Africa

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth I painted by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

How Shakespeare rewrote history

Elizabeth I’s Armada portrait. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

The Tudors’ unlikely allies

A seated statue of Hatshepsut, one of the longest-reigning and most prominent female pharaohs of ancient Egypt. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images)

Life of the Week: Hatshepsut

(Photo by Getty Images)

How did Ancient Egyptians mummify a body?

A vintage photograph showing an unknown man standing behind a stall selling lemonade, root beer and ice cream – among other things.

Q&A Who invented lemonade?

Gebelein Man

The big questions of ancient Egypt

A group of girls taking a bath as part of a contest to see who can wash the fastest.

General prehistory

Q&A When did people start having baths?

Photo of ancient public toilets

General ancient history

Q&A How old is the toilet seat?

Photo of pipe and tobacco

Q&A Did people smoke anything before tobacco was discovered?

Female warriors from Benin

Q&A Has there ever been a women-only army?

Bet Giorgis, Ethiopia

My favourite place: Northern Ethiopia

A portrait of greek scientist Claudius Ptolemy

Books interview with Steven Weinberg: “The history of science can prevent us from making the mistakes of the past”

Saladin, seen in a 12th-century portrait, led Muslim opposition to the crusaders and united much of the Middle East. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

How to lead like Saladin

This statue of Arsinoe II identified her with the goddess Isis – thanks, in part, to the so-called ‘Isis knot’ on her right shoulder – so exploiting Egyptian tradition to strengthen her image (© Getty)

The female ‘kings’ of ancient Egypt

Cover of the Voyages Extraordinaires series by the French science fiction writer Jules Verne.

The phantom menace: 10 milestones in science fiction