
A list of some of the main events leading to the switch from a republican form of government to the rule by one man known as the Roman emperor.

06/11/09 - Glossary Additions
Phoenician, Spartan, Battle of Naulochus, Tiglath-Pileser III, Nebuchadnezzar I

06/10/09 - Review of Civilizations of Ancient Iraq, by the Fosters
Review of the Fosters' new book on the area that was to become such a hotbed.

06/09/09 - Nabonidus
The last of the Neo-Babylonian kings, although he co-ruled with his oldest son.

06/08/09 - Kassites
An interesting, but little known group of people, possibly from where the steppe nomad area met the settled peoples in central Eurasia, who came to dominate Babylonia politically for 5 centuries.

06/08/09 - War Goddesses
List of war goddesses with place of worship and attributes or other bits of information.

06/07/09 - Husbands of Helen
A list of the 11 husbands of Helen of Troy.

06/06/09 - Shamshi-Adad
Shamshi-Adad was king for more than 60 years in Upper Mesopotamia, from Syria to northern Babylonia, in the 19th-18th centuries B.C.

06/05/09 - Sirpur
Glossary entry on Sirpur. Sirpur is a site of archaeological investigations into ancient India.

06/01/09 - Review: Helen of Troy From Homer to Hollywood, by Laurie Macguire
Short review of the literary biography of Helen of Troy.

06/01/09 - Ancient Rivers
Some of the major rivers of the ancient world.

May 2009

05/31/09 - Rivers Quiz
Quick quiz on the major ancient rivers.

05/29/09 - Greek and Latin Meters Quiz
Another 8-question self-grading quiz on the meters of ancient Greece and Rome.

05/29/09 - Dactylic Hexameter
Basics on the dactylic hexameter, which is used for epic poetry.

05/28/09 - What Is Cynicism
A brief look at the ancient, classical variety of Cynicism.

05/27/09 - Latin Abbreviations Quiz
A self-grading 8-question quiz on Latin abbreviations.

05/26/09 - Menippean Satire
Glossary entry introducing the verse/prose medley that is Menippean satire.

05/25/09 - Bulfinch Myths About Athena
In Bulfinch's mythology the goddess Athena (Minerva) plays a major and minor role in a variety of myths.

05/22/09 - Greek Gods
A look at the major Greek gods of Mount Olympus.

05/22/09 - Greek Goddesses
A look at the major Greek goddesses of Mount Olympus.

05/21/09 - Athena and Arachne
Retelling of the contest between the goddess and a mortal spinner.

05/20/09 - Rome - What Is Rome
Glossary entry on the capital of the Roman world.

05/20/09 - Odyssey - What Is Odyssey
Named for Odysseus, the word Odyssey has taken on a life of its own.

05/19/09 - Eros - Who Is Eros
If you do a lot of crossword puzzles, it's important to know the Roman and Greek versions of this god in four letters.

05/18/09 - Review: Writing, by Barry B. Powell
Review of Barry B. Powell's book on the history of early writing and deciphering of ancient scripts.

05/13/09 - Manichaeism
Glossary entry on Manichaeism, one of the religions or heresies of Christianity in which Augustine was interested before his conversion.

05/12/09 - Moses Basket
Moses was one of several famous children whose legends say they were exposed at birth.

05/11/09 - Romulus Augustulus
Glossary entry on the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus.

05/08/09 - Cleopatra's Needles Quiz
An 8-question self-grading quiz on "Cleopatra's Needles.

05/08/09 - "Cleopatra's Needles"
A photo tour of the obelisks called Cleopatra's Needles.

05/05/09 - Review: How Rome Fell, by Adrian Goldsworthy
Short review of Adrian Goldsworthy's 2009 book on the fall of Rome.

05/03/09 - Roman Apartments
Glossary entry about the apartments of ancient Rome, insulae, and cenacula.

05/03/09 - Regionaries
The Regionaries or Regionary Catalogues are documents listing landmarks of Imperial Rome.

April 2009

04/30/09 - Virgil
Glossary entry on Virgil, the alternate English spelling of the name of the Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid.

04/30/09 - Greek Pottery Quiz II
What is planned as a slightly easier 8-question quiz on Greek pottery.

04/29/09 - Greek Pottery Quiz I
An 8-question quiz on Greek pottery.

04/27/09 - Panic
Glossary entry on the condition associated with the Greek god Pan.

04/26/09 - Alexander the Great Pictures
Photos of statues and more showing artistic representations of Alexander the Great.

