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This mosaic from the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily depicts women exercising — a rare glimpse of female leisure in the Roman Empire. (Photo by Getty Images)

Are you healthier than a Roman? These ancient secrets for longevity are still shockingly relevant

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The real Nancy Mitford: meet the bestselling novelist who betrayed her sister

When was the worst time to be alive? You'll be surprised at what our expert has to say. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Hand-coloured engraving of someone being tortured on the wheel.

Stretched, crushed and impaled10 shocking torture methods from medieval history

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A female agent serving in Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.

Second World War

Step inside the covert WW2 spy network that trained women to kill with their bare hands

Cold War-era President John F Kennedy leaves St Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Washington DC — just hours before Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to withdraw missiles from Cuba, defusing the Cold War’s most dangerous standoff.

The CIA’s most unlikely Cold War weapon? A secret smuggling operation that terrified Soviet censors

A portrait of James Bond author Ian Fleming

Second World War

Think James Bond's pure fantasy? His creator's real WW2 missions were more outrageous than you'd believe

Archaeologist Buzz Busby alongside two Roman swords.

A hidden Roman villa? A pair of "remarkable" swords might have just unlocked its ancient secrets

Newgrange, a prehistoric monument in the Boyne Valley of eastern Ireland

General ancient history

Were ancient Ireland’s ‘incestuous elites’ just a myth? A tomb older than Stonehenge has new answers

This 9th-century illustration shows Alcuin of York presenting his pupil Rabanus Maurus to Saint Martin. An influential scholar and teacher, Alcuin played a key role in the intellectual revival of Charlemagne’s court.

The first mafia? How an early medieval kingdom perfected the art of deadly diplomacy

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HistoryExtra Podcast

The latest episodes from the History Extra podcast

Beyond the trenches: a new take on WW1. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Roman warfare: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The People's Princess: why Diana captivated the world. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Secrets of medieval manuscripts. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Owain Glyndŵr: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Magic beakers & Roman helmets: artefacts that shaped history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

SOE: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 2Was it possible to be neutral in World War One?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Beyond the trenches: untold stories of WW1. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Be wary of technology’s big promises, but roll with the changes. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

7 July

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How much do you know about the Vikings? Test your knowledge with our quiz. This mid-19th century painting shows Viking ships on the River Thames. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

QuizHow much do you know about the Vikings?

Flagellants or Brothers of the Cross in Netherlands scourging themselves as they walk through streets

QuizHow much do you know about medieval history?

General History

Quiz of the weekWhich instrument was patented on 28 June 1846?

The effects of the disease known as the Black Death

History quiz: how much do you know about the Black Death?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Portrait of King Henry VIII, Jane Seymour and Prince Edward. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Winston Churchill gives his famous v-sign as he opens the new headquarters of 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron of the RAAF (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) at Croydon, 1948. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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Golden funerary mask of Tutankhamun, inlaid with lapis lazuli, obsidian and turquoise. (Photo By DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini/Getty Images)

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Photo of Mabel Capper and Patricia Woodlock advertising a meeting, Manchester, Lancashire, July 1908

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