History Today

In the first of a new series, we ask historians one of the burning questions of the day. 

The fall of man and the concept of Original Sin.

From the Thirty Years War to the ancient civilisation of Iran, from Anglo-American rivalries in the desert to the persecution of indigenous peoples, historians select their favourite books of the past year.

‘People can surprise you. They often don’t fit into the categories we impose on them.’

The ancient Egyptian gods of creation and knowledge vanquish the ‘Lord of Chaos’.

‘Ideas don’t do things; people do.’

A medieval myth with deep roots that captured the imagination of western Europe’s age of chivalry.

A horrifying tale of reckless daring and ecological catastrophe.

‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That it is ‘great man’ history.’

A Bodhisattva is a compassionate Buddhist deity who walks among us.