Learn history
Stories
Short narrative pieces inspired by the ancient world, retelling journeys, battles, and daily moments with attention to period detail.
Caesarion: Cleopatra’s Son and Egypt’s Last Ptolemaic King
Caesarion was Cleopatra’s son and Egypt’s last Ptolemaic king. Learn why his claim to Julius Caesar’s name made him dangerous to Octavian in 30…
5 Roman Epic Poets Beyond Virgil
Lucan, Statius, Valerius Flaccus, Silius Italicus and Cornelius Severus wrote Roman epics about civil war, Greek myth and the struggle against Hannibal.
Byzantine Silk: How Monks Brought Silkworm Eggs to Justinian
Procopius says monks brought silkworm eggs to Justinian's court. A rival account names a Persian, and the empire continued to depend on imported silk.
When Did the Western Roman Empire Fall?
The Western Roman Empire is conventionally dated to AD 476, when Odoacer removed Romulus Augustulus. But Julius Nepos remained emperor until 480.
Socrates’ Execution by Hemlock in 399 BCE
In 399 BCE, Socrates drank poison after an Athenian court condemned him. Plato's account, hemlock toxicology and the trial reveal what we know.
How Did Hannibal Die? Poison, Exile and His Last Words
Hannibal died in Bithynia, probably by poison, after Roman pressure on his protector. Ancient accounts disagree on the date, method and final words.
Apuleius’s The Golden Ass: A Donkey in the Roman World
Apuleius’s The Golden Ass follows a man turned donkey through magic, exploitation and Roman provincial life before Isis offers deliverance.
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…
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.
