Tag: History
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Dead and Buried? Finding Edinburgh’s last hanged woman in oral history
Charged with a most heinous crime, Jessie King would come to sit in the annals of Scottish history as the last woman hanged in Edinburgh. Chloe Bramwell explores the story of a woman who may have been as much a victim of circumstance as a villain for commercial tours to exploit.
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Project Greek Island: Duck and Uncovered
In the 1950s, during the height of the Cold War, nuclear panic led to the creation of underground fallout shelters around the world–sometimes in unexpected places. Sam Marks tells the story of the creation of a classified nuclear bunker for members of the US government underneath an unassuming hotel.
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Decline, Fall and Reuse: Greek Nationalist Uses of Byzantine Archaeology since 1830
Following the collapse of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in 1453, it found new provenance in shaping Greek identity during its struggle for independence. Verity Limond explores the place of Byzantine archaeology alongside glorification of the classical past.
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Guernica: Pablo Picasso and the Spanish Civil War
“Guernica”, a 1937 painting by Pablo Picasso, depicts the horrifying brutality of the Spanish Civil War. Meenakshi Nirmalan discusses its startling composition which continues to captivate audiences to this day.
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Tudor True Crime: The Bizarre Death of Amy Dudley
On 8 September 1560, the body of Amy Dudley, the first wife of Robert Dudley, was discovered at the foot of a staircase. Naomi Wallace examines the scandal and suspicion surrounding her tragic demise.
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Theatre Review – Petronius’ Satyricon, adapted for stage by Martin Foreman
Petronius’ Satyricon is a classic Ancient Roman text from the first century CE, depicting scenes of debauchery and extravagance. Fiona MacRae reviews a recent stage exhibition of the text, brought to life for a modern audience by Martin Foreman at Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh.
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The Pendle Witches: How a Nine-Year-Old Girl Sentenced Her Family to Death
On 18 August 1621, nine-year Jennet Device testified against her family during the notorious Pendle witch trials. Marnie Camping-Harris examines how the young girl came to be a key witness in a case which resulted in the execution of her closest relatives.
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On the Need for Provocation: A Response to Solanas’ SCUM Manifesto (1968)
Valerie Solanas’ “SCUM Manifesto” was a call to arms for women to overthrow the male sex and establish a feminist utopia. However, her emphasis on violence led to polarisation – compounded by her shooting of Andy Warhol in 1968. Georgia Smith explores the discourse surrounding this infamous feminist work.
Retrospect Journal 