The Big Book of History Answers - 2016 UK

8/16/2019 The Big Book of History Answers - 2016 UK

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W e lc o m eFor a subject that covers the entirety of human

existence,it’s unsurprising that history can behome to the odd half-truth.And that’s w here

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the envy of your friends,family an d pub quiz team.W hat did H i tl er d od u r i n g W o r ld W a r I? H ow did they b u i l d t h e C o l o ss e u m? An d just w hatdid happen to Ein stein ’s bra in?

A nd w e don’t just tackle the big questions. e devilis in the detail,

w hether it’s providing the de nitive w ord on how s id e b u r n s g o t t he i rn a m e,evaluating the w o rs t jo b s i n T u d o r E n g la n d or deducing w horeceived the w or ld ’s rs t speed in g t icke t.You’llnever be left in thedark again.

is exper t te st im on y is culled from the pages of H istory Revea led,the monthly magazine that brings the past to life.So,if you w ant

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P a u l M cG u in ne s s

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E D IT O R IA LE d i t o rPaul [email protected] r o d u c t io n E d i t o rMel Sherwood

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A R TA r t E d i t o r Sheu-Kuei HoD e s i g n e rJane GollnerP i c t u r e E d i t o rRosie McPhersonIl l u s t r a t o r s Tidy Design

P R E S S & PR C o m m u ni ca t i o ns M a n a g e rDominic Lobley 020 7150 [email protected]

A D V E R T IS IN G & M A R K E T IN GA d v e r t is e m e n t M a n a g e r Sam Jones 0117 314 [email protected] r a n d S a l e s E x e c ut i v eSam Evanson 0117 314 [email protected] u b s cr i p t i o n s D i r e c t o rJacky Perales-MorrisM a r k e t i n g E xe c u t i v eNatalie Medler

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P r o d u c t io n D i r e c t o r Sarah PowellP r o d u c t io n C o -o r d i na t o r Emily MounterA d C o -o r d i na t o rJade O’HalloranA d D e s i g ne r Rachel Shircore R e p r o g r a p hi cs Rob Fletcher,Tony Hunt, Chris Sutch

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© Im m e d i a t e M e d i a C o m p a n y B r is t o l 2 0 15 .All rights reserved. No part of The Big Book Of History Answers may be reproduced in any form or by any means either whollyor in part, without prior written permission of the publisher. Not to be resold, lent, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommendedretail price or in mutilated condition. Printed in the UK by William Gibbons Ltd. The publisher, editor and authors accept no responsibility in respect of any products, goodsor services which may be advertised or referred to in this issue or for any errors, omissions, misstatements or mistakes in any such advertisements or references.

THE BIG BOOK OF HISTORY ANSWERS

OUR EXPERTS

JU L IA N H U M P H R Y SDevelopment Officer for TheBattleelds Trust and author

E M ILY B R A N DHistorian,genealogist and author of MrDarcy’s Guide To Courtship

G R E G JE N N E R HorribleHistories consultant and authorof A Million Years in a Day

SA N D R A L A W R E N C E Writerand columnist specialising inBritish heritage subjects

S E A N L A N G Senior Lecturerin History at Anglia RuskinUniversity and author

R U P E R T M A T TH E W S Authoron a range of historical subjects,from ancient to modern

M IL E S R U S S E L L Author andSenior Lecturer in Archaeologyat Bournemouth University

A L A M Y X 6 ,

G E T T Y X 7 , D R E A M S T I M E X 2 ,

I S T O C K X 3


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T H E A N C IE N T W O R L D ..................14 W h e n w e re t h e r s t c o in s m a d e ? W h y d id R o m a n sb u ild s t ra ig h t r o a d s ? W h a t ’s t h e o l d e s t c h a t -u p lin e ?

FO O D & D R IN K .....................................24 W h y is a fr y -u p c a ll e d a ‘fu ll E n g li s h ’? W h o in v e n t e dc h a m p a g n e ? W h e re d id b a n o ff e e p ie c o m e fro m ?

B R ITA IN A N D T H E B R IT IS H ......3 4H a s B r it a in ’s w e a t h e r a lw a y s b e e n b a d ? W h e r e isC r o m w e ll’s h e a d ? H o w o ld is t h e n a t io n a l a n t h e m ?

FA M O U S P E O P L E ..............................4 4D id A b r a h am L in c o l n g e t e le c t e d b e c a u s e o f h isb e a r d ? D id L o r d B y r o n r e a lly h a v e a p e t b e a r ?

FA S H IO N & S TY L E .............................5 2 W h e n w e re s u n g la s s e s r s t w o r n ? W h o in v e n t e dw e llie s ? W h y d id t h e S c o t s s t a r t w e a r in g kilt s ?

H O W W E U SE D TO L IV E ............70 W h e n d id s c h o o ls b e c o m e c o m p u ls o r y ? H o w o ld ist h e t o ile t s e a t ? W h o g o t t h e r s t s p e e d in g t i c ke t ?

M E D IE VA L T IM E S ...............................8 8H a s t h e re e v e r b e e n a n E n g l is h p o p e ? W h a tw e r e t h e w o r s t m e d i e va l t o r tu r e m e t h o d s ?

K IN G S & Q U E E N S...............................8 0 W h o w a s o u r m o s t le c h e ro u s kin g ? D id Q u e e nV ic t o r ia h a v e a n ic k n a m e ? W a s E t h e lr e d u n r e a d y ?

T H E TW O W O R L D W A R S ..........6 0

W h a t w a s t h e B a t t le o f t h e B u lg e ? W h a t e xa c t lyw a s s h e ll s h o c k? D id M o n t y r e a lly h a v e a d o u b le ?

SP O R T & C U LTU R E ...........................9 6 W h o t u r n e d d o w n Th e B e a t le s ? W h e n d id w o m e nb e c o m e O ly m p ia n s ? W h a t ’s t h e o ld e s t s o n g ?

4 H IS TO RY E X T R A .C O M

10 0W h o h a ve b e e n th ebe s t r e c o r d -b r e a ke r so n the athle tic s tra c k?

98W a s th e H M V

ter r i e r a re a ldo g?

20W ho w e rethe H uns?

63W hich ba ttle hthe h ighes t deato lle ve r?

4 6 W a s Is a a cN ew ton ,Brigre atest phya religiou s m

W h o h a ve b e e n th ebe s t r e c o r d -b r e a ke r s

o n the athle tic s tra c k?


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G R E A T SP H IN X ..........12O n e o f th e l a rg e s t a n d o l d e s tm o n o l it h ic s t a t u e s in t h e w o r ld

G R E A T W A L LO F C H IN A.........................22T h e u n fe a s ib l y l o n g b a r r ie rt h a t t o o k tw o m ille n n ia t o b u ild

A L K H A Z N E H .............32T h e t e m p le o f th e a n c i e n tc a r v e d c it y o f P e t ra i n Jo r d a n

TA J M A H A L ...............4 2N o r t h e r n In d ia ’s m a r v e l lo u s

m a rb le d m a u s o le u m

M A C H UPIC C H U ........5 0T h e lo s t c it y o f t h e

In c a ,h i d d e n b e t w e e nt w o P e r u v ia n p e a ks

E A ST E R ISL A N D ......5 8T h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y s t a t u e s i nt h e m id d le o f t h e P a c i c O c e a n

C H IC H ÉN ITZÁ ..........6 8T h e s u n -w o r s h i p p in g t e m p l e ot h e M a y a n c i ty in s o u t h e r n M

A N G K O R W A T ...........78T h i s 12 th -c e n t u r y H in d u t e m p leis a g e m o f C a m b o d i a n a rc h i te c

S T B A S IL ’SC AT H E D R A L ................8 6T h e m a s s e d d o m e s th a td o m in a t e M o s c o w ’s R e d Sq u a

A C R O P O L IS ................9 4 A t h e n s ’ g re a t e s t m o n u m e n t isa s y m b o l o f g r e a t c iv ilis a t io n

C O L O S S E U M ............10 4T h e u lt im a t e R o m a n p la y g r o u n

THE BIGBOOK OF ANSW

W O N D ER S O F T H E

W O R LD12

H o w w a s t he G rS p h in x ca r v e d fr o m

p ie ce o f l im e s t o n

1 0 4 H o w d i d t h e R o m a n s b u i ld t h

e C o l o s s e u m ?

83W h y d i d C h a r le s IIt a ke o u t a n a d v e r t in t he p a p e r ?

88 H o w d id t he

B l a c k P r i n ce g e th is n a m e ?

56 W ha t is aquizz ingg l a s s ?

24W hy d i d e a t i ngje l l i e d e e l s g oo u t o f fa s h i o n ?

5 8 T h e b e g u i l i n g s t a t uo f E a s t e r I s l a n d


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SN A P SH O TS


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T H E B IG B O O K O F H IS TO R Y A N SW E R

It m ay lo o k like a pr o to type de sig n fo rthe rob ot from 1950 s s cie nc e-c tion cu ltm o v i e F o r b i d d e n P l a n e t ,b u t this is a c tu a llya d i v i n g s u i t. D e s i g n e d b y e n g i n e e r Jo s e p hSalim Pere ss (see n he re d em on s tra ting h i sc rea tion a t the 1925 Sh ipp ing ,Eng ineer ingand M ach ine ry Exh ib i tion a t O lymp ia),the stain le ss ste e lsu it w ill,he c laim s,allow dive rs to reac h g rea t de pths w hilea t a tm osp her ic p res su re .S tee lp roves w aytoo heavy to b e u s ed und erw ate r,bu t anu n d e te r r e d P e r e s s g o e s o n to p i o n e e r th ers t pract icald iv ing sui t in 1930.

IS T H IST H ES H A P E O FT H IN G ST O C O M E ?


8/1168 H IS T O R Y E X T R A .C O M

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W H A T ’S T H E

B IG R U S H ?A t h igh no on on 22 A pr i l1889 , the so un d o f the c ava lrybu g le r ing s o u t ac ross the e m pty land s o fm od ern -dayO klaho m a.By su nd ow n ,O k laho m a C i ty w i llno t on lyhave b ee n fou nd ed ,b u t w i llhave a p op u la tion o f10 ,0 0 0 .

The N ative A m er ican tr ibes w ho c a lled th i s land hom ehave be en rem ove d in a nticip ation of th is ‘lan d ru sh’,in w h ich an es tima ted 50 ,0 0 0 pe op le rac e in to thetw o m i llion -acre U nass igne d Lan ds to se cu re the i r ow nplot and de velop i t.Thes e ‘B oo m ers ’are allow ed to claim160 acre s ea ch ,un les s the ‘Soo ne rs ’– pe op le w ho hadille g ally e n te re d the lan d e ar ly – c laim the m rs t.


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SN A P SH O TS


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T H E B IG B O O K O F H IS TO R Y A N SW E R 1

In 196 6 ,and w i th m eticu lou s p rec i s ion ,

e m p lo y e e s o f N o r th A m e r i c a n A v i a ti o nto i la w a y o n th e c o m p o n e n ts o f a N A S Am od u le , to b e u sed in the A po llo p ro g ram .

T h e w o r k o f th e a e r o s p a c e c o m p a n yproved v i ta l to A m er ican s ucc ess in theSpac e R ace ,as they w ere resp on s ib le fo rhelp ing dev elop the Saturn V roc kets ,asw ellas var iou s A po llo co m m and an d se rv icem od ules .A year a fter th is p hoto w as taken,how ever,N A A face d severe c r i ti c i sm afte rthe A po llo 1 trage dy,w hen the co m m an dm od ule b urs t in to am es d uring a tes t run ,killing the thre e a stro na uts ins ide .

