
Lions in ancient Greece
Fact or fiction?
Lions play an important part in ancient Greek art and myth from the Late Bronze Age onwards. But did these animals really once exist on the European continent?

The Battle of Marathon
Thoughts on the Athenian victory of 490 BC
In a recent lecture, I argued that the Battle of Marathon wasn’t as much of a big deal as our Greek sources would have us believe.

History as inspiration
A practical use of history
A good knowledge of history can help fuel creativity, as demonstrated by the works of renowned fiction writers such as Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R. Tolkien, and George R.R. Martin.

Are museums just collections of things?
Public puzzlement over an exhibit at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden leads me to be invited to another exhibition in Amsterdam.

Herakles (2012)
A book by Emma Stafford
This is an excellent book, clearly laid out, and written in an engaging and pleasant manner, that comes warmly recommended.

Disney’s Hercules (1997)
Disney does Hercules, resulting in an entertaining movie that’s fun for all the family – although purists may scoff at the liberties taken with the source material.

Hercules: The Knives of Kush (2011)
The sequel to Steve Moore’s first graphic novel treatment of the hero Hercules is essentially more of the same.

Steve Reeves' turn as Hercules
Some of the best so-called Peplum movies are two Italian-produced films about Hercules starring Steve Reeves.

The shield of Heracles
The earliest known text about one of Heracles’ adventures is the so-called Shield of Heracles, attributed to Hesiod.

Hercules 3D (2014)
Based on the comic book by Steve Moore, this energetic Hercules movie also borrows from classic Peplum films.