This page lists all of the articles that have been published on this website in reverse chronological order, so with the newest material listed first.

All good things…
Ancient World Magazine is shutting down
After more than four years, Ancient World Magazine is shutting down. We’ve had a good run, but all good things eventually come to an end. However, much of the content will be moved to a new location.


“A Lady of York”
The life and times of the Ivory Bangle Lady
A high-status grave from Late-Roman York is better known as the “Ivory Bangle Lady”. Analyses of her remains and her grave goods have helped us to understand her biography. In this article, Adam Parker explores what we understand of her life of wealth and migration to Roman Britain.

Africans in Bronze Age Crete?
The “Captain of the Blacks” fresco from Knossos
Small fragments of a fresco from Knossos were reconstructed by Arthur Evans as depicting an African warrior preceded by a figure with lighter skin designated the “Captain of the Blacks”. The reconstruction and the designation are, of course, not without their problems.

Vindobona
Vienna in Roman times
In building their empire, the Romans preferred borders that were relatively easy to defend, such as rivers. Next to the Danube, they founded a fort called Vindobona on the site of the later city of Vienna.


The vastness of Rome
For the Romans, without modern modes of transport, the world must have felt like a much larger place. For many, however, this was no impediment to setting out.

Top reads of 2021
Happy New Year from all of us here at Ancient World Magazine! We have a look back at some of our most popular stuff from last year. Perhaps this will entice you to root around for hidden treasures?

Competing for olive oil
A Panathenaic prize amphora
The Panathenaia was a festival organized in Athens to celebrate the city’s patron goddess, Athena. The prize for winning a competition was a large, black-figure amphora filled with olive oil.

Sacrifice before battle
An ancient Greek ritual
Shortly before the Persian Wars, the ancient Greeks developed a new ritual, known as the sphagia, in which a male sacrificial animal would be killed shortly before the start of a battle.

Humankind
Amplitude Studios’s new 4X strategy game
Humankind is a turn-based strategy game inspired by history. You lead a group of humans from the Stone Age into the contemporary era, striving to get the highest score possible.


The phallus and the Evil Eye
Phallic amulets in the Roman world
Phallic imagery was popular in ancient Roman society. In this article, Adam Parker explores their use as powerful amulets against malignant forces.