History’s greatest conundrums and mysteries solved

From miasma to miracles: how medieval medicine desperately battled the bubonic plague

There were 13 men: unlucky for someone. They were dressed to kill – but so was everyone else. In what was essentially an army camp, crammed with armed men, the assailants blended right in. Moving casu

As I type this, we’re enduring that rare thing in the UK: a heatwave. It can make life uncomfortable by day and unbearable at night. It also makes you acutely aware of how you sleep and begs the quest

Your interesting feature about the role of medieval warhorses in shaping British history (August) reminded me of a subsequent occasion in which horsepower became a critical factor. In April 1660, with

In short, yes: the Victorians did indeed think eating mummified remains pilfered from ancient Egyptian tombs was a good idea, although they did not come up with the idea themselves. The morbid practic

Whether vestiges of paganism survived Europe’s Christianisation is a subject of enduring fascination. Scholarly debate navigates between the ‘maximalist’ position (much survived) and the ‘minimalist’