As any Asterix fan will tell you, the siege of Alésia occupies a special place in the French psyche. The climactic action of Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul took place in September 52 BC – two years before the adventures described in Goscinny and Uderzo’s indomitable tales – and is…
Built 6,000 years ago, the Neolithic timber trackways known as the Sweet Track and the Post Track are among Britain’s earliest known bridges. In which county can they be found?…
Those with even a cursory knowledge of ancient history will recall that Julius Caesar made his first expedition to Britain in 55 BC. Others may also be aware that the process of Rome's permanent conquest of Britannia did not begin until 43 AD, during the reign of Emperor Claudius.…
What was the name of the defensive barrier built around the city of Rome in the early 4th century BC?…
One of the exciting things about archaeology is that, just occasionally, something truly extraordinary comes along which radically changes the way we think about the past. One such moment came in 1900, when sponge divers working around the Greek island of Antikythera happened upon a shipwreck containing the single most…
Which city boasts the largest Roman aqueduct still in use today, 19 centuries after it was built?…
Millions of us grew up on stories of bravery among prisoners of war in the Second World War. What is less well known is that brutal treatment of British POWs was a feature of the 1914-18 conflict too. In all, 171,720 Tommies and their officers were captured during the First…
Who is Britain's greatest military hero? In a poll of the general public, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, came in third place on 11%. In second, on 19%, was Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. But the clear leader – with 27% of the vote – was Horatio Nelson, the inspirational…
At which battle during the Hundred Years' War did Henry V infamously order the slaughter of French prisoners of war?…
In 1793, Nelson was appointed to command HMS Agamemnon, reputedly his favourite ship. By what nickname was the vessel known to its crew?…
The word 'experimental' can be confusing, or even alarming. It suggests an area of activity in which people are pushing at boundaries, or acting somehow without official approval. Attached to the word 'archaeology', however, it simply denotes a field of academic study that uses controlled experiments to provide a…
The Neolithic period was the final part of the Stone Age. Which years did it span in Britain?…
The UK’s Treasure Act of 1996, which covers the discovery of hoards, defines as ‘treasure’ any object found that is what?…
The most expensive secular building of its day, Dover Castle was described by the 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris as 'the key of England'. But though its imposing fortifications tower over the shortest sea crossing between Britain and the European mainland, it wasn't built in response to any threat of imminent…
Medieval castles are often described as being of 'motte and bailey’ construction. But what is a motte?…
Britain pulled out the red carpet last weekend, as world leaders arrived in Cornwall for this year's G7 summit. It wasn't the first time in history that power and pleasure have been so mixed, however. Indeed, last week's gathering would have seemed strangely familar to the 6,000 Englishmen and women…
According to Tacitus, which Roman emperor held a floating banquet at which guests were rowed by an army of slaves between 'brothels stocked with high-ranking ladies’?…
He was enthroned as Roman emperor at just 16. But history has not been kind to Nero's reputation. According to the surviving sources, he was a matricide and a multiple wife-murderer, and he also stands accused of various other horrific crimes and misdemeanours. So does Nero's name really deserve to…
What was the name of Nero’s mother, who later became Claudius’ fourth wife and plotted to secure the throne for her teenage son in AD 54?…
The news this week that the University of Sheffield is to press ahead with plans to close its school of archaeology has sent a shiver through the heritage world. It is a ‘devastating’ blow, said the Council of British Archaeology. Mary Beard, the eminent historian, called it ‘worrying in the…
At which conference in 1943 did the ‘big three’ of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt agree to a cross-channel invasion of France the following year?…