Category: Daily Life in the Past

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 Daily Life in 19th Century America

By Tim Lambert Philosophy and Religion in Ancient China The Chinese worldview was very different from the Western worldview. The Ancient Chinese Heaven was a kind of universal force. Heaven chose the dynasty to rule but it was a moral force. If the king or emperor were evil Heaven would send natural disasters as a… Continue reading Daily Life in Ancient China

By Tim Lambert New Testament Society In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. From that time the Romans ruled Israel. It was divided into three parts, Galilee in the north, Samaria in the middle, and Judea in the south. The Jews had to pay taxes to Rome, which they resented. Jewish tax collectors… Continue reading Daily Life in the New Testament

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 Viking women had considerable freedom. They could own land and inherit property. They could also divorce their husbands. If their husband was away on an expedition, they were responsible for running the farm. However, the Vikings captured women and children on their raids and made them slaves. They were sold in markets,… Continue reading Life for Viking Women

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