Ancient History 41
Release: October 2022
Theme: Akhenaten and the Amarna Period
Issue 41 is going to focus on the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep IV of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, better known as Akhenaten. During his less than twenty-year reign, Akhenaten brought about significant, albeit short-lived, changes to Egyptian society. Most significantly, Akhenaten abandoned the traditional polytheistic religion of Egypt, instead worshiping Aten, a sun god. He also founded the city of Akhetaten, modern Amarna, and moved the capital of Egypt there from Thebes, ushering in what modern scholars call the ‘Amarna period’. This issue will provide a thorough overview of Egypt under Akhenaten, discussing artistic developments of the period, the city of Akhetaten, and even what was involved in worship of the Aten.
Ancient History 42
Release: December 2022
Theme: A day at the theatre
The theme of Issue 42 will revolve around the singing and dancing spectacle that was the theatre. The theatre was a core part of life in ancient Greece, with theatres built all across the Greek world, from Sicily to Cyprus, and playwrights writing tragedies and comedies that are still considered masterpieces to this day. The Romans adopted and continued the Greeks’ theatrical traditions, constructing theatres across the Roman Empire, with Nero’s love of the theatre leading him to be dubbed the ‘actor emperor’. This is of course, a monumental topic, with a great many avenues for us to explore, such as the origins of theatre, the appearance of politics within plays, and the mechanics of theatrics, but I am sure it’ll be a fascinating issue.
Ancient History 43
Release: February 2023
Theme: Feast or famine: Agriculture in the ancient world
Issue 43’s theme will tackle something that is universally necessary in any society – agriculture. It is often taken for granted that people farmed in the ancient world, that people had food and drink, for without farms and food there would not have been an ancient world! However, we want to explore what life was like for ancient farmers. What techniques did they use? What gods did they think were responsible for a bountiful harvest, and what did they do to ensure their goodwill? What happened when a harvest failed?