Runologist cracks the mysterious jötunvillur code – and discovers medieval ‘text messages’
Italian archaeologists have grape expectations of their ancient wine
Scientists plant vineyards with the aim of making wine using techniques from classical Rome described by Virgil
History in the making: a Roman map… and an 18th-century hoax
In 1747, the sensational discovery of an ancient chronicle redrew the map of Roman Britain and gave us place names we still use today. There was only one problem. It was a sham
Downside Abbey to open doors on UK’s largest monastic library
Centuries-old library at Benedictine monastery in Somerset contains illuminated manuscripts dating back to the Middle Ages
The Hobbit rights holder sues makers of Age of the Hobbits flick
Saul Zaentz submits legal complaint against The Asylum for attempting ‘to divert customers away from the Hobbit films’
Historic houses, without the swagger
Our views of the past have changed, and we’re less interested in grand stately homes than their humble kitchens and outhouses
Why the tale of Achilles and his lover still has the power to move us
A debut novel that reinterprets Homer’s Iliad is the latest in an array of works to be inspired by the classics
Gnawed Roman skeleton that inspired Sylvia Plath poem goes on display
Sarcophagus containing bones of Roman woman and rodents that chewed her ankle go on show at Cambridge museum
Keep Calm and Carry On: The secret history
How Barter Books uncovered the massive second world war poster campaign that nobody ever saw
Piltdown Man: British archaeology’s greatest hoax
When the find was revealed to be a ‘cheap fraud’, several eminent men – including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – were put in the frame. Now scientists aim to put an end to the mystery once and for all