Caroline Spearing traces the history of a tree rooted in English national identity, which saved the monarchy, and that the ancient Greeks held sacred to Zeus, the father of the gods, especially at his oracle in Dodona
In parts of England, 29 May is still traditionally celebrated as Restoration or Oak-Apple Day, when King Charles II’s Restoration to the throne (in May 1660) is commemorated by the wearing of sprigs of oak leaves, or oak apples – an allusion to the oak-tree in whose branches he successfully concealed himself from Cromwell’s soldiers. Charles II depicted sheltering in the branches of a mighty oak (1 and 2) is one of the enduring images of English history, all the more surely etched upon the national consciousness by its depiction on signs outside public houses across the country.
Remarkably, it would appear, in its outline at least, to be true: the story was in circulation soon after the event and it was written up and published in 1660 by one Thomas Blount. It was a favorite anecdote of the king, himself, who – happily for posterity – happened to tell it to Samuel Pepys who, in turn, dutifully recorded it in his famous diary.
Following Charles I’s execution in 1649, his son signed a deal with Scottish Presbyterians, which led to his coronation at Scone on 1 January 1651. From there, he mounted an invasion of England but suffered a calamitous defeat at Worcester on 3 September. With a bounty of £1000 on his head and cavalry detachments especially mandated to search for him, the king cut his hair short and adopted the dress of a countryman (including coarse stockings and rough shoes, which tore the royal feet to ribbons) as he embarked on his six-week odyssey to the coast and a Channel crossing.
Before heading south, though, he spent several days eluding capture on the Boscobel estate in Shropshire. On 6 September Charles and a Royalist officer, William Careless hid in the leafy branches of a great oak near Boscobel House (6) and watched the Parliamentary search parties fruitlessly crisscrossing the woodland.
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ROMAN DISCOVERIES AT ANCIENT AUGUSTODUNUM
More than 230 graves have been uncovered at a necropolis in the French city of Autun, revealing a diverse mix in burial practices over a period of nearly 200 years, as well as luxury grave goods from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD that highlight the wealth of some of its ancient inhabitants.
SHAPING THE WORLD: SCULPTURE FROM PREHISTORY TO NOW
The sculptor Antony Gormley and the art historian and critic Martin Gayford have been talking about sculpture with each other for 20 years.
Amelia Edwards (1831-1892)
“I am essentially a worker, and a hard worker, and this I have been since my early girlhood.”
THE GREAT BEYOND
The ancient Greeks thought much about the dead – how their remains should be disposed of, how their spirits might be summoned, how malignant they could be if unavenged. Classicist David Stuttard brings us face to face with the Greek dead.
INTO THE VALLEY OF THE QUEENS
The Great Royal Wife of Ramesses II, Nefertari, was buried in one of the most spectacular tombs of Egypt’s Valley of the Queens. Well-educated and well-travelled, Nefertari played a crucial part in the political life of the pharaoh, and her importance was reflected through her magnificently decorated tomb. Lucia Marchini speaks to Jennifer Casler Price to find out more.
DEIR EL-BAHRI, 1894
Tensions were already high among the archaeologists, surveyors, and artists of the Archaeological Survey of Egypt in 1891 when an eventful dispute arose on Christmas Eve.
PUSHING BOUNDARIES
When the Etruscans expanded to the south and the vast plains of Campania, they found a land of cultural connections and confrontations, as luxurious grave goods found across the region reveal. An exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples sheds light on these ancient Italians at the frontier. Paolo Giulierini, director of the museum, is our guide.
CUZCO 'CENTRE AND HEAD OF ALL THE LAND'
Cuzco was the heart of the vast Inca empire, but all changed in the 16th century when the capital was conquered by Spanish invaders. Michael J Schreffler investigates the Inca city, and how it went from the centre of one empire to the periphery of another.
A STUDY IN PURPLE
A tiny speck of purple paint from the 2nd century AD may yield clues to how ancient artists created the extraordinary portrait panels that accompanied mummified bodies into the afterlife.
Rome In The 8th Century: A History In Art
John Osborne CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, £75 HARDBACK - ISBN 978-1108834582
