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James Romm is the co-author of The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, published on August 23 by the Modern Library.

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The 12 Sketchy Caesars Who Became Role Models for Dictators

BAD EXAMPLES

A new book by the peerless classical scholar Mary Beard looks hard at the hold these Roman emperors still exert on our ideas and images of political power.

James Romm | Published Nov 13, 2021

This Is the Gun-Loving Right’s Favorite Greek Taunt

DEFIANT LOSERS

When the Persians told the Spartans to lay down their arms at Thermopylae, the Spartans defiantly and suicidally replied “Come and take them.”

James Romm | Published Sep 27, 2021

The Victorious Gay Greek Army That Got Canceled by History

GIMME A T

Everybody names sports teams after the Spartans even though they were losers, but isn’t it high time we gave it up for the Thebans.

James Romm | Published Jun 19, 2021

‘Ben-Hur’ Is an Ancient and Modern Mess

CLUELESS

A world power mired in the Middle East: The Rome/U.S. parallels are inescapable and tantalizing—and cluelessly handled in this chariot ride to nowhere.

James Romm | Published Aug 20, 2016

The Daggers Cooler than King Tut’s

HISTORY LESSON

Sure, King Tut had a space dagger made from a meteorite. While that seems pretty cool, another kind of metal knife from that period gets historians much more excited.

James Romm | Published Jun 04, 2016

Aristotle’s Tomb or Just a Tourist Site?

QUESTIONABLE

An archeologist claims to have discovered the final resting place of the Greek philosopher. He’s probably wrong, but it will be surely be good for business for the locals.


James Romm | Published May 28, 2016

Translating the ‘Iliad’? Who Isn’t.

LONG LINE

What’s behind the epic rush to put Homer’s ancient text into new modern editions?

James Romm | Published Jan 01, 2016

A Brash Brit’s Subversive Siege of Rome

A PEOPLE’S HISTORY

<p>Mary Beard has shaken the dust off the Classics world with her vivid vision. With her new book <i>SPQR</i>, she sees our modern life in the empire’s everyday people.</p>

James Romm | Published Nov 22, 2015

Is This the Ancestor of a Homeric Hero?

Secrets of the Grave

The grave of the Griffin Warrior may unlock the mysteries of a Bronze Age era that precedes all written records.

James Romm | Published Oct 28, 2015

Sophocles in the Age of PTSD

PAST PRESENT

<p>The ancient Greeks knew a thing or two about life amid tragedy. In his new book <i>Theater of War</i>, how Bryan Doerries’s own grief led him to help today’s vets act out their suffering.&nbsp;</p>

James Romm | Published Oct 04, 2015

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