Thanks for listening and feel free to check out the other Halloween episodes I have done over the years. Images. I recently did a piece on the cursed sarcophagus of Ahiram in which I go into more detail. In the temple of Abu Simbel (13th cenury BC) in Egypt there is a relief showing prisoners […]
Curse Texts and Figurines – episode notes Read More »
For those of you who listen to the Ancient History Hound podcast you may well be aware that from its beginning I have recorded Halloween specials titled ‘Night of the Livy Dead’. This mixed two passions of mine, horror and ancient history. Over the years I have covered a range of topics so here’s a
Halloween episodes – the Night of the Livy Dead episodes so far! Read More »
When you think about tombs and curses the popular examples most likely involve pyramids and mummies (though this is rarer than you might think). However, in this instance we have a curse on a sarcophagus with links to Egypt but also far from it. I’ll be covering curse texts and curse figurines in an episode
The cursed sarcophagus of Ahiram. Read More »
Lovers in Arms. The story of how Athens formed its democracy is a complex one, it’s a tale of tyrants, opportunists and unlikely allies (I recorded an episode on Archaic Athens and Democracy for my podcast if you want a wider and more in-depth discussion). One story which was linked to the foundation of democracy
The Tyrannicides – a democratic myth? Read More »
Sulak might not be an entity you’d have heard much about but it’s fair to say that he was very much in the mind of those visiting the toilet in parts of ancient Mesopotamia. Sulak and Mesopotamian mythology. The Mesopotamian view of the world included a range of what might be considered gods and demons.
Sulak – the Babylonian toilet lurker. Read More »
I’ve long been a football fan and as such when I heard that there was an Italian football team embracing a greek myth I had to learn more. Circe, the myth. The character of Circe is one of the famous visits which Odysseus makes, you may remember how she turned Odysseu’s men to swine and
Circe and Calcio! Read More »
A question I was recently asked concerned the re-use of kit in the Roman army. What happened to the kit when a soldier either left (e.g. retirement) or died? Well when I visited the Legion exhibition I came across this helmet which gives a good example. You’d expect the Roman army to be efficient and
Roman helmet with a few careful owners. Read More »
One of the wonderful things about the work at Pompeii is just how much is adding to what we have understood so far. Aside from the topics which we strongly associate with the site there are other aspects, such as a Temple to Isis there. Also the fantastic work by Jashemski who set in play
An earthquake during the destruction of Pompeii? Read More »
I hope you enjoyed the episode, what was going to be a two-part episode is becoming an ongoing mini-series on ancient Sicily and I’m really enjoying researching writing and recording it. If you have any feedback get in touch! If you want to have a look at some coins from Himera, Acragas, Selinus and Syracuse
Ancient Sicily- Revenge & Ruin. Episode notes. Read More »
Warfare in Mesopotamia has been captured in Assyrian wall friezes, which detail some of the more unpleasant aspects. Along with defenders atop walls and siege engines there are prisoners led away and heads held as trophies. The wealth of detail can provide interesting asides such as that in the frieze below. It’s associated with Tiglath-Pileser
Moving gods in Mesopotamia. Read More »
