Sitting in the Basilica San Domenico church of Siena is the preserved head of a woman. Though undoubtedly for some it’s a gruesome thing to behold, for many Catholics it’s a relic belonging to one of the holiest women to have ever existed. The head i

While this site was first developed before the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, the fort of Vindolanda became an important position for the Roman frontier and would go on to be used for another 400 years after the Romans had left Britain. The first mi

The Inca Empire’s meteoric rise to dominance over 10 million citizens was owed in no small part to its formidable military. From their humble beginnings dominating their neighbours in the Cusco Valley to their vast empire, the military might of the I

The Roman dodecahedrons are one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries. Did they serve a military purpose? Civilian? Religious? No one really knows, but numerous theories exist as to these strange objects’ function. Examples have been found in military

Shipwrecks can reveal fascinating details about the ancient world. They can tell us what goods people were trading, how ships were being built and can even provide information on the rituals that people were carrying out. In this countdown, we take a

The ancient site of Pompeii in Italy is the resting place for the many victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, but as a result of that tragedy it’s also a gold mine for archaeologists. We continue to learn new things about how Romans live

Mining comedy from the Black Death is no mean feat Creator: Kathleen Jordan Distributor: Netflix Cast: Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet, Amar Chadha-Patel Released: Out now It feels a bit like the end of the world. At least, that’s how the characters in Netfli

Suetonius Paulinus had an almost impossible task. He was the Roman governor of Britain during the rebellion of the fierce Icini queen, Boudicca. At the Battle of Watling Street in 61 CE, Suetonius managed to finally gain the upper hand and slaughtere

The Romans found a settlement, later to become Londinium and then later the capital of Britain. However, the original settlement lasts only 13 years before it is destroyed by Boudicca. It is then rebuilt and soon becomes one of the largest settlement

Politics hardly has a nice clean image, does it? Sometimes called ‘the dirty game’, it feels like every other day a politician somewhere in the world becomes the subject of scandal. As much as we would like to think otherwise, the individuals elected

Coming to the throne on 1 April 1081, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos managed to stabilise the tottering Byzantine Empire. However, the Seljuk Turkish Empire now ran almost to the gates of Constantinople with the city of Nicaea, nearly 100km southeast, he

Illustration: Kevin McGivern Inset images: © Alamy, except courtyard■

History can be viewed and reviewed through many different lenses, which is something I find endlessly captivating. One lens that appears to be coming up a bit for me recently is religion. What I mean by that is approaching a topic with the understand

Director: Samuel Fuller Starring: Vincent Price, Ellen Drew, Beulah Bondi Country: USA Year: 1950 The story of James Reavis’ attempt to swindle Arizona from the USA — but are its facts as fraudulent as his scheme? VERDICT: A largely fictionalised tak

On 25 June 1950, approximately 135,000 troops from the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) advanced across the 38th parallel, and for months the conflict with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and its allies ebbed and flowed. Rolling southwards, the NKPA ove

What was Legion IX Hispana? By the time of the Roman Empire, the Imperial Army had about 30 legions, each comprising 5,500 men. The Ninth Legion was probably founded around the time of Julius Caesar and we know he did command it. It was briefly disba

On 31 August 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car accident in Paris. A week later, her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey in London. The ceremony was attended by 2,000 people, and thousands more lined the streets to pay their respect

14 INSIDE A ROMAN VILLA 16 ANATOMY OF BOUDICCA 18 EMINENT ROMANS IN BRITAIN 20 MYSTERY OF THE MISSING LEGION■

By 1782 peace talks in the American War of Independence had already begun. The ‘rebels’ of the 13 colonies that were to create the new nation of the United States, plus their allies, would be the victors. But for some the pains of separation were alr

Across the English countryside, the remains of large rural homesteads that date to the time of the Roman occupation of Britain have been discovered by archaeologists. These archaeological sites can tell us a lot about the buildings that once stood, p

The world-famous Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) was founded in 1852 in London as the Museum of Manufactures. Since then, it has become the largest museum of art and design in the world, holding around 2.8 million objects in its collections. Of thes

The term Caliphate is probably familiar to some extent to anyone who follows the news. Its recent invocation, largely by extremist religious figures, has brought it into geopolitical discourse. But do you know what it actually means? Or that the Cali

Throughout history, monsters and mythical creatures have haunted the societies and cultures that created them. From hydras to Gorgons to cyborgs, the monsters humans have imagined reflect our worst fears and our darkest nightmares, and can tell us a

Featured on the 200 kwacha banknote since 2012, Rose Chibambo was a politician in the British Protectorate of Nyasaland before the state became independent Malawi in 1964. As a politician and activist she is credited with organising the women’s movem

Following the death of Stalin in 1953, sport had increasingly become an important pillar of the Soviet Union. Great effort had been made to re-engage with international sporting communities following years of self-imposed exile. In this context, the

Guy Ritchie’s entertaining WWII thriller throws light on Operation Postmaster Cert: TBC Director: Guy Ritchie Cast: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson Released: Out now History is written by the victors, the saying goes, and that’s not incorr

Floods, famine, pestilence. For the hard-pressed peasants of Yuan China, ruled over by the domineering descendants of the Mongol conquerors who had established themselves as overlords of the land, the series of natural calamities indicated one thing:

In 1972, Stanley Cohen published his monumental work Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The book is widely credited for defining the latter term, but just what is a ‘moral panic’? Well, chances are you will have lived through several, and may have even un