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Queen Arsinoe’s Brief Wartime Reign At The Twilight Of Ptolemaic Egypt

Arsinoe IV was an ambitious daughter of King Ptolemy XII of Egypt (r. 80-51 BCE). Her ambition was mirrored by her sisters, Berenice IV...

The Tale Of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela—The Darkest Story In Greek Mythology

According to ancient Greek myth and legend, a man named Tereus was once the ruler of a powerful Thracian kingdom. He was a mighty...

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—A Historian’s Comparative Review

In this narrated review video, an in-depth comparison is made between Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, juxtaposed against the nearly three-millennia-old poetry of Homer. The...

Who Destroyed the Library of Alexandria?

A Ship Of Theseus Discussing the destruction of the Library of Alexandria is a bit like debating the Ship of Theseus thought experiment. Just as...

Balthild: The Anglo-Saxon Queen of the Franks

Balthild, a future wife and mother of kings, emerged from obscure origins in the early 7th century. Also called Balthilde, Bathild and Baldhild, she...

The Opportunistic Italian Rebellion Against The Newly Crowned And Besieged Emperor Leo III Of Constantinople

In the early 8th century, a decorated warrior and administrative official named Sergios came to be appointed as the Byzantine governor of Constantinople’s imperial...

The Raucous Rise Of Emperor Leo III

The future Emperor Leo III of Constantinople (r. 717-741) was born near what is now Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, and heralded from the Isaurian stock of...

The Tricky Treachery Of Palaepolis And Its Samnite Allies During A Roman Siege

In the second half of the 4th century BCE, the Romans began aggressively consolidating power and territory in Italy. Their rapid expansion forced neighboring...

The Life Of Emperor Bardanes Philippikos And His Blinding Birthday Surprise

In the 7th and early 8th centuries, Bardanes Philippikos (also commonly known as Philippicus Bardanes) was a prominent member of the ruling elite involved...

The Ironic Rise, Fall, And Belated Execution Of Leontios

Leontios (or Liontius) was a decorated army and navy military leader who commanded forces on the behalf of the emperors of Constantinople along the...