As swords and sandals make a bloody return to the screen, the ‘Colosseum consultant’ who advises all the epic productions about accuracy tells us why he is ‘paid to be ignored’
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
Sir Humphry Davy’s unpublished verse – including one published below for the first time – was found in notebooks alongside details of his groundbreaking experiments
Katherine Howe’s bloody, brutal new novel is about a Boston barmaid who dresses up as a cabin boy and joins a notorious crew of pirates. The writer and keen sailor explains how it was inspired by her great-aunt, who once quelled a mutiny at sea