W H A TA R E

T H E S E

W O M E N

M A K IN G ?


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H O W D ID T H E Y D O T H A T ?

O ne of the largest an d oldest monolithic statues in the w orld,

the Sphinx continues to keep w atch over the G reat Pyramids

T H E G R E A T S P H IN XW ith the body of a lion and the head of a human,the G reat Sphinx,in the G iza Plateau in Egypt,

w as carved from a single mass of limestone nearly 5,00 0 years ago.A lthough the history of the

73-metre-long colossu s is steeped in mystery,it is b elieved to have been constructed du ring the

reign of Pharaoh K hafre – w ho also bu ilt the second of the G reat Pyramids – and may bear the

ruler’s likeness. e Sphinx is a seminalpart of E gypt today,attracting million s of

tourists every year,as w ellas a link to the land’s ancient civilisation.

T H E D R E A M S T E L ABetw een the paw s of the Sphinx is a large slab,the

D ream Stela,w hich w as erected by utmose IV (w ho

reigned 1401-1391 BC )after he ordered restoration

w ork on the statue.It relates a dream utmose had as

a prince,in w hich the Sphinx offered him the throne

in return for his help rebu ilding its body.

A C LO S E S H AV EW he n t h e S p h in x w a se xc a v a t e d , f ra g m e n t s o f as to n e p la it e d b e a r d w e r ef o u n d . It i s u n l i ke l y t o h a v e

b e e n p a r t o f t he o r ig i n a lc a r v in g , b u t a d d e d s o m e1, 0 0 0 y e a r s l a t e r.

R E D -FA C E DT h e re a r e c l u e s t o t he

G r e a t S p h in x ’s o r i g i n a la p p e a r a n c e . R e s id u e o fr e d p ig m e n t w a s f o u n d ,s o i t is p o s s i b l e t h e w h o lef a c e u s e d t o b e d a r k r e d .

B U R IE D B O D YA l l t h e S p h i n x, a p a r t f r o m

t he h e a d , w a s b u r i e d i ns a n d f o r t ho u s a n d s o f ye a r s .T he e xc a v a t io n w a s b e g a nb y It a l i a n e xp l o r e r G i o v a n n iB a t t i s t a C a v i g l i a i n 18 17, b u tt he b o d y w a s n ’t c l e a r e du n t i l t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y.


W O R LD


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W H A T H A P PE N E D TO T H E N O S EO F T H E G R E AT S P H IN X ?

e m ost-rep eated legend tells how soldier s in Napo leon ’s armyu sed the Sphi n x for targetprac tice an d blew off the n ose w ith acan n on ball,butthis has been dism issed as illu stration s predatin gNapo leon ’s tim e show the statu e to b e n ose-less.A 15th-cen tu rydocu m ent attrib utes the destru ction to a Su M u slim na m edM uh am m ad Sa’im al-D ahr,w ho w as angered thatpeasants w erem akin g off erin gs to the Sphin x.H e w as allegedly execu ted c1378for van dalism after attack in g the statu e an d destroyin g the n ose.

T H R O U G H T H E A G E S

T he S p hin x h a s a t t r a c t e d e xp lo r e r s , h i s t o r ia n s a n d a r t i s t s f ro m a l lE u r o p e a n d t hr o u g h t he i r w o r k, w e c a n t ra c e t h e e r o s i o n o f t he s t

16 10G e o r g e Sa n d y s

1798Vi v a n t D e n o n

1698C o r n e l i s d e B r u i jn

1839D a v i d R o b e r t s

1887H e n r i B é c h a r d

1737F r e d e r ic N o r d e n

1858F r a n c i s F r i t h

1925É m i le B a r a i ze

G IZ A N E C R O P O LIS

1 Pyram id of Khufu2 Pyram id of Khafre3 M ortuary Tem ple of Khafre4 Valley Tem ple of Khafre5 Tem ple of the Sp hinx

6 Pyram id of M enkaure7 Tom b of Queen Khentkawes8 Valley Tem ple of M enkaure9 The Q ueen’s Pyram ids

10 Tom b of Hem on

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S P H IN X

LE FT O V E R SD ue to the G reat Sphinx’sposition in a deep pit awayfrom the pyramids,it isthought that it was carvedin a limestone quarry usedfor the c onstructi on of theP yramid of K hafre.

P H A R A O H ’S FA C EA lthough a hotly debatedsubject,it is generallyaccep ted that th e face ofthe Sphinx depicts PharaohK hafre himse lf,who isburied in one of the nearbypyramids of G iza.

I t wa s d ur ing N ap o le o n ’ s E g yp t ca m p a ig n t ha t t he R o se t t a S to ne was d iscove r e d , a nd t he le g e nd t ha t his so ld ie r s d e st r oye d t he S p h in x ’ s no se b e g a n

73m 20 m

20 m

PA S S A G E O F T IM EThe bo dy of the Sphinx,which is of a softerlimestone,has erodedmore than the head,butit was protected whileburied in sand.

9

T H E B IG B O O K O F H ISTO R Y A N SW E R 1


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W h a t w a s th e B y za n tin e E m p ir e?

D ID T H EC E LT SP R A C T IS EH U M A NSA C R IFIC E ?

A c c o r d in g t o t heR o m a n s , t he a n s w e ri s “ ye s , l o t s ”. It w a s

o n e o f t he r e a s o n s t he y

g a v e f o r s u p pr e s s in g d r u i d i cc u l ts i n F r a n c e a n d B r it a in .R o m e w a s n o t a v e r s e t ohu m a n s a c r i c e in t h e a r e n a(f o r e n t e r t a i n m e n t ’s s a k e ),b u t w a s a g a i n s t it b e i n gc o n d u c t e d f o r r e li g io u sr e a s o n s . T h is c o u l d b e ju s tR o m a n p ro p a g a n d a , w e r e i tn o t f o r e v id e n c e f r o m t heb o g s o f n o r t he r n E u r o p et ha t s u g g e s t s v i o le n t d e a t hw a s a k e y p a r t o f C e l t i c l if e .

D ID T H E A N C IE N T S K NT H E W O R LD W A S R O?

F L A TE A R TIn m e d i et im e s , mp e o p l e sb e l i e v e dt he w o r lw a s a t

So m e o f t he m ce r t a i nl y d i d .G r e e k p hi l o s o p he r s w e r edeba t ing the shape and

na tu re o fEar th as lo ng ago a s the s ixt h cen tur y BC a nd ,a l tho ughthe ‘circular Ear th the or y’iscr e d i t e d t o t h e m a t h e m a t i ci a nPy thago ra s ,m os t w el l -ed uca ted

m e m b e r s o f H e l l e n is t i c s o ci e t yw e r e i n a gr e e m e n t t ha t t h e p la n e tw as spher ica l .

In the m id-th ird century BC,p hi l o s o p he r a n d m a t h e m a t i ci a nEratosthenes took th is conceptfurther and ,after s tudy ing the a ngl e o fs ha d o w s cas t a t the

sum m e r s o l s t i ce in h i s ho mofAlexandr ia ,ca lcu la ted tha t had a circum fer ence o f250,000 s ta d e s .Sa d ly ,t he pr e cis e l e ngtofa ‘s tad e’is unknow n,al thougm o d e r n m a t h e m a t i ci a n s s u gtha t h i s gu re con ta ined an e rofles s tha n 16 per cent .

M o d e r n h i st o r i a ns u s e t hi s n afo r t h e e a s t e r n R o m a n e m p ir e ,w h ich su rv ived the barbar ian

m i gr a t i o n s t h a t to r e a p a r t t h e w e s t i nfth centur y A D .By the ninth century,ith a d be co m e a m o r e m e d i e v a l a n d o vC h r i s t ia n s t a t e t h a n th e m o r e ‘R o m a nenti ty that precede d i t . In h is 1557 wo rkCorpus Historiae Byzantinae ,t he G e r m a nh i s to r i a n H i e r o n y m u s W o l f cr y s t a l l i sd i s t inct ion by coin ing the ter m ‘Byzantfrom the Ancien t Gre ek nam e fo r i t s ccity,Co nsta ntino ple (now Ista nbul).

2 5 0 , 0 0 0T h e c a p a c i t y o f t h e C i r c us M a x i m us, R o m e ’ s p r e m i e r c h a r i o t - r a c i ng t r a c k . T h i s g ur e i s mo r e t h a n a t h i r d o f t h e c i t y ’ s p o p u l a t i o n .


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O ften du bbedthe Father ofM edicine,

H ippocr ates ofK os (c460-375 BC)c am e from afam ily ofdo ctor s an dunderw entthe u sualtra in in g atthe loca l‘asclepeio n’tem ple –w her e pr iests treated thesick u sing religiousmagic,dreamin terp retation an dsnake-w orship.

Yet,H ipp oc ratesrejected su ch sup ern atu ralcau sality an d ar gued for aration al,bodi ly exp lan ation for illn esses.H is beliefw asthat the bod y h ad fou r ‘hu m ou rs’– black bile,yellow bile,blood an d ph legm – an d that thes e tted in to a so rt ofelem entalVenn diagram ofho t,cold,w etan d dry.D iseasew as the r esultofim balan ces in these elem ents cau sed bydiet,clim ate an d livin g hab its,and had n othin g to do w ithm eddlin g gods.

Bu thow did he diagnose w hatailed a patient? W ell,headvocated the a n alysis ofu rin e,faeces,pu s,m u cu s,vom it,sw eatand ear w ax,and w as even p repared to taste som e of

them .H e suggested bitter ear w ax w as a sign ofgoodhealth,butsw eetw ax w as cau se for alarm .H um our i sm w as dom inan t in med icine un ti l

w ellinto the m id-19th cen tur y,givin g r iseto m an y stor ies o fb lood-lettin gs,pu rga tivevom its,and seem in gly bar bar ic treatm en tsdished ou tto peasan ts an d pr in ces alike.Bu tH ipp ocr ates had a ctu ally been acau tiou s,gentle doc tor a n d had v igor ou slydem and ed high standar ds ofethics fromhis follow ers,w hich is w hy m odern doctorshonou r h is nam e by taking a H ippocraticO ath to do no har m .

W H Y D IDH IP P O C R A T E SE A T E A R W A X?

W hen d id the

R o m a n E m p i r e end?

i s d e p en d s o n y o ur d e n it i o n o f‘R o m an’,‘Em pir e’and ‘end ed ’.Som e say i t w as in AD 410 ,w hen

the ci ty o fRom e w as t aken by A lar ic theGo th .Alar ic,how ever,d id not w ant tonish Ro m e,so the ci ty survived ,but no lo nge r thr iv e d .A se con d ‘sack’occur red inAD 455,w hen the Vandals ,a Ger m anictr ibe,appeare d . e Vandals ,how ever,hadb ee n inv i te d t o R o m e t o h el p t he w i d o wo ft he p r e v io u s e m p er o r. e y l e ft R o m e int a ct,but th ey d id em pty th e st a te coff er s .

