Ancient Griffin-lion relief

Myths and legends

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

The Trojan Horse – seen in the 2004 film Troy

How much of the legend of Troy is real?

King Arthur triumphs over the Saxons at the battle of Mount Badon

How much of the story of King Arthur is true?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Knights of the Round Table are that the heart of many Arthurian legends

Who were the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend, and where does the Holy Grail fit in?

King Arthur and a hand holding the sword Excalibur.

The legends of King Arthur: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 16th-century painting of the Tower of Babel

General ancient history

Your guide to...the ancient city of Babylon

An 18th-century marble relief depicting Julius Caesar invading Britain by John Deare, a British neo-classical sculptor. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Geoffrey of Monmouth: the lost voice of ancient Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An aerial view of Tintagel Castle, Cornwall. (Photo by David Goddard/Getty Images)

ExploreTintagel Castle and the legend of King Arthur. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting King Arthur fighting the Saxons, from the Rochefoucauld Grail. The absence of a clear and present origin for King Arthur has created a ‘void’ which many are keen to fill, says Miles Russell. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The real King Arthur: why are we so obsessed with trying to solve the mystery?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The front facade of the prehistoric chambered tomb of Wayland's Smithy

BlogMedieval(ish) matters #6: Viking military mind games, Anglo-Saxon mind maps, and embroidery before the Bayeux Tapestry

Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett

Percy Fawcett and the search for the 'Lost City Of Z'

Ragnar Lothbrok. (Illustration by Georgie Gozem for BBC History Magazine)

Ragnar Lothbrok: the legend of the immortal Viking and his sons

Four figures in a boat, including the ibis-headed god Thoth and the scarab-headed god Khepri

8 ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses you might not know about

A photo which was believed to be of the Loch Ness Monster

The quest for the Loch Ness Monster. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Robin Hood statue outside Nottingham Castle (Photo by Getty)

The many faces of Robin Hood. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Statue of Lady Godiva

Q&ADid Lady Godiva ride naked in Coventry?

The fact that so many cultures have a myth about a devastating flood has led some historians to wonder if there may have been a real event that explains the myths. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

General prehistory

Q&AWas there really a 'Great Flood'?

Emperor Nero and the fire in Rome

Q&ADid Emperor Nero really play the fiddle while Rome burned?

The ‘Surgeon’s Photo’, taken in 1934, which claimed to depict the Loch Ness Monster. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

5 facts about the Loch Ness Monster

Historian, presenter and author Dan Jones. (David Levenson/Getty Images)

Dan Jones on the Templars and ‘Knightfall’. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

For 10th-century warriors, the appearance of wolves, ravens and eagles on the battlefield meant an unlucky few had been chosen to die. Eric Lacey digs into a grisly superstition. (Illustration by Ross Craig for BBC History Magazine)

The LibraryAnglo-Saxon beasts of death. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sherwood Forest podcast

Sherwood Forest through the ages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The search for King Arthur. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Knights of the Round (Miniature from La Quête du Saint Graal et la Mort d'Arthus), c1220. Found in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

King Arthur: the big questions. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A brief history of medieval magic

King Arthur addresses his knights in a 12th-century Arthurian manuscript now held in Rennes, France. (Photo by: Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

Would the real King Arthur please stand up. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.