Editorial Plan 2021

Like our other periodicals, Ancient History is not written by in-house editors. We commission articles from expert authors all over the world. Anyone can submit a proposal for an article, either related to a particular theme (see below) or not. If you wish to submit a proposal (title/subtitle, abstract, and a brief biography of yourself), please contact the editor.

Ancient History 32

Release: January 2021

Theme: Chariots after Warfare – The ancient world’s sporting craze

After chariots ceased being used in warfare, they continued in popularity in sport. From the basic, humble tracks in the open fields of ancient Greece to the thousands of cheering fans and pomp and ceremony of Rome’s Circus Maximus, the sport captured the hearts of young and old, rich and poor alike. We explore the ancient obsession with this sport.

• Emperors and factions: The politics behind chariot racing
• From slave to hero: Who were the charioteers? Training, reputation, glory 
• Live fast, die young: Famous charioteers. 
• The rise and fall of chariot racing: Christianity? Barbarian invasions? Or other reasons?
• The Last Celts: The Decline of Celtic Culture and the coming of Christianity 
• Slaves, Raids, and Naked Fighting?!: The Truth About the Celts at War
• “The Irish Iliad”: Táin Bó Cúailnge
• Chariot racing Hollywood Style: From Ben Hur’s famous chariot scene to other sword and sandal films, exploring the sport’s depiction on the big screen

Ancient History 33

Release: March 2021

Theme: Keltoi – The World of the Celts

Fearsome warriors, beautiful art and craftsmanship, and a unique language, culture, and identity, that remains strong to the present day. For centuries, the Celts have long captured our imagination. We explore the myths and separate the fact from fiction about these ancient people.

• The Insular Celts: Tribes and Turbulence in Roman Britain 
• Celtic Queens: Boudicca and Cartimandua
• La Tène Culture: Celts on the Continent 
• The Last Celts: The Decline of Celtic Culture and the coming of Christianity 
• Slaves, Raids, and Naked Fighting?!: The Truth About the Celts at War
• “The Irish Iliad”: Táin Bó Cúailnge

Ancient History 34

Release: May 2021

Theme: Chillin’ with the Ancients – Fun and Frolicking Before Netflix

How did the ancients relax, play, and entertain themselves? From board games to the theatre, from music to the infamous drinking parties of the symposia, the ancients found endless ways to entertain themselves. 

• Theatre: more than just a show – political disturbances and actors as agitators
• Music in the ancient world - the players, audience and function of music in daily life
• Board Games: Want to play a round of Senet with the ancient Egyptians? How about Hounds and Jackals? What games did people play, what survived?
• Dance: ancient Greece’s chorea, the ancient Egyptian trf, and all-female dancers of the Khener, harem dancers, and other ways in which dance was vital as entertainment and expression in ancient societies
• Symposia: the drunk poet’s society, what really went on at these gatherings? 

Ancient History 35

Release: July 2021

Theme: Gazing at the Stars: Science and Technology in Antiquity

Whether we enjoyed watching spaceships launch or dreamed of being astronauts as kids, the skies have long held a unique place in the human imagination for thousands of years. Many of the things we take for granted and enjoy as a result of scientific progress were thanks to the ancients, who were looking up at that same sky. This issue shines a light on the relationship between the ancients, technology, and the cosmos. 

• Astronomy: Egypt, Babylon, Ptolemaic System
• Egyptian Mathematics (3000 BC-AD 300)
• Aristotelian Physics
• How the ancients viewed the cosmos
• Mythology vs Astronomy: Gods vs Scientists
• Famous Astronomers and their contribution to ancient and modern science: Pythagoras, Ptolemy, Aristarchus of Samos, Aristotle, Eratosthenes etc.
• Technological advancements: aqueducts, the first lighthouse, waterwheels etc.

Ancient History 36

Release: September  2021

Theme: Ancient Egypt: Cultural Revival in the Middle Kingdom

• Literature in the Middle Kingdom: the story of Sinuhe, The Eloquent Peasant, etc.
• Egyptian advances in science and math 
• Leading the way: The Golden Age of the Middle Kingdom under Amenemhat III, Mentuhotep II, the Pharoah who reunited Egypt after the fall of the Old Kingdom, etc..
• Opening the gates to the Afterlife: Burial practices and changes that occurred during the Middle Kingdom 
• Artistic and architectural resurgence 

Ancient History 37

Release: November 2021

Theme: Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My! Animals in the Ancient World

• The Egyptian gods: half-human, half-animal, fully animal, which animals were revered and why? (cat, falcon, ibis, scarab, cow, crocodile, ram, etc.). The discoveries of large numbers of mummified animals at certain sanctuaries such as Tuna el-Gebel. 
• Woof! Dogs in Greek and Roman culture: used for hunting, for sports, as guard dogs ( Odysseus' dog Argos). Animal tombs to revere loyal four-legged friends.
• War machines: Horses, elephants, and other animals used in ancient warfare.
• Animals for sport: Arenas and games
• Animal husbandry and food production
• Hunting in the ancient world
• Mythological beings: Centaurs, Sphinx, Lamassu, Unicorns, Chimaera, Cerberos, Ammit, Pegasus etc.
• Greek and Roman gods and their animal attributes: the owl of Athena, the eagle of Zeus, the hunting dog and stag for Artemis etc.