Ancient and modern
Olive oil was the key to Roman excellence
Owing to a rise in temperature in southern Europe and a reduction in rainfall, the production of olive oil this…
Aristotle’s advice for young protestors
In his Art of Rhetoric, Aristotle (384-322 bc) sets about identifying the various headings under which you can be persuasive…
Were the Ancient Greeks shameless?
Last week Mary Wakefield discussed the virtues of her ‘Victorian’ education, designed to stiffen the upper lip of the young…
How to survive in the ancient world
A recent analysis has concluded that ‘British public opinion has got so used to things being bad/chaotic it’s hard to imagine…
What does the Olympic torch have to do with Hitler?
The original Olympic Games established a basic canon of seven games unchanged over some 900 years: foot, horse and chariot…
What was it like to be noveau riche in Pompeii?
Frescoes are always the lead story in reports of the latest finds from Pompeii, but they are only a part…
Were the Greeks right about justice?
The Sentencing Council, consisting of various legal authorities, has told judges and magistrates to consider, when sentencing the young, their…
What would the Romans think of assisted suicide?
What a song and dance about the end of life! Historians assure us that, among human beings, there is a…
