Clara Whitmore

I write about ancient worlds, lost civilizations, and forgotten stories that reveal how people lived, believed, and shaped history.

How Victorian hair jewelry turned grief into wearable memories

How Victorian hair jewelry turned grief into wearable memories

June 3, 2026

How the dancing mania of Saint Vitus turned into a legal headache for German towns

How the dancing mania of Saint Vitus turned into a legal headache for German towns

June 2, 2026

How ice mummies in the Alps rewrote what we know about prehistoric Europe

How ice mummies in the Alps rewrote what we know about prehistoric Europe

June 1, 2026

How a 19th century newspaper convinced readers the moon was full of bat-people

How a 19th century newspaper convinced readers the moon was full of bat-people

May 31, 2026

Sofonisba Anguissola and the quiet revolution of a Renaissance woman painter

Sofonisba Anguissola and the quiet revolution of a Renaissance woman painter

May 31, 2026

When children became bishops for a day: the curious medieval boy bishop custom

When children became bishops for a day: the curious medieval boy bishop custom

May 30, 2026

The day a Caribbean city vanished: how the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption reshaped volcanic science

The day a Caribbean city vanished: how the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption reshaped volcanic science

May 30, 2026

How professional rat catchers kept cities alive before modern pest control

How professional rat catchers kept cities alive before modern pest control

May 29, 2026

Noor Inayat Khan: the quiet musician who became a wartime spy

Noor Inayat Khan: the quiet musician who became a wartime spy

May 29, 2026

How the kingdom of Kush built its own pyramid tradition in the Nile Valley

How the kingdom of Kush built its own pyramid tradition in the Nile Valley

May 29, 2026

When Australia went to war with emus: what really happened in the Great Emu War

When Australia went to war with emus: what really happened in the Great Emu War

May 28, 2026

Hatshepsut the pharaoh: how a determined queen reshaped ancient Egypt

Hatshepsut the pharaoh: how a determined queen reshaped ancient Egypt

May 28, 2026

When a dead pope went on trial: inside the bizarre cadaver synod

When a dead pope went on trial: inside the bizarre cadaver synod

May 28, 2026

When kings were healers: the strange history of the royal touch

When kings were healers: the strange history of the royal touch

May 28, 2026

From bronze blades to iron swords: how early metallurgy reshaped warfare

From bronze blades to iron swords: how early metallurgy reshaped warfare

May 28, 2026

Hypatia of Alexandria and the dangers of knowledge in a divided city

Hypatia of Alexandria and the dangers of knowledge in a divided city

May 28, 2026

The 1904 Baltimore fire that rewrote the rules of modern cities

The 1904 Baltimore fire that rewrote the rules of modern cities

May 28, 2026

The ice aircraft carrier: how project Habakkuk tried to change the course of World War II

The ice aircraft carrier: how project Habakkuk tried to change the course of World War II

