General ancient history

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector

General Early Modern

Royalists, beards and cowardice: are these the strangest taxes in history?

Three monarchs who stepped down through history: Kaiser Wilhem II; Anne of Cleves; and James VII and II. (Images by Getty)

Retiring royals: 9 rulers and royals who stepped down through history

Ayatollah Khomeini

General ancient history

A brief history of Iran

Rosa Parks rides on a Montgomery bus

From Sutton Hoo to Rosa Parks: 50 giant leaps in history

'The Last Supper', 1803. A copy of the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1490s. Some think the superstition about Friday 13th being unlucky is related to the Last Supper, when 13 people were present at the meal before Jesus's crucifixion on Good Friday. (Photo by Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Q&A Why is Friday 13th considered unlucky?

A stained glass depiction of the nativity.

General ancient history

The history of the nativity: how much is known about the birth of Jesus?

The Trojan Horse – seen in the 2004 film Troy

How much of the legend of Troy is real?

Roman toilet

Tales of the toilet: a historical A–Z

Illustration by Davide Bonazzi

The big question: should museums return their treasures?

Halloween postcard

10 things you didn’t know about the history (and mystery) of Halloween

Cardinal John Henry Newman

How to become a saint

Cariad Lloyd, Suzannah Lipscomb and Greg Jenner

General ancient history

“A history podcast for people who don’t like history”: Greg Jenner on his new podcast You’re Dead To Me

The Spartan king Leonidas at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The conflict has become the archetype for the courageous last stand, pitting around 200,000 Persians against 7,000 Spartans.

Your guide to the battle of Thermopylae

The Temple Scroll, from the Dead Sea Scrolls

General ancient history

Digging for the Bible: 10 key discoveries from the Holy Land

Daisy Dunn.

The destruction of Pompeii