By Tim Lambert Women’s Jobs in the Ancient World Women’s Jobs in Ancient Egypt In Ancient Egypt, women had a good deal of freedom. They could come and go as they pleased. They could own property, and they could sign contracts. However, most women worked in the home. There was a great deal of work… Continue reading A Brief History of Women’s Jobs
A Brief History of Women’s Rights
By Tim Lambert Women’s Rights in The Ancient World Women’s Rights in Sumer In the Ancient World, women’s rights varied from one civilization to another. Sumer was the world’s first civilization. It arose about 3,500 BC in what is now Iraq. Sumerian women could own property such as land and slaves. They could also own… Continue reading A Brief History of Women’s Rights
A Brief History of Work
By Tim Lambert Work in Pre-Industrial Britain Before the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century and 19th century, most people worked as farmers. Only a small minority of people worked in industry. Most of the Celts, who lived in Britain from 650 BC onward were farmers although were also many skilled craftsmen. Some Celts… Continue reading A Brief History of Work
A History of Electricity
By Tim Lambert Who Invented Electricity? No single person invented electricity. Many people made discoveries and inventions. However, in 1819, a Dane, Hans Christian Oersted discovered that an electric current in a wire caused a nearby compass needle to move. The Englishman Michael Faraday (1791-1867) showed that a magnet can produce electricity. In 1831 Faraday… Continue reading A History of Electricity
A History of Furniture
By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Furniture When people learned to farm and lived in permanent settlements they began to make furniture. In Europe, some of the earliest known furniture comes from a stone-age village at Sara Brae in the Orkney Islands in Scotland about 2,000 BCE. The Stone Age farmers lived in stone huts with roofs… Continue reading A History of Furniture
A History of Gardening
By Tim Lambert Gardening In The Ancient World The earliest gardens were grown for practical reasons. People grew herbs or vegetables. However, when man became civilized an upper class emerged with the leisure to enjoy purely decorative gardens. They also had servants (or slaves) to do the gardening for them. Gardening in Ancient Egypt In… Continue reading A History of Gardening
A Brief History of Homes
By Tim Lambert Celtic Homes The Celts lived in roundhouses. They were built around a central pole with horizontal poles radiating outwards from it. They rested on vertical poles. Walls were of wattle and daub and roofs were thatched. Around the walls inside the huts were benches, which also doubled up as beds. The Celts… Continue reading A Brief History of Homes
A Brief History of Houses
By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Houses Ice age humans lived in caves some of the time but they also made tents from mammoth skins. Mammoth bones were used as supports. They wore boots, trousers, and anoraks made from animal skins. When the ice age ended a new way of life began. By 8,000 BC people in… Continue reading A Brief History of Houses
A History of Housework
By Tim Lambert Housework in Pre-Industrial England In Pre-Industrial Europe, housework was much harder work than it is today. Many people simply had hard earth floors, which tended to become dusty and required regular sweeping. Until the 18th century, carpets were a luxury, and they were often hung over tables rather than put on the… Continue reading A History of Housework
A Brief History of Board Games
By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Lee and Sarah Spragg People have been playing board games since civilization began. A board, dice, and counters were found in Ur in Iraq dating from 3,000 BC. Egyptians also played a board game called Senet. The board was divided into squares with counters. You threw sticks rather than dice.… Continue reading A Brief History of Board Games