Achilles was inconsolable after the brutal death of Patroclus. But what was the precise nature of the Greek champion’s grief?

In this book, Christopher Matthew aims to reassess existing models of hoplite warfare by adopting a more hands-on approach.

Before the rise of the Persian Empire, the kingdom of Lydia was the most powerful neighbour to the ancient Greeks.

The notion of a typical “Western” way of war, as espoused most clearly by Victor Davis Hanson, is problematic to say the least.

Fortifications seem to have had an obvious defensive purpose. But how effective were they in keeping the enemy at bay?