A brief history of cheese and cheesemaking.

Pict or Scot: a who's who

How effective was the Chinese Xuan Feng or "Whirlwind" stone-thrower?

Dispelling the myths that ancient Britons were "Celts" and went into battle naked but painted with woad.

Addressing the myths behind the history and tradition of the lighting the torch signifying the start of the modern Olympic Games.

A review of the History Channel’s TV documentary series “Warrior’s Way” and criticism of where history is poorly portrayed in dramatized re-enactments.

A brief history of stirrups, when they first appeared in Europe, and why the Romans never used them.

Did just 300 Spartans defeat a million Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae? Or is this simply a heroic myth?

At Tastes Of History we pride ourselves on trying to be as accurate as possible in what we do, especially when recreating history for the purposes of entertaining and educating the public.  In more than two decades we have accrued a wealth of knowledge on the ancient Romans.  Imagine then the horror when we saw this screenshot taken from an advertisement for a History Channel television programme.

You could be forgiven for thinking the medical procedure known as Caesarean section was named for Roman statesman and general, Gaius Julius Caesar. It is, however, a myth. Find out why.

Placenta cake is not what you might at first think. To the ancient Romans, placenta, like its erstwhile fellow, libum, were cakes made with honey to be used in important religious services. Here's a recipe to recreate this delicious dish.

One of the history workshops that Tastes Of History offers for schools is on the Vikings. In doing so, we try to get our costume as accurate as possible so, just like the Vikings, we don't wear horned helmets. Find out why as we dispel a myth.

Today we use the term “Viking” for anyone from the Scandinavian communities of Denmark, Norway and Sweden during the late 8th to late 11th centuries.  In Britain, therefore, the “Viking Age” is commonly understood as the period from the earliest recorded raid in AD 793[1]until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.  To call all of these people 'Vikings' is mistaken as the name doesn't really describe the distinct tribes, groups or communities of the Early Mediæval period. Fi

Ancient Athens in the 5th-century BC is often held to be the birthplace of democracy.  The idea, however, was not unique to Athens.  Other city-states (poleis, sing.polis) also adopted the principle of giving their citizens the right to decide on the issues facing them, but none are as well documented as Athens.  So, for most western democracies it is to ancient Athens that they look for inspiring modern government. But how much would we recognise of Athenian democracy?

Most people in western culture recognise the "thumbs up" gesture as one that indicates all is well, while conversely "thumbs down" means the exact opposite. Reinforced by movies and the media, nearly everyone accepts that the gestures hail from the days of the Romans. But it's a myth. Find out why.

Dispelling the popular myth that Cleopatra's Needle, an ancient Egyptian obelisk in London has any connection with the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

What have the Romans ever done for us? How about they created the earliest known recipe for burgers.

In April 1606 Britain adopted a new national flag, but is it a "Union Flag" or a "Union Jack"? Find out here.

Colin Freedbear's brief guide to some of the best preserved bits at the Kourion Archaeological Site in Cyprus.

Once again a recently broadcast popular UK television programme promoted yet another “factoid”. A throw away comment, on camera, repeated the fiction that people in the 17th-century believed the Earth was flat. Sadly this myth was debunked ages ago.