art

Caravaggio was not a man of his time. As gay icon, father of modern painting and enigmatic artistic rebel, he speaks volumes to 21st century audiences visiting his current exhibition in Rome. The realism and drama that he transmitted onto canvas seem surprisingly fresh, while also connecting us with the feel and detail of life in the early 17th century.

But his portraits of youths - again, not typical of the early 1600s - seem to hark back to an era more than 1,000 years before his time. His sensuous appreciation of the male form, which scandalised his 17th century patrons, had more in common with Roman and Greek artistic traditions, which openly celebrated the male beauty, as well as pederastic relationships.

There are some excellent ancient history titles on the market this year, and you can get your hands on some of them for free by entering Heritage Key's Ancient World in London bloggers' challenge. It's part of our three-month-long celebration of Ancient London, an interactive online and offline event featuring HD video, virtual worlds, competitions and live events.

Thames & Hudson has up for grabs five books from its latest catalogue for whoever can best answer our first bloggers' challenge question: 'Which invaders have had the biggest impact on London?' The winner will also receive 50 bonus HK points to boost their online tally.

Thames & Hudson is one of the biggest names in publishing, with history among its specialist subjects. Its mission includes the challenge to "create a museum without walls" and to make academic research available to the mass market at affordable prices.