Hello and welcome to Honeybee Histories. From the earliest evidence of beekeeping in ancient Egypt through to modern-day beekeeping practices, humans, such as ourselves, have been fascinated with the honeybee. We do not just use them for extracting honey and wax, but we observe them, learn from them, and imagine ourselves through their image.
I’m Matt Phillpott; a historian and writer, based in England. Hello!
For the last eight years, I’ve been investigating our historical relationship with the honeybee learning all about honey hunting, hive designs, the millennia-long pursuit to identify how bees procreate, and so much more. These are amazing stories, revealing how we both fear them and love them for what they are and for what they represent to us at any given moment. The history of humanity is interwoven with that of the honeybee, and it's truly incredible.
So, what are my credentials for writing about the history of honeybees? Many of those who wrote handbooks for beekeepers hundreds of years ago, tended to emphasise how experience and learned knowledge are necessary to fully understand these insects. Thus, my credentials need to cover both the academic and scientific literature as well as practical experience and observation.
Well, I have been a beekeeper, and whilst I have no bees presently, I’m hoping that this is a temporary situation, made necessary by a recent house move. I have thus far only used the National beehive to ‘keep’ my bees, but I have high hopes of trying out other types in the future, such as the Top-bar hive or flow hive.
In terms of scholarship, I initially studied the history of the English Reformation at the University of Sheffield, successfully attaining my Ph.D. in 2009. I have since worked for the University of London and have now gone freelance, offering my services as an educator, writer, and learning technologist. You can find out more about me at my website mattphillpott.co.uk. I also write about a variety of other subjects on Medium and my blog. You can also follow me on Twitter @mphillpott.
Why subscribe?
If you subscribe to Honeybee Histories, you will start receiving essays direct to your inbox every fortnight. Some of these will focus on a theme about the history of the honeybee, whilst others will take the form of a case study or a specific example. Honeybee Histories aims to cover the history of honeybees across all time and geographical locations, but I’m from England, and therefore my exploration of the subject will often focus here or nearby.
It would be amazing if you join me for this adventure into the beehive and beyond…
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