- Part 44

Camping Deluxe: Glamp Your Way Around the Ancient World

Safari operators in Africa realised several years ago that there were people who wanted to see the wildlife, but not shake dirt out of a sleeping bag and take a shovel to dig a loo at the end of the day. Now London-based Ancient World Tours, who specialise in ancient…

Colchester’s Roman Circus ‘Will be Fantastic’

This week campaigners reached a 200,000 target in their fight to save Colchester’s Roman circus. But it’s just the tip of an iceberg of red tape the circus must dodge to survive as a tourist attraction. And while the city’s leading archaeologist is thrilled the landmark figure has finally been…

Does Jesus Have Roots in Iran? Meet Mithras, the Pagan Christ

It sounds like a plot that Dan Brown might have dreamed up: Christianity has nebulous but symbiotic roots in an underground pagan religion and the figure of Jesus himself was modelled on a pagan god worshipped by the Romans (Find out about what the Romans did in London by watching…

Philip Crummy on the Future of the Colchester Roman Circus

This week a group of archaeologists and volunteers from Colchester Archaeological Trust and Destination Colchester attained their goal to raise 200,000 to buy a plot of land that covers the remains of part of what was once the only known Roman Circus in Britain. The appeal started as recently as…

Salve! Colchester’s Roman Circus Reaches Funding Target

The future of Britain’s only chariot racetrack is looking a lot brighter this week, as the public funding needed to save Colchester’s Roman circus was reached yesterday. The 200,000 raised by Colchester Archaeological Trust and Destination Colchester will join 30,000 from the local council and 550,000 in loans and grants….

Boudicca – The Battle-axe of Britain

The warrior Queen, the avenging mother, the woman scorned. Ask any English person who led ‘us’ in the fight against Rome and they will tell you about a woman whose fame outweighs her achievements. Called Boadicea, Boudicca or Boudica, she has a legendary status, like Vercingetorix in Gaul, as one…

Did Ryszard Kapuściński Follow Herodotus’ Example and Make Things Up?

Ryszard Kapuciski, one of journalism’s most feted names, is the subject of controversy following the release in Poland of a new biography of his life. In Kapuscinski: Non-fiction, the Polish journalist Artur Domoslawski alleges that some of Kapuscinski’s acclaimed writings were nothing short of lies. Domoslawski argues that Kapuscinski embellished…