N e w e m p e ro r s w e r e cr e a t ed (a n dde posed )un t i l 4 Sep tem ber AD 476 ,w hen the las t ,R om ulus ‘Augustu lus’,w as fo rced to re t i r e by O do acer,a

G e r m a n w h o be ca m e k in g.B y n owm o s t o f t h e w e s t e r n p r o v i nce s o f tE m p i r e h a d b e e n t a ke n by v a r i o ut r i be s ,m o s t o f w h o m p e r pe t ua t e d R o m a n la ngu a ge a nd cul tur e .A‘rum p-state’com pris ing the pro vino fDa lm at ia (in the Ba lkans )su rv ivun t i l AD 480 ,w hen th i s too w as a bs o r be d int o O d o a cer ’s ki ngd o m

e e a s t e r n h a lf o ft h e Em p i r e co n tu nt i l t h e ca p tu r e ,by O t t o m a n a r mofit s capita l,Cons tant ino ple,in 145Som e pocke t s o f ‘R om an’pow er sur v iv e d un t i l the 15t h cent ur y,s uc a s a t Tr ebi zond o n the Tur ki s h BlSea coa st .

S L AV E S T AT E A t it s p e a k a r o u n d t h e e a r ly r s t c e n t u r y A D , t h e p o p u la t io n o f t h e c it y o f R o m e h a d r is e n t o a r o u n d a m illio n p e o p le – a t le a s t a t h ir d o f w h o m w e r e s la v e s . S o m e e s t im a t e s s u g g e s t t h a t t h e t o t a l s la v e p o p u la t io n o f t h e R o m a n E m p ir e r e a c h e d 5 m illio n .

EMPIRE ATTACKSRome has seen a hostof foreign invaders inits long history

D ID C R A SS U S D IE FR O MD R IN K IN G M O LT E N G O LD ?

In 55 BC, Marcus LiciniusCrassus, the wealthiest manin Rome, needed a military

victory to consolidate his grip onpower. His campaign against theeastern Parthian Empire startedwell enough, but at Carrhae inTurkey the Romans werecomprehensively defeated andCrassus killed. It’s not knownwhether he died ghting or

committed suicide to preventcapture, but later historianCassius Dio wrote that,

having discovered hisbody, the enemy “pouredmolten gold into his mouth inmockery for he had set great storeby money”. Where Dio got thisinformation isn’t known, but ithelped conrm Roman prejudicesabout Parthian brutali ty.


17/116


W H A T’S TH EO L D E ST C H A T-UL IN E IN H ISTO R Y

H AV E P E O P L EE V E R L IV E DU N D E R G R O U N D ?

Ifthere ’s o n e

th ing w e lea rnfrom histo rica l

se du ction g uid es ,it’stha t the re isn ’t m uc hn e w u n d e r th e s u n .Ea rly-m od er nsu gg es tion s fo r chattingu p a w o m a n i n c lu d eb latan t atte ry,off er ingb e e r a n d c h e e s e c a k e ,sug ge s ting you m igh trelieve her o fthe‘bu rde n’o fv irgin itya n d c o m p a r in g h e rb e lly to Sa lis b u ry P lai n .Pe rhap s the o lde st gu ide to ro m an ce isO vid ’s to ng ue -in-ch ee k T he A r t o f Lo v e (c2 A D ) and m uch o f i t s ee m s fam i li a r.M enof A ncien t Ro m e a re ad v i sed to hang ou t a tthe the atre o r the ch ario t rac e,an d startco nve rsation w ith a lady ab ou t thespe c tac le o r w ho she sup po r ts .They a reenc ourag ed to d ec la re a p ass ion w h i ledr un k (so it c an b e re trac ted late r) b ut,if

alle lse fails,s im p ly to g o fo r m elo dra m a –w o m e n lo n g to h e a r a m a n i s “d y in g o f afrantic p ass io n” or the s imp le w ord s:“Yo u ’re the o n ly g irlfo r m e .”

T h e b e s t e xa m p l e o f p o s s ib l es u b t e r r a n e a n l iv i n g i s a n i m p r e s s iv es y s te m o f t u n n e ls a n d p a s s a g e w a y s in

c e n t r a l Tu r ke y . T h e p r e c i s e o r ig i n o f t h eu n d e r g r o u n d c i t y o f D e r in ku y u – a s w e ll a s w h od u g t h e p a s s a g e s a n d w h e n – a r e u n c l e a r,b u tm a jo r e xc a v a t i o n a c t iv i ty h a s s u g g e s t e d t h e c it yc o u l d b e a s o l d a s t h e e ig h t h c e n t u ry B C .

T h e m u l t i-la y e r e d D e r in k u y u r e a c h e s a d e p t ho f 8 5 m e t re s a n d c o u ld s h e l te r s o m e 20 ,0 0 0p e o p le . T h e p a s s a g e w a y s h a v e b e e n p e r io d ic a llye n l a rg e d a n d e xt e n d e d w it h m u lt ip l e a r e a s fo ra c c o m m o d a t io n ,s to r a g e a n d a ls o d e fe n c e . N ow r it t e n t e s t im o n y e xis t s e x p la i n in g h o w t h ec i t y w a s u s e d ,a lt h o u g h it h a s b e e n c la im e d t h et u n n e ls w e r e c o n c e iv e d a s a c o m b in a t io n o fc o ld s t o r a g e fa c ilit ie s a n d a n c ie n t u n d e r g r o u n db u n ke r,p r o t e c t i n g t h e p o p u l a t io n d u r in g t im e so f i n v a s i o n o r in t e r n a l s t r ife . Th a t s o fe w o f t h ep a s s a g e w a y s a n d r o o m s h a v e b e e n in v e s tig a t e ds e r v e s t o m a ke D e r in ku y u e v e n m o r e a l lu r in ga n d m y s t e r io u s .

Ar chaeo logy has show n that Stonehenge began as ane a r t hw o r k a n d cr e m a t i o n ce m e t e r y i n a r o u nd3100 BC,w ith its nal phas es o fconst ruction

ending in the Bro nze A ge,aro und a bout 1600 BC. atpu t s it s co m p le t i o n a t m o r e t h a n a m i l le n ni umbefor e the r s t h is tor ical re fere nces to D ruid s in thew r i t i n gs o fG r e e k a n d R o m a n hi s t o r i a n s .H o w e v e r,the s tones w ere se t up fo r r i tua l and re l ig iouspu rposes and they r em ained a ccess ib le fo r ev erygenera t ion s ince the N eo l i th ic per iod .W i th tha t inm ind ,i t i s h igh ly un l ike ly tha t D ru id p r ies t s o f theC e l t ic Ir o n A ge a n d R o m a n p e r i o d d i d n o t w o r s h i p o rm ake offer ings the re ,m uch as peop le s t i l l do tod ay.

e very earliest coins were pieces of precious metalthat were stamped with a design to guarantee theirpurity and weight. It is thought that the rst coins

were produced in the mid 500s BC in Asia Minor. Localrulers had to pay Greek mercenaries a set weight of preciousmetal at the end of their contracts, and to ensure the correct

amount was paid, coins were used. ese pieces of metalwere generally stamped with an animal head on one side,perhaps indicating the person who issued them, and anabstract design on the other signifying the weight.

e rst coins to be issued with the intention that theywould be used as money were those minted by KingCroesus of Lydia, a rich and powerful Greek state on thewest coast of what is now Turkey. ese coins, fromc550 BC, were small gold pieces stamped with alion and a bull. King Pheidon of Argos minted silvercoins stamped with a turtle, and some claim thathe produced his coins before Croesus, but the dateswhen Pheidon l ived are disputed.

D ID T H E D R U ID S H A V E

A N Y T H IN G T O D O W IT H

S T O N E H E N G E ?

W h e n w e reco ins rs t m a d e?

S I T E O F C E L E B R A T I O N D rui d s g a th e r a t t h e s ac re d W il ts h ire si t e t o ce l e b ra te th e w in te r so ls t ice . B u t fo r h o w lo ng h ave t h e y d o ne so ?

A D D I N G F L A V O U R ‘ S a l a r y ’ c o m e s f r o m t h e La t i n f o r s a l t . R o m a n s o l d i e r s w e r e p a i d ‘ s a l t m o n e y ’ - a n e s s e n t i a l i n h o t , s w e a t y c l i m a t e s . B y t h e M i d d l e Ag e s , t h e w o r d ‘ s a l a r y ’ w a s b e i n g u s e d t o m e a n a n y s o r t o f p a y – r e g a r d l e s s o f w h a t y o u s p e n t i t o n .

S PA R E C H A NThe s i lver c oin d ep ic ts the g o

A po llo w hi le the g old c oins showan im als,inc lud ing a lion

S e d uc t io n t e c h niq u f ro m h is t o r y re main f ami li a r t o d a y



1.8 Even b efore the rst

de ad ly pyroclastic ow

struck P omp eii,as mu chas 1. 8 m e t r e s o f a s hhad

settled on the groun d

in so me areas .

H O W T H E D ISA STE R U N F O LD E D

B efore V esuv ius e rup ted ,P o m p e i i w a s in i t s h e y d a y.Theto w n w a s th e s to m p i n g g r o u n d the w e ll-to -d o – it’s tho u g ht eve nEm p e r o r N e r o h a d a p a d n e a r b

P O M P E II

1/3The p roportion o f

slaves in the city ’s

po pu lation

H o u s eo f t h e F a u n

This 3,0 0 0 m 2 villa

ow ned by w ealthy

aristocrats cove red a

w hole block.It’s nam ed

for a bronze statuette

fou nd in the atrium,

and boasts ne

mos aics.

G la d i a t o rb a r r a c k s

En slaved g hters

traine d for b attle

in the b arracks set

be hind on e of

the sma ller

theatres.

F o r u m The centre ofb us ine ss ,relig ion

an d p olitics in the city

enco m p assed offi ces,

temples,b aths,a market

p lace an d t he b as ilica,

w hich served as

a court.H o u s e

o f t h e Ve t t i i O ne of the most

luxuriou s v illas to be

discove red,this house

boaste d elaborate frescoes

and a garden studded

w ith bronze and

marble statue s.

I N F O G R A P H I C : T I D Y

D E S G I N S , G E T T Y

X 5

The v olc ano ’s e rup tion in A D 79 plun ge dthe tow ns o f P o m p e i i a n d H e r c u la n e u m into d arknes s ,before sm othering themw ith pyro c las tic o w s – fas t-m ov ing tideso fs upe rhea ted ash , smo ke ,gas an d rock .

V E S U V IU S

W H A T H A P P E N E D W H E N V E S U V IU SB L E W IT S T O P?

G R A P H IC H IS T O RYA D 79 volcan ic d isas ter in facts an d g ures

A ccordingto P liny theYoun ge r’s

eyew itnessaccount,the

se a leve lfalls,ind ica ting

an immine nttsu nami.

The cloud of ashand smoke towers

25km above thevo lcano ,lit b y

elec tricals torms .The cloud reaches

M isenu m,fromw here P linythe Youngeris w atching .

Ve suviusrumblesinto lifew ith a

se ries o fsmallga sand ash

em iss ion s.

The volcanoerupts ,send inga cloud of as h

and smokeover 20 km into

the s ky.Thecloud stretchesso uth,p lung ing

Po mpe iiintodarkness.

Q uakes recurallafternoon,and bu ilding s

collap se .M any eeto the sea,

but oatingvo lcanic

de bris b locksthe port.

2am 4 am 6am 8am 10 am 12p m 2pm 4 p m 6p m 8p m 10p m 12am

25 A U G U S T

12am 2am 4 am 6a m 8 am 10 a m 12p m 2pm 4 p m 6p m 8p m 10p m 12am

24 A U G U S T

The w orst has passed,but Ve suvius rumbles

on for days,ge neratingthunderstorms and

mud slide s.B y t he t imethe e ruption is nished ,the su mmit of V esu vius

is 20 0 m low er.

