Period

This stone relief from the palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (668–627 BC) shows the Assyrian king leading a lion hunt — a dramatic display of dominance that reinforced royal authority in the Late Assyrian Empire.

General ancient history

Would you kidnap a god? This ancient Mesopotamian empire did – and for a genius reason

VJ Day and the story of women's football: history behind the headlines. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ilustration of a pair of hands holding a book called 'Summer Reading 2025'. There is a bookshelf in the background

General History

28 of the best history summer reads for 2025

On a green background, there is a sketch of a human pyramid of people in togas, all balancing fruit on their heads, arms and feet

Be neighbourly like a Pompeian. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A sketch shows two topless men wearing pale shorts fighting each other in a boxing ring

From a lion-taming lightweight to the Muscular Maids: 5 Victorian boxing sensations you need to know about. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The tangled legacies of two Americas. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

A woman stands next to a plough, with a house in the distance behind her. A man is standing next to the house

“The motors of the wagon train”: meet the forgotten women who upended gender norms to win the Wild West

VJ Day: why don't we talk about WW2 in Asia?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Statue of Mesopotamian king Ashurbanipal

General ancient history

He tried to conquer knowledge itself – instead this ancient Mesopotamian king resorted to rule with terror

Many brightly coloured teacups with triangular handles sit on top of a white table. To the left, one of them is being picked up. The person is wearing a green bracelet on the arm they are using to hold the cup

Designs for life: the lasting impact of Art Deco. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Zoot suits, mashers & New Romantics: the evolution of the dandy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Purple and yellow banner with the text 'Turning Points in British History'

Turning points in British history

Woodcut of a man swimming in a river, while another man stands on the bank

The most common accidental way to die in Tudor England reveals surprising truths about daily life

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

A woman dressed in a ruffled dress and spotted robe holds a young child in a white, lacy dress and cap

Maria of Modena: The queen who started a revolution. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Arson, murder and goddesses: secrets of a Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer arrives at Orly Airport in Paris to lecture at the Faculté des Sciences. Once a leading figure in the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer’s postwar career was marked by international engagement and growing controversy. (Photo by Getty Images)

Second World War

How Nazi secrets triggered the ultimate moral dilemma – and led to Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb

Forgotten stories from South Asian history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This illustration from the Codex Manesse (c.1300) shows Konrad von Altstetten, a Swiss ministerial, reclining with his beloved after a hunt. The lavish manuscript, compiled in Heidelberg, preserves the courtly poetry and romantic ideals of the German medieval nobility. (Photo by Getty Images)

Wandering womanisers? These charismatic bards took the medieval world (and its women) by storm

Was the atomic bomb necessary to end war with Japan?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A picture of Freddie Mercury. He is wearing a white vest top with white jeans and he is holding a guitar behind his head. At the top of the guitar, a bright white light shines

The Age of Spectacle: Live Aid at 40. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This floor mosaic from a Roman villa in Carthage depicts a boy hunting leopards

Could today’s kids survive in ancient Rome? Here’s the harsh reality of life as a Roman child

Hug a tree like a pagan from the margins of Europe. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Promo image for In Conversation at Kew Gardens

General History

Join HistoryExtra at In Conversation at Kew Gardens

Hiroshima: in the shadow of the bomb. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A multicoloured photo collage, including an Indian soldier in WW1 military uniform, a woman dressed in dark jacket, cap and tie

"There's little understanding of the shared history of Britain and the subcontinent" | South Asian Heritage Month. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

WW2 evacuees: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.