04/24/09 - Rudis
Glossary entry on the gladiatorial reward known as a rudis.

04/22/09 - Hadrian's Wall Photo Tour
The Roman Emperor Hadrian built a wall almost 2000 years ago to protect the Roman troops from barbarian incursions. You can still see this Roman structure with its forts and mile posts, even though most of the stones are gone. Here are some photographs of Hadrian's Wall sites.

04/21/09 - Central Eurasia Quiz
An 8-question test of how well you know ancient Central Eurasia.

04/20/09 - Review: Empires of the Silk Road, by Christopher I. Beckwith
If you want to know the history of Central Eurasia, the silk road, or the residents of the steppes, you should read this new book. The silk road was more than just a a trade route, but a political plum that yielded taxes and, of course, allowed cultural communication between East and West, but the communication may have been going on a lot longer than you might have thought.

04/17/09 - Formation of Indo-European Languages From *PIE
A theory about the emergence of Indo-European languages from Proto-Indo-European and their spread throughout Eurasia.

04/17/09 - Transoxiana
Glossary entry on the area of central Asia sometimes known as Transoxiana.

04/10/09 - Central Asia and Steppes Quiz
This 5-question self-grading quiz is based on the articles written so far this month.

04/09/09 - Review: A History of the Ancient Near East, by Marc Van De Mieroop
An overview of Marc Van De Mieroop's introduction to the ancient Near East from 3000 to Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia.

04/09/09 - Review: In the Courts of the Sun, by Brian D'Amato
D'Amato's science fiction thriller looks at life among the Maya.

04/07/09 - Baths of Caracalla
Pictures of the thermae before they were damaged by earthquake.

04/06/09 - Steppe Tribes
An evolving resource on the tribes that lived on the Steppes in the ancient world.

04/04/09 - Central Asia
Information on the ancient world of Central Asia.

04/03/09 - Botai
Glossary entry on one of the earliest domesticators of the horse.

04/03/09 - Pastoralism
Glossary entry on the basic life-sustaining occupation of the Steppes.

04/02/09 - The Steppes
Glossary entry on the region between Russia and China that produced such terrors as Attila the Hun.

March 2009

03/31/09 - Chinese Paper Making
Information on the materials used to create paper in early China.

03/30/09 - Chinese Writing
Some basic information about ancient Chinese pictographic writing.

03/30/09 - Tang Dynasty
Glossary entry on the dynasty that is considered the golden age of chinese civilization.

03/29/09 - Sui Dynasty
Glossary on a short-lived dynasty in China that preceded the Tang.

03/29/09 - Nullus
Declension of nullus-a-um.

03/29/09 - Double Negatives
How to translate certain Latin double negatives.

03/29/09 - Partitive Genitives
The Partitive Genitive is also known as genitive of the whole.

03/28/09 - Roman Woodworking Occupations
List of Latin terms related to the Roman occupations involved in woodwork.

03/26/09 - Six Dynasties
After the Han Dynasty, the power shifted and was unstable in ancient China. The next three and a half centuries are known as the six dynasties.

03/25/09 - Shang Dynasty
Profile of the dynasty that followed the Xia, one of the first three Chinese dynasties that together are known as the 3 Holy Dynasties.

03/24/09 - Xia Dynasty
Profile of the earliest Chinese dynasty begun by the king who ended the great flood. The Xia is the first of the first three Chinese dynasties that together are known as the 3 Holy Dynasties.

03/23/09 - Whose Culture? The Promise of Museums and the Debate Over Antiquities
Summary of this collection of essays on the problems museums and scholars face when archaeologists and international organizations try to stem the flow of artifacts.

03/22/09 - Imperatives
Basics on forming the Latin imperative.

03/19/09 - Review: A History of Rome, by Le Glay et. al
Le Glay et al's A History of Rome was first published in 1991. Showing influence of the times, this history is more concerned with social culture and biographies that military strategy.

03/16/09 - Chinese Pottery
A pictorial look at pottery and ceramics from neolithic cultures to the Tang Dynasty in China.

03/12/09 - Chou Dynasty
Profile of the third Chinese dynasty, the Chou or Zhou, one of the first three Chinese dynasties that together are known as the 3 Holy Dynasties.

03/10/09 - Footbinding
An archaic rather than ancient practice thought to enhance the allure of Han Chinese girls.

03/09/09 - A Lucan Reader
Susanna Braund has written an introduction and commentary to select passages from Lucan's Civil War for this little Bolchazy-Carducci Latin reader.

