General ancient history

This engraving depicts the battle of Zama in 202 BC, the decisive clash of the Second Punic War. Led by Scipio Africanus, Roman forces defeated Hannibal’s Carthaginian army, ending Carthage’s challenge to Roman power and marking Rome’s emergence as the dominant force in the western Mediterranean.

General ancient history

2,200 years ago Rome got caught in the Thucydides Trap. The result transformed the ancient world

Ancient Greek manuscript page with worn edges and faded ink, viewed under imaging light.

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This ancient New Testament manuscript was covered in “ghost text.” Now, scientists have recovered its lost words. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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When did Roman Britain really end?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Relief sculpture showing a Roman triumphal procession with figures, horses, and a chariot carrying a central leader.

Roman

2,000 years ago, ancient Roman forces annihilated Jerusalem. Was its destruction inevitable?

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Mary Beard on why the classics still matter. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 2Cleopatra’s rise and fall. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detailed marble relief shows several robed figures standing in a tight group around a cylindrical structure. Each figure has carefully carved drapery and expressive faces, with some holding scrolls or objects that suggest scholarly or religious roles.

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Friends, Romans, citizens: why Rome opened its doors to people across the empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman kneels with arms raised as mounted warriors approach on horseback outside a city.

Roman

The Huns terrorised Rome's frontiers – but wanted to keep the ancient empire alive

Lucius Marcius Septimus, a Roman officer active during the Second Punic War in 3rd-century BC Hispania.

Roman

Meet the rebels who destroyed an ancient Roman legion with guerrilla warfare

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The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ancient Roman mosaic depicting three theatrical masks with open mouths and stylized hair.

Roman

The ancient Romans knew the power of entertainment as propaganda – here's the proof

Classical Greco-Roman-style statue lifting a modern dumbbell against a coloruful sky background.

Roman

Is this the best routine to boost your health? Yes, according to an ancient Roman intellectual

Illustration of Hannibal leading soldiers and war elephants across snowy Alpine mountains during his campaign against Rome.

General ancient history

Have archaeologists just found proof of ancient Carthage's legendary anti-Roman war weapon?

Roman mosaic showing two children in tunics, one running and the other holding a small animal, set against a blue patterned background.

Roman

This ordinary ancient Roman object is still used today – and it has barely changed

Ancient Egyptian wall painting showing a seated scribe writing on a papyrus scroll,.

General ancient history

3,100 years ago, ancient Egyptian workers defeated a God-King – without using any weapons

Ancient Greek sculpture showing a seated healer examining a youth, with another figure holding a staff wrapped by a snake.

General ancient history

The ancient Greeks had six essential tips for health. How many do you do?

An Inuit hunter pursues a walrus from a skin-covered kayak in a historical illustration. Lightweight, seal-skin watercraft like these were a foundation of Arctic life, enabling hunters to travel, hunt and survive across some of the most dangerous waters on the planet.

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4,500 years ago, Arctic Greenland's Paleo-Inuit made terrifying ocean voyages. Why did they risk it?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A Roman statue against a red background

Roman

From secret cults to Christianity, how did ancient Roman religion change so dramatically?

A statue of Roman emperor Domitian with the sun rising behind him.

Roman

Meet the “grossly underappreciated” Roman emperor who became the enemy of the ancient world

This statue depicts Hatshepsut carved with the masculine features traditionally associated with Egyptian kingship. By adopting male dress and iconography, Hatshepsut reinforced her legitimacy as pharaoh.

Ancient Egypt

Long before Cleopatra, another female pharaoh redefined ancient Egyptian power

A composite image of an ancient Egyptian cat statue against a red hieroglyphic backdrop.

Ancient Egypt

Did the ancient Egyptians really love cats? The dark truth might break your heart

Busts of Julius Caesar (right) and Octavia, who became the first Roman emperor.

Roman

He was ancient Rome’s mightiest figure – and rumours said he had a secret affair with Julius Caesar

Roman

Step inside a Roman home, and you might be surprised by what you find

Two marble busts, a man with curly hair and a short beard behind a woman with wavy hair, against a fiery orange-red background.

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Nero’s doomed love affair: did a failed romance trigger his descent into madness?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Paint a pot like an ancient Etruscan. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Don’t worry, be Babylonian. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Roman

Did the ancient Romans wear underwear? The truth is surprisingly complicated

This Roman mosaic depicts Orestes and Iphigenia, with Iphigenia holding a small statue of Artemis — imagery drawn from Greek myth and popular across the Roman world. Mosaics like this often decorated the floors of bath complexes and latrines, where vibrant storytelling scenes enlivened communal spaces.

Roman

Ancient Roman culture would be baffling to modern eyes – and their toilet habits prove it

This 4th-century AD mosaic from Terranova near Tuscolo depicts gladiators locked in combat, capturing the drama and choreography of the arena in late Roman Italy. Even as public spectacles waned in some parts of the empire, scenes like this show how gladiatorial fighting remained a potent form of popular entertainment.

Roman

Female gladiators shocked the ancient Roman world — but not for the reason you think

This 2nd-century AD mosaic from La Chebba, part of a larger scene showing the Triumph of Neptune, includes a boy gathering fruit — a small detail that reflects broader Roman ideas about health and diet. Fresh fruit played an important role in Roman nutrition, valued for its balance, seasonality, and association with natural well-being.

Roman

If ancient Romans didn't understand calories, how was their theory of nutrition so accurate?

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