Civilisations & Systems

Christmas is a magical time of year with the lights, colours and all the food and drink. Let's not forget the presents! by Perveen Kaur Every year we have the same traditions. We put up a tree, decorate it with baubles and lights. Decorate our homes and shop for presents. On the day itself we exchange those presents, eat and drink too much, watch a film or two and play games. These traditions we exhibit today though have old roots, deep in our history of civilisation and trad

Red and green are almost synonymous with Christmas. In recent years, different colour palettes and themes have come about with new marketing such as white trees or green trees with pastel coloured baubles. But there is nothing like the classic of red and green. Red wrapping paper, red berries, green trees, green holly, red Santa suits, green wreaths. Put the two together and most of us probably think of Christmas almost immediately. But why these two colours, what makes them

An exploration of the rise and fall of the bright poisonous pigment of the 18th century, Scheele's Green

We are made for the world we have made, ironically.

We live in an artificial world, how did this happen?

Discover the timeline of agriculture

Explore Gold. The chemical element. The sign of wealth. The paint colour. The investment vehicle. The jewellery.

Discover the history of the first financial crash, also known as Tulip Mania. Learn how greed and human nature drive economic collapse.