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Book Review
The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic
In history, famous battles define the generalship and reputation of military leaders, such as Gaugamela for Alexander the Great, Austerlitz for Napoleon, and the Battle of Cannae for Hannibal. Robert L. O’Connell’s book The Ghosts of Cannae...
Book Review
In Praise of Polytheism
Polytheism is superior to monotheism when exchanging religious convictions with others. This is what Maurizio Bettini argues in his brief and clearly written book of short while easily digestible chapters titled In Praise of Polytheism. Published...
Book Review
Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History
At the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in October 2020, Brown University hosted the Pandemics and Plagues in Antiquity webinar lecture series. Kyle Harper, Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, hosted the first session. The...
Book Review
Profit: An Environmental History
After the Industrial Revolution, factories appeared throughout the world, producing more and more affordable goods while exploiting our environment. Besides air pollution, rivers have been contaminated by waste, and mining has eroded soil...
Book Review
Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland's Elves Can Save the Earth
I was intrigued by the title of Nancy Marie Brown’s latest book Looking for the Hidden Folk: How Iceland’s Elves Can Help Save the Earth. In many ways, I am the ideal audience for this book: a history and anthropology enthusiast with limited...
Book Review
Hunting: A Cultural History
From the Stone Age, hunting had certain functional purposes to bringing food for one's community. The adrenaline and excitement that hunting provides continue to attract people in the modern world to this antique technique. In Hunting: A...
Book Review
Conquering the Ocean: The Roman Invasion of Britain
“Why should a distant island beyond the north-western edge of the Roman Empire have become the target of Roman ambitions for conquest?" (1). With this question, historian Richard Hingley encourages us to contemplate the answer in considerably...
Book Review
Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian
Ian Worthington’s Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian shows how there has been a tendency to fixate on the heyday of famous ancient cities while the events before or after have been unfairly and...
Book Review
The Roman Empire: Second Edition
In 1995, Colin Wells published the second edition of his 1984 book, The Roman Empire, with the express goals of including newer theories, updating the "Suggestions for Further Reading" section, and correcting various editorial mistakes. The...
Book Review
Women, Peace and Welfare: A Suppressed History of Social Reform, 1880-1920
From the outset, Ann Oakley’s Women, Peace and Welfare: A Suppressed History of Social Reform, 1880-1920 sets an ambitious goal of recovering the memory of the female reformers active during these years who made important contributions to...
