Table of contents for June 2022 in History Revealed

From the incredible discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, to the monumental pyramids at Giza, our appetite for ancient Egypt and the men and women who ruled its mighty empire shows no sign of abating. This month, with the help of Professor Joyce Tyldesley, we examine the dynasties that ruled Egypt for more than 3,000 years, and explore the power of the pharaohs. We also meet Egypt’s ‘female kings’, share some lesser-known facts about Tutankhamun, and discover how pharaohs prepared for life after death. Turn to page 28 to get started. Staying with a royal theme, to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, we’ve pulled together an A–Z of her life and reign – from her work with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, to the numerous royal…

In the summer of 1613, William Shakespeare was at the height of his fame. He had written most of his best-loved plays and audiences still flocked to see his work being performed. However, on 29 June that year, one of his performances took the popular phrase ‘burning down the house’ a little too literally. On that warm summer’s day, Henry VIII, or All is True was being watched by eager theatregoers at the Globe in Southwark, London. As per the script, the actor (or ‘player’, as they were known) in the role of King Henry VIII made a surprise entrance on the stage at the end of the first act, accompanied by cannon fire. However, during this performance, a stray piece of flaming rag or paper from one of theatre’s…

“Unlike his uncle, who was next in line to the throne, Monmouth was a highly popular figure” WHAT WAS THE MONMOUTH REBELLION? The Monmouth Rebellion was an attempt by James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, to overthrow his uncle James from the thrones of England and Ireland (where he ruled as James II) and Scotland (where he ruled as James VII). Also known as the ‘West Country Rebellion’ or ‘Pitchfork Rebellion’, it took place between June and July 1685, culminating in the battle of Sedgemoor: the last pitched battle fought on English soil. WHAT WAS THE DUKE OF MONMOUTH’S BACKGROUND? Born in 1649, Monmouth was the eldest illegitimate son of the previous reigning monarch, Charles II, by his mistress Lucy Walters. He spent many of his early years in the…

Q: What does the word ‘pharaoh’ mean and when was it first used? A: It comes from the ancient Egyptian for ‘great house’, but what it actually means is ‘king’. And it’s a word that today we use to describe ancient kings of Egypt, but the Egyptians themselves didn’t always use it. Q: When did the era of the Egyptian pharaohs begin? A: The first person we can really say ruled all of Egypt was Narmer in about 3100 BC. Before that, the land we now know as Egypt was made up of independent cities and satellite communities along the Nile and in the Nile Delta. So, the era of the pharaohs can really be seen to have begun with political unification of the country and continued to the reign…

THE GIZA NECROPOLIS Constructed as tombs for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the pyramids of Giza are one of the defining images of ancient Egypt. Khufu’s pyramid (known as the Great Pyramid) is the biggest and oldest of the three, originally stretching 147 metres into the air. The three pyramids have been extensively looted, with thieves even stripping the outer layers of limestone. This has knocked several metres off the Great Pyramid’s height. KARNAK This temple complex in the city of Thebes is famously home to the temple of Amun, a god who was almost universally honoured by pharaohs. Scores of Egyptian rulers expanded the temple, with Sety I and Ramesses II building and decorating the Great Hypostyle Hall – the inscribed pillars of which are shown left. RAMESSEUM…

You’ve just died. That’s clearly not great news. And just as you’re thinking that things can’t get any worse, they do. For, no sooner have you breathed your last in the land of the living, than you’re cast into the land of the dead – a dark, fiery underworld guarded by snakes, crocodiles and half-human monstrosities, all attempting to prevent you from reaching the afterlife. Worse still, Apep, the serpent god of destruction, lurks in the shadows waiting to devour your soul. How, you ask yourself, can you possibly navigate your way to the Hall of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice – where you can reunite your soul and body and earn immortality – without being cast into eternal oblivion? As this image proves, the ancient Egyptian concept…

