Is Europe dying? Once-in-a-generation flooding is wracking countries at the very heart of Europe. Some believe it is a metaphor for a malaise striking the entire continent.
‘A catastrophe of epic proportions’
Drowning: As Central Europe braces for further flooding (above) experts warn that the bloc is in a life-threatening crisis, squeezed between the US and China. Glossary
Epic of Gilgamesh - A heroic saga written in ancient Mesopotamia, over 3,000 years ago.
Hindu - A follower of Hinduism, the third-largest religion in the world. Roughly 95% of Hindus live in India.
Genesis - Origin or beginning. The book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and opens with one of the most famous first sentences of any literary work: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Emmanuel Macron - The current president of France, nicknamed "Jupiter" after the chief of the Roman deities for his top-down manner of governance.
Ancient Greece - About 2,500 years ago, Greece was one of the most important places in the world. Ancient Greeks lived all around the Mediterranean, not just in Greece.
Republicanism - Supporting the idea of a country having an elected head of state, such as a president, rather than a hereditary king or queen.
Roman Empire - Lasting from 27BC to 476AD, the Roman Empire controlled regions around the Mediterranean in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.
Constantinople - The city renamed Istanbul in 1930. It is in modern-day Turkiye, between Europe and Asia.
Dictatorships - A form of government in which one person possesses all the power without any limits.
Far-right - A range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents.