All over Britain and Europe, I’ve seen depictions of hell painted on the walls of medieval churches clearly intended to terrify the faithful as they attended mass. Centuries ago, most people were illiterate. So, the consequences of sin needed to be relayed pictorially. There was the gaping mouth of hell. Devils prodding the damned towards…
I’ve written three books on the Knights Templar and tried to avoid a common mistake of seeing the medieval Crusades solely through European eyes. Because the Arab world of that time was immensely sophisticated, rich, and powerful. In fact, a succession of Arab civilisations had an enormous impact on the west in fields like medicine,…
Half a century ago, the seven sheikhdoms that now make up the United Arab Emirates were a loose collection of pearl-diving and fishing communities on the edge of the British Empire, with no combined GDP worth mentioning and no seat at any global table. Today Abu Dhabi and Dubai host sovereign wealth funds worth trillions…
Roman Catholics are banned from being Freemasons so imagine the horror in Victorian England when a leading masonic politician quit being Grand Master of the country’s masons and converted to Roman Catholicism. A former governor-general of India and pillar of the establishment bent his knee to Rome. Queen Victoria called him a pervert. Society turned…
A Chinese man who believed he was Jesus caused the deaths of tens of millions of people. Why wasn’t this taught in my history class at school? And yet it happened. An astonishing story of a messianic leader in 19th century China who left a trail of slaughter right across the country. This is the…
Homer was an ancient Greek writer who wrote The Odyssey. Did you know that even that statement can’t be taken for granted? Some academics believe Homer may never have existed. Or that The Odyssey could have been the product of several hands. As for Homer’s birth and death details – don’t bother looking because that’s…
As a teenager, I went to confession at our local Roman Catholic church and struggled to find much to confess. From the back of my mind, I dredged up some petty misdemeanours and was told by the priest in the confessional box to recite three Our Fathers, Three Glory Be’s, and Three Hail Marys. The…
Temples built up to 3,000 years before the Pyramids of Egypt – which were constructed around 2,500BC. When I visited Malta in 2023, I had to try and get my head round the fact that the temple ruins I was looking at dated back 5,000 years. Stone structures still standing with doorways aligned to catch…
When entire settlements disappear without a trace, what do their silences tell us? Roanoke Island is arguably the most famous exampled of a vanished community – but there have been other lost colonies. The disappearance of those who have struck out to create a new life for themselves grips our imagination. Few mysteries in human…
I’m writing a book on secret societies at the moment for a publisher and as I looked at the ancient Greek mystery cults, and all their strange practices and beliefs, I began to see elements of Christianity. Ideas of sacrifice, resurrection, redemption, and the rituals performed in both belief systems. Because the Old and New…