Ancient History, published by Karwansaray based in the Netherlands, was added to the Exact Editions platform during October 2017. The bi-monthly magazine makes excellent use of commissioned images to complement original articles and bring the ancient world to life; this format translates beautifully to the Exact Editions platform which exactly replicates the original print version. The preservation of the magazine’s format is a very important factor for researchers and readers as it maintains the intended structure, style and visual content of the publication.
Each issue of Ancient History revolves around a specific theme, with the most recent at time of writing focusing on health and healing in antiquity. The articles are written to an academic standard with contributions from professors, research fellows and experts in the field, often discussing the latest scholarship. The entries are generally a few pages long and serve as informative and accessible introductions to the topic, suited to all levels of study. These short articles are supplemented with suggestions for further reading making the magazine a great starting point for introductory learning.
Beyond the featured theme of each issue there are also special features on niche topics of interest, for example a close examination of Rome’s Seven Hills and how that geographical feature contributed to the city’s identity. These articles cover rarely discussed topics which could inspire a new line of research at university level, or enlighten a student who is struggling to find literature surrounding their special interest. Again, for any readers wishing to explore the material further, each article comes with very useful recommended reading. Ancient History even include reviews of the books recommended in each issue so that students can be sure of the relevance and quality of the literature.
The informative Ancient History magazine is enhanced by the fluid Exact Editions platform, with technical features such as fully searchable pages and issues, access to the complete archive and shareable pages by social media and unique URLS. The advantages of being able to search every page, issue and the entire archive by keyword are manifold; however, the feature really comes into its own when searching for an obscure reference. For example see the image below, in which I searched for Apollonius and found he was mentioned in Issue 4 & Issue 5.
Search results for ‘Apollonius’ drawn from the archived issues of Ancient History
Once the user has found the articles mentioning Apollonius, they may wish to save or share the page for future use. This can be done in several ways, either by bookmarking the unique URL, sharing the article via social media or email, or by saving the page as a PDF file. This guarantees an easy way of citing sources for essays and making use of the online magazine as a classroom resource. All of these options can be seen on the bottom toolbar of the image below.
A double page spread. Note the menu beneath the page image with options for social sharing
Overall, Ancient History offers an excellent resource for libraries looking to provide their readers with academic material covering the ancient world. The content of the magazine is written to a high standard by experts in their respective fields, accompanied by wonderful, educational imagery. The short, succinct articles offer a superb entry point for students, especially with the additional recommended reading which points readers in the right direction for future research. The technical features of the Exact Editions platform complement the subject material of Ancient History very usefully, offering a variety of shortcuts and additional features which provide a level of versatility above and beyond the print version.
Ancient History is now available on Web, iOS and Android platforms for institutions: https://institutions.exacteditions.com/ancient-history
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