03/07/09 - Chinese Dynasties
Glossary entry on Chinese dynasties.

03/06/09 - Roman Relationships
Latin terms for family relationships in ancient Rome, based on John E. Sandys.
Quiz

03/04/09 - Population of China
China has long had an amazingly large population.

03/04/09 - China in Pictures
Pages added to this visual look at ancient China include a section of the Qin Dynasty Great Wall and some early porcelain.

03/01/09 - Review: The Spartacus War, by Barry Strauss
In his 264 page book, Strauss deftly switches from fact to multiple possibilities to his preferred hypotheses depending on what the limited evidence suggests. He explains options succinctly without drifting off into pages-long digressions. This makes The Spartacus War suitable for anyone who wants to learn about Spartacus.

03/01/09 - Superlatives
Information about the superlatives of Latin adjectives.

February 2009

02/27/09 - The Wars Between Greece and Persia Known as the Persian Wars
An update of an article introducing the Ionian Greeks, kings Croesus, Xerxes and Darius, the Delian League, and Herodotus.

02/25/09 - Reasons for the Fall of Rome
There are adherents to single factors, but more people think Rome fell because of a combination of such factors as Christianity, decadence, and military problems.

02/25/09 - Roman Emperors of the Fall
A collection of emperors and tables showing turning points in Roman history.

02/23/09 - Sanskrit Quiz
This short quiz tests whether you have absorbed the information in the glossary entry on Sanskrit.

02/22/09 - The Silk Road
A gathering place for information on the Silk Road in the ancient world.

02/21/09 - Kushans on the Silk Road
When Kushan controlled much of the Indian Subcontinent it also controlled the supply of silk to the Romans. Fortunately, this came at a time when the Romans were most able to trade what the Kushans wanted.

02/20/09 - The 12 Labors of Hercules
Hercules was one of the most popular heroes in classical mythology. Despite his involvement in escapades all over the Mediterranean, he is known for 12 labors, mostly feats of strength, that he performed for Eurystheus.

02/19/09 - Pivotal Myths and Legends
The major stories in Greek mythology focus on families and heroes. Here are some of the clusters of Greek myths and legends, including the Trojan War and the tragedy-inspiring House of Atreus, as well as the major heroes, and the most famous hunt.

02/19/09 - Sanskrit
A glossary entry on the ancient language Sanskrit with a passage from Sir William Jones, the 17th century orientalist who correctly appreciated the relationships between Sanskrit and Greek and Latin.

02/19/09 - Buddhism Profile
A look at the main components of Buddhism with links to the related terms.

02/17/09 - Buddha
Another glossary entry on Buddhism, this one gives a bit of background on its founder.

02/17/09 - Nirvana
Another glossary entry on Buddhism, Nirvana is a concept often taken to refer to an afterlife.

02/16/09 - Buddhism
Glossary entry on Buddhism. Buddhism is a refinement of Hinduism made by Siddharta Gautama after he achieved enlightenment.

02/16/09 - Hinduism
Glossary entry on Hinduism. Hinduism claims to be the oldest extant religion. It isn't dogmatic, but is more a way of life than a Judaeo-Christian-style creed-based religion.

02/15/09 - Jainism
Glossary entry on Jainism. Jainism is an ascetic non-theistic religion of the Indian subcontinent that features transmigration of the soul and reincarnation.

02/14/09 - Ecumenical Councils
Most of the Church Councils were held during the Roman Empire, especially the early centuries of Christianity, but they have continued from 325-1965.

02/13/09 - Latin Translation Caveat
A forum poster poster translated from Old Dutch to German to Spanish to Latin. This may be necessary, especially if one's native language doesn't have a good Latin lexicon, but it's fraught with potential problems. Each time you "translate" a word into another language you're getting an interpretation.

02/10/09 - Ancient Mothers
Pictures of famous ancient Greek and Roman mothers from myth and history.

02/09/09 - Punjab
Glossary entry on the area of the Indian Subcontinent known as the Punjab.

02/08/09 - Aryan Hypothesis
Brief explanation of the Aryan Theory controversy.

02/08/09 - Anansi
Brief explanation of who and what Anansi is.

02/08/09 - Ancient Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a diverse and fertile region with monsoons, droughts, plains, mountains, deserts, and especially rivers, along which early cities developed in the third millennium B.C. Here are some definitions for terms related to the ancient Indian Subcontinent.

02/06/09 - Theophrastus
Aristotle gave Tyrtamus the name Theophrastus 'divine speaker'. Read more about what Theophrastus wrote.

