National Geographic History

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FROM THE EDITOR

National Geographic History

The Search to Recover a Storied Black Church • Colonial Williamsburg is excavating the 19th-century site of the First Baptist Church, where Black worshippers met more than 200 years ago.

FIRST BAPTIST’S LONG HISTORY

Nellie Bly, Pioneer of Investigative Journalism • The trailblazing reporter took on the male world of newspapers to expose injustice, travel around the world, and become the United States’ first celebrity journalist.

FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

RACING AROUND THE WORLD

Mystery of the Blue Diamond—The Final Cut • What happened to the priceless French Blue following its dramatic theft in Paris in 1792? A spate of recent clues has enabled scholars to solve this most dazzling of whodunits.

THE REGENT THAT RULES

Louis XV’s Golden Fleece

DIVINE MENAGERIE • From birds and reptiles to cats and dogs, many gods in ancient Egypt took animal form, captured in 3,000 years of exquisite art and sculpture.

ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL • The deities of the Egyptian pantheon reflected the rich fauna of the Nile Valley. They ranged from the bee to the baboon, the scorpion to the snake, the cat to the crocodile.

THE CELTS TRADE, ART, AND WAR • The Celts used their metalworking skills to expand throughout Europe during the Iron Age. The Celtic presence stretched from Britain to Turkey and greatly shaped pre-Roman Europe, and questions about the exact nature of their culture and identity continue to fascinate archaeologists today.

WHITE GOLD

THE VIX TREASURE • Discovered near Vix in 1953, the grave goods of a Celtic noblewoman (now held by the Museum of the Pays Châtillonnais, in Burgundy, France) reflect both native Celtic styles and influences of the Greek world during the later Hallstatt period. The noblewoman died around 480 b.c., as the Hallstatt culture was declining.

AGRIPPINA IMPERIAL AMBITIONS • Surrounded by emperors for much of her life, Agrippina learned how to fight for power. Refusing to settle for a traditional Roman woman’s role, the great-granddaughter of Augustus opted to compete in the political arena and won power for her and her son.

BIRTHPLACE OF THE EMPRESS

MESSALINA AND AGRIPPINA

AGRIPPINA’S ASHES

A SON’S GUILT

HOLY RELICS FAITH AND FORGERY IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE • Sacred objects associated with the Holy Family, the Apostles, and saints attracted not only faithful Christian pilgrims who sought to venerate them but also greedy con artists who sought wealth by stealing relics or selling outright fakes.

MAGELLAN’S MISSION AROUND THE WORLD • The leader of a Spanish mission to find a new route to the Spice Islands, Ferdinand Magellan was just one of many men who died during the three-year saga to complete history’s first circumnavigation of the globe.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

VICTORIA’S SAGA • The Victoria, a three-masted Spanish carrack, was the only vessel in Magellan’s fleet of five to complete the circumnavigation of the globe. After this auspicious journey, the ship continued to sail for nearly 50 more years as a merchant ship. The Victoria’s last journey ended around 1570, when the ship was lost on a voyage from the Antilles to Seville.

Savaged by Scurvy

A Nation of Islands

The Madaba Mosaic: First Map of the Holy Land • The stunning floor mosaic discovered in a remote Ottoman town in 1884 is both a masterpiece of Byzantine...