The roots of the Hanukkah story date back to 168 B.C., when the Jewish Holy Temple was seized on the orders of the Greek emperor Antiochus.
Dr Kathryn Bates is a graduate of archaeology and history. She has excavated across the world as an archaeologist, and tutored medieval history at Leicester University. She joined the administrative team at Oxford Open Learning twelve years ago. Alongside her distance learning work, Dr Bates is a bestselling novelist, and an itinerant creative writing tutor for primary school children.
National Tree Week
This annual event aims to encourage the people of the UK to plant as many new trees as possible.
What do we mean by an Unreliable Narrator?
In fiction, an unreliable narrator is someone the author wants to be untrustworthy because that fact is going to propel their plot forward.
Bees, Climate and Us
The British Beekeepers Association recently announced a significant drop in the average hive’s yearly yield of bees. Numbers have been dropping within British hives for decades.
The Enduring Appeal of Enid Blyton
In 2017, Blyton’s titles were still selling at the rate of one per minute in the UK alone. It is a figure that remains unchanged today.
Lawrence of Arabia: Soldier, Scholar, Diplomat
His respect and understanding of the Arabic population led to a life as diplomat, soldier and writer, campaigning against the Turkish Ottoman Empire. His life and work earned him the nickname Lawrence of Arabia.
The First Astronomer Royal
John Flamsteed began his working life as the Astronomer Royal in the Tower of London, where it’s said that the ravens made his life very difficult by nesting on his telescopes…
Kepler: The Planet Hunter
The analysis of the data Kepler transmitted back to Earth will take decades of work to research, but despite the mission being over, the information gathered is still being received today.