After the execution of Charles I in 1649, England was ruled by the Rump Parliament in conjunction with the English Council of State. Oliver Cromwell staged a coup in April 1653, dissolving the Rump Parliament and replacing it with a body called the Nominated Assembly. When this too was dissolved in December 1653, Cromwell created a Protectorate, with himself as Lord Protector. It was a role he fulfilled for less than half a decade. Suffering with complications from malaria, he named his son Richard as his successor. However, so weak was Richard as head of state that he resigned within months. In the struggle for power that ensued, an influential military figure, George Monck, restored the Long Parliament, the legislature that the Rump Parliament had superseded. Charles II returned from…

It’s easy to understand why Who Do You Think You Are? has enjoyed such longevity. Here is a series that combines our collective fascination with looking beyond the public personas of those in the media spotlight with family history, equally fascinating in that it’s tied up with a sense of belonging. Nevertheless, it’s still impressive that the show has racked up 19 series, with the latest episodes presumably filmed while the Covid-19 pandemic was still impacting heavily on work and, in particular, travel. It’s a longevity that reflects in part how the series has evolved down the years as research techniques have become more sophisticated. That said, the heart of Who Do You Think You Are? lies in familial relationships and the way the past plays into the present. This…

Founded in 1872, the defining principles of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) were initially to revive the art of hand embroidery and to provide employment for educated women who had fallen on hard times. A century and a half later, the RSN’s rich history is being celebrated in a new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum. The RSN is located at Hampton Court Palace, and its long association with the royal family – Queen Victoria was its first patron, her third daughter, Princess Helena, its first president – is reflected in such exhibition highlights as the Robe of Estate of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the coronation mantle of Edward VII. In its early years, the RSN was also connected to the Arts and Crafts movement, which…

When John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (below right) emerged triumphant during the early years of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–15), Queen Anne rewarded him with a lavish new home, Blenheim Palace, named after the battle in which he secured one of his most stunning victories. To mark the 300th anniversary of Churchill’s death, Blenheim is hosting a new immersive exhibition, giving visitors a sense of what it would have been like to step into the general’s shoes. As well as being able to view a recreated court feast and architectural plans from the period (below), visitors are also treated to a look at costumes from The Favourite – the award-winning 2018 film centred on the romantic relationship between Queen Anne and Churchill’s wife, Sarah.…

In 1909, New York City transport officials thought that giving female subway riders the option to travel on women-only carriages would help ensure they felt safe on board. Even though women in New York state did not win the right to vote until 1917, the carriages – located at the rear of the train – came to be dubbed ‘suffragette cars’ due to their association with the campaign for women’s suffrage. It wasn’t long, however, before officials realised that many women didn’t want to be separated from their male companions, and the short-lived idea was scrapped altogether – with many female passengers claiming to feel safer on the subway with men present.…

21 June 1937 WIMBLEDON IS TELEVISED After Britain’s Fred Perry wins three consecutive Wimbledon singles titles between 1934 and 1936, the BBC is keen to capitalise on the public’s growing appetite for tennis. So, in 1937, the broadcaster begins showing TV highlights from the present tournament, with a match between Bunny Austin and George Lyttleton Rogers the first to be transmitted. Don Budge (pictured) and Dorothy Round later go on to clinch the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively. 7 June 1329 ROBERT THE BRUCE DIES Little more than a year after leading his countrymen to victory against the English during the First Scottish War of Independence, Robert the Bruce dies of an unknown illness and is buried in Dunfermline Abbey. In accordance with his wishes, his heart is removed…

THUTMOSE III ruled 1479–1425 BC Dubbed ‘the Napoleon of Egypt’ by Egyptologists, Thutmose was a military powerhouse. He started training in the arts of war as a youth, when his stepmother Hatshepsut (see page 37) was ruling Egypt as his co-regent. After her death in 1458 BC he came to sole power and put his military know-how to use. Thutmose expanded Egypt’s empire further than ever before, winning 17 campaigns. To the north, he seized Syria; his troops also campaigned in Nubia (an ancient north African province). Here they crushed tribes and put many to work in the region’s gold mines – with the profits lining Egypt’s coffers. With the wealth from these mines and Tribute sent by the peoples Thutmose had conquered, the pharaoh was able to splash out…

