Period

An image of Roman ruins, including tall structures with 6 columns in the background. There is a large curved wall in the foreground

Think you know everything about ancient Rome? These 25 facts will prove otherwise. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Cinemagoes look at a screen out of shot, a projector behind them shines overhead

Recent HistoryExtra videos. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of two men, dressed in colourful robes, hug each other. One man is standing on top of a lamb, the other on a lion

Michael Wood on the rise and fall of Asian empires. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Forgotten female secret agents of WW2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This 2nd-century AD mosaic from La Chebba, part of a larger scene showing the Triumph of Neptune, includes a boy gathering fruit — a small detail that reflects broader Roman ideas about health and diet. Fresh fruit played an important role in Roman nutrition, valued for its balance, seasonality, and association with natural well-being.

If ancient Romans didn't understand calories, how was their theory of nutrition so accurate?

What Was Life REALLY like in a Medieval Castle? The truth about castle living. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Painting of the first Thanksgiving

Think you know everything about the history of Thanksgiving? Here’s 21 facts that will prove you wrong

Habsburg royals displaying the distinctive jaw that became a hallmark of their intermarrying to stay in power. (Images by Getty)

What was the Habsburg jaw?

Star witness: how the Royal Observatory transformed our understanding of astronomy and time. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What causes cultures to decline and fall?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A statue of an ancient Mesopotamian demon stands before a backdrop of cuneiform text, evoking the richly layered world of ancient Near Eastern religion.

General ancient history

Long before Dracula, an ancient Mesopotamian civilisation raised the world's oldest vampires

Episode 3How 1066 altered England’s fate FOREVER. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

This late 15th-century illustration shows crusader forces besieging Damascus during the ill-fated Second Crusade in 1148. The armies of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Emperor Conrad III of Germany, and King Louis VII of France converge on the city, only for the campaign to collapse in defeat. Likely produced in Bruges for a chronicle of the Crusades, the image reflects how later medieval artists interpreted one of the crusading movement’s most damaging failures.

Who won the crusades? The causes, death toll, and number of medieval holy wars explained

Beyond the podcast: Jane Austen

Fake news and the Dreyfus affair: the media-fuelled scandal that divided France. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Uprising: the Civil Wars untangled. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Nazis’ crimes laid bare. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Did Hitler have a secret Jewish grandfather? Our DNA research has solved the mystery. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This William H. Mumler photograph shows a bearded man seated while a faint female “spirit” appears behind him. Mumler’s images — a blend of portraiture and supposed spirit photography — captivated Victorians eager for proof of the afterlife, even as critics accused him of trickery and photographic manipulation.

Did he photograph the ghost of a president? Meet the scheming Victorian who exploited a grieving America

What does Hitler’s DNA really tell us?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of a witch on a broomstick, wearing a pointed hat.

General History

Why do ‘wicked’ witches wear pointed hats? The real history explained

Mutilated corpses and undead mothers-in-law: vampire epidemics through history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Books of the Year 2025

BBC History Magazine's 2025 Books of the Year37 best books for history lovers

The REAL history behind Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and more. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This Roman mosaic depicts gladiators locked in combat. Created to celebrate the spectacle of the arena, it offers a glimpse into one of the most popular, and most brutal, entertainments of the Roman world.

Step inside the ancient Roman empire's gladiatorial arenas, and witness 24 hours of shocking violence

After Franco: Spain's miraculous transition to democracy. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A depiction of Roman communal toilets

Tales of the toilet: a historical A–Z. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting of a ship with several white sails and flags on it. In front of the ship, there are large crowds of people in small boats

Not 1066 again! Should we ditch our obsession with dates?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 8Windsor Castle