David Musgrove

What if there was one more than one Bayeux Tapestry? Where's Wadard and what has he got to with an exciting new theory about the 11th-century embroidery?

Here's a Friday thought for you. What if there was more than one Bayeux Tapestry made in the 11th century? Prof John Blair has a hunch about that open.substack.com/pub/historye...

Why we should be better about talking about death, with Dr Helen Gittos For our ancestors, death was part of daily life. We can learn from their open conversations about this taboo topic, says Dr Helen Gittos, and create modern rituals to help us cope

The most powerful conversation I’ve had in my Life Lessons from History series: this chat with @helengittos.bsky.social‬ about the importance of ritual in our lives, and I guess how we cope with our deaths, really made me think. Hope it does the same for you. open.substack.com/pub/historye...

The timeliness was loosely attended to, no doubt about it. Hard to understand why they took such liberties

I knew you'd set me straight

Must have been quite a fart

Yes I saw that you didn't enjoy the series. I just enjoyed trying to work out how far out of order everything was

It should be, and I'm taking royalties if it is

The wrong moustache in the Battle of Hastings What's going on with the facial hair in King and Conqueror, have we been suckered in by an overly literal understanding of the Bayeux Tapestry, and what did a Viking beard really look like?

My take on the curious case of the wrong moustache in King and Conqueror. Am I correct in contemplating whether we've been suckered in by an overly literal interpretation of the Bayeux Tapestry? historyextralifelessons.substack.com/p/the-wrong-...

I'm certainly doing a few talks. I'd love to do tours too - great idea. I'll ask my friends at the BM

Coming to @historyextra.bsky.social some time soon

I think you achieved that. Great to chat

Hug a tree like a pagan from the margins of Europe David Musgrove finds out from Francis Young why we should engage in creative spirituality in the same way that the non-Christian people of the Baltic and far north did for centuries

Over on Substack, inspired by my book ‘Silence of the Gods’ @djmusgrove.bsky.social attempts to learn from Europe’s last pagans… open.substack.com/pub/historye...

I'm pretty sure I didn't call for it to be renamed, and it isn't breaking news to say that it isnt a tapestry and most experts think it was made in England, but all press is good press if it makes more people interested in the mighty Bayeux Tapestry

What did Victorians do with their poo? The battle over the 19th-century excrement explosion The industrial revolution caused huge growth in the urban population – and with it, a rising tide of human waste. Find out how the leaders of Victorian cities tried to cope with the excrement explosio...

I find myself curiously fascinated by the history of poo, and what people did with it. So I spent a happy few hours writing up this piece about how the city fathers of Victorian Manchester struggled to find a place to dump their urban excrement.
www.historyextra.com/period/victo...

Give away your worries, like an ancient Mesopotamian What can we learn about managing worrying from the people of ancient Assyria and Babylonia? Dr Selena Wisnom offers some Near Eastern wisdom to Dave Musgrove

There’s a lot to worry about in the world. But that’s nothing new. The ancient Babylonians and Assyrians were very big on worrying, and also very proactive about trying to deal with it. What can we learn from them to assuage our anxieties? historyextra.substack.com/p/give-away-...

This sounds right up my street - I'll have a listen. Thanks for flagging

This sounds like a fun project. It is using virtual reality headsets if you're walking into walls Leonie?

Fascinating stuff - thanks for sharing

Don’t fear the fairies – but do allow a little enchantment into your life In an age in which we are no longer mortally afraid of the supernatural, there's space to enjoy freely magic and ritual, Professor Ronald Hutton tells David Musgrove

Morning all. I'm doing a new thing. It's Life Lessons from History, where I ask historians to tell me things that will help us live healthier, happier, better lives today. My first guest is Ronald Hutton, who told me to allow a little enchantment into my life open.substack.com/pub/historye...