The main inspiration behind my choice to study both archaeology and ancient history at the university level came moderately recent to me. Approximately a year and a half ago I finished reading a translation of Euripides's 'The Bacchae', and was curious to learn more about Dionysian tragedy and other forms of ritual madness. I spent a considerable amount of time researching about it on Wikipedia, which eventually led me to the historical background of Classical mythology. A few days later I came to the conclusion that Graeco-Roman history is composed of several hundred years' worth of fascinating events. I discovered how intriguing the development of government systems and nation states are, whether it be Hadrianic border policies or the evolution…show more content… Given the lack of museums in the city related to my field of interest, reading a wide range of of history books from the factual to analytical comparisons on classical antiquity allowed me to further supplement the courses' curriculum. Diamond's 'Guns, Germs and Steel' was especially informative on the exploration of cultural materialism and the significance of geography, yet falls short on considering human nature. Diamond does not question factors such as moral goodwill, inventions or the impact of human leaders and their ties to nationalism has with the fate of human societies. On the other hand, after reading Green's 'Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age' with Alexander's 'The War That Killed Achilles' has taught me how to draw and examine parallels between historical figures and their actions, from seeing how Alexander and Hephaestion had strived to emulate Achilles and Patroclus' relationship to warfare and one another. In addition, I also developed a love for stalwart emperors; after reading Anthony Everitt, Danny Danziger and Marco Rizzi I began to respect the genius of Hadrian and understand the turbulent relationship Judea had with