Livia comes with something of a negative reputation. But was she really such a fiendishly evil power broker?

Gladiatorial contests are often depicted as bloody and brutal battles to the death, with only the most valiant fighters allowed to survive. But how true is this?

Phallic imagery is not in short supply at the ancient site of Pompeii, including carved versions under foot. But did they really direct people to the brothel?

It is sometimes claimed that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome. While this was not the case, defining who was the first emperor of Rome is no easy task.

Christmas time often brings with it the claim that early Christians stole the story and date for Jesus’ birth from the cult of Mithras. There is no ancient evidence that confirms this.

It is often said that the Spartans returned their war dead back to Sparta on their shields, due in no small part to a famous quote in Plutarch.

Molōn Labe has become a go-to phrase to denounce political authorities removing the perceived rights of citizens, and its origins in Spartan history is used to solidify its meaning as a righteous stand against oppression.

It is a commonplace to believe that people in the past held that the Earth was flat. But already in the distant past, people realized that our world is spherical.

The idea that the Homeric epics are somehow an accurate source for life in the Bronze Age Aegean has long gone the way of the dodo, at least in academic circles.