Review of Silk Road Centurion by Scott Forbes Crawford. Manchester, U.K, Camphor Press, 2023, 432 pages. ISBN 978-1-78869-279-3. 5 Stars If you're interested in a piece of history embedded in a novel with a heavy dose of drama, suspense, and the pursuit of honor, I highly recommend Scott Forbes Crawford's Silk Road Centurion. This story is an amalgamation of Roman and Chinese cultures fused by threats against the principal characters that force them to fight if they are to survive. The author is a highly skilled storyteller who unveils shocking plot developments as the novel ends, compelling t ..read more

My blog just saw it's 2 millionth visitor. Thanks for your interest and I look forward to your next visit ..read more

Most people who read ancient history are familiar with the kings of Rome, but the republic and empire get the lion’s share of the attention and the kings are usually relegated to mere anecdotes. Still, it’s interesting to discuss the kings and their part in founding the republic. Why did Rome have kings, and why did they lose power in favor of the republic? We’ll discuss these questions later, but only peripherally, because the goal of this article is to talk about the kings and what we really know about them. The Roman kings are shrouded in myth and invention: myth because Rome wanted to cr ..read more

 Guest post by Giota Detsi Truth be told, we have a lot of unanswered questions about the Minoans (Were they really called that, for instance?). However, the popularity of this civilization has led to the creation of false stereotypes. In our search for the truth from myths (and assumptions!) our assistants will be the usual; archaeological finds, anthropology, genetics, Greek myths, and ancient texts. Truth be told, we have a lot of unanswered questions about the Minoans (Were they really called that, for instance?). However, the popularity of this civilization has le ..read more

I want to introduce you to someone who will be contributing guest posts on this site. Giota Detsi lives in Athens and has been writing articles about ancient history for several years. We have worked together on the Ancient History space on Quora since 2019.   As you can guess, her focus is on Greek and Aegean history. When she isn’t writing about ancient history, Giota is a Physics teacher ..read more

 THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE WEST – A NEW TAKE  Dr. Michael Arnheim Sometime Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge                                         Barrister at Law My latest published book, number 23 to be precise, offers a completely new take on Roman history, and indeed on history as a whole:  Why Rome Fell: Decline and Fall, or Drift and Change?  (Wiley-Blackwell ..read more

The Greek and Roman cultures are universally recognized as the greatest Western civilizations from the time we consider “ancient.” Their influence was rooted in culture, which provided a foundation for modern society and its political frameworks, and they would ultimately become models for post-Enlightenment governments. The Greeks, as specialists in ideas, pioneered modern philosophy, art, theater, poetry, mathematics, and science. The Romans, as a more practical people, contributed engineering, law, and a political system called the Republic. The accomplishments of Greece and Rome cast a sha ..read more

Most people believe ancient political systems have had a minimal effect on politics of the modern and postmodern world. The common belief is that the ancient world was largely barbarian with human rights virtually non-existent, so history from that time must be discounted. Is this a correct assumption or is there something can we learn about politics from antiquity? The earliest Western civilizations were theocratic, but that model became obsolete with the advent of warfare. Winning in battle required military leadership and the power generated by a military leader’s success led to the evoluti ..read more

Only the most highly respected members of society were invited to these parties, called Symposiums, where the best minds met to discuss all manner of things, from the nature of love to the origins of the universe… and some ideas too dangerous to share in the streets! Scenes like this were common in Ancient Greece, when philosophy, learning, and good conversation were highly respected, and folks were expected to understand and participate fully in their democracy.  But the tradition has faded away — modern “symposiums” are usually nothing more than glorified trade conferences, with none ..read more

One of the more intriguing questions about politics today is “What happens after democracy?” Some ask this question out of curiosity; some out of fear. The fearful are concerned that democratic governments have become unstable. In our 21stCentury world, democracies predominate. This is explained by the fact that democracies, and their partner capitalism, have been more efficient at delivering goods and services than other government forms, making them the preferred model in the modern and postmodern world. Lately, democracy is showing its age, and its governments are less able to “govern.” Tri ..read more