BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.
WELCOME
THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS
Redeeming features
Ancient writings hit the web
HISTORY IN THE NEWS • A selection of the stories hitting the history headlines
MICHAEL WOOD ON… • THE CONTROVERSY OVER ANGLO-SAXON STUDIES
ANNIVERSARIES • DOMINIC SANDBROOK highlights events that took place in November in history
8 DECEMBER 1813
WHY WE SHOULD REMEMBER… • Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in parliament
HIDDEN HISTORIES • DAVID OLUSOGA explores lesser-known stories from our past
LETTERS
BBC History Magazine
TUTANKHAMUN UNMASKED • As the UK welcomes a new exhibition on Tutankhamun’s tomb – considered by many the greatest archaeological discovery of all time – mystery still surrounds ancient Egypt’s most famous son. Here, Joann Fletcher unearths seven intriguing truths about the pharaoh and his legendary treasures
TRIAL BY FIRE • At the start of the First World War, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops surged west towards the heart of Europe. In their way stood a 19th-century fortress, manned by a ragbag of old, overweight and terrified Habsburg troops. What happened next, writes Alexander Watson , would change the course of the war on the eastern front
WAR ON THE MOVE • The fast-paced struggle for supremacy on the eastern front, 1914–17
How to build a democracy (Athenian-style) • Two-and-a-half millennia ago, the citizens of Athens pioneered a form of government that inspired many of today’s political systems. Paul Cartledge offers eight tips for those wishing to emulate one of history’s purest forms of people-power
Select your site • The mighty Acropolis provided the firmest of foundations for Athenian people-power
Choose your people • To survive, Athenian democracy had to walk a tightrope between the elite and the masses
Be lucky in your founder • In Cleisthenes, Athens had a statesman with the foresight and courage to institute a radical new political system
Seize your moment • The threat of invasion supercharged Cleisthenes’ democratic reforms
Pick your battles • Democracy brought the best out of Athens’ warriors – as Persia discovered to its cost
Let the citizens speak • Athenians could vote on anything from the price of grain to the war on tyranny
Allow artists to flourish • Political freedom breathed new life into Athenian theatre and architecture
Don’t be afraid of reform • Athens’ democracy moved in a progressive direction, as autocracies prepared to pounce
Why Britain punched above its weight • What’s truly remarkable about Britain’s story is not its post-imperial ‘decline’ but the fact that it became a global superpower in the first place
Q&A • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts
HOW MIRACULOUS WAS MIDWAY? • The image of plucky American sailors slaying a Japanese Goliath has helped make the battle of Midway one of the most feted Allied victories of the Pacific War. But, asks Evan Mawdsley, was this clash really the giant-killing of popular perception?
TIMELINE The countdown to Midway
A NOVEL VIEW OF BRITISH HISTORY • As a BBC Two series marks the 300th...