Severalmass ive

py roclas ticow s ob literate

Po mpe ii.Thelast su rge

sw eeps as faras S tabiae.

M u d o w scarryingsca ld ingvo lcanicmate rial

tear tow ardsH erculaneu m,

de stroyingthe tow n.

26 A U G U S T

A secondpy roclas ticsurge hits

H erculaneu m.

The cloudreaches 30 km

high an dcollap se s in onitse lf,se nd inga superheated

py roclas ticow tow ards

H erculaneu m,killing everyo ne .



19/116


2,0 0 0A bout 2,00 0 p eople died at

Pomp eii ,o u t o f a p o p u l a t i o no fs o m e 12,00 0 -15,0 00 .

T h e s u r v i v o r s m o s t li ke l y e d a s t h e e r u p t i o n

b e g a n .

TIM ELIN E O FD IS C O V E RY

6T h e n um b e r o fp u b l i ct he r m a e(b a t h s ) fo u n d i n

P o m p e ii

M IS E N U M

N A P L E S

H E R C U L A N E U M

P O M P E II

S TA B IA E

V E S U V IU S

P O M P E II

S i z e : 660 ,0 0 0m 2 P o p u l a t i o n :12,0 0 0 -15,0 0 0D i s t a n ce fr o m Ve s u v i us :10 kmD e p t h o f a s h :u p t o 5 m

H E R C U L A N E U M

S i z e : 165 ,0 0 0 m 2P o p u l a t i o n :4 ,0 0 0 -5,0 0 0D i s t a n ce fr o m Ve s u v i u s :6 kmD e p t h o f a s h :u p t o 2 0 m

T h e o n l y s u r v i v in g e y e w i t n e s sa c c o u n t o f t h e c a t a s t ro p h e isb y R o m a n o ffi c i alP liny theYounger w h o s a w t h e e r u p t io nfr o m M is e n u m ,3 5km a w a y.

44°C Te m p e r a t u r e a tw h i c h s k in b e g in s t o b u r n

212°C Te m p e r a t u r e a tw h i c h l e a t h e r a u t o i g n i t e s

SE T INSTO N E Anyone who has been to Pompeiiwill recall the striking models ofVesuvius’s victims. These castswere made by pouring plaster intothe cavities left in the volcaniclayers once the engulfed dead haddecomposed. Some of the modelsare remarkably detailed, and theagony of the victims as they wereblanketed by bone-scorchingly hotash is often painfully clear to see.

A t h e a t re isd i s c o v e r e d a tH e r c u l a n e u m .

M a n y s t a tu e s a n do t h e r a r t e fa c t s

a r e re m o v e d a n dl a t e r s o l d a c r o s s

E u r o p e .

E x c a v a t io nb e g i n s a t

H e r c u l a n e u mb y o r d e r o ft h e K i n g o f

N a p l e s .

O ffi c ia le x c a v a t i o nb e g i n s a t

P o m p e i i . T h en a m e o f t h et o w n i s s t i l lu n k n o w n .

P o m p e i i is d e n i t iv e l yi d e n t i e d a ft e r t h e d i s c o v e r y

o f a n i n s c r i p t i o n t h a ti n c lu d e s t h e n a m e o f t h et o w n . B y 17 8 0 ,e x c a v a t i o na t H e r c u l a n e u m i s h a lt e d ,w i t h r e s o u r c e s r e d i r e c t e d

t o t h e P o m p e i i s it e .

E x c a v a t io n c o n t i n u e ss p o r a d i c a l ly a t b o t h

s i t e s , a n d p l a s t e r c a s t so f t h e v i c t im s b e g i n to

b e m a d e (s e e S e t i nS t o n e , a b o v e ) .

M a jo r e xc a v a t i o n sa r e u n d e r t a k e n . In

19 6 2 ,t h e w o r k s a r er e s t r ic t e d t o a fe w

d i s c r e t e a r e a s i n a na t t e m p t t o p r e v e n t

fu r t h e r d a m a g ea n d d e c a y.

S o m e 30 0 b o d i e sa r e d i s c o v e r e d a t

t h e b e a c h n e a rH e r c u l a n e u m .

30 A t it s ta lle s t,the column

f as h,rock and smoke m a yh a v e r i s e n 3 0 k m – t h r e e

t im e s t h e h e i g h t a t w h i c hm o d e r n c o m m e r c ia l

p l a n e s y.

1,0 0 0 A t th e ti m e o ft h e c a ta c ly s m

t h a t e n g u l fe d P o m p e i i ,Vesuvius had n ot produced

a sign ica nt e ruption fo r1,000 ye a r s – so t he

r e s i d e n t s d i d n ’ t re a l i s e

t h e d a n g e r. 70 0T h e p y r o c l a s t ic o w c o u l dh a v e reached speeds of

up to 700kph . Ifs o ,itw o u l d h a v e h i t P o m p e i i

i n le s s t h a na m i n u te .

3 0 0 ° C Te m p e r a t u r e o ft h e p y r o c la s t ic o w s t h a ts t r u c k Po m p e i i

5 0 0 ° C Te m p e r a t u r e o f

t h e p y r o c la s t ic o w s t h a ts t r u c k H e r c u l a n e u m

A mphitheatre P o m p e i i’s 2 0 ,0 0 0 -

s e a t e r a m p h i t h e a t rei s t h e o l d e s t s u r v i v i n g

e xa m p l e in t h e R o m a n w o r ld ,b u i l t c 7 0 -8 0 B C . T h e t o w n

a l so h a d t w o o t h e rt h e a t re s ,w h i c h c o u l d

s e a t 5 ,0 0 0 a n d1,0 0 0 .

Largepa laes tra

A n e xe rc is e a re a fo rw r e s t li n g a n d g y m n a s t ic s ,w i t h a s w i m m i n g p o o l in

t h e c e n t r e ,t h i s s p a c e m a yh a v e d o u b l e d a s a g a t h e r in g

p l a c e fo r s p e c t a t o r sh e a d i n g t o t h ea m p h i t h e a t r e .

B AY O F N A P LE S

170 9 -10 1738 174 8 176 3 19 0 0 s 1924 -6 1 19 8 1-9 8

T h o u g h t h e e r u p t io n b lo t t e do u t a l l l ife i n t h e t w o t o w n s ,t h e h o t a s h p r e s e r v e d t h es e t t le m e n t s p h e n o m e n a l lyw e l l ,a s 18 t h -c e n t u rya r c h a e o lo g i s t s d i s c o v e r e dt o t h e i r d e l i g h t

W H E R E IT H A P P E N E

V O LC A N ICC L O U D

STA T IST IC S

150T h e n u m b e r o f b a r s

b e l ie v e d t o h a v e o u r i s h e d i np r e -e r u p t io n

P o m p e i i

150 °C Te m p e r a t u r e a tw h i c h w o o d c h a r s



A

L

A

M

Y

X

2

, G

E

T

T

Y

X

5

, T

H

I N

K

S

T

O

C

K

X

1

W H Y D ID T H E R O M A N S B U ILD ST R A IG H T R O A D S ?


W H O W A ST H E LA STP H A R A O H

O F E G Y P T?

T h e la s t r u l e r o fE g y pt b e f o r e i t w a ss u c c e s s f u l ly i n v a d e

b y t he R o m a n E m p ir e w aC l e o p a t r a V II, w h o d i e d i30 B C . H o w e v e r , t he R o mr u le r A u g u s t u s c ho s e t o

E g y pt in d e p e n d e n t l y o fR o m e , u s i n g t h e t it le o fp ha r a o h in o r d e r t o k e e p v a s t in c o m e o f the E g y pts t a t e i n h is h a n d s . A l tho uE g y pt ha d t he s a m e r u l e rt he R o m a n E m p ir e , i tr e m a i n e d a s e p a r a t e s t a teT h e l a s t R o m a n E m p e ro rha v e c a l le d h i m s e l f p ha r aa n d t o h a v e r u l e d E g y pts e p a r a te l y f ro m R o m e w aD e c i u s (A D 2 4 9 -2 5 1).

No ancient m ona rch w as ever part icularly ‘goo d’,but H ero d Io fJud ea (re igne d 37-4 BC)pe r ha ps ha s a w o r se

repu ta ti o n tha n a ny o th er.O fA rab e th ni city,H ero dow ed his posi t ion in Judea to the backing ofRo m ans,w ho hadh e lp e d br i ng h im t o p ow e r.D e t e r m i ne d t o a p e R o m e ,H e r o dde velo ped a s er ies ofam bitious building projects,includingthe es tabl i shm en t o fCaesarea as the m ain harbou r and the rebuil d ing o fthe Se con d Tem pl e in Je r us a le m .H is no n-Jew is hheri tage d id not s i t w el l w ith the rel igious el i te ofJudea ,though,and so m e pol i t ical fact ions saw him as l i t t le m ore than a puppe t o fR o m e.

e l a t e r y e a r s o f H e r o d ’s r e i gn w e r e m a r ke d b y i l l ne s s a n dp a ra n o i a ,l e a d i ng h i m t o m u r d e r o n e o f hi s w i v e s a nd t w o o fhis sons .H is chiefclaim to infam y,how ever,w as the ‘M assa creofthe Innocents’– the infanticide d esigned to e nsure t he d eat hofthe prophesied new born ‘King ofthe Jew s’– record ed int he G o s pe l o fM a t th e w. i s h o r r i c e v e nt w a s n o t m e n ti o n e d in a ny o fthe o the r go spe ls ,no r by a ny cont em po ra r y Jew ish so ur ce,a nd m o d er n hi s to r ia ns ha ve cas t d o ub t o n w he the r i t a ctua l ly ha ppene d .O ver a l l,t he n,t ho ugh a d e spo t a nd ty r a nt , H e ro d w a s no w o r se tha n a ny o the r r ul e r o ft he pe r io d .

Was K in g H e ro d really so bad?

e short answer is:we don’treally know. O riginating fromsomewhere in C entral A sia,the

people known as H uns rst appeared onthe borders ofthe Roman Empire in thefourth century A D . e Romans foundthem parti cularly terr ifying because,unlike other so-called barbarians,theircustoms,religion,lifestyle and languageseemed incomprehensible. From theRomans’perspective,theaggressive Huns had no cleartargets (land,for example),so

successive emperors found it easiestto simply pay them off with gold. Acontinual threat to Roman security,theH uns were seen as the anti thesis ofM editerranean-style civil isation and,as a consequence,were frequentlyportrayed i n overtly negative,almost‘demoni c’terms. Sadly,no objectivedescription ofthem survives and,as theyfailed to record their own experiences inany meaningful way,our understanding

ofwho they were and what theywanted from Rome is deeply awed.

W h il e s o m e R o m a n r o ad s

m i gh t h av e b e n d s o r co r n e r s ,t h e v a s t m a jo r i t y a r ed i s t inct ive ly s t ra igh t as they m archfo r m i l e a ft e r m i l e a cr o s s B r i t a i n a n dE ur o p e .U n l i k e m o d e r n r o a d s ,t h eviam unita w e r e n o t i n t e n d e d fo r t h e u s eo f o r d i n a r y p e o p l e .O n l y a r m y u n it s ,go v e r n m e n t offi ci a ls a n d t h o s e w i t h a spe cia l pa s s w e r e a l lo w e d to us e the m .W h en m o v i ng ar m i e s,o r offi ci a ls t od e a l w i t h e m e rge n ci e s ,s p e e d w a sp a r a m o u n t.Ev e r y o n e e l s e h a d t om a ke d o w i t h u s in g l o ca l d i r t t r a ck s .

