Almost everyone has at least heard of Daniel Defoe, or at the very least, his most famous work: The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a Sailor of York. But aside from novels, Defoe also wrote social and political essays. Among these was one that was so critical and poorly received by the authorities […]
United Kingdom
Posted inModern Era
The Incursion of the Dutch Fleet That Sailed Up the Thames, Destroyed the Royal Navy, and Unleashed Panic in London
In a recent article titled How the Dutch Ate Their Prime Minister in 1672, we recounted a military event carried out by the navy of the Netherlands that occurred in 1667: a bold naval incursion in which sixty-two warships, under the command of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter and the brother of the Dutch prime minister, […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
How Much Did It Cost to Transport Goods in the Roman World? A Study Focused on Britain Reveals That Maritime Routes Were the Cheapest
A study recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science has analyzed the relative costs of transporting goods by different means in late Roman Britain, challenging some long-held notions about the economy of the Roman Empire. The research team, led by Rob Wiseman from the University of Cambridge, has developed a novel method for calculating […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Analysis Reveals how Roman Surgeons Used Medical Instruments Found in Ancient Britain
Advanced archaeological technology has brought to light the intricate design and craftsmanship of Roman surgical instruments used 2,000 years ago. Researchers utilized a CT scanner to examine six medical implements, including a bronze scalpel handle that was once employed in surgical procedures. The study was conducted at the SHArD 3D Lab at the University of […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Vikings in the Orkney Islands Discovered “The Plow Was Mightier Than the Sword”
In a study conducted by archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen, new evidence reveals that the Viking settlers in the Orkney Islands found “the plow was mightier than the sword”. Despite their notorious reputation as fierce raiders, these Norse colonists ultimately thrived through agriculture and settlement. Published in the Journal of the North Atlantic, the […]
Posted inCulture, Modern Era
Hamnet, Shakespeare’s Son Whose Childhood Death May Have Influenced His Father in the Creation of Hamlet and Other Works
Are there any descendants of William Shakespeare today? The answer is no. It is known that the family endures through another line, that of his younger sister Joan, but the famous playwright’s line has died out. This is because, despite having three children with his wife Anne Hathaway, two were girls and thus took their […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Modern Era
Sweating Sickness, the Enigmatic and Lethal Disease that Ravaged England between the 15th and 16th Centuries and Disappeared as Mysteriously as it Arrived
It seemed like flu, but it was much faster and deadlier because it killed the patient within a few hours; it has been compared to relapsing fever, but that, caused by tick or louse bites, causes a local black crust that was not present in this case; there is speculation about an infection by hantavirus, […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Edgar Atheling, the Lost King of England Who Was Born in Hungary and Joined the First Crusade
In his work Gesta Regum Anglorum (“Deeds of the Kings of the English”), the medieval historian William of Malmesbury gives the last and endearing known detail of one of the most curious characters in British history: Now he grows old in the country, in privacy and quietness. He refers to the last male representative of […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Medieval Grave Slabs Recovered from England’s Oldest Historic Shipwreck
Underwater archaeologists from Bournemouth University have recovered two medieval grave slabs that lay on the seabed of Studland Bay for nearly 800 years. These slabs, carved from Purbeck marble, were part of the cargo of England’s oldest recorded shipwreck, which sank off the coast of Dorset during the reign of Henry III in the 13th […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Seahenge was Created in the Bronze Age for Rituals to Extend Summer and Return of a Warmer Climate
Recent research on an ancient wooden circle uncovered on a Norfolk beach, known as Seahenge, suggests it was created during the Bronze Age in response to severe climatic deterioration at the end of the third millennium BCE. Dr. David Nance from the University of Aberdeen has published new findings in GeoJournal on Holme I, a […]
