In this volume are collected eleven major papers, translated into English, by J.H. Thiel (1896-1974), who was professor of Ancient History in the Universities of Leiden and Utrecht. The papers here collected are representative of the three most important fields Thiel's research covered. The first was the history of the Greek polis, in particular Athens and its lawgiver Solon. The second part consists of papers studying the Roman élite and prominent representatives of it in the light of modern psychological insights, and the third part comprises papers on the maritime history of antiquity.