General ancient history

This 1st-century BC mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii depicts a tragic dramatic mask, a powerful symbol of Roman theatrical culture. Masks like this were central to performances, allowing actors to embody gods, heroes, and emotions on stage.

Ancient Roman theatre was a powerful weapon of empire, so why were actors' lives so tragic?

This bust represents Hannibal, the famed general who led Carthaginian forces against Rome during the Second Punic War. As a descendant of Phoenician settlers, Hannibal embodied the military might and maritime legacy of Carthage.

General ancient history

The overshadowed ancient empire that rivalled Rome with maritime might and an iron fist

The Phoenicians: everything you wanted to know

This 19th-century illustration, based on ancient Greek vase imagery, depicts two mounted Amazons chasing after two fleeing youths. Scenes like this reflect classical fascination with the myth of warrior women.

Were the Amazons just a “male fantasy”? Here’s the truth behind the ancient world’s warrior women

A painting showing a black beast biting the leg of an orange man dressed in a loincloth

What have the Etruscans ever done for us?

The Amazons: wonder-women of the ancient world

This bas-relief fragment from the Ptolemaic period portrays Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of ancient Egypt. As both a Greek-speaking monarch and a pharaoh, Cleopatra embodied the cultural fusion of Hellenistic Egypt

General ancient history

On the steps of a sacred temple, Cleopatra's feud with her sister came to a blood-soaked end

This stone relief from the palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (668–627 BC) shows the Assyrian king leading a lion hunt — a dramatic display of dominance that reinforced royal authority in the Late Assyrian Empire.

General ancient history

Would you kidnap a god? This ancient Mesopotamian empire did – and for a genius reason

Statue of Mesopotamian king Ashurbanipal

General ancient history

He tried to conquer knowledge itself – instead this ancient Mesopotamian king resorted to rule with terror

Arson, murder and goddesses: secrets of a Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World

This floor mosaic from a Roman villa in Carthage depicts a boy hunting leopards

Could today’s kids survive in ancient Rome? Here’s the harsh reality of life as a Roman child

A photo of a group of pyramids against a clear blue sky.

General ancient history

Wanderlust: Bettany Hughes on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

This striking wall painting, known as The Blue Ladies, comes from the Minoan palace at Knossos on Crete. Dating to around 1600 BC, the fresco reflects the sophistication of Minoan art and offers rare insight into fashion and ceremonial life in the Bronze Age Aegean.

Three thousand years ago, the ancient Greeks turned an even older civilisation into a monster

The Minoans: everything you wanted to know

This 7th-century BC relief from the palaces of Nineveh shows Assyrian king Ashurbanipal hunting lions — a dramatic symbol of strength and kingship in ancient Mesopotamia.

General ancient history

On ancient battlefields, the world's oldest civilisations turned beloved pets into weapons of war

Newgrange, a prehistoric monument in the Boyne Valley of eastern Ireland

General ancient history

Were ancient Ireland’s ‘incestuous elites’ just a myth? A tomb older than Stonehenge has new answers

This 12th–14th century mosaic from the Pala d’Oro in St Mark’s Basilica, Venice, depicts Noah releasing animals from the ark — a moment of renewal after the biblical flood. (Photo by Getty Images)

General ancient history

Long before the Bible, an ancient Mesopotamian civilisation predicted one of its most famous stories

A women with a shocked face next to a calendar with the date of Friday the 13th

Q&AWhy is Friday 13th unlucky?

Archimedes: life of the week

A representation of the ancient Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu, in front of a carving. (Photo by Getty/Alamy)

General ancient history

Behold his nightmarish nether regions: this ancient Mesopotamian demon was secretly a divine hero

From excess soil to resurrection: the many ways Egyptians used wine

Gods, demons, witches and exorcists: inside an ancient Assyrian library

Engraving of a man standing behind a large dog

General ancient history

The ancient Mesopotamian civilisation’s weirdest job? Meet the veterinary exorcist

The Etruscans: everything you wanted to know

An open Bible on an altar

General ancient history

A history of the BibleWho wrote it and when?

Ancient Egyptian pyramids against a purple starry sky

ConspiracyWere the pyramids built by aliens?

William Dalrymple (Photo by David Hartley/Shutterstock)

“Like ancient Greece, India is one of the seedbeds of civilisation” | William Dalrymple on putting India back at the centre of global history

Video podcastJustinian: life of the week

How ancient India transformed the world

The Hittites: everything you wanted to know