Located on the southern coast of Crete, Matala is a modern beach-side resort with a history that stretches back to ancient times. The only visible remains of the distant past are the artificial caves near the beach.

A spectacular cremation burial of a woman and a foetus on the Areopagus of Athens has prompted much speculation about Early Iron Age Athenian society and the role of women and children within it.

Playing through A Total War Saga: Troy, Josho is dismayed by the idea of thousands of players being exposed to terribly bad interpretations of what Mycenaean warriors looked like.

Euripides’ play Iphigenia at Aulis contains valuable lessons that can serve as a source of inspiration in the modern world. For teachers in particular, empathy, as highlighted in the play, is of vital importance.

With the recent release of the strategy game A Total War Saga: Troy, there has been a flood of videos about the Trojan War. Sadly, many of them are not very good. The recent video by Extra Credits on “Battles in the Bronze Age” is an example.

Last month, Josho Brouwers gave a lecture about the cultural signifcance of the Homeric epics to ancient Greek warfare, which was also recorded on video. Here you can read the text of this lecture.

The site of Lefkandi flourished in the aftermath of the collapse of the Mycenaean Palaces. Among the pottery found at the settlement on the Xeropolis tell is an alabastron on which griffins are depicted not as monsters, but in a loving family scene. What does it mean for the changing contexts of pottery production in the postpalatial Aegean?

Alaric, the commander who led the sack of Rome in AD 410, is often depicted as a wild barbarian. In truth, he had had a long and distinguished career as a general in the Roman army.

The debate about identification is front and centre of discussions about the Artemision god. But is there anything more to say about this statue than “Zeus or Poseidon”?

As is our custom every year, we’re taking a break for a few weeks to relax without the pressure of writing for the website. We’ll be back on the 10th of August!