Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert Ancient Greek Science The Ancient Greeks were the first scientists. Greek philosophers tried to explain what the world is made of and how it works. Empedocles (c. 494-434 BC) said that the world is made of four elements, earth, fire, water, and air. Aristotle (384-322 BC) accepted the theory of the four… Continue reading A History of Science

By Tim Lambert Some people think the word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for April, Eostermunath. According to a Saxon scholar called Bede Easter was named after a goddess called Eostre. But he is the only writer who mentions such a goddess so it’s not certain if his claim is true. In the early… Continue reading A Brief History of Easter

By Tim Lambert Early Firefighting Fire was a major hazard in the past when towns were crowded and houses were often made of wood. Worse roofs were often thatched. In the Middle Ages, thatched roofs were banned in London because of the risk of fire. In smaller towns, thatched roofs were not banned till much… Continue reading A Brief History of Firefighting

By Tim Lambert Mathematics in the Ancient World Prehistoric people must have used simple arithmetic. However, when people became civilized mathematics became far more important. Proper record-keeping was essential. In Iraq, a people called the Sumerians counted in sets of 60. We still divide hours into 60 minutes and minutes into 60 seconds. We also… Continue reading A Brief History of Mathematics

By Tim Lambert The Month of May The month of May is probably named after Maia the Roman goddess who caused plants to grow. In the past Mayday was a day of rejoicing. It meant the return of warm weather and long summer evenings. In the past winters must have been much harder than they… Continue reading A Brief History of Mayday

By Tim Lambert Ancient Public Health In the ancient world, public health was often surprisingly advanced. Stone age farmers lived in a village at Skara Brae in the Orkney islands about 3,000 BC. Some of their stone huts had drains built under them and some houses had cubicles over the drains. It’s believed they were… Continue reading A Brief History of Public Health

By Tim Lambert Rich People in Ancient Egypt Rich Egyptians lived in large, comfortable houses with many rooms. Walls were painted and floors had colored tiles. Most wealthy houses had enclosed gardens with pools. Inside their homes, rich Egyptians had wooden furniture such as beds, chairs, tables, and chests for storage. However, instead of pillows,… Continue reading A Brief History of Rich People

By Tim Lambert Ancient Shoes Long before history began wore shoes. During the Ice Age people called Cro-Magnons wore simple leather boots. They lived during an ice age so protecting your feet from the cold was essential. In Egypt shoes were not necessary because of the hot climate. Most people went barefoot much of the… Continue reading A Brief History of Shoes

By Tim Lambert St George is, of course patron saint of England. ‘Cry God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’ Those immortal words are from Shakespeare’s Henry V but who was St George and how did he become the patron saint of England? St George was a Roman soldier who lived in the 3rd century… Continue reading A Brief History of St George’s Day