If you enjoy Tales of Times Forgotten, here are some suggestions of other excellent blogs about ancient history that you may enjoy. These entries are listed in alphabetical order and I plan to add more as I discover more:
A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry is an absolutely brilliant and entertaining blog written by Bret Devereaux, who has a PhD in ancient history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His primary expertise is in ancient Roman military and economic history, but he writes about many other areas of ancient history as well. He often frames his discussion of the ancient world through the reception of the ancient world in modern popular culture, including in movies, television shows, and video games.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the top of the page for Bret Devereaux’s blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry as of 3 March 2022
Bad Ancient
Bad Ancient is a website run by a team of classicists, historians, and archaeologists that rates claims about ancient history on whether they are true, mostly true, half true, mostly false, false, unproven, or misleading. Their “About us” page says:
“Whether it is from the mouths of politicians, or the words of salespeople, Bad Ancient examines claims that are made about the ancient world and determines whether these are true, false, or somewhere in between.”
They are an excellent resource for anyone who is wondering whether a claim about ancient history is correct. Many of the misconceptions they address are ones that I have already debunked on this website, but they are still a valuable resource.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the Bad Ancient homepage, taken on 3 June 2020
Eidolon
Eidolon is a website that publishes articles dealing with subjects related to classical studies, usually examining those subjects from a progressive political perspective. They especially tend to focus on issues related to feminism, race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+ rights, diversity in academia, and social justice in general. Their official mission statement says:
“First, in the spirit of bringing politics into Classics, we’ll be clear about our own: we err on the progressive side, broadly defined but with the general sense of working from the margins and for the marginalized, encouraging cutting-edge scholarship, and tirelessly trying to improve whatever we’re doing. Feminism, also broadly defined (and inclusive!), is at the heart of our work, although that doesn’t necessarily restrict our content — indeed, the fact that ‘women’s topics’ are seen as narrow while men’s topics are just ‘topics’ is precisely part of the problem.”
I don’t always agree with everything Eidolon publishes, but I find that their articles are generally well-written, well-argued, and worth reading. As such, I highly recommend them to anyone interested in the intersection between the ancient world and modern politics.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the top of the homepage for Eidolon taken on 7 April 2020
Kiwi Hellenist
Kiwi Hellenist is an absolutely brilliant blog debunking modern misconceptions about ancient history. It is written by Peter Gainsford, who, according to his “About me” page, is a classicist who teaches at the Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. The title of the blog is a combination of the nickname “Kiwi,” which refers to a person from New Zealand, and the name “Hellenist,” which refers to a scholar who studies the ancient Greeks.
As both a Hellenist and a debunker myself, I always enjoy reading Gainsford’s posts. They are always well-written and fastidiously supported with evidence from ancient sources. Although there are many articles on there debunking misconceptions that I have debunked here at Tales of Times Forgotten, there are also many articles debunking other misconceptions, including even some that I had. Again, Kiwi Hellenist is an absolutely terrific blog—probably my favorite—and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in ancient history.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the top of the homepage for Kiwi Hellenist taken on 27 July 2019
Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics
Pharos: Doing Justice to the Classics is a tremendously useful website that seeks to document the ways in which hate groups are appropriating aspects of Greco-Roman antiquity to support their intolerant messages. According to Pharos’s main page, it further aims to “expose the errors, omissions, and distortions that underpin these groups’ interpretations of ancient material” and “articulate a politically progressive approach to the study of Greco-Roman antiquity.”
Although Pharos often deals with sordid and unsavory subjects, such as white supremacy, misogyny, racism, and anti-Semitism, it serves an important and noble purpose. It is an extremely useful resource if you want to learn more about the kinds of nefarious purposes that Greco-Roman antiquity is being appropriated for in the modern era and what can be done to combat such appropriations.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the top of the homepage for Pharos taken on 8 April 2020
Sententiae Antiquae
Sententiae Antiquae is another absolutely brilliant blog that presents interesting, ironic, and amusing passages from ancient texts, both in the original Greek or Latin and in English translation. For those of you who do not know, the title of the blog is Latin for “Ancient Thoughts.” It comes from Wheelock’s Latin, which has been a standard introductory Latin textbook for over half a century now. In Wheelock’s Latin, the sections with quotes from ancient Roman writers (or simplified passages adapted from them) in Latin are called “Sententiae Antiquae,” hence the name of the blog.
In any case, Sententiae Antiquae is an excellent blog. Their articles are usually short, humorous, and easily digestible. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in ancient Greek or Roman literature. I especially recommend it if you have ever studied Greek or Latin. Even if you have never studied Greek or Latin, this blog makes Greek and Roman authors seem so cool that it just might kindle your interest in learning them.
ABOVE: Screenshot of the top of the homepage for Sententiae Antiquae taken on 27 July 2019