May 28, 2026

When people ate mummies: the strange history of corpse medicine in Europe

When people ate mummies: the strange history of corpse medicine in Europe

May 28, 2026

Why the Hittite kingdom disappeared and what traces remain today

Why the Hittite kingdom disappeared and what traces remain today

May 28, 2026

When pigs went on trial: the bizarre world of medieval animal prosecutions

When pigs went on trial: the bizarre world of medieval animal prosecutions

May 28, 2026

Inside the dancing plague of 1518: how a city faced a month of nonstop dancing

Inside the dancing plague of 1518: how a city faced a month of nonstop dancing

May 28, 2026

What a Roman legionary carried into battle

What a Roman legionary carried into battle

May 28, 2026

How Greek healers treated illness before modern medicine

How Greek healers treated illness before modern medicine

May 28, 2026

How Ignaz Semmelweis fought for handwashing and changed medicine

How Ignaz Semmelweis fought for handwashing and changed medicine

May 28, 2026

How the Assyrian war machine fell: inside the collapse of an ancient superpower

How the Assyrian war machine fell: inside the collapse of an ancient superpower

May 28, 2026

How Victorian hair jewelry turned grief into wearable memories

How Victorian hair jewelry turned grief into wearable memories

June 3, 2026

How ice mummies in the Alps rewrote what we know about prehistoric Europe

How ice mummies in the Alps rewrote what we know about prehistoric Europe

June 1, 2026

How a 19th century newspaper convinced readers the moon was full of bat-people

How a 19th century newspaper convinced readers the moon was full of bat-people

May 31, 2026

Sofonisba Anguissola and the quiet revolution of a Renaissance woman painter

Sofonisba Anguissola and the quiet revolution of a Renaissance woman painter

May 31, 2026

When children became bishops for a day: the curious medieval boy bishop custom

When children became bishops for a day: the curious medieval boy bishop custom

May 30, 2026

How the dancing mania of Saint Vitus turned into a legal headache for German towns

How the dancing mania of Saint Vitus turned into a legal headache for German towns

June 2, 2026

The day a Caribbean city vanished: how the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption reshaped volcanic science

The day a Caribbean city vanished: how the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption reshaped volcanic science

May 30, 2026

How professional rat catchers kept cities alive before modern pest control

How professional rat catchers kept cities alive before modern pest control

May 29, 2026

Noor Inayat Khan: the quiet musician who became a wartime spy

Noor Inayat Khan: the quiet musician who became a wartime spy

May 29, 2026

How the kingdom of Kush built its own pyramid tradition in the Nile Valley

How the kingdom of Kush built its own pyramid tradition in the Nile Valley

May 29, 2026

When Australia went to war with emus: what really happened in the Great Emu War

When Australia went to war with emus: what really happened in the Great Emu War

May 28, 2026

Hatshepsut the pharaoh: how a determined queen reshaped ancient Egypt

Hatshepsut the pharaoh: how a determined queen reshaped ancient Egypt

May 28, 2026

When a dead pope went on trial: inside the bizarre cadaver synod

When a dead pope went on trial: inside the bizarre cadaver synod

May 28, 2026

When kings were healers: the strange history of the royal touch

When kings were healers: the strange history of the royal touch

May 28, 2026

From bronze blades to iron swords: how early metallurgy reshaped warfare

From bronze blades to iron swords: how early metallurgy reshaped warfare

May 28, 2026

Hypatia of Alexandria and the dangers of knowledge in a divided city

Hypatia of Alexandria and the dangers of knowledge in a divided city

May 28, 2026

The 1904 Baltimore fire that rewrote the rules of modern cities

The 1904 Baltimore fire that rewrote the rules of modern cities

May 28, 2026

The ice aircraft carrier: how project Habakkuk tried to change the course of World War II

The ice aircraft carrier: how project Habakkuk tried to change the course of World War II

May 28, 2026

When people ate mummies: the strange history of corpse medicine in Europe

When people ate mummies: the strange history of corpse medicine in Europe

May 28, 2026

Why the Hittite kingdom disappeared and what traces remain today

Why the Hittite kingdom disappeared and what traces remain today

May 28, 2026

When pigs went on trial: the bizarre world of medieval animal prosecutions

When pigs went on trial: the bizarre world of medieval animal prosecutions

May 28, 2026

Inside the dancing plague of 1518: how a city faced a month of nonstop dancing

Inside the dancing plague of 1518: how a city faced a month of nonstop dancing

May 28, 2026

What a Roman legionary carried into battle

What a Roman legionary carried into battle

May 28, 2026

How Greek healers treated illness before modern medicine

How Greek healers treated illness before modern medicine

May 28, 2026

How Ignaz Semmelweis fought for handwashing and changed medicine

How Ignaz Semmelweis fought for handwashing and changed medicine

May 28, 2026

How the Assyrian war machine fell: inside the collapse of an ancient superpower

How the Assyrian war machine fell: inside the collapse of an ancient superpower

May 28, 2026