Ancient societies from Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica, Greece to Egypt, Rome to China cultivated drugs for rituals and personal use. Many of these substances, such as various alcoholic beverages, cannabis and opium remain in use for many of the same purposes. Others, such as wormwood, blue lilies and saffron are much less common today. In some cases, how these substances were grown, cultivated and processed has remained largely unchanged; in others, however, the uses and processes may surprise us. Some ancient drugs remain mysterious or even extinct, as you’ll discover here.
SIEGE OF TOULON
TOULON, FRENCH REPUBLIC SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 1793
REDISCOVERING THE FORGOTTEN LIVES OF QUEER MEN
We speak to the editor of a groundbreaking new collection that uncovers what life was like for gay men when homosexuality was illegal in Britain
FEMALE PHYSICIANS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Determined to make a difference despite the male dominance of the medical world, these pioneering women overcame numerous obstacles in their efforts to aid the infirm
"EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE DAVID, NOBODY WANTS TO BE GOLIATH"
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THE FALL OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
How military errors and a failure to modernise helped to bring down the tsars
“lo Saturnalia!"
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VICTORIAN UNDERWORLD
Discover the gangs that lurked down the dark alleys of 19th century Britain
A HISTORY OF FEASTING
Brian Hayden explains the social, political and cultural importance of these grand occasions
JAPAN HAD INVADED INDIA?
In 1944, the war in South Asia reached a critical moment as Japanese offensives threatened Allied control of north-eastern India and beyond
BATTLE OF EYLAU
PREUSSISCH EYLAU, EAST PRUSSIA (NOW BAGRATIONOVSK, KALININGRAD OBLAST, RUSSIA) 7-8 FEBRUARY 1807