One of the blueprints for imperialism has always been The Aeneid, by the Roman poet Virgil, working between 29 and 19 BCE.

Oh come on, we’ve all got a pet stag. Aeneas’ mother Venus gives him some Vulcan weapons (fashioned by Mr Spock, presumably). On his return, it is decided that the war should be brought to an ...

Aeneas’s mother was the goddess Aphrodite, known as Venus in Rome. The Trojans wandered for many years looking for a new homeland, stopping in Sicily and Carthage before making their way to the ...