Radical Antiquity: Free Love Zoroastrians, Farming Pirates, and Ancient Uprisings

When you think of Ancient Greece and Rome, what do you see? The Acropolis and the Colosseum? Perhaps the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle and the rule of the Caesars? Or the birth of democracy and the vast reach of an empire? This well-trodden history of great thinkers, military leaders, and early state formation in the classical world still enthralls us, but it tells only half the story . . .

How democratic was Athenian democracy? How much power did states wield beyond their city walls? An...