You w ou ld th ink ce r ta in na tu ra l

fea tu res – s t eep h i l l s and va l l eys – o f the la nd s cape coul d affe ct the s t r a ight ne s so f the via m unita .N o t s o ,R o m a n r o a d sw en t s t ra igh t up the m os t p recip i tous o f s lo pe s w itho ut w ind ing ba ck a nd fo r th in ha i r pi n be nd s l ike m o d e r n r o a d s . i s i s be caus e a m a r chi ng m a n o n fo o t cango s t ra igh t up a s t eep h i l l and then res t to r e cov e r be fo r e m o v ing o n m uch qu ickerthan i fhe w ound a round a gen t ly r i s ing s lo pe .A r m y sup pl ie s w e r e ca r r ie d o nm u l e s w h o co u l d l i ke w i s e go u p a s t e e p s lo pe w itho ut m uch t r o ub le .

W H O W E R ET H E H U N S?

E N E M Y AT H E G A TT h e w a r l ikeH u n s , le d b yi n fa m o u s A tt h re a t e n e d ts e c u r i t y o f tc i t y o f R o mi n t h e f t hc e n t u r y A D

H e r o dr e p u t e d l yo r d e r e d t hes l a u g h t e r o f

B e t h l e h e m ’sb a b i e s

5 5 T h e n u m be r, i n

t h o u sa nd s, o f m i le s o f p a ved road s b u

i l t

b y t h e R o ma n s ac ro s s

t h e E m p i re – e no ug h

to c i rc le t h e w o r ld

se ve n t i me s.

S T R A I G H T A S A R U L E R T h e s tre ng t h o f R o m a n ro ad s m e a n s t h a t m a n y s till e x i s t to d a y , w h ile o t h e r s b e ca m e t h e fo und a tio n s o f o t h e r ro ad s


21/116


H o w m a n yp y ra m id to m b s a re th e re in E g y p t?

A l th o u g h m o s t t o u r i s tsc o n c e n t r a t e o n t h e h u g epyr a m i d s a t G i z a a n d

S a q qa r a , t h e r e a r e m a n y o t h e rpyr a m i d s i n E gyp t. A l l o f t h e mh a ve f o u r t r i a n g u l a r s i d e s s l o p in gu p fr o m a s qu a r e b a s e. es h a p e s ym b o l i s e d t h e r a y s o f t h eS u n r e a c h i n g d o w n t o E a r t h,w i t h th e po l i s he d s i d e s r e e c t i n g

t h e li g ht . e s h a pe a l s om i m i c ke d t he pr i m o r d i a l m o u n dt h a t , in E g yp t i a n r e l i g i o n , h a db e e n t h e r s t p a r t o f t h e Ea r t ht o e m e r g e f ro m t he a n c i e n tw a t e r s . Ev e r y pyr a m i d w a s b u i l to n t h e w e s t b a n k o f t he N i l e. i sp u t t he m c l o s e t o t he s e t ti n g S u na n d s o t o t he m yt h o l o g ic a l r e a l mo f t h e d e a d .

A r c h a e o l o g i st s h av e i d e n t ia t o t a l o f 118 pyr a m i d t o m b s E gyp t . M o s t o f t h e s e a r e r e l as m a l l a n d s o m e o f t he p o o r lb u i l t o n e s h a v e c o l l a ps e d i n tp il e s o f r u b b l e . A s r e c e n t l y 20 08, t h e r u i n s o f a pyr a m i de m e r ge d f ro m s a n d d u n e s nSa qqara , so i t 's thou gh t tha t ou n d i s c o v e r e d p yr a m i d s m a y

T IP O F T HIC E B E R

S a q q a r a ifa m o u s ,b u t

E gy p t ha s m a nm o r e py r a m i

W H A T D O E S‘S P Q R ’M E A N ?

S PQ R ,w hi ch w a sd i s p la y e d o n m o s t R o m a n i ns cr i p t i o ns

a n d m o nu m e n t s ,a nd ca nn o w b e s e e n e m b la zo n e d a cr o s s m i l i t a r y s t a n d a r d s i n e v e r y H o l l y w o o d e p i c, s t a n d s fo r t h e La t i n p hr a s eSenatus Populusq ueRomanus . It m e a n s ‘t h eS e na t e a n d p e o p le o f R o m e ’– a r e m i nd e r t ha t R o m e w a s ,s u p p o s e d ly ,a R e p ub l i c w h e r e t h e p e o p leh a d t h e l a s t w o r d . Ev e n a ft e r t he R e p ub l ice ff e ct iv e l y d i e d i n t he l a t e r s t ce n t ur y B C a n d w a s r e p la ce d b y t he R o m a nE m p ir e ,S PQ R co n t in ue d t ob e u s e d i n o r d e r t o s u s ta i nt he i m a g e th a t R o m e w a s a m o n a r ch -fr e e s t a t e .

H O WD E M O C R A W A S A N C IE A TH E N S?

N o t v e r y . A l t ho uce l e b r a t e d a s t heb i r t h pl a c e o f

d e m o c ra cy ,no t e v e r y o in ft h-ce n t u r y -B C

A t h e n s ha d t h e r i g h t t o v o t e .O ft h e 2 5 0 ,0 0 0p e o p l e l i v i ng t h e r e , l e s s t ha n a ne i g ht h w e r ep e r m i t te dt o v o t e .W o m e n , s l a v e s o rn o n -A t h e n i a n s(t r a d e r s , v i s i t o r s o r r e fug e e s ) w e r e d e ni e d s u ch r i g h t s .

.

e Ro m a n b a ths w e r es i m i l a r t o ‘Tu r k i s h’b a t h s o r s a u n a s :a s e r i e s

o f p r o g r e s s iv e l y h o t te r r o o m si n te r m i xe d w i th w a r m a n d c o l d

i m m e r s i o n b a t h s. Ba t hi n g w a s am a jo r a c t i v i ty i n t h e R o m a nw o r l d . i s w a s n 't b e c a u s e o f a n yd e s i r e t o b e c l ea n – m o s t R o m a nb a t h h o u s e s w e r e l o u d , u n h e a l thyp la c e s w h e r e a l l so c i a l c l a s s e sw h o c o u l d aff o r d th e e n t r a n c et i c ke t r u b b e d u p a g a i n s t o n ean o ther (qu i t e l i t e ra l ly )– bu tb e c a u s e t h ey r e pr e s e n t e d t h e b e s tp la c e t o e xe r c i s e , s o c i a l i se a n d d ob u s i n e s s. R o m e h a d n o e q u i va l en to f pu b s , c l u b s o r g ym s , s o m o s t

e s t a b l i sh m e n t s p r o v i d e d n o t o n l yb a t h s b u t a l s o e xe r c i s e h a l l s ,l i b r a r i e s (t o e x e r c i s e t h e m i n d ),b a r b e r s , g a m i n g r o o m s a n d a r e a s toe a t a n d d r i n k . F o r m o d e s t y’s s a k e ,

m e n a n d w o m e n h a d se g re ga te db a t h s o r b a t h e d a t d iff e r e n t t i m e s .V i s i ts t o t he u r b a n b a t h s, o n c e t h em o r n i n g w o r k w a s d o n e , to o k u pt h e b e t t e r p a r t o f t h e d a y. B a t h in ga n d t h e pr o v i s i o n o f p u b l i c b a t h sf e ll o u t o f f a s hi o n i n p o s t -R o m a nEu r o p e . e C h r i st i a n s o c i e t yt ho u g h t b a t hi n g w a s a d e c a d e n tl u xu r y t h at w e a ke n e d a ni n d i v i d u a l ’s b o d y d i s c i p li n e a n dc o u l d l e a d t o la s c i v i o u s t ho u g h t san d ‘u n ho ly ’ac t iv i t i es .

W h y d id th e R o m a n stake s o m a n y b a th s?

S I C K N O T E T h e i d e a t h a t a v o m i t o r i u m wr o o m w h e r e R o m a n s t h r e wm a k i n g s p a c e f o r m o r e f o o dm y t h . T h e v o m i t o r i u m w a s i n sa p a s s a g e w a y i n a t h e a t r ep r o v i d i n g a u d i e n c e s w i t h r a p i d e x i t – a l l o w i n g t h e mt o ‘ s p e w f o r t h ’ o n t o t h e s t r e e t s .


22/116

I L L U S T R A T I O

N : S O

L 9

0 , A L A M

Y X

1 , S H E U - K U E I H O

X 2

H O W D ID T H E Y D O T H A T ?

e bu lw arks that took tw o m illen n ia to bu ild

G R E A T W A L L

O F C H IN Aere are severalm isconceptions abou tthe G reatW allofChin a,

w hich snakes its w ay throu gh the C hin ese cou ntryside.Itis n ota single w all,buta series offortication s (som e ofw hich ru n

parallelto each other ),and ther e i s n o tru th to the legend that the G reatW allcan be seen from space.Yetitis u ndo ubtedly on e ofthe m ostim pressive pieces o farchitectur e an d en gineerin g in history – a projectthatw as on goin g for 2,000 years.

B U ILD IN G T H E W A LLe rstw alls w ere constru cted to protectin dividualkingdom s in C hin a

from w arring neighbours. e m ostcomm on con struction m ethod in theseventh cen tu ry B C w as ‘ram m ed ear th’– packi ng soiltightly in to a n atu ralbu lw ark.O ver the cen tu ries,the Q in w allw as added to byseveraldynasties.D ur in g the M in g dyn asty (1368-1644,fears ofa M on golinvasion led to exten sive rebu ildin gusing state-of-the-art techn iqu es.

Q i n d y n a s t yIf r o c k fr o m n e a r b ym o u n t a i n s c o u ld n ’ tb e c o l l e c t e d , e a r t h

a n d s m a l l s t o n e s w e r ec o m p a c t e d t o b u i ld

a n a t u r a l w a ll .

H a n , Ji n , S u i d y n a s t i e sU n t il t h e s e v e n t h c e n t u r y

A D ,v a r io u s m e t h o d s w e rea d o p t e d , in c l u d i n g u s in ga w o o d e n fr a m e t o h o ld

t o g e t h e r a m ixt u r e o fw a t e r a n d g r a v e l.

M i n g d yn a s t yB r i c ks – w h i c h w e r e

s t ro n g e r s o c o u l d b e a rm o r e w e i g h t – w e r ein c r e a s i n g ly u s e d t o

b u i ld a n d r e p a i r s e c t io n so f w a l l q u i c k l y.

T H E FIR S T E M P E R O RW allfortic ation s w ere r stbu iltdu rin g theseventh century BC,butw hen Q in Shi H uan gconquered the in dividualChinese kin gdom s anun ited Chin a – becom ing therstEm peror in 221 BC – heordere d thatthe section s o fw allbe join ed i nto o negreatd efen ce.

S o m e o f t he t o w e r s a r e a pp ro xim a te ly 50 0 m e tr e s a pa r t

6-10 m

6m 5m

S T ILL S T R O N GWhile some sections of thewall are in poor condition,or have been destroyed, thebest preserved example ofthe Great Wall dates fromthe Ming dynasty – and runsfor some 5,500 miles.

