Tom Metcalfe
Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist based in London who writes mainly about science, archaeology, history, the earth, the oceans and space.
Latest from this author
Was it meant to mimic sounds of sacred winds or screams?
Prehistoric humans around the world figured out how to funnel game for easier kills.
The 19th-century Leviathan of Parsonstown allowed astronomers to zero-in on distant spiral objects.
Built in the third century B.C., the towering structure was among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Before the introduction of domestic sheep in the Americas, some Indigenous people already had a source of their own "wool."
Some writers have struggled to rationalize the Trojans' gullibility.
The Plague of Justinian peaked in the year 542 and lasted for two centuries, contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Silk has been made around the world since prehistory, but its trade flourished in ancient China.
The famous Roman writer was also a military commander who sailed across the Bay of Naples during the disaster.
Did human ancestors use fire to cook their meat? Some argue it served another, more valuable purpose.
The dramatic interlocking stone walls at Machu Picchu have proven to be highly earthquake-resistant.
Knowledge of how to make the bright purple dye was a valuable trade secret to the Phoenicians.
