History Today

What would have happened if the native Americans had been left to their own devices? Brian Fagan probes the rise and fall of Aztec and Mayan society and proffers some intriguing observations.

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto weighs up the case for and against the Genovese explorer, finding a Columbus for all seasons.

Master mariner or dedicated amateur? Helen Wallis examines the state of geographical knowledge when Columbus set sail, and outlines his use of it.

A new exhibition at the Ashmolean which questions the experience of museum visiting.

Ann Hills discovers a feast of Welsh flowers amid the history of a working-class town

Steve Humphries unlocks the taboo histories of the disabled and handicapped.

Mike Pavasovic puts in a word for Serbia's wartime Cetniks.

David Buttery considers the Warwick Vase, its origins, wanderings and greenhouse home.

Daniel Pick looks at change, melodrama and decay in the creative work of the artists of the Fin de Siècle 1890s period.