A LE G E N D A R Y P LA C EDozens of legends surroundthe Great Wall. One of themost enduring is the myth ofMeng Jiangnu, the wife of oneof the builders who died.According to the story, whenshe learned of his death, shecried so hard that it caused asection of the wall to collapse.

EMPIREBUILDER

Q in also expandedChina’s road system

and built theTerracotta Army


W O R LD

S N A KIN G ALO NGTh e w a ll u t ilis e d t h e

n a t u ra l t e r ra in ,

fro m h ills t o r ive r s , t o im p ro ve d e fe n c e

s

22 H IS TO RY E X T R A .C O M


23/116

L IG H T TH EB E A C O N SD uring the M ing dyn asty,w atch

tow ers w ere developed to w arn of a

M ongolinvasion.A column of smoke

w as sent up in daytime to let the

next w atch tow er know that an

enemy army w as approaching.A t

night,huge bon res w ere bu ilt.

Q in Dynasty221-206 BC

M ing D ynasty1368-1644

C H IN A

Be ijingS h a n g h a i

BadalingT H E T O T A L LE N G T H

O F T H E G R E A T W A LL:13,171 m i le s

But, if you added up all thebranches built throughout the Great

Wall’s history, then its total lengthis believed to be long enough toalmost circle the planet twice.

S O LID F O U N D AIt i s im p o s s i b l e t o k no w m a n y m i ll io n s o f co n s t ruw o r ke r s w e r e us e d o v em i ll e n ni a t o b ui ld t h e wT ho s e w h o d i e d – w h ichn um b e r i n t h e h un d r e d s t h o u s a n d s – w e r e b u r ie dt h e fo u nd a t i o n s o f t h e w a

R E A C H IN G H IG HTo b u il d t h e w a t c ht o w e r s ,b a m b o o w a su s e d a s s c affo l d i n g .It i s s o s t r o ng t ha t it is s t il lu s e d i n C h in a t o d a y .

W A LK TH E W A L LT he m o s t p o p u la r

s e ct io n fo r t o u r i s t s i sB a d a l i n g – b u i lt i n t h e

M i ng d y n a s t y

T H E B A T T LE M E N T SIn t h e M i ng d y n a s t y ,d e t a c hm e n t s o f s o ld ie r s w e re s t a t io ne d in e a cht o w e r ,e i t h e r t o s t a n d o n w a t ch fo r

fo r e i g n in v a s i o n o r t o p r o t e ct t h et r a d e r s p a s s i n g t hr o u g h t he w a l l o nt h e i r w a y t o t h e S i lk R o a d t o E ur o p e .

THE BIG BOOK OF HISTORY ANSWERS 2



A

L

A

M

Y

X

1 , G

E

T

T

Y

X

4

, D

R

E

A

M

S

T

I M

E

X

1

FO O D &D R IN K

E E L A P P E A LFo r the rst tim e,the po pu lari ty o fje llie d e e ls is o nthe r i se out s ide ofLon do n’s Ea s t End

W H Y D ID JE L L IE D E E L SG O O U T O F FA SH IO N ?

e a n s w e r t o t hi s m y st e r y l ie s w i t ht he e e l s t he m s e lv e s . e E u r o pe a n e e l(Anguil la a ngui l la )c a n s u r v i ve i n

b r a c k is h a n d p o o r l y o xyg e n a t e d w a t e r s , aqu a l i ty th a t m a d e i t a pa r t i c u l a r ly c o m m o n s h al o n g th e a m e s Es tu a r y d ow n s t r ea mo f Lo n d o n , a s w e l l a s i n t h e m a r s h es a n ds w a m p s o f Es s e x. Ee l s w e r e c a u g h t i n t h e s ea r e a s i n v a s t n u m b e r s , t he n t a ke n u p t h e

a m e s t o Bi ll in g s g a te F i s h M a r ke t w h ic h ,b y t h e m i d -19 t h c e n t u r y, w a s t h e l a rg e s t s h m a r ke t in t h e w o r l d . W h il e m o r e

e xp e n s i v e s h w e n t t o t h e h o m e s o f t h e r i c h ,t h e c h e a p e e ls w e r e t a k en b y c a r t t o t h e E a s tE n d o f Lo n d o n .

e r e t h e e e ls p r ov i d e d a n i n e xpe n s i v es o u r c e o f pr o t e in a t a t im e w h en m e a t w a sg e n e r a l l y e xp e n s i v e . e e e l s w e r e c u t i n t oc h u n k s (a p r o c e s s k n o w n a s s h u c k in g ), t h enb o i l e d in w a t er a n d v i n e g a r. i s r e l ea s e dc o l l a g e n -r i c h p r o t e i n s i n t o t h e w a t e r -v i n e g a rm i x s o t ha t w h en t he m i x w a s p o u r e d i n t o ab o w l a n d a l l o w e d t o c o o l i t so l id i e din to a jel ly.

B y t h e 1820 s , it w a s c u s t o m a r y t o s e r vje l l i e d e e l s w i t h pi e a n d m a s h , g i v i n g rt h e fa m o u s e e l , p ie a n d m a s h s ho p s o f tEas t End . By the m id -20 th cen tu ry, how ei n c r e a s i n g po l lu t i o n i n t he a m e s a n dd r a i n i n g o f m o s t o f t h e Es s e x m a r s h l a nb r o u g h t a n e n d t o t h e m a s s s u p pl y o f ce e l s . A l t ho u g h e e l s c o n t i n u e d t o b e b r oi n t o Lo n d o n f r o m f u r t h e r a e l d , pr i c e sBy the 1950s , je l l i ed ee l w as a de l i ca cy rt h a n a s t a p le f o o d , a l th o u g h a r e s u r g e nt h e ir p o pu l a r i t y h a s o c c u r r e d o f l a t e .

C HE E SE ON T OAST ? W h ile t h e G r e a t F ir e o f L o n d o n r a g e d a r o u n d h im in 16 6 6 , d ia r is t

S a m u e l P e p y s w a s s o c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e w e lf a r e o f h is w in e a n d h is t r e a s u r e d “P a r m a z a n c h e e s e ” t h a t h e b u r ie d t h e m in t h e g a r d e n t o p r o t e c t t h e m f r o m t h e b la z e .


25/116

T H E B IG B O O K O F H IS TO R Y A N SW E R S 2

G iuseppe Garibaldi w asa 1 9th-cen tu ry Italiangu err illa gh ter a n d

revolu tion ary w ho ledreb ellion s again stAu stria n c on troloftheItalian pen in sula. eVic tori an s had a softspo tfor reb els –

u n less they w ere rebellin g again stBr itishru le!– p ar tic u lar ly Italia n s.

G aribaldi rstbecam e popular inBr itain for leadi n g the h ero ic-

but-doom ed defence ofRom eagainstthe Austrians.

H e earn ed a lotofBritish

sym pathy,

esp eci ally as h is w ife w as k illed i n theghting.D ur ing his tim e spentin Britain,he becam e a celebri ty,w ith V ictori an h om esdisplaying pr ints an d bu sts ofhim .W ithG aribaldi becom ing a w ell-kn ow n n am e,anew biscuit,rstmade in 1861,w as namedin his hon our. e biccie consists oftw o soft(by Vi ctor ian stan dar ds) rec tan gu lar s labs ofbiscu its,sandw ichin g a bed ofcur ran ts.

W H O W A SG A R IB A L D I A N D W H Y ISA B IS C U IT N A M E D A FT E R H IM ?

W H Y D ID WB O Y C O T T

SU G A R INTH E 170 0 S ?E ur o p e h a d a s w e et o o t h i n t h e 18 t hce n t u r y .C a n e s u g a r

ca k e s , p a t i s s e r i e s a n d i ci nw e r e t h e t r e a t s d u jo u r.B u t t he s u g a r cr o p w a sh a r v e s t e d b y e n s la v e dA fr i c a n s . E v e r y s p o o n fu lh e lp e d t he s l a v e t r a d e t oc o n t i n u e , s o a b o l i t i o n i s t sca l le d o n e v e r y o ne t ob o y co t t s l a v e -g r o w n s w e s t uff .S o o n ,h o m e -g r o w n s ug a r b e ca m e a v a i la b l e .

W h ic h is th e o ld e stp u b in E n g la n d?

have been founded in 1189 to cater

to men setting out on Crusade,although the current building isonly about 350 years old.

e Bingley Arms in Bardsey,West Yorkshire, claims that a pubmentioned in parish records ofAD 953 refer to itself, but this is farfrom clear and the current buildingis just four centuries old.

Investigations at the Eagle &Child at Stow-on-the-Wold inGloucestershire have proved thatsome of the timbers used in i tsconstruction are more than 1,000years old, but the building has notalways been a pub.

Ye Olde Man and Scythe inBolton has a cellar that dates backto before 1251, though the buildingabove it was rebuilt in 1636.

B O T TO M S U PIn ns a n d t a v e r n s – a n d t h e b e e rt h e y s e r v e – h a v e l o n g b e e n a n i m p o r t a n t p a r t o f B r i t i s h s o ci e t y

e right answer to this

question rather dependson what criteria you use.

For instance, does it mean theoldest building or the longestcontinuous use as a pub? Severalestablishments lay claim to thetitle, based on the differentoptions. e Old Ferryboat at StIves in Cambridgeshire appearsin the Domesday Book and

claims to date back to AD560, though the current

building is far newer.Ye Olde Fighting

Cocks at St Albans hasbeen operating fromthe current building

since 1485, while Ye OldeTrip to Jerusalem, in

Nottingham, claims to

4 5 T h e a m o u n t , i n k i l o s , o f s c u r v y - s t o p p i n g s a u e r k r a u t w i t h l i m e j u t a k e n o n C a p t a i n C o o k 1 7 6 8 - 7 1 c i r c u m n a v i g a t i o



A L A M Y

X 1 , G E T T Y

X 1 , I S T O C K

X 2 , T H I N K S T O C K

X 4 , T O P F O T O

X 1

FO O D &D R IN K

Noodles w ere being m ade in Chin a centuriesbefor e they rst app ear ed in Italy aro u n d130 0.Iti s often sai d tha t

M arco Polo brou ghtthe recipefor n ood les to Italy after h isjour neys throu gh C hin a,and som ost peo ple b elieve that theItalian s d id n ot in ven tsp aghetti.

e spaghetti thatm ostpeople eattoday,how ever,isqu ite diff eren tfrom the n oodlesofyesteryear.Earlier n oodles w ere m ade bym ixin g ou r w ith eggs,the r esultin g m ixtur ebeing cu tto shap e an d laid ou tin the su n to dr y.M odern p asta has no eggs and is dried in specialcham bers w here coolair is circu lated arou nd thepasta to en su re itd ries even ly to avoid cr ack in g orw arpi ng. is type ofspaghetti w as very den itelyin ven ted by the Italian s.In fac t,itw as the cr eationofon e Italian in par ticu lar :Nico la d e C ecc o.

D e Cecco ran a our m illatFara San M artinoin A bru zzo.H e w as dissatised w ith the sun -dr yin g ofpa sta as it gave un reliab le resu lts,an d

the pasta often w arp ed,m akin g itdiffi cu lttopac kage for tran spo rt.In 1 886,he deve lope d hi sm ethod ofd ryin g pasta in c ool,dry con dition san d fou n ded the D e Cecc o com pan y.H e lateradopted a logo ofa youn g coun try w om ancarrying a sheafofw heatand w entinto massprodu ction. e com pany is stilloperating in FaraSan M artino;a secon d factory w as bu iltin thenearby tow n ofPescara in the 1950s.

