Hanging Gardens of Babylon – Was This Fantastic Wonder Real?

I’ve saved the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for last in my description of the ancient world’s wonders. I have several reasons for doing so. First, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are anomalous in several ways when compared to the other six wonders I’ve featured on my blog. They are the only wonder located outside the […]

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – A New Kind of Ancient Tomb?

It’s a little smaller than the pyramids at Giza, granted. But, as far as ancient tombs go, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus takes a back seat to no other monument. In fact, one might even concede that the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus brought its occupant more fame than any pyramid. It is, after all, Mausolus’s name that […]

The Temple of Artemis – Greatest Enigma of the Seven Wonders?

When he visited the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Antipater of Sidon described it as follows. He wrote: “I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the […]

The Battle of Thermopylae – Facts, Myths, and its Real Importance

The Battle of Thermopylae gained pop culture fame in 2006 when the movie 300 caught the attention of audiences. Although scholars had not neglected the battle prior to 2006, its popularity soared, at least temporarily. In the process, the Battle of Thermopylae (fought in 480 BCE) became a popular symbol of heroic resistance against overwhelming […]

Byzantine Sports – A Number of Choices

Our last post about the Byzantines (click here to read it) described the importance of chariot racing in the Byzantine Empire. Today, we’ll finish this topic with what the races were like and then examine other Byzantine sports. Byzantine Sports – The Charioteers Men who were skilled at racing held the public esteem just as […]

The Spartans at Thermopylae

Today, a friend mentioned he was a big fan of the Spartans and the movie “300” and asked me what I knew about it. A little bit, as it turns out, considering I just gave my Western Civilization class this lesson a few days ago. What interests me most, however, was the irony that the […]