BBC History UK - October 2022

In this issue

The horror of prison hulks
Anna McKay delves into the rotting vessels that housed convicts in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Deciphering hieroglyphs
Toby Wilkinson tells the story of two rivals who raced to crack the code of ancient Egypt’s famous picture script..

One thing's for sure: religion will not fade away any time soon

In my job, travelling the world making films on history and culture, I've spent a lot of time exploring religion in its many manifestations. Religion, after all, is a gift for the camera: full of colour, action and often moving rituals. It's also a crystallisation in words and gestures of humanity's beliefs, hopes and dreams, making for a powerful sensory insight into the ways in which our ancestors understood their relation to the universe.

3 mins

When Richard rose again

Ten years ago a skeleton in a Leicester car park transformed our understanding of a medieval king, and turned him into a media sensation. Mike Pitts tells the remarkable story of the discovery of Richard III's remains

10+ mins

FLOATING HELL

Convicts experienced notoriously miserable conditions in Georgian and Victorian Britain – and inmates of prison hulks endured the harshest of these deprivations. ANNA McKAY reveals the horrors of these “wicked Noah’s arks”

10+ mins

HOW TO SURVIVE THE DARK AGES

The collapse of Roman rule in Britain left a vacuum that numerous powers competed to fill - but only a few realms endured. How did some thrive while others vanished or were vanquished? Thomas Williams offers six crucial survival tips for would-be rulers of early medieval kingdoms

8 mins

THE RACE TO DECIPHER ANCIENT EGYPT, SACRED SCRIPT

The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 breathed life into a quest long deemed impossible: the reading of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Toby Wilkinson tells the tale of the two rivals who raced to be first to crack the code

10+ mins

Science’s global revolution

James Poskett introduces some brilliant thinkers who shatter the theory that, when it came to the scientific revolution of the 16th to 18th centuries, Europe was at the centre of the universe

9 mins

The stomach for the fight

In the Third Reich, food was not a personal matter but a way for Germans to show their patriotism and sacrifice. Lisa Pine investigates how the Nazis micromanaged what was being served on the nation's tables

10+ mins

The television age

In 1936, the BBC launched its new TV service - and changed British broadcasting at a stroke. DAVID HENDY charts the technological innovations that produced the so-called "magic rays" - and explores the delights they offered the viewing public

6 mins

"There's still this hangover that has to be seen through everything the prism of enslavement"

HAKIM ADI speaks to Rhiannon Davies about his wide-ranging study of the experiences of African and Caribbean people in Britain, from the height of the Roman empire to the modern day

10 mins

Nation building

JANET HARTLEY finds much to admire in a new history of Russia, while wanting more that might help explain the "one nation" belief that led to the recent invasion of Ukraine

5 mins

To the four corners of the world

CORMAC Ó GRÁDA commends an ambitious and accessible overview of the Irish diaspora, seen through the ordinary people who travelled to countries all over the world to find new lives

2 mins

Marching to war

DAN JONES talks to Rhiannon Davies about his debut historical novel Essex Dogs, which follows a group of hard-bitten mercenaries fighting for their lives in the 1346 Crécy campaign

3 mins

Political battles

ANDREW ROBERTS applauds a masterful exploration - required reading for any seeking high command - of why warfare and politics went hand in hand in the 20th century

2 mins

Dancing feet

SOCIAL

1 min

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BBC History UK Magazine Description:

BBC History Magazine is Britain’s bestselling history magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. Published 13 times a year, BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world’s leading historians and journalists. Whether it is the history of our politics and institutions, or the fascinating stories of our private lives through the ages, BBC History Magazine sheds new light on the past and helps make more sense of today’s world.Covering the latest new developments in history and archaeology from Britain and around the world, the latest, most thought provoking historical research and strong links with TV and radio programming maximizing use of BBC’s existing expertise in the genre.