Author: HistoricalHoney

Museum of London, Ends: 14th April First things first, I do have one or two morbid curiosities; the grim trade of bodies for dissection being one of them. Naturally, the ‘Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men’ exhibition was catnip for my brain! The context behind the exhibition is the 2006 archaeological dig around the Royal London Hospital in…

BY ELEANOR DE JONG First things first, this is the story of Samson and Delilah who are both biblical characters. Regardless of how much you want to dispute its historical credentials, I still think this book is worthy of our first review.  As a ballpark I’d say 30% of this book is based on real…

I don’t know about you but I have always wanted to be an archaeologist. As such I wanted to ask one what it was really like to ‘live the dream’. Annie Partridge, a community archaeologist working for Canterbury Archaeological Trust, kindly agreed to answer my questions and shed some light on what it is really…

Portraits, Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Jewellery and Tsars – It’s what great exhibitions are made of! Or so I thought. My team and I were so excited about going we even got tickets for the first day! Whether or not Tudors and Tsars are your cup of tea, the V&A are renowned for putting on spectacular…

The show was historical enthusiasts at their very best. Here are some of my favourite moments: “Britain’s first ever recorded fat man” Oi, that’s our Henry you are talking about! Archaeologists couldn’t be sure where the friary or grave was situated, but Philippa just knew. “I got the strangest sensation, and I absolutely knew I…

Headlines which should read ‘King Richard III found within Greyfriars Abbey in Leicester’ instead read ‘University of Leicester find King in a car park’. Light on the historical content but heavy on the publicity, Mary Beard discuss her thoughts on the recent discovery. Richard III press conference. Image from ‘The Guardian’ 2013 Re-blogged from Mary Beards popular…

It’s pretty clear that Marie Antoinette was rather indulged, bless her soul. Her dresses were crafted by the mother of Haute Couture, Rose Bertin. Her hair was personally dressed by prolific hairdresser of the day, Leonard Autie. She even owned a pair of Converse trainers hundreds of years ahead of time (not historical fact –…

“I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else.” This is a sad, but most certainly true, assertion from a woman who continues to be one of the most iconic women of our time….

It’s hard to imagine that the creatures you see galloping gaily around a muddy field once stood only fourteen inches high and weighed twelve pounds. It would probably have been much been easier to mince down the tiny, dog-like Eohippas into a Findus lasagne. But lo, evolution happened and over time horses lost a few…