The Lehman Trilogy: a Homeric epic

Many small businesses started by Jewish refugees in the nineteenth century were to prove highly successful, among them our own Marks and Spencer. But the one-room general store which Henry Lehman opened in Alabama in 1844 was in a league of its own. Over the next 140...

Parthenon Frieze Stars in the London Olympics

Sporting motifs from ancient Olympia were popping up everywhere in the run-up to the Summer Games of 2012. But how did the sculptures which once decorated a temple over a hundred miles from Olympia fit into this picture? Earlier in the year I put this question to...

Nike in London. A Greek Goddess Arrives for the Olympic Games

Recently Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, landed in London on magnificent uplifted wings. There were frequent sightings of her in newspapers and on television, being fondled, flourished and quite often bitten by winning athletes. As the goddess who brings success...