We finish up our chores in Phocis, talk to Herodotus at Thermopylae, and then head over to Athens, the greatest city in Greece.

Were the Spartans really so great in war? What are the roots of their image as invincible super-soldiers? A deep dive into their history and institutions shows that there is some truth, but also a great deal of distortion.

A well-known legend of early Rome describes Horatius Cocles almost single-handedly defending a bridge against Etruscan aggressors.

One of the plaster casts currently in the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam is of a relief that depicts a group of warriors engaged in a dance.

The last king of Egypt’s New Kingdom managed to stave off threats from without before being brought down by a conspiracy from within.

Many mosaics from Pompeii are on display in the archaeological museum of Naples, including one that depicts a lion attacking a leopard.

Arsinoe II, daughter of Ptolemy I and an enduring figure of the Lagid dynasty, became the model for succeeding Ptolemaic queens.

Many ancient Greek and Roman epics were left either unfinished or had enough loose strings to warrant continuation by later writers.

It’s been a while, but we finally head off to Phocis, where we explore the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi and meet the Oracle.

While preparing his latest book review for Ancient World Magazine, Joshua Hall found himself asking the question, “Why do we do it?”