Category: Features
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Craigmillar Castle: Edinburgh’s Forgotten ‘Other Castle’
Craigmillar Castle boasts a six-hundred-year history, but is often overlooked as Edinburgh’s forgotten castle. Eleanor Whitehead explores the stories of alleged witchcraft, royal escapes, and infamous plots that haunt the castle’s history.
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Uncovering China’s Complex History of Animal Welfare: From Compassion to Modern Challenges
Attitudes towards animals vary from culture to culture, with legal and social implications. Sarah Zhou examines China’s history of animal welfare and what it means today.
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Shakespeare: The Original Orchestrator of ‘Fake News’
Shakespeare’s characterisation of Richard III has had an enduring impact on the Yorkist king’s legacy. Ella Gibson questions whether this representation is fair or accurate.
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‘Wicked wife, accuser of her own husband’: Should we forgive Jane Boleyn?
Jane Boleyn has long been remembered as the jealous wife of George Boleyn who testified against her husband and sister-in-law to bring about their downfalls. Arianna North Castell challenges this perception and emphasises the need for a revisionist history of Jane.
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Aristophanes’ Guide to Athenian Dinner Parties
Fiona Macrae gives us an insight into what to expect from an Ancient Greek symposium, based on the plays of Aristophanes.
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Problems with Plutarch: A glance at the hypocrisy within the tradition of “Mirrors for Princes”
Oscar Virdee looks at works by Plutarch, the tradition of self-help books for rulers and the interpretation of modern scholars.
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Junk in the Trunk? How 19th Century Women Deceived Men With a Needle and Thread
Tilly Bankes looks at 19th Century French fashion, social hierarchy, US taxation and untaxable goods.
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Britain’s Most Elaborate Scientific Hoax? The Rise and Fall of the Piltdown Man
In 1912, Charles Dawson presented the “Piltdown Man” as the earliest Englishman, initially supporting Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Decades later, however, research revealed this as scientific fraud. Kat Jivkova explores the paleoanthropological debate triggered by this scandal.
Retrospect Journal 