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History & the world
How we got here, and what people were really like. 13 illustrated articles, each with its film.
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12 articles
8:27History & the worldAncient “Sugar Mommies”? Why Men Queued at Their Doors
In Pompeii a woman paid for the biggest building on the square and carved her name on it. How Roman women got rich, and the men who queued at their doors.
9:34History & the worldHow Ancient Romans Faked Being Rich
Painted fake marble, borrowed gold rings, hired silver and rented crowds. How Romans faked wealth, why they had to, and why laws never stopped it.
9:48History & the worldWhat Were Ancient Men Jealous Of?
Athens could exile a man for being too admired. The Greeks had a word for wanting others to lose. What ancient envy was really about: the name, not the money.
8:19History & the worldWhat Ancient Women Wanted in Men Wasn’t What You Think
Egyptian love poems, Pompeii's walls and a Roman manual for women barely mention warriors. What the surviving voices say ancient women wanted.
8:22History & the worldWhy Ancient Egyptians Put Poison in Their Makeup
Ancient Egyptians made lead eye paint on purpose, and it may have protected their eyes. The same metal later destroyed faces in Rome and Europe.
8:48History & the worldWhy Was Cleopatra So Irresistible? Look Beyond Her Face
Our best ancient source says Cleopatra's looks were not the point. Her voice, her languages and Egypt's grain were. Here is how the beauty myth began.
8:47History & the worldThere Were Other Humans. Why Are We the Only Ones Left?
300,000 years ago there were at least nine kinds of human. We did not simply kill the others. Part of the answer is still inside your DNA.
9:33History & the worldWhy Were Two Children Buried With Over 10,000 Beads?
Two disabled boys were buried under 10,000 ivory beads 34,000 years ago. What ancient graves can, and cannot, tell us about how people treated the dead.
9:09History & the worldA Child Survived Surgery 31,000 Years Ago. How?
A child in Borneo survived an amputation 31,000 years ago. What ancient humans did about pain: bark, poppies, skull surgery and, mostly, each other.
8:46History & the worldWhat Did Ancient Humans Do All Night?
Hunter-gatherers sleep about 6.5 hours and somebody is almost always awake. Why waking at 3 AM may be very old, and the fight over "two sleeps".
9:36History & the worldThe $125 Million Mistake Where Nobody Made a Mistake
A Mars probe lost over units, a rocket lost over one missing mark, a firm gone in 45 minutes. What history's most expensive mistakes have in common.
10:08History & the worldWhy Did the Islamic Golden Age Lose Its Lead?
The Islamic Golden Age gave the world algebra and the experiment. It did not end from lost curiosity. The causes were law, money and power.
9:37History & the worldCould YouTube Ever Run Out of Space?
Hundreds of hours of video are uploaded every minute. Storage will not run out. Electricity, cooling and water might. What "the cloud" really is.
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