Ancient History Magazine

Pieces of the earliest known Ancient Chinese astronomical calendar in book form have been found in near perfect condition in a tomb in the Chongqing Municipality in southwest-central China. They represent a significant technical development in Chines

Editor-in-chief: Jasper Oorthuys Editor: Owain Williams Assistant editor: Lauren van Zoonen Design & Media: Christianne C. Beall Design © 2017 Karwansaray Publishers Contributors: Ian Armit, Jo Ball, Matthew Cobb, Murray Dahm, Colleen Darnell, Jorrit

Hunting, whether for subsistence or for sport, is a universal occupation. For much of human history, especially prior to the agricultural revolution, hunting was an important undertaking, often a primary source of high-calorie food for communities. W

Two temples have been found in the ancient Sumerian city of Girsu. What makes them remarkable is that the Hellenistic structure is built on top of a much older Sumerian temple. Archaeologists from the British Museum in London uncovered these twin str

A recurring problem in archaeology is accurately dating ancient objects. A new technique looks for signatures of the Earth’s magnetic field in archaeological items. Changes in the Earth’s magnetic field are imprinted on hot minerals sensitive to the

The exquisitely carved heads of Aphrodite and Dionysos have been recovered during recent excavations at Aizanoi in Turkey’s Kutahya province. The busts were likely parts of full statues. The head of Aphrodite wears her wavy hair cascading decorously

In ancient Egypt baboons were considered important for ritual and religious purposes. The species did not occur naturally and was imported, yet little is known about their provenance and the conditions in which they were kept. A study at the Musée de

No scholar has ever seen something like the scroll known as the Artemidorus Papyrus. With a length of about two and a half meters and a height of just over thirty-two centimeters, it may date from Roman times. It appears to contain a Greek book on ge

Religious pollution was a genuine fear for the Athenians. Murderers made themselves unclean by provoking a premature death. The only recompense for such a heinous deed was the punishment of the killer. No one could forgive the murderer, or legally pr

Women in ancient Athens, while not restricted to the home, were kept separate from many elements of public life, such as the political assemblies and, importantly, the law courts. Yet women could be and were accused of murder in Athens. How, then, we

The Hittites recognized the divine in a variety of objects, including stones, stelae, or objects, but many of their deities were anthropomorphic in shape. Some of these deities may be identified in various statuettes, sometimes made of clay, though o

The ancient Celts are hard to pin down precisely, since the term is a vague one that has been used in different ways by different people. For the Classical Greek and Roman authors, the Celts (or Gauls – the terms were often used interchangeably) comp

Some highly-skilled individuals chose to fight in the arena against wild animals, the fiercer the better, using it as a way to demonstrate their martial skills – and, in some cases, as a good way to make money, particularly in the provinces. Those wh

'Bread and circuses’ are famously cited as the things needed to keep the people of the Roman empire happy – significant effort was put in to ensuring that they had a ready supply of both. Many shows were held in amphitheatres, over two hundred of whi

The ancient Egyptians believed that the created world emerged from the dark, formless waters, which they called nun. The sun god fashioned the cosmos, heaven and earth, and all living beings, and each night descended into the Underworld. In the middl

The ancient Egyptians believed that the entire universe, both the natural world and the divine, was subject to a force called maat, which is often translated as ‘truth’, and personified by the goddess of the same name. But maat is much more – cosmic

Some Greeks were aware of the existence of elephants prior to Alexander’s campaign, but few had encountered them. For many of Alexander’s Greek and Macedonian soldiers, their encounters with them on the battlefields of Asia will have been novel and t

Hunting was a core activity in ancient Greek society. Stories of hunting fill Greek myth, whether it be the Calydonian Boar or Actaeon hunting and accidentally coming across the goddess Artemis only to be turned into a deer and killed by his own dogs

There are at least two reasons why this debate matters. First, it has consequences for how we understand the ‘on the ground’ operation of Helotage. If one takes the serfdom view, then Helots, for all the ways in which they were oppressed, could at le

The fact that the Helots are named such, rather than simply being called slaves, might partly explain the consistent confusion about their status, despite Classical authors referring to them as douloi and oiketai, both general terms for slaves. What,

Naturalistic art – a style that strives to accurately depict the natural world – is recognized as having the ability to tap into human neurobiology like no other art style. Naturalistic art offers vicarious experiences, emotional journeys experienced

By the Hellenistic period, people were moving with ever greater frequency throughout the Mediterranean, such as athletes, ambassadors, and artists. Among these many travellers were guilds or associations of Dionysiac technitai (performing artists), a

One reason why inheritance was more important to the Romans than it is for us today is that ancient Rome was a more stratified society. Wealth was more often inherited than acquired and repeated disputes over last wills and testaments led to Roman in

By Edward L. Shaughnessy ISBN: 978-1350170377 Bloomsbury Publishing (2023) - £28.99 www.bloomsbury.com While a huge amount of literature exists on ancient China, from studies based on traditional histories to specific texts and archaeological discove

By Judith M. Barringer Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001 ISBN: 978-0801866562 This volume on ancient Greek hunting is the most comprehensive on the subject. Covering hunting’s relation to warfare, aristocratic values, love, myth, and funerals, eve