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Research notes, reading guides, book highlights, and methods for studying the ancient world, plus roundups of new papers and discoveries.
Who Owns Ancient Artifacts? Colonialism and Repatriation
The Parthenon Marbles, Rosetta Stone and Nefertiti bust reveal how colonial collecting shaped museums and why ownership and restitution remain contested.
Can Archaeology Prove Ancient Myths? Troy, Gilgamesh and Rome
Troy was a real city, Gilgamesh may have been a king, and Rome had Iron Age huts. Here is what ancient evidence proves and…
Presentism: How Modern Bias Distorts Ancient History
Presentism can distort ancient history through misleading translations, modern political categories and selective sources. Learn how historians test those assumptions.
Ancient History: From the First Cities to Late Antiquity
From Uruk and early writing to ancient Egypt, the Indus, Persia, Greece and Rome, a history of cities, trade, ordinary life and empires.
Did Neanderthals Use Medicinal Plants?
Dental calculus reveals yarrow, chamomile and poplar in Neanderthals. Could these plants have eased pain, or were they part of ordinary diets?
Göbekli Tepe: What Science Reveals About Its People
Research on Göbekli Tepe reveals grain processing, seasonal hunting, human burials and daily life alongside its remarkable stone monuments.
Why Has Roman Concrete Lasted for 2,000 Years?
Roman concrete survives in harbours and the Pantheon. Volcanic ash, lime, hot mixing and careful engineering help explain its extraordinary durability.
Can AI Crack the Minoan Linear A Script?
Linear A remains undeciphered. See what AI can reveal, why Minoan is still unreadable, and how discoveries and research through 2026 have changed the…
How Did Athenian Democracy Begin and Why Did It Fall?
From Solon and Cleisthenes to the coups of 411 and 404 BCE and the Macedonian conquest of 322 BCE, Athens tested the limits of…
