Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert People learned to use lead as early as 6,500 BC. It was used to make beads in what is now Turkey. Lead proved to be a useful metal because it has a low melting point and it does not corrode. The Romans used lead to make pipes. In fact, the Latin word… Continue reading A History of Lead

By Tim Lambert Several new sports and games were invented during the 19th century. Although a form of tennis was played since the Middle Ages lawn tennis was invented in 1873. Snooker was invented in India in 1875. Volleyball was invented in 1895. In the early 19th century working people had very little leisure time.… Continue reading A History of Leisure in the 19th Century

By Tim Lambert Leisure in the Early 20th Century During the 20th century, people had more and more leisure time. In 1900 the average working week was 54 hours. By the 1980s it was 39 hours. Furthermore, in 1900 most people had no paid holidays except bank holidays. In 1939 a new law said that… Continue reading A History of Leisure in the 20th Century

By Tim Lambert Early Lesbians Lesbianism has always existed, of course, but less was written about lesbians than about gay men. In the Ancient World, lesbianism was seldom written about. Sappho was a Greek poet who lived about 600 BC. She likely was a lesbian. Unfortunately, little is known about her and little of her… Continue reading A History of Lesbians

By Tim Lambert Ancient Libraries A library is a room or a building containing a store of books for members to read. There have been libraries since Ancient Times. As early as 2,500 BC, there were libraries in Ancient Iraq with clay tablets as books (dried in the Sun or baked to make them hard).… Continue reading A History of Libraries

By Tim Lambert Human beings have always needed artificial light. Today, we take it for granted. You press a switch, and it appears. However, for our ancestors, providing light after dark was far more difficult. At first, a fire provided the only light at night. Oil Lamps However, Prehistoric people used stones with natural depressions… Continue reading A History of Light

By Tim Lambert Make up in the Ancient World Women have always tried to enhance their beauty. Even in Prehistoric Times, people wore necklaces or bracelets made of things like shells. They also wore pendants of bone or ivory. Prehistoric people may have painted or tattooed themselves. Certainly, the ‘iceman’ who lived in Copper Age… Continue reading A History of Make Up

By Tim Lambert Ancient Marriage Marriage occurred in all eras of history and all cultures. Polygamy (a man having more than one wife) was first mentioned in the Old Testament in Genesis. A man named Lamech married two women (Genesis 4:19). Later King David and King Solomon had many wives. Almost everybody in Ancient Israel… Continue reading A History of Marriage

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 History of Mathematics

By Tim Lambert MEDICINE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Medicine among Primitive Peoples The first evidence of surgery is skulls from the Stone Age. Some adults had holes cut in their skulls. At least sometimes people survived the ‘operation’ because the bone grew back. We do not know the purpose of the ‘operation’. Perhaps it was… Continue reading A History of Medicine