Article archive
Research, stories and questions from the ancient world.
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Can We Trust Snorri Sturluson’s Account of Norse Mythology?
Snorri preserved the gods and stories of Norse mythology in the Prose Edda, but his Christian world and poetic aims shaped what he recorded.
Agincourt: Did French Knights Drown in Their Armor?
At Agincourt in 1415, mud slowed French men-at-arms, but arrows, close combat and prisoner killings complicate the story of knights drowning in armor.
Viking DNA: What Ancient Genomes Really Reveal
What 442 Viking Age genomes reveal about migration, ancestry, Birka’s female burial, Iceland’s settlers and the limits of Viking DNA tests.
Boxer at Rest: What Greek Sport Did to the Body
The Boxer at Rest preserves a Greek athlete’s broken nose, swollen ears and copper-inlaid wounds. Its bronze reveals ancient boxing and Hellenistic art.
Petronius’s Roman Werewolf: The Satyricon Story
At Trimalchio’s dinner, Niceros tells of a soldier who became a wolf. Petronius turns a terrifying Roman folktale into a study of fear and…
LiDAR Maps the Cities, Roads and Farmland of the Maya Lowlands
Airborne laser surveys reveal thousands of Maya houses, causeways and farms, and have raised estimates of the ancient lowlands’ population.
Loki’s Children: Hel, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr
Loki and Angrboða’s children became three of Norse myth’s most feared figures. The Eddas explain why Odin separated Hel, Jörmungandr and Fenrir, and what…
Sardis Excavation: The Lydian Palace 8 Meters Down
Excavations at Sardis exposed eighth-century Lydian walls beneath the later city. Earlier studies reveal what the palace, coins and terraces really date to.
Viking Shield Wall: How It Worked in Battle
How Viking shield walls worked, from Gokstad shields and the Battle of Maldon to Stamford Bridge and Hastings, and what the surviving evidence cannot…
Homo Floresiensis: The Hobbit of Flores
The tiny Homo floresiensis lived on Flores for thousands of years. Fossils, stone tools and new studies reveal its origins, diet and uncertain disappearance.
Lucian’s A True Story: The First Science Fiction?
Lucian of Samosata sent fifty sailors to the Moon, then used an impossible voyage to expose how convincingly invented stories can imitate history.
Why Qin Shi Huang’s Tomb Has Never Been Opened
Qin Shi Huang’s burial chamber remains sealed despite decades of excavations nearby. Fragile paint, mercury and conservation risks explain why.
