By Tim Lambert The Bronze Age At any rate, by 2,000 BC English society was changed by the invention of bronze. Metal artifacts appeared in England as early as 2,700 BC although it is believed they were imported. By about 2,000 BC bronze was being made in England. Bronze is made of 9 parts copper… Continue reading A History of Ancient Britain
Category: Articles
Leisure in the Ancient World
By Tim Lambert Egyptian Games For entertainment the Egyptians loved parties. If a rich person invited you to a feast, singers, musicians, dancers, jugglers, wrestlers, and jesters would entertain you. Musicians played wooden flutes, harps, lutes, drums, and clappers. At a rich person’s banquet, guests were given a cone of perfumed fat to put on… Continue reading Leisure in the Ancient World
Food in the Ancient World
By Tim Lambert Food In Ancient Egypt For most people in ancient Egypt, food was plain and dull. The staple food of the Egyptians was bread and beer. The bread was baked outside and because of the desert sand was often blown into the dough. In time eating bread with grains of sand in it… Continue reading Food in the Ancient World
A History of the American Civil War
By Tim Lambert THE BACKGROUND OF THE CIVIL WAR The Civil War was not caused just by the question of slavery. North and South were also divided over tariffs. The northern states began to industrialize in the early 19th century. By the middle of the century, the North was becoming an industrial, urban society. Northerners… Continue reading A History of the American Civil War
A History of Leisure in the 20th 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
Technology in the 18th Century
By Tim Lambert In the 18th century, there was an agricultural revolution in England. It began with a man named Jethro Tull. In the 17th century, the seed was sown by hand. The sower simply scattered seeds on the ground. However, in 1701 Tull (1674-1741) invented the seed drill. This machine dropped seeds at a… Continue reading Technology in the 18th Century
16th Century Portsmouth
By Tim Lambert If we visited Portsmouth in the 16th century we would probably be surprised by its small size. Most of Portsea Island was covered in farmland or wasteland. In the Southwest of the island was a little walled town. In 1500 it probably had a population of 1,500 or less. By 1550 it… Continue reading 16th Century Portsmouth
Rich Tudors
By Tim Lambert Houses of the Rich In the Middle Ages, rich people’s houses were designed for defence rather than comfort. In the 16th century, life was safer so houses no longer had to be easy to defend. It was an age when rich people built grand houses e.g. Cardinal Wolsey built Hampton Court Palace.… Continue reading Rich Tudors
Homes in the 19th Century
By Tim Lambert Well-off people lived in very comfortable houses in the 19th century. (Although their servants lived in cramped quarters, often in the attic). For the first time, furniture was mass-produced. That meant it was cheaper but unfortunately standards of design fell. To us, middle-class 19th-century homes would seem overcrowded with furniture, ornaments, and… Continue reading Homes in the 19th Century
17th Century Scientists
By Tim Lambert Science flourished in the 17th century. The ancient Greeks could be said to be scientists. They thought by using their reason they could work out why the natural world behaves as it does. However, the Greeks never tested their theories by carrying out practical experiments. As a result, many of their ideas… Continue reading 17th Century Scientists