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In 79 CE, Mt. Vesuvius erupted on a massive scale, burying a large swath of the prosperous Bay of Naples area under meters of rock, ash, and mud. Cities such as Pompeii and Herculaneum were snuffed out, preserved for millennia until they were rediscovered in the modern era. Almost overnight, Pompeii became one of the …

In 330 CE, the Emperor Constantine the Great moved the official capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to his renovated metropolis Constantinople, and a new era in the Mediterranean world began. While Rome’s glory would fade under the weight of mismanagement and foreign invasions, the Eastern Empire would rise to new heights of glory, …

Ancient Rome is famous for its many innovations—technological, social, philosophical—that have had an outsized influence on the Eurocentric world. Rome of the 4th c. BCE saw the birth of republicanism and citizenship. The conquests of Italy and then Europe starting in the 2nd c. BCE established an empire that stretched from Britain to Syria and …

Ancient Greece is famous for its many innovations—technological, social, philosophical—that have had an outsized influence on the Eurocentric world. Athens of the 6th and 5th c. BCE saw the birth of democracy, theater, and trial by jury. The conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th c. BCE stretched from Egypt to Afghanistan and created …

The Olympics, theater, a general obsession with entertainment spectacles: our modern society can trace the origins of all these directly to Ancient Greek and Roman societies. Like our world, ancient Mediterranean cultures were engrossed by competitions of strength, speed, stamina, and skill. Their languages gave us terms such as theater, stadium, orchestra, chorus, and arena. …

What do Shakespeare, Dante, Percy Jackson, and Game of Thrones all have in common? They all draw heavily on Classical Mythology, the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome. Learn about these important societies through the lens of the stories they told about themselves. Meet Achilles, a warrior searching for meaning on the battlefield. Meet Medea, …

Have you ever voted in a republic? Inherited something from a will? Enjoyed your citizenship no matter where you lived? Sat in an amphitheater? Used words like agenda, altruism, ambiguous, futile, incalculable, mundane, obvious, plausible, stipend, tentative… If so, your life has been touched by the culture of Ancient Rome, the birthplace of all these …

Have you ever voted in an election? Been called for jury duty? Attended a play? Admired a building with soaring columns? Used words like antique, idol, dialogue, geography, grammar, architect, economy, encyclopedia, telephone, microscope… If so, your life has been touched by the culture of Ancient Greece, the birthplace of all these ideas and more. …