How can I find articles on a specific ancient history topic on Livius.org?

Updated

Use the site's search box for a known name or term, or browse by category or tag when you want to explore a theme. Livius.org is an ancient-history reference site with 4,381 pages and more than 10,700 original illustrations, so the search and browse tools are the practical way in. The article list shown on the homepage is only the most recent additions, not the full collection.

Search first when you have a specific term

If you already know the name of a person, place, event, or concept, search is the fastest route.

  1. Enter the term in the site's search function — for example a place name like Chauci, a battle like Lade, or a term like Palimpsest.
  2. Open the matching article from the results.
  3. Read the article page; each entry ends with a "Click to continue reading" link into the full text.

Search works best with the form of the name the site uses. Livius often gives the ancient or Greek form alongside the modern one, so if one spelling returns nothing, try the variant.

Browse by category or tag when you are exploring

When you do not have an exact term, or want to see everything on a theme, use the category and tag navigation instead of the homepage list.

  • Categories group articles by broad type — people, places, events, and similar headings.
  • Tags connect articles across categories, useful for following a topic that appears in several kinds of entry.
  • The homepage list is not a table of contents; it only shows the newest pages, so do not judge the site's coverage by it.

What the entries look like

Livius articles are short, focused entries. The homepage examples show the pattern:

Article What it covers
Chauci Inhabitants of the southern shore of the North Sea
Clupea (Aspis) Fort and port on the Cape Bon peninsula
Numidian-Carthaginian War Conflict of 151–150 BCE, pretext for Roman intervention
Bithya Numidian chief in the Third Punic War
Triumphal Arch of Titus (Circus Maximus) Arch in Rome, distinct from the Honorific Arch on the Velia
Porta Capena Southeastern gate in Rome's Servian Wall
Palimpsest Reused writing material with a partly legible earlier text
Lade (334 BCE) Site of two naval engagements, 494 and 334 BCE

Each entry states its subject in one or two lines and gives a creation date, which helps you tell how recently a page was added.

Common problems and fixes

  • No results for a name. Try the Greek or Latin form, or a broader term. The site mixes ancient and modern spellings.
  • You only see recent articles. That is the homepage list, not the archive. Switch to search, categories, or tags.
  • Two articles seem to cover the same thing. Check the description — Livius distinguishes similar subjects, such as the Triumphal Arch of Titus in the Circus Maximus versus the Honorific Arch of Titus on the Velia.
  • You want images as well as text. The site hosts over 10,700 original illustrations, so open the full article rather than relying on the summary line.