So althou gh n oodles an d pa sta m ay no thaveor igin ated i n Italy,w e cer tain ly do hav e an Italianto tha n k for the m oder n for m ofp asta en joyedtoday right arou n d the w orld.

D ID TH E ITA LIA N S IN V E N T S PA G H E T T I?

C o l o n e l F r a n c i s N e gu s , a n Em i li ta r y offi c e r a n d p o l it i c i ac r e d i t e d w i t h i n v e n t i n g t h is h

s pi c e d d r i n k, w h i c h w a s p o p u l a r i n 18t h c e n t u r y. M a d e f r o m f o r ti e d w(s h e r r y o r p o r t ) w i t h le m o n s , s u g a r an u t m e g , n e g u s w a s a m u s t a t Re g ea n d w a s m e n t i on e d i nVan i ty Fa i r,

W uther ing H eigh t s ,Ja ne Ey re a n d m a n yD i c ke n s ’n o v e l s . B y m i d -V i c t o r i a n

had fa l l en ou t o f fash ion ;in 1M r s Be e to n h ad r e c o m m

it for chi ld ren ’s part iess u g g e s t in g o n e p i n t o

w i n e p er n i n e o r t e n

W H A T W A SN E G U S?

D id B ritain ever have anyform of prohibition ?

e r s t o f m a n y so c i et ie sa d v o c a t i n g te m p e r a n c e , o p po s i n g

d r u n k e n n e s s a n d e xc e s s iv ec o n s u m p ti o n o f s p ir i t s , w a s e s t ab l i s h e d i nt h e 1830 s . A s t h e m o v e m e n t g r e w, m a n yb e g a n t o e n c o u r a g e t o ta l a b s ti n e n c e a spar t o f the 19 th-cen tu r y zea l fo r soc ia la n d m o r a l r e fo r m .

e m o v em e n t g av e r is e to m a ga z in e s ,h o t e ls , c a u t i o n a r y a r t a n d l i te r a t u r e ,m a r c h es a n d pu b l i c l e c t u r e s , as w e l l a st h e pr o m o t i o n o f a l t e r n a t i v e s , s u c h a s

m i lk a n d t e a. e po l it i c a ll y m i n da rg u e d t h a t t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s e s ,

w e r e s e e ki n g t h e v o te , w o u l d g a irespec tab i l i ty by em bra c in g sob r

D e s pi te t h e a pp a re n t s u c c e s s o fm o r a l pe r s u a s i o n , a tt e m p ts t o s e tl aw – su ch as the 1854 Sa le o f Beet h at l im i te d S u n d a y o p e n i n g h o u rt o w i d e s pr e a d r i o t i n g . C a l ls f o r pw e r e m e t w i t h o p e n h o s t il i ty w e lthe 20th c en tur y.

BATTLEOF THEBOTTLEV ictoriantem p erancecartoons

showedhow alcoholfuelledm urderousrages

8 , 2 0 0

T he n u m b e r of

shee p e a te n b y the T u d o r c o u rt in a n a v e r a g e ye a r

C OOK IN GTHE BOOK SBy the V ictorianera,N egus was

consid ered a c hild ren’sd rink,as M rs Beeton’s

recipe conrm s


27/116

T H E B IG B O O K O F H ISTO R Y A N SW E R S 2

Itis a trad ition alfavou ri te,tru cker s’saviour an d m iracle hangover cu re.

e ‘fu llEn glish’br eakfast – con sistin gofsau sages,bac on ,eggs,tom atoes,toast an dsom e black p u ddin g ifyou’re so in clin ed – isa rm ly establish ed n ation aldi sh.Yet,w hi lefri ed food ha s been eaten for cen tu ri es,them ealw asn ’tad opted a s ‘En glish’u n tilthe20th cen tu ry.

Its nam e grew as the m ealw as in creasin glyseen as an altern ative to deci ded ly h ealthi er‘Con tin en tal’break fasts ofp astr ies an d fru it ju icesoff ered to tou ri sts in Br itain .Bu tthe E n glishar en ’tthe o n ly on es c laim in g the fry-up . e ‘fu llScottish’in clu des po tato sc on es,w hile the ‘fu llW elsh’com es w ith laverbr ead an d the ‘U lsterfry’w ith soda b read.O r there’s the C ana dian‘Lu m ber jack Br eak fast’,com plete w ith pa n cakes.

S i t ti n g d o w n w i th a n i c e c u p o f t e a isas qu in tes sen t i a l ly Eng l i sh as i t ge t s ,b u t t h a t w a s n 't a l w a ys t h e c a s e . e

E n g l i s h lo v e aff a i r w i t h te a g o e s b a c k o n l yto the lat ter ha lf of the 17th ce n tu ry,w i t h t h e a r r i va l o f t he P o r t u g u e s eP r i n c e s s C a t he r i n e o f B r ag a n z a , s o o n

to b e qu een of C harles II, in 1662.A l t ho u g h t h e d r i n k h a d a l r e a d yr e a c h e d E n g l a n d – tw o ye a r s e a r l i e r

t h e d i a r i st S a m u e l P e p ys h a d n o t e ds a m p li n g "a C u p o f Te e (a C h i n ad r ink )" fo r the rs t t im e –C a t he r i n e w a s d i s m a ye d t o n d t h a tt h e f av o u r i t e b e v e r a g e o f h e r n a t iv ec o u r t w a s n o t p o pu l a r i n h er n e w

h o m e . S h e qu i c k l y i n t r o d u c e d t e a -d r i na s a f a s hi o n a b l e pu r s u i t i n a r i s t o c r a t i c

In t h e d e c a d e s t h a t fo l l o w e d , t h e g r op o pu l a r e n t h u s i a s m f o r t e a pr o v o k e d d e b a t e . S o m e b e l i e v e d t ha t , a l o n g w it h e o t h e r n e w ‘h o t l i qu o r s ’c off e e a n dh o t c h o c o l a t e, it c o u l d b r i n g o n n e r v

d i s o r d e r s a n d e v e n p r em a t u r e d e a t h . 1822, t he r e f o r m e r W i l li a m C o b b e t t ct ha t t ea -d r i n k in g m a d e m e n eff em i n at u r n e d w o m e n t o a l i f e o f d e b a u c h e ri n g en i o u s s o l u t i o n w a s t o b r e w “w h ob e e r ” i n s t e a d .

H o w e v e r, t ha n k s t o t he Te m p e ra n c eM o v e m e n t ’s p r o m o t i o n o f t e a a s a s a fa l t e r n a t i v e t o a l c o h o l fo r t h e w o r k i n gc l a s s e s , a s w e l l a s t h e d e v e l o pm e n t of a s h io n a b l e a f t e r n o o n t e a -p a r t i e s a m ow el l -to -do , by the m id -19 th-ce n tu ry t eab e e n e s t a b l i s h e d a s E n g l a n d 's n a t i o n a

W H Y IS A FR Y-U PB R E A K FA ST C A LLE DA ‘FU LL E N G LIS H ’ ?

W h e n d id th e E n g lis hfa ll i n lo v e w i t h t e a?

H O W D O E SC ID E R L IN KN O R M A N D A N DS O M E R S E T

Cider making is an ancientart. When the Romansarrived in Britain, they

recorded that the local Celtsfermented crab-apple juice into aharsh, alcoholic drink. It is thoughtthat when the Normans invadedEngland in 1066, they broughtnew varieties of special ciderapples with them. However, thetraditions and skills of cidermaking in both locations seem tohave then developed separately.

In short, the two regions sharea drink not so much throughdirect cultural links, butbecause both have soilsand climates that aresuited to the cultivationof fruit trees.

WHAT WILLYOU HAV E?Full English fryups have grownto include baked

beans, mushroomsand anything elseyou desire

T A S T Y T O R T O I S E S W h e n E u r o p e a n s l a n d e d o n t h e

I n d i a n O c e a n i s l a n d o f R o d r i g u e s i n e a r l y 1 7 t h c e n t u r y , t h e y f o u n d h u g e n u m b e r s o f g i a n t t o r t o i s e s . S a d l y , t h e y p r o v e d d e l i c i o u s a n d h a n d y f o r l o n g s e a j o u r n e y s a s f o o d . B y 1 8 0 2 , t h e y w e r e e x t i n c t .

FANCY A CUPPA?The British Empire is

described as being “built on tea”



FO O D &D R IN K

I N F O G R A P H I C : T I D Y

D E S I G N S

G R A P H IC H IS T O RYA visualguid e to even ts from the p ast

H O W L O N G D IDR A T IO N IN GL A ST A F T E R W O R L D W A R II?

A fter V E d ay,on 8 M ay 194 5,there w as a drop in

foo d s up p ly,rather than an increas e so ,for

a time , r a tio n i n g b e c a m e m o r e s e v e re.A s theA llie s to ok re sp on sib ility fo r fe e d i n g w a r -t o r nc o u n t r i e s around the w orld,B ritain a lso w antedto avoid e s c a l a t i n g p r i c e s that may have comew ith a s ud d en ava ilab ility o f fo od .A g radu allift

on ration ing w as ess en tial.

2-4ozc h e e s

4 o zs p e c i a l

m a rg a r i n eB oosted w ith

vita mins

B etw een 1941 and 1944 ,

over 10 0 m i ll io n t i n s o fSPA M w e re shippe d t o

Eu rop e from the U S.In

the U K ,it w as the on ly

meat n e v e r c o n t r o l le d b y ration ing .

A lthoug h not de emed nutritiona l,tea w as conside red

imp orta nt fo r its p s y c h o lo g i c a l b e n e t s – it had thecomfort factor.W hen ratione d,a p erson cou ld have

2oz a w eek.M anuallabo urers had an e x t r a a l l o w a n c e.

W H A T W A S R A T IO N ED ?

T H E B A S ICF O O D

R A T IO NP E R P E R SO N

P E R W E E K

IN 19 4 2

B U T T E R R ation ed for 13 ye ars –194 0 –195 3

P ET R O L R ation ed for 11ye ars –193 9 –19 50

S O A P R atione d for 8 years –19 4 2–19 50

T H E B IG G E R P IC T U R EB efo re the w ar,in 193 9,more than 60 % of B r i t a i n ’sfo o d w a s i m p o r t e d.

B y the end of 1940 ,

U -bo ats had sunk 728,0 0 0t o n s o f fo o d d estined for

the B ritish Isle s.

728,0 0 0

1 e g g

O n top of these

ration ed item s,a

person could bo ost

their d iet w ith a s

many v e g e t a b l e s a sthey could ge t.They

w eren ’t ration ed ,

b ut limite d su p p ly

led to a g r o w -y o u r -o w n m o v e m e n t that

sw ept the country.


29/116

T H E B IG B O O K O F H IS TO R Y A N SW E R S 29

4 o zb a c o n

2ozbutter

8ozs u g a r

2-3 p in ts m ilk

Fr u i t ju i c e w a s

g i v e n t okids and

expectant mums ,fo r i t s v i t a m i n C .T h e d o s e w a satablesp oon a d a y.

T h e ‘N a t i o n a l lo a f’ w a s i n t ro d u c e di n 19 4 2 a n d s u b s e q u e n t l yration ed in 194 6 . It w a s m a d ew it h w h o le m e a l o u r,in s t e a d o ft h e w h i te o u r t h a t B r it s w e r eu s e d t o – a n d it w a snot p op ular !

