General ancient 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

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

Tom Holland by Helen Atkinson

Tom Holland on Christianity’s enduring legacy

The Byzantines and a flamethrower

General ancient history

Q&A What was Greek fire?

Now a protected species in many countries, the hedgehog was once also a health food. A German cookbook dating from the mid-15th century recommends the meat of a hedgehog as useful for leprosy and urinary retention. (Photo by Yuri SmityukTASS via Getty Images)

General ancient history

Hedgehogs, cannabis bread and horse placenta: 13 weird and wonderful health foods in history