Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert Traditional games remained popular in the 18th Century. These included games such as chess, draughts, and backgammon. So was tennis and a rough version of football. Then in 1759, a man named John Jeffries invented an entirely new board game called A Journey Through Europe or The Play of Geography in which… Continue reading Leisure in the 18th Century

By Tim Lambert In the Middle Ages, the main pastime of the upper class was still hunting. Lords hunted deer with packs of dogs and killed them with arrows. They also hunted wild boars with spears. Both men and women went hawking. In the evenings they feasted, danced, and played board games such as chess… Continue reading Leisure in the Middle Ages

By Tim Lambert In Anglo-Saxon England, women had considerable rights and freedom (unless they were slaves! Both men and women were slaves). Married women could own and inherit property. Some women were landowners. If a man married a woman he had to give her either money or land. After they married it was her property… Continue reading Life for Anglo-Saxon Women

By Tim Lambert In the 19th century, the population of the USA grew rapidly. Immigrants from Europe poured into the country. By 1810 the population of the USA was over 7.2 million and it continued to grow rapidly. By 1820 it was over 9.6 million and by 1840 over 17 million. America rapidly expanded westward.… Continue reading Life in 19th Century America

By Tim Lambert Egypt was said to be the gift of the Nile. Each summer the Nile flooded and provided water to grow crops. For irrigation Egyptians used a device called shaduf. it was a ‘see-saw’ with a leather container at one end, which was filled with water, and a counterweight at the other. When… Continue reading Life in Ancient Egypt

By Tim Lambert Cities in Ancient Greece Ancient Greek cities were protected by stone walls. Inside them, most of the land was occupied by private homes. However, there were also many temples and workshops. In a typical workshop, a craftsman worked with one or two assistants and perhaps a slave. Methods of government varied among… Continue reading Life In Ancient Greece

By Tim Lambert Roman Society At its height, the population of the city of Rome was probably over one million. However, the Roman Empire was an agricultural society where most people made their living from farming (although there were many craftsmen). Only a small minority of the population lived in towns. In the Roman Empire… Continue reading Life in Ancient Rome

By Tim Lambert Society in Anglo-Saxon England Everyday life in Anglo-Saxon England was hard and rough even for the rich. Society was divided into three classes. At the top were the thanes, the Saxon upper class. They enjoyed hunting and feasting and they were expected to give their followers gifts like weapons. Below them were… Continue reading Life in Anglo-Saxon England

By Tim Lambert When the Second World War began on 3 September 1939 it was feared that the Germans would bomb British cities causing great loss of life. So children from British cities were evacuated to the countryside. Altogether 827,000 schoolchildren with 103,000 teachers and helpers left the big cities. Furthermore, 524,000 children below school… Continue reading Life in Britain During the Second World War

By Tim Lambert Society in 1930s Britain The 1930s are remembered for mass unemployment. However, there was already mass unemployment in the 1920s in Britain. For most of the decade, it hovered between 10% and 12%. Then, in the early 1930s, the economy was struck by depression. By the start of 1933 unemployment in Britain… Continue reading Life In Britain in the 1930s