Why was Clara Barton the ‘angel of the battlefield’? SHORT ANSWER The fact that it was NOT for founding the American Red Cross illustrates the extent of her deeds LONG ANSWER Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and served as its president for more than 20 years, advancing medical care for the sick and wounded as a result of both war and natural disaster. By then, however, her status as an ‘angel’ had already been long established. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Barton, who had no nursing training, quickly reached the conclusion that she could do the most good at the frontlines. She secured permission to travel with the Union Army to bring wagons laden with medicines and supplies, making her a regular…

As the 1980s began, the legislative dismantling of South Africa’s apartheid system still lay more than a decade in the future. While the African National Congress (ANC) led the political campaign against a system of institutionalised racial segregation designed to favour the minority white population, there was also armed resistance. This was centred on the ANC’s military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), which was founded by Nelson Mandela in the wake of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre. Inevitably, taking on the South African regime directly was an undertaking fraught with danger, as the feature-length Silverton Siege dramatises. It’s a story based on events that played out on 25 January 1980, when a trio of MK fighters were sent on a mission to sabotage a petrol depot. Tailed by the police, they…

In December 1989, the Romanian people overthrew the hated dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. In the aftermath of the revolution, the world learnt about the terrible conditions many in the country had to endure – and particularly those who lived in its orphanages. Under Ceaușescu, who thought the Romanian population should double, birth control and abortions were outlawed, and incentives were introduced to encourage women to have more children. But many parents couldn’t afford to look after their offspring, and the country’s state-run orphanages began to fill up. Conditions in these institutions were often terrible, with filthy children left to fend for themselves, and shocked the world when they were revealed in news reports. The actor Ionica Adriana, who now lives in North Yorkshire, spent her first two and a half years…

What role does news play in society? Can it ever be truly objective? And why are we so drawn to crime stories and sensationalism? Those are just some of the questions underpinning a recently opened exhibition at the British Library, curated in partnership with the media marketing body Newsworks. Entitled Breaking the News, the interactive exhibition examines the ethics of newsgathering and reporting over the past five centuries, spanning the earliest printed news pamphlets to the rise of social media. Artefacts on display include the earliest surviving piece of printed news in Britain, dated 1513; the first edition of John Milton’s pamphlet on freedom of speech, Areopagitica, published in 1644; and a radio script from 6 June 1944, when news of the D-Day landings was announced to the public.…

The UK’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ museum will be opening its doors to the public for the first time this May. Originally established as a charity in 2018, Queer Britain – now located at a physical site in King’s Cross – intends to shine a light on the history and culture of LGBTQ+ people in the UK and beyond, and is designed as an inclusive space for all. The museum will initially open with a temporary display entitled Welcome to Queer Britain, curated by Matthew Storey from Historic Royal Palaces, with the first full exhibition at the site due to be announced soon. The museum will be free to visit, and will boast four galleries, a workshop, and an education space.…

For this group of children visiting Berlin Zoo in April 1937, there was an added surprise in store: a slice of cake to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s 48th birthday. It’s hard to know exactly what would have gone through their heads as they tucked into the swastika-decorated treat, but the offering would have only reinforced the notion that the German dictator should be adored and celebrated. Regarded as the future of the Third Reich, children were indoctrinated to be loyal to the Führer, with boys required to join the Hitler Youth and girls required to join the League of German Girls. Membership of the Nazi organisations became mandatory for Aryan children in 1936; those who didn’t initially join were ridiculed at school, and their parents subject to investigation.…

