Clik here to view.
The fertile valleys of the Hindu Kush
Atlas Obscura is a newly created site (2021) aiming “to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share”. In fact, it was an article about the preservation of grapes in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Antakya’s rich collection of mosaics
Antakya in Turkey is the modern name for Laudetia, which Seleucus Nicator named after his mother. It was later renamed Antioch-on-the Orontes. Today, the city is most famous for its rich collection of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dilemma at Pakistan’s National Museum: save it or trash it?
One example of many is the looting of some 395 rare artifacts that had been seized in 2012 as they were underway to Faisalabad, Pakistan. The experts claim that they belong to the Gandhara Civilization...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lawlessness is damaging ancient Cyrene
It seems that nowadays only a handful of tourists wander around the imposing ruins of Cyrene in eastern Libya. I honestly envy them, having the site all to themselves, although when I visited this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The secret behind the Astragal game
During my last visit to the National Archaeology Museum in Naples, I was fascinated by a simple sepia drawing representing girls involved in a knuckle-bone or Astragal game. It was displayed with other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First contacts with China
It is generally not mentioned that in the wake of Alexander’s expansion, an opening towards China or Seres as Strabocalled the country was created to the east of Central Asia. After all, in 329 BC the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hidden treasures of Epirus
Northern Greece and Epirus in particular are not a top destination for the common tourist – unfortunately so. Epirus is wedged in the northwestern corner of Greece and this rugged mountainous landscape...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Work in progress at the site of Philippi
As announced in 2018 (see: Improving the archaeological site of Philippi), the disaffected asphalt road in Philippi that separated the theater and Paul’s prison in the older part from the Byzantine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
About the preservation of mosaics
Mosaics from whatever time period or location always have a lot to tell about customs, religion and simple daily life, and as such are very valuable testimonies of our past. Yet, as soon as the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Excavations in the Peraia of Samothrace
Except for the greater Athensarea, Greece is generally very much underrated when we consider its wealth of archaeological sites. Most people and tourists limit their visit to Attica, extending it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Buried with bed and all
During expansion works of the lignite mine in Mavropigi, Upper Macedonia, some 65 km southwest of Vergina, the grave of a woman has been discovered. It was remarkable because it could be proved that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
About the Paeonians
So very little is known about the Paeonians, the people who occupied the lands north of ancient Macedonia. The borders of Paeonia were not clearly defined. As an Illyrian tribe they settled along the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Imagine Alexander being confronted with Etruscan art
After his eastern campaign, Alexander returned to Babylon and started his preparations to conquer the West. His plans included Arabia, Northern Africa focusing on Carthage, and the Italic peninsula...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to value a burial mound
It is hard to imagine finding burial mounds in Ukraine, which comes in the news because of its constant frictions and wars with Russia. What do we know about its history and its culture?Until recently,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Amphipolis beyond the Kasta Hill
Much ink has been spilled on the promising excavations of Kasta Hill at a short distance from the town of Amphipolis proper. For that reason, the importance of this city-harbor has been seriously...
View ArticleLandslide blocking the Canal of Corinth
Although the Canal of Corinth has been built way after Alexander’s days, it remains a vital infrastructure that he would have admired. After all, it connects both ancient harbors of Corinth, Lechaion...
View ArticleThe history of Babylon in a nutshell
World History Encyclopedia recently posted a YouTube video retelling the history of Babylon in a nutshell. It gives a fascinating and concise overview covering thousands of years of the city’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The birth of Egyptology under Napoleon
Napoleon was fascinated by Alexander the Great, and for that reason, he deserves some attention as France celebrated the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death on 5 May 2021. The young general launched his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The rich history of olive oil
Most of us believe that the olive tree originated in Greece from where it spread over the entire Mediterranean. It thus may come as a surprise to learn that the oldest ones were found in ancient Israel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Greek philosophers Alexander knew
In April 2021, Mark Cartwright published an article in World History with a selection of twenty Greek philosophers. When I looked at the dates, I was amazed to discover that most of these men lived...
View Article