The Gateway Chronicle 2020

A word from the
editors…
Throughout history, beliefs and ideas
have varied significantly: from the early
Caveman reverence for nature and fire,
to the prevalent political ideologies of the
modern day. Beliefs and ideas have
shaped the way societies and civilisations
have defined themselves, enabling
people to seek unity and refuge during
times of conflict and uncertainty, as well
as to build community. At the same time,
wars have often been fought and
violence perpetrated in the name of
ideology and faith, whether that be
political, scientific or religious. Through
this year’s chronicle title ‘Thinking
History’, we hope to capture the power
of ideas throughout history and the way
they shaped the world today.
Our magazine has been divided into five
sections based on themes: Political
Ideologies, Individuals, Religion, Power,
and Maths and Economics, within which
the articles are ordered chronologically.
These themes reflect the wide-ranging
articles we received, which cover beliefs
from 5000 BCE to modern day. Through
this diversity of articles, we have covered
a significant variety of ideas and beliefs
from across the world, and we truly
believe there is something for everyone –
with topics ranging from the history of
numbers and their integration into
modern mathematics, to an exploration
of religion in early China. Fittingly, there
is also an article exploring the history of
pandemics. It was also important to us
that this year’s articles were reflective of
the school community as a whole, and we
encouraged wider participation from
students lower down the school as well as
teaching staff.
As well as those who wrote articles for the
Chronicle this year, we would also like to
thank a few people for their invaluable hard
work. Firstly, building on his experience at
previous school publications, Upper Sixth
student Alex Jennings has helped immensely
with the creative design and layout of the
Chronicle, as well as contributing an article.
Alex designed the front cover and general
layout of the articles and helped greatly with
the formatting of the magazine. Secondly, we
would like to thank Gracie Thornham,
another Upper Sixth student, who very
kindly produced some amazing artwork for
the introduction pages to each theme.
Finally, a big thank you goes to the History
department and Mrs Gregory especially, to
whom we can attribute the wide-ranging
participation, through her encouragement
and support both in the sixth form and lower
down the school.
Unfortunately, for reasons beyond our
control, this edition of the Gateway
Chronicle will remain a virtual one for now,
which we feel is a shame for all of those who
worked so hard towards it, but given the
current situation, it was the safest and only
option. We hope that you are all staying safe
and healthy during this time and, despite
current events, you are able to enjoy reading
the contributions and learning more about
areas of history which you may not have
thought to explore before.
Georgie and Alex
Senior Editors