On This Day , December 17th , the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia began. Held in honour of the deity Saturnus , as its name implies, the festivities were later extended through to December 23rd. The Origin story With the conclusion of autumn planting, and to coincide with the winter solstice, Saturnus , the god of seed and sowing, was honoured with a festival. In Roman mythology, he was an agricultural deity, identified with the Greek god Kronos , who was said to have

Over the years we have periodically encountered claims that prostitutes in the Roman Iron Age and then later in the Mediæval period wore yellow garments or other yellow markings of some sort as signs of their profession. It seems this stems from the idea that people in the past wished to distinguish sex workers from respectable citizens. It is not entirely clear, however, whether a single colour or symbol was ever used to differentiate social class or social roles throughout

Yet another urban myth re-appeared on social media the other day, one which regularly does the rounds and has done so for many years since about 1937. In essence a series of connections are made to establish that the huge solid rocket boosters used by NASA had to be transported by rail whose rails were set a certain distance apart, a standard width first determined by the ancient Romans. The historical connections espoused are tenuous at best and do not really stand up to cr

The legend Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw [1] originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featuring in popular culture, literature and film. According to legend, customarily set in England during the reign of King Richard I ‘the Lionheart’, Hood was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the story, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returni

What follows was inspired by the tweet on May 25th, 2022 by @HistoryFilmClub shown right . Like many who responded naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and despite directors, producers, costume designers et al. claiming the opposite, most productions with a historical theme are littered with inaccuracies. It would be easy to fall into the role of critics, but we thought there is an opportunity to highlight some of the mor

The Nepalese Kukri is instantly recognisable to anyone who has served alongside the men of the Brigade of Gurkhas or has a passing familiarity with bladed weapons. Its distinctive forward curving blade makes it useful as both a melee weapon and as a regular cutting tool. History Originating from the Indian subcontinent, but used throughout most of South Asia, the kukri probably developed from a domestic sickle or agricultural tool. Similar implements have existed in several

The Known Knowns Since at least the 16th century, Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, has retained a compelling hold on the British imagination and identity. In reality she is known to us only by a few paragraphs that are found in incomplete classical texts written by her adversaries. The defiant warrior queen, who led such a ferocious revolt that the Romans feared they would lose the province of Britannia, has been celebrated in literature, art and film. Even today, more than 1,9

A recent tweet described Tintagel Castle on the North coast of Cornwall as a ‘medieval fortification’, built in the 13th century, and associated with the legend of ‘King Arthur’. But to call it a ‘fortress’ is probably stretching the definition a tad too far. Looking at the construction and the materials used is more suggestive of a folly than a defensible castle. The walls are clearly built from a local stone, but the mortared slabs used are more akin to bricks than the larg

It is highly unlikely that Mediæval divorce was ever settled by combat. Yet a handful of sources do mention judicial duels fought between men and women, most famously Hans Talhoffer’s Fechtbuch ( “ Fight Book ” ) of 1467. This richly illustrated volume explains how a couple could clash, the man buried up to his waist, in a fight to the death, with God deciding who was the wronged party. Yet judicial duels and trials by ordeal were viewed with extreme scepticism in the Middle

Dispelling the myths about ancient Roman 'vomitoria'.

A beginner's guide to the history of duels and duelling.

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

“ 10 modern things the Romans had ” is a YouTube video created and hosted by Raffaello Urbani, who is otherwise known as “ Metatron ” . His channel is well worth watching if, like me, you are interested in such things as languages, video games, historic arms and armour, and medieval history. Maybe not the video games, but being Italian Metatron has a special interest in the ancient Romans, which is one of the reasons I subscribe to the channel. In this particular video it wa

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by an @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right. Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a

Introduction What follows was inspired by a @HistoryFilmClub tweet shown right . Like many who responded, naming just one historical inaccuracy in a film or TV show proved far too difficult. Sadly, and contrary to the claims of directors, producers, costume designers et al., far too many historically themed media productions are beset with inaccuracies. Not wishing to be unreasonably critical, we thought there was an opportunity to highlight some of the more common errors a