National Geographic History - July 2019

EMPEROR NERO considered

abandoning Rome’s new

colony of Britannia thanks to

Boudica, a Celtic queen and

leader of a massive British

revolt against Roman rule in

A.D. 60-61. After recruiting a

large fighting force, Boudica

sacked cities, including

Londinium (London). They

killed tens of thousands of

Romans before suffering

a defeat that ended the

rebellion. In their histories,

Roman authors exalted the

brave warrior queen, who

would later become an

icon in Britain, popularized

during the Victorian era as

the country’s “first queen.”

Jerash, Jewel of Jordan

Founded by the successors to Alexander the Great during the

second century B.C., Jerash prospered thanks to proximity

to lucrative trade routes. Conquerors came and went, each

adding new layers of treasures, temples, and monuments.

The Travels of Marco Polo

In 1271, at age 17, Marco Polo left Venice with his father and

uncle to visit the Mongol leader Kublai Khan in China. Their

24-year odyssey across Asia and back became the basis of

one of the most gripping travel accounts ever written.

The Great Scottish Witch Hunts

Scotland’s Witchcraft Act of 1563 made it a capital crime to

practice black magic or consult with witches. For the next 150

years, witchcraft panics broke out, resulting in the torture and

executions of thousands, most of whom were women.

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BOUDICA

STRIKES

AGAINST ROME

HALF BULL, HALF MAN, the Minotaur is at

the heart of one of the most famous of

all Greek myths, inspiring artists from

sculptors in ancient Greece to Picasso in

the 20th century. Imprisoned in a labyrinth

by King Minos of Crete, the monster dines

on sacrificial youths and maidens until the

Athenian hero Theseus defeats him. The

tale’s roots tap deep into the Bronze

Age, when Minoan Crete held the

eastern Mediterranean in thrall with its

wondrous labyrinthine palaces, and

cult of the bull.

BOUDICA ROUSES HER TROOPS

IN A ROMANTICIZED SCENE

CREATED BY WILLIAM SHARP

IN 1812. NATIONAL PORTRAIT

GALLERY, LONDON

UNRAVELING

THE MINOTAUR MYTH

NAT

ION

AL^ P

ORT

RAIT

GA

LLER

Y,^ LO

NDO

N.^ S

CAL

A,FL

ORE

NCE

.^ CO

LOR

:^ SA

NTI^

PÉR

EZ

SCALA, FLORENCE

A FIRST-CENTURY

ROMAN COPY OF A

FIFTH-CENTURY B.C.

GREEK SCULPTURE OF

THE MINOTAUR