Herstory
Ancient Mesopotamia: The Shifting Status of Women
In the early centuries, cooperative labor, shared temple resources, and a pantheon led by powerful goddesses allowed for a level of respect toward women.
Latest
Herstory
The Rise of Ancient States: Boundaries, Power, and Women’s Roles
States are not eternal or unchanging. They originate at particular moments in history, expand or contract their territories, and frequently dissolve, leaving only traces in archaeological ruins and half-forgotten myths. Long ago, small autonomous groups cultivated land or foraged freely without rigid hierarchies. Over time, some of these communities transformed
Herstory
Patriarchy: The Emergence of Male-Dominant Societies
Understanding the origins of patriarchy illuminates why women’s fights for legal and social equality are so longstanding and, at times, so contentious.
Pre-History
Tracing Humanity’s Matricentric Roots
Our journey from primates to pottery, from foraging bands to complex societies, is a long and intricate tale.
Ancient Greece
Aristotle’s Athenaion Politeia on the Rise of the Thirty Tyrants
Even after the oligarchic collapse, the notion of returning to a “pure,” original constitution remained powerful in Athenian political discourse.
Ancient Greece
Athens - Sparta War through Thebes' Liberation
The liberation of Thebes from its Spartan-backed oligarchs was itself a potent symbol of anti-Spartan resurgence
Ancient Greece
Did Thucydides Accurately Report the Mytilene Debate?
Thucydides’ Mytilene debate underscores his broader reliability rather than undermines it.
Ancient Greece
The Peloponnesian War: Pericles's Strategy Approved
Thucydides’ admiration of Pericles rests on the historian’s understanding of Spartan limitations and the city’s internal divisions.
Ancient Greece
Causes on Athens’ Oligarchic Revolution of 411 BC
The old guard of Athens—whose democracy had withstood numerous challenges—responded with resilience, reestablishing broader participation
Ancient Greece
Herodotus on Croesus and Cyrus: How Human Fortune and National Conflict Intertwine
Herodotus uses Croesus and Cyrus to illustrate how mortal ignorance endures even after moments of awakening.
Ancient Greece
Female Seers: Women’s Voices for Greek Divination
Ancient Greek culture is often associated with its pantheon of gods, heroic epics, and a deeply embedded patriarchal social order. Yet, within this landscape of myths and male-dominated spheres, women did hold prominent roles in specific religious contexts—one of the most striking being the craft of divination. While we
Ancient Greece
The Art of the Consultation and Divination with the Seers
The art of the consultation in ancient Greece was never a simple question of “right or wrong” omens