A discussion of the remaining three seasons of the TV show Spartacus, which are all heartily recommended.

An entertaining television series with lots of blood, gore, and gratuitous nudity. What’s not to like?

The ancient concept of “aristocracy” was quite different from how we, in our post-medieval world, would perhaps define it.

How do the worlds created by Homer in his epic poems relate to historical and archaeological realities? Do they relate to any particular periods of history at all?

Opinion is sharply divided among scholars regarding the development of the hoplite phalanx in ancient Greece. Here I try to identify some of the problems and offer solutions that may help to move the study of ancient Greek warfare forward.

Can the Homeric epics be considered historical documents to some extent? If so, for which time period can they be used?

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

This edited volume offers an excellent introduction to archaeological approaches to the study of warfare.

What is it that makes warfare in the ancient world such a fascinating and rewarding subject of study?