M E A T

R a t io n e d fo r14 y ea r s –194 0 –195 4

B R E A D R a t io n e d fo r 2 y e a r s –1946–1948

SW E ET S A N DC H O C O L AT E R a t io n e d fo r11y e a rs – 194 2–1953

S U G A R R a t io n e d fo r13 y e ar s –194 0 –195 3C H E E S E R a t io n e d fo r

13 y e ar s –19 4 1–19 54

C L O T H E S R a t i o n e d fo r 8 y e a r s– 19 4 1–19 4 9

T E A R a t io n e d fo r12 ye a rs –194 0 –195 2

E G G S R a t io n e d fo r12 ye a rs –19 4 1–19 53

D R IE D F R U IT R a t i o n e d fo r 6 y e a r– 194 2–194 8

U n d e r r a tio n i n g , ab lack m arket fo r fo o dc o u p o n s a n d r e s tr ic t e d

fo o d s d e v e l o p e d .S o m e 90 0 detect ives

w e r e e m p lo y e d t oc a t c h t h e t ra d e r s– kn o w n a s‘sp ivs ’

– a n d ,by 1945 ,m o r e t h a n 114 ,00 0p r o s e c u t io n s h a d

t a ke n p la c e .

B y 194 5 ,a r o u n d 7 5%o f B rita in ’s

food w a shome grow n .

D u r in g t h ew a r,im p o r t so f fo o d w e n td o w n fr o m

o v e r 22 m i l li o nt o n s t o

11m i ll io n ,halving the

su pp ly o fs u b s t a n c e s like

fa t s , s u g a r sa n d c e r e a ls .

P r e -w a r2 2 m i l li o n t o n s

M i d -w a r 11m i l li ont o n s

50 M ILLIO N r a tio n b o o k s

w e r e p r in t e d i nt h e s u m m e r o f

1939 – more thane n o u g h fo r t he

4 8 m i ll io n -s t r o n gp o p u l a t i o n – i na n t ic i p a t io n o flo o m in g w a r .

114 ,0 0 0

12oz sw ee ts

A D D IT IO N A LM O N T H LY

ITEM S

8o z ja m

1 p ac ketd ried m ilk



G

E

T

T

Y

X

3

, T

H

I N

K

S

T

O

C

K

X

2

, I S

T

O

C

K

X

2

FO O D &D R IN K

H ave oystersalw ays been usedas a p h r o d is ia c s?

O n 4 A u g u s t 1693, a B e n e d i c t i n em o n k c a ll ed D o m P i er r eP ér i g n o n s h o u t e d e xc i t e d l y fo r

h i s m o n a s t i c b r o t h e r s . “C o m e qu i c k ly!I a m d r i n k i n g t h e s t a r s !” h e e xc l a i m e d ,h a v i n g a t l a s t c r a c k e d t h e s e c r e t t op r o d u c i n g s p a r kl i n g c h a m pa g n e .

O r s o t h e s to r y g o e s . A l a s , th i sc h a r m i n g a n e c d o t e i s a 19t h -c e n t u r ym yt h . In f a c t , D o m P ér i g n o n w o r k e d

t i r e l e s sl y t o e r a d i c a t e b u b b l e s i n t h ew i n e o f h is r e g io n , C h a m p a g n e .W h en b o t tl ed w i n e c o o l ed b e f o r ea l l o f th e s u g a r h a d b e e n c o n v e r t e di n t o a l c o h o l , fe r m e n t a t io nh a lt e d . e n , w h e n b o t tl e s

w a r m e d u p a ga i n i n t hes u m m e r, d o r m a n t

ye a s ts b e c a m ea c t i v e, p r o d u c i n gc a r b o n d i o xi d ea n d eff e r v es c e n c e .

e b u i l d -u p o f

p re s s u r e m a d e m a n y b o t tl e s o f po oq u a l i ty F r e n c h g l a s s e x pl o d e i n t h e– h en c e t he c o n t e n t s w e r e k n o w n ‘d ev il’s w in e’.

In fac t , the re ’s ev ide n ce tha t them e t ho d f o r e n c o u r a g in g s e c o n d af er m e n t a t io n t o p r o d u c e s pa r k li nw i n e w a s r s t d e sc r i b e d i n E n g l16 62. E n g l i s h g l a s s w a s t o u g h e r t hF r e n c h a n d u s e d a i r t ig ht c o r k s , sv e r y z z y w i n e c o u l d b e e n jo ye d t h r i l l i n g n o v e l t y.

By the ea r ly 18th ce n tu ry, the F rea r i s t o c r a c y ha d a c q u i r e d t h e t a s tea n d m a r q u e s s u c h a s Ve u v e C l i c q

K r u g a n d B o l li n g er w e r el au n c h e d . e c h a m p ag

c a l le d D o m P ér i gn ow a s r s t pr o d u c e d

1921– an d n ow th‘d ev il’s w in e’is thm o s t fa m o u s i nt he w o r l d !

W H O IN V E N T E DC H A M P A G N E?

B R O T H E R B U B BD o m P ér i gn o n i s cr e dw i t h cr e a t i n g ch a m p a g– b u t i n fa c t h e w o r k e dh a r d t o ke e p h is w i ne

A r c ha e o l o g i ca l r e s e a r ch p ro v e s t h a tIn d i a n c ur r y d a t e s b a c k t h o u s a n d s o fy e a r s t o t h e B r o n ze A g e . H o w e v e r,s u ch

d i s h e s w e r e n o t e y e -w a t e r i n g ly s p i cy ; in d e e d , r e d -ho t ch i l l i p e p p e r s a r r iv e d m uc h la t e r. In14 9 2,t h e G e n o e s e n a v i g a t o r C h r is t o p he rC o l u m b us s e t o ff i n s e a r ch o f a s h o r t r o u te t ot h e e x o t i c In d i e s , t he s o u r ce o f p e p p e r ,w h i ch , s ince R o m a n t im e s ,h a d b e e n kn o w n a s ‘b la ckg o l d ’. O n hi s r e t u r n t o t h e S p a n i s h co u r t , he

p r e s e n te d p la n ts t h a t he c la i m e d w e r e p e p p e r,b ut w h ich w e r e c a l le daji o rchilli b y t h e n a t i v eA m e r i ca n s .S o o n ,E ur o p e a n m e r c ha n t s –p a r t i cu la r l y P o r t u g ue s e t r a d e r s – b e g a n s p r e a d ing m is la b e l le d ‘ch il l i p e p p e r s ’t h ro u gh o u t Eu ra s i a , w h e r e t h e y w e r eq u i ck ly a d o p t e d i n t o l o ca l c ui s i n e . In fa c t ,b y t h e t i m e t h e B r i t i s h a r r i v e d i n In d i a ,t h e y w e r e co nv i n ce d t h e e r y ch il li p e p p e rw a s n a t iv e t o t h e s u b co n t in e n t .

E A T I N G T H E I R W O R D S In 18 9 4 , t h e r e w e r e r e p o r t s in E n g lis h c u lin a r y jo u r n a l T he T ab le t h a t a n A u s t r a lia n c o n f e c t io n e r h a d “h it u p o n t h e b r illia n t id e a ” o f a n e d ib le n e w s p a p e r , w it h t h e a ff a ir s o f t h e d a y p r in t e d in liq u id c h o c o la t e o n t o a t h in p a s t e o f d o u g h .

In its qu est for pleasureand procreation, hum anityhas linked particular foods

to lust for thousands of years –and the oyster is one of the m ostendu ring. e Ancient Rom ansassociated oysters with lewdpractices, although the reasonsaren't im m ediately clear. eRom an satirical poet Juvenalwrote that they were devouredby loose wom en. In the 1700s,notorious lothario C asanova

sedu ced wom en with oysters andcham pagne, as “a spu r to spirit

and to love”, and their reputationrem ains potent to this day. Other

sup posed aphrodisiacs have(thankfu lly) waned over tim e, including

offal, sparrow brains and raw onion.

W H A T D O E SC H R ISTO P H E R

C O LU M B U S H A V E

TO D O W IT H IN D IA N C U R R Y ?


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stree t-ba r row s had lon gbe en a s tap le o f thew or king -class d ie t,bu t bythe 19th c en tury,cus tom ersw ere b e in g tr ea ted to ana r ra y o f n e w a v o u r s .Th an k s to ch an g in g tas tes ,taxes an d co m pe ti tion fromlarg e r sh o p s ,b y th e 1 8 5 0 sv en d o r s o f h o t p ies , ee lsa n d r o a s t a p p le s w e r ebe ing gra du ally rep lac edby c off ee s talls an d ic e-c r e a m b a r r o w s .H o t b a k e dp o ta to e s an d p in eap p les lices a lso b e cam e m o rep o p ular,altho ug htrad itio na lfo o ds did n’t

dis ap pe ar alto g ether.In1 8 70 , a n A m e r i c a n r e p o r te rd e s c r i b e d th e w a r e s o n s a lea t a Lo n d o n m ark e t:“h ams a n d w i c h e s , a t a p e n n ya p i e c e , a n d b o i le dp o ta to e s ,w i th sh e ep s ’tro tter s,o yster s,frie d sh,o r an g e s , ap p les ,p lu m s ,an d , in fac t,eve ry k ind offru i t an d ve ge tab le w erefo r sa le” – as w ellas “a ve rysu sp ic io u s v ea l”.

e c re at io n a n dc o n s u m p ti o n o f a l c o h o le xi s t e d i n m o s t e a r l y

a g r i c u l t u r a l s o c i e ti e s , w i t hB r i ta i n b e i n g n o e xc e p ti o n .C e r e a l-b a s e d r e s i d u e s , a t t r i b u t e dt o t he b r e w i n g o f b e e r , ha v e b e e nf o u n d o n p o tt e r y d a t i n g t o t h et h ir d m i l le n n i u m B C . B y t he r s tc e n t u r y A D , m a n y M e d i te r r a n e a nw r it er s w e re c o m m e n t in g o n t hel o v e t h a t th e p e o pl e o f n o r t h e r nE u r o p e h a d f o r “f e r m e n t e dg ra in ”, w h ich w as (a l l eged ly)d r u n k t o e xc e s s . W h e r e a s G r e e ka n d R o m a n s o c i e ti e s d r a n k w i n ew i t h f o o d – a p r a c t i c e s t i l l s e e ni n c o u n t r i e s l i ke F r a n c e a n d It a l y– n o r t he r n E u r o p e a n c u l tu r e w a sb u i l t m o r e r m l y a r o u n d t hec o m m u n a l fe a s t w h e r e th e g ra i n ,

n o t t h e g r a p e , f e a tu r e d . B a r l e y-b a s e d ‘C e l t ic b e e r ’ w a s r e n o w n e dt h ro u g h o u t t h e R o m a n E m p i r e ,w h i l e r s t -c e n t u r y B r i t i s h ki n g sp r o u d l y d i s p l aye d e a r s o f b a r l e yo n t he i r c o i n a g e a s s i g n i e r so f w e a l t h .

e i m p o r t an c e o f a l c o ho l ha dqu i t e a n eff e c t o n t h e R o m a n si n B r i t a n n i a . A l e tt e r s u r v i v i n gf r o m Vi n d o l a n d a (a f o r t c l o s et o H a d r i a n 's

The Big Book of History Answers - 2016 UK

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