WHAT LED YOU TO EMBARK ON A CAREER AS A HISTORIC GARDENER? I had been interested in history since I was a child, so after enjoying a career as a professional gardener (including time as a head gardener), I decided I wanted to learn how people in the past looked after their plants and see whether I could apply those techniques to the present day. Through my research, I found that many of the modern gardening tools we use today were first adopted by the ancient Romans, and a lot of early gardening practices were copied from books written by the Romans, too. I also learned about the practical uses of the plants themselves, which were not only eaten as food, but used to make medicines, cosmetics and dyes. Even…

One of the most important distinctions between the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and other rulers throughout history is that the pharaohs were revered as gods, and this meant they were treated as such. The pharaoh was truly believed to be an incarnation of the god Horus, and they were therefore seen as a spiritual link between the ordinary Egyptian people and their deities. Thus, from the moment they became pharaoh, their rule was celebrated with great fanfare, with the festivities celebrating their coronation lasting for an entire year. After the pharaoh had attended the burial of their predecessor, there would be elaborate feasts, offerings to the gods, and grand processions down the River Nile. A further celebration would eventually occur around the 30th year of their rule (assuming they made…

On 26 November 1922, as he stood before a sealed doorway beneath the Egyptian desert, British Egyptologist Howard Carter could only imagine what treasures lay within. Seal impressions on the tomb’s – now dismantled – outer door had already revealed that this was none other than the much-searched-for tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Tutankhamun, but would it be intact? Making a breach in the door, Carter peered into the room beyond. A jumble of treasures and precious objects greeted his eyes, but most significant of all was a sealed doorway, set between two sentinel statues: the final resting place of the boy king. It had taken Carter and his team years to find the tomb and it was to take a further two and a half months to clear…

“RICHARD CROMWELL’S POWER BASE WITHIN THE ARMY WAS MINIMAL AND HE HAD LITTLE CLOUT IN PARLIAMENT” In September 1658, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, lay on his deathbed. He had served less than five years in his role as both head of state and head of government, following the earlier execution of Charles I in 1649, but he was now required to name his successor. Cromwell is understood to have done so verbally; certainly, no written records survive of him revealing the name of the new Lord Protector. He chose Richard, his eldest surviving son. He may have been his son, but Richard was no Oliver. His power base within the army was minimal and he had little clout within Parliament. By the…

If the first season of Gentleman Jack seemed largely concerned with Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) battling the social and sexual mores of a narrow society, the new season seems intent on widening out the story. Most obviously, there’s the daring honeymoon taken by Lister and Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), and their determination to combine their estates and build a life together. But whatever is happening, the gift of writer Sally Wainwright (Last Tango in Halifax, Happy Valley) for characterisation is as vivid as ever, evidenced by the introduction of new characters such as Lister’s outrageous former lover, Isabella ‘Tib’ Norcliffe (Joanna Scanlan). As before, the drama draws extensively on the real-life diaries of Anne Lister (1791–1840), who has been called “the first modern lesbian”.…

Visitors to Dundee’s McManus Art Gallery & Museum will be able to delve into the myths and legends surrounding Troy in a new exhibition opening this summer. Focusing on beauty and heroism, the free display will showcase a selection of artefacts on loan from the British Museum, including an Etruscan urn decorated with images of Helen’s abduction by Paris (pictured below), as well as an Athenian amphora (jar) featuring scenes of brutality meted out by the warrior Achilles. The exhibition will also feature paintings by the likes of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–82), revealing how later artists have been captivated by the story of the Trojan War.…

BOXING CLEVER I read your piece on left-handedness in history by Dr Deborah Thorpe (March 2022) with interest. I write about boxing, and ‘southpaws’ [boxers who stand with their right foot in the front and left foot in the back] had a very bad time in boxing for many years. Probably less than 10 per cent of boxers were left-handed, and fighters did not like facing someone who boxed with a different style, so they avoided them. That meant there was little need for left-handed sparring partners, which in turn led to there being fewer boxers who wanted to box left-handed since they had fewer chances of getting a fight. One world champion, after struggling to look good against a southpaw, suggested that southpaws should be drowned at birth. It…