Rome means different things to different people. Some associate Rome with its ancient civilization and massive empire; to others, it’s the center of the Roman Catholic Church and the vibrant capital of modern Italy. For many though, it’s the “eternal city,” a metropolis which exemplifies magnificence, art, and culture. Robert Hughes, the acclaimed Australian art-critic, writer, and documentary filmmaker, has just published a new book–Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History–paying homage to this most legendary of cities. Please be sure to read an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal Magazine here, and also Professor Simon Schama’s review of the book at Newsweek Magazine, here.

Teutoberger Wald, 9 A.D. – Strategic Implications By John M. D’Amico US Army War College, 2000 The Battle of Teutoberger Wald (9 A.D.) in which tribal Germans defeated a highly professional and disciplined Roman Army… [continue reading]

An archaeological excavation at Poggio Colla, the site of a 2,700-year-old Etruscan settlement in Italy’s Mugello Valley, has turned up a surprising and unique find: two images of a woman giving birth to a child. Researchers from the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project, which oversees the Poggio Colla excavation site some 20 miles northeast of Florence, discovered the images on a small fragment from a ceramic vessel that is more than 2,600 years old. The images show the head and shoulders of a baby emerging from a mother represented with her knees raised and her face shown in profile, one arm raised, and a long ponytail running down her back. Read the full story at Open University.

Britain’s Portable Antiquities Scheme announced this week details about two recent discoveries of Roman coin hoards. One involved the find of more than 9000 coins that was discovered in August 2009 by a novice metal detector user in the Shrewsbury… [continue reading]

Centuries before movie and television audiences thrilled to tales of werewolves, vampires and wizards and Halloween became the second biggest celebration of the year, the ancient Greeks and Romans were spinning scary stories about monsters, ghosts and the afterlife… [continue reading]

An archaeological excavation at Poggio Colla, the site of a 2,700-year-old Etruscan settlement in Italy’s Mugello Valley, has turned up a surprising and unique find: two images of a woman giving birth to a child. Researchers from… [continue reading]

For a long time I felt that the “community” part of Ancient History Encyclopedia was still in need of improvement. Yes, the content is all contributed by the community… but a community means interaction. Therefore I’m happy to announce that we now have more communication features! Whenever somebody post a comment on your content, or replies to one of your comments, you are notified by email. That way, you know when to reply to somebody. Also, whenever we approve content, the author is notified by email. We made sure that you won’t be flooded with emails, so you will only receive one notification, even if there are multiple replies. Also, you can change your communication settings in your “my account” page. I hope you will enjoy chatting away!

A reconstruction based on the skull of Norway’s best-preserved Stone Age skeleton makes it possible to study the features of a boy who lived in Scandinavia 7,500 years ago. “It is hoped that this reconstruction is a good likeness and that, if someone… [continue reading]

The anatomy of a mercenary: from Archilochoas to Alexander By Nicholas Fields PhD Dissertation, University of Newcastle, 1994 Abstract: Xenophon, who marched so many perilous Persian parasangs as a soldier-of-fortune and survived… [continue reading]

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor: Minoans and Mycenaeans abroad By Eric H. Cline Aegaeum, Vol.12 (1995) Introduction: In 1984, exactly ten years ago, at a conference in Athens on the ‘Function of the Minoan Palaces&#8217… [continue reading]