Ancient Egypt | 4. religion and death
Nothing is more synonymous with ancient Egypt than mummification. But why was this postmortem practice actually performed? And what other rituals and beliefs surrounded death in the ancient civilisati...
11 Sep 202444min
Native Americans: a history of power and survival
The story of Native American societies decimated by European arrival is a familiar one. But, while undoubtedly important, that’s only one part of the story. In her new book Native Nations, Kathleen Du...
10 Sep 202435min
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: life of the week
From pioneering railways and awe-inspiring bridges to ocean-spanning passenger ships and flatpack hospitals, there was no engineering challenge too ambitious for Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The impressiv...
9 Sep 202442min
The 1943 battle of Kursk – and its present-day echoes
Recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war have seen Kursk make headlines – provoking parallels with the Second World War battle that took place in the region. But are such links helpful? And how i...
8 Sep 202452min
Medieval torture: everything you wanted to know
Why were people tortured in the Middle Ages? Was it ever legal? Did the infliction of physical pain play as large a role in medieval prosecutions as we might think? And did anyone actually experience ...
7 Sep 202427min
Medieval documents in danger
Just how far does our understanding of the medieval past rely upon written sources? And what happens when these precious fragments of knowledge are destroyed? Taking in shocking cases of destruction a...
5 Sep 202444min
Ancient Egypt | 3. culture
What would an average ancient Egyptian citizen's relationship have been with the pyramids? Why did they wear gooey wax cones on their heads? And what was it like to attend an Egyptian religious ritual...
4 Sep 202448min
Our 10,000-year quest for equality
Were hunter-gatherer societies among the most equal in history? What impact did the French and American Revolutions have on the concept of equality? And has equality been on the retreat over the past ...
3 Sep 202434min
