Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert Egyptian Clothes Not surprisingly given the hot climate Egyptians wore only light clothing. Men wore a loincloth and a kind of kilt. Women wore dresses with shoulder straps. Clothes were made of linen or cotton. Later in Egyptian history clothes became more elaborate and colorful. Egyptians shaved their hair and wore wigs.… Continue reading A History of Clothes

By Tim Lambert Early Condiments Since ancient times people have used condiments to enhance their food. The first condiment was salt. Salt has always been used both as a preservative and to enhance the flavor of food. Vinegar has also been used since ancient times. Its name is probably derived from the French words vin… Continue reading A History of Condiments

By Tim Lambert Almonds Almonds are native to western Asia. They are mentioned in the Bible and the Egyptians grew them. The Romans grew almonds and they have been popular ever since. Apple The apple has been grown for thousands of years. It was well-known in Ancient China and Egypt. Apples were also known to… Continue reading A History of Fruits

By Tim Lambert Ancient Gold Human beings have always prized gold. The rich have always used it for jewelry and eating and drinking vessels. Since Ancient Times gold has also been used in dentistry. The earliest evidence of gold comes from 3,600 BC. By about 600 BC people were making gold coins. Our chemical symbol… Continue reading A History of Gold

By Tim Lambert Early Halloween Our word Halloween is derived from the old words All Hallows Eve because it was the eve of All Hallows Day (1 November). Hallow is an old word for saint and today we call 1 November All Saints Day. In the 4th century, the Church began to celebrate a feast… Continue reading A History of Halloween

By Tim Lambert Early Immigration Into England About 650 BC a people called the Celts arrived in Britain. Then in 43 AD, the Romans invaded. After they left in the 5th century Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Germany and Denmark invaded. They gradually conquered what is now England. Finally, in 1066 the Normans conquered England.… Continue reading A History of Immigrants in Britain

By Tim Lambert Knickers in the 19th Century Women did not usually wear knickers until the end of the 18th century. However, after about 1800 women also wore underwear called drawers. Today we still say a pair of knickers. That is because in the early 19th century women’s underwear consisted of two separate legs joined… Continue reading A History of Knickers

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 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 everyone must have one week’s annual… Continue reading A History of Leisure in the 20th Century

By Tim Lambert Early Panties Roman women sometimes wore panties called subligaculum. However, after the fall of Rome, women did not usually wear panties until the end of the 18th century. Their only underwear was a long linen garment called a shift, which they wore under their dress. In modern times women’s panties were invented… Continue reading A History of Panties