The Hittites: everything you wanted to know
The Hittites were one of the most powerful civilisations in the Near East, building a vast empire that encompassed much of modern-day Turkey. But aside from a few vague references in ancient texts, pr...
14 Sep 202448min
The Iranian embassy siege: an SAS hostage drama in London
In May 1980, TV coverage of the world snooker final was interrupted by live footage of men in black balaclavas abseiling down the walls of the Iranian Embassy in London. This was Operation Nimrod, a d...
12 Sep 202439min
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
