By Tim Lambert Housework in Pre-Industrial England In Pre-Industrial Europe housework was much harder work than it is today. Many people simply had hard earth floors, which tended to become dusty and required regular sweeping. Until the 18th century carpets were a luxury and they were often hung over tables rather than put on the… Continue reading A History of Housework
Category: Articles
A Brief History of Houses
By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Houses Ice age humans lived in caves some of the time but they also made tents from mammoth skins. Mammoth bones were used as supports. They wore boots, trousers, and anoraks made from animal skins. When the ice age ended a new way of life began. By 8,000 BC people in… Continue reading A Brief History of Houses
A Brief History of Homes
By Tim Lambert Celtic Homes The Celts lived in roundhouses. They were built around a central pole with horizontal poles radiating outwards from it. They rested on vertical poles. Walls were of wattle and daub and roofs were thatched. Around the walls inside the huts were benches, which also doubled up as beds. The Celts… Continue reading A Brief History of Homes
A History of Easter
By Tim Lambert Nobody is sure where the name Easter came from. The Anglo-Saxon name for April was Eostermunath. But we don’t know why April was called that. According to a Saxon scholar called Bede the month was named after a goddess called Eostre. But no other writer ever mentioned such a goddess and there… Continue reading A History of Easter
A Brief History of Dolls
By Tim Lambert Early Dolls Girls have played with dolls for thousands of years. Pottery dolls have been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. Girls in Ancient Greece played with dolls made of baked clay or wood. Some of them had movable limbs. However, when Greek girls grew up they dedicated their dolls to a goddess.… Continue reading A Brief History of Dolls
A History of Christmas
By Tim Lambert Early Christmas Why do we celebrate Christmas on 25 December? The Bible doesn’t say which day of the year Jesus was born on. But early in the 3rd century, Christians like Hippolytus (c.170-235) and Clement of Alexandria (c. 150- c.215) died on 25 March. They also thought that he must have been… Continue reading A History of Christmas
A Brief History of Board Games
By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Lee and Sarah Spragg People have been playing board games since civilization began. A board, dice, and counters were found in Ur in Iraq dating from 3,000 BC. Egyptians also played a board game called Senet. The board was divided into squares with counters. You threw sticks rather than dice.… Continue reading A Brief History of Board Games
A Brief History of Halloween
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 Brief History of Halloween
A History of Games
By Tim Lambert Games and Pastimes in the Ancient World Egyptian Pastimes In Ancient Egypt people enjoyed swimming. They also liked boxing, wrestling, and archery. They played a game that involved standing on a boat and trying to knock their opponents into the water with a stick. The Ancient Egyptians also played a board game… Continue reading A History of Games
A Brief History of Holidays
By Tim Lambert Early Holidays In the Middle Ages, wealthy people went on pilgrimages for religious reasons. However, pilgrimages were not holidays – or they were not meant to be! In the 14th century, Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales about a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. In England, people went on pilgrimages… Continue reading A Brief History of Holidays