02/06/09 - Languages of the Indian Subcontinent
The ancient languages of India and Pakistan are usually called Indo-Aryan and are considered a branch of the Indo-Iranian language family. Here are the four major ones.

02/06/09 - Mahajanapadas
Between 1500 and 500 B.C. 16 city-states known as Mahajanapadas emerged in the Indian subcontinent.

02/04/09 - How Many Trips Did Hercules (Heracles) Make to the Underworld?
Here are the possible answers and my preferred one.

02/03/09 - What Were Julius Caesar's Famous Last Words?
These are the words made famous by Shakespeare and Suetonius spoken in the midst of Caesar's assassination.

02/03/09 - What Were Vespasian's Famous Last Words?
The first of the Flavian emperors kept his wit to the end.

02/02/09 - What Were Nero's Famous Last Words?
Well, maybe not last words, but these so characteristic words were said to have been uttered by the emperor as he prepared to die.

January 2009

01/31/09 - How Many Animals Died & Gladiators Fought to Celebrate Trajan's Dacian Campaign?
An FAQ on Rome's biggest gladiatorial event.

01/31/09 - Review: Betray the Night, by Benita Kane Jaro
The author of the Lock has written her third in a series about ancient Rome, this time exploring the secret behind Ovid's relegation.

01/30/09 - Where Were King Solomon's Mines?
Do you know what was in King Solomon's mines or where they were?

01/28/09 - Why Did the Maya Practice Human Sacrifice?
This is one of those times when a mind meld and time machine would help, but since they aren't available, we can still make reasonable guesses about this not-so-uncommon religious ritual.

01/27/09 - Maya Human Sacrifice
Like many other groups, the Maya performed ritual sacrifices -- of humans.

01/26/09 - Maya Codex
There are 3 or 4 codices of the Maya that survive. The three are named for the places they have been housed for the last couple of centuries. The fourth is a 20th century find and could be a fake.

01/24/09 - Drawings of the Greco-Roman Gods
Thomas Keightley's 1852 The Mythology of Ancient Greece and Italy: For the Use of Schools contains lovely iconic black and white drawings of the gods and goddesses from Greek mythology. Here are the 12 gods Keightley includes.

01/23/09 - Irregular Latin Verbs
A quick tip about Latin irregular verbs.

01/21/09 - Maya Hieroglyphs
The writing of the Maya is called hieroglyphs because it is a form of picture writing that combines whole words and syllable symbols.

01/19/09 - Comparative Method
The Comparative Method is used by historical linguists to figure out earlier proto-language families.

01/19/09 - Nostratic
Glossary entry on the term Nostratic from historical linguistics.

01/17/09 - Zahi Hawass
A quick look at Egypt's leading archaeologist.

01/16/09 - 12 Caesars Portrait Gallery
Updates to Galba and Nero.

01/16/09 - Popol Vuh
Although this book was written after the classical period of the Maya, it contains information about the culture, mythology, and chronology of the ancient Maya. This is a short glossary entry on it.

01/13/09 - Naram-Sin
Naram-Sin (2254-18) was the grandson of Sargon, founder of the Akkad Dynasty.

01/13/09 - Monumentum Ancyranum
This is a monument on which were recorded the deeds of Augustus.

01/11/09 - Appius Claudius Caecus
Glossary entry on one of the famous Early Claudians, the person whose name is remembered in the Appian Way.

01/09/09 - Mesoamerica Ball Game Picture Gallery
The Mesoamericans developed the first organized team sport thanks to the rubber plant. Like our sports teams, their games were popular and conferred prestige, but unlike our ball games, be they volleyball, soccer or touch football, they could also result in the deliberate sacrificial death of the loser.

01/09/09 - About the Maya
More detail on the Maya than the glossary entry below. Includes where, when, who, and a bit about language and sacrifice of the ancient Maya.

01/08/09 - Maya Gods and Goddesses
The start of an index of the gods and goddesses of the Maya.

01/07/09 - Who Were the Maya?
A short summary of the main features of the ancient Maya.

01/06/09 - Tikal
Tikal is the site of another major city of the Maya that was also a major trading post.

01/05/09 - Calakmul
The first in what should become a series of glossary entries on terms related to the ancient Maya. Calakmul is the site of a major ancient Maya city.

01/02/09 - Celtic Gods and Goddesses
A list of many of the Celtic deities with a brief description of their functions. Since the Romans (and Christians) wrote about the gods and goddesses of the Celtic pantheon, the descriptions are based on Roman gods.