AskHistorians

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Historically, Chinese states seem to change capitals a lot more frequently than western states. Were these moves generally triggered by external changes (e.g., threats from bordering states) or internal ones (e.g., local population growth)?	5
Why is so little classic English literature and folklore set in Anglo-Saxon England?	5
In the later Roman Empire, when tribes were settled as “federates” on land with existing Roman estates, were taxes from Roman landowners collected by Romans or by tribal officials? And did the revenue go to the tribe or the imperial government?	4
When pastoralist tribes like the Sarmatians were settled in Roman territory, did they bring their flocks and continue herding, or did they become sedentary farmers?	4
How familiar were medieval European scholars with Greek history? Were there Latin translations of (e.g.) Herodotus and Thucydides, or did they only have the summarized versions in the “universal histories” of early church historians?	4
Before the rise of Christian bishops, Roman cities seem to have been dominated by multi-member councils without a single-person leadership role. Was this a result of official imperial policy?	3
During the Reconquista, the dialects of northern Iberia spread south with their military conquests. What proportion of the southern population was already Romance-speaking (i.e., Mozarabic) compared to the northern immigrants?	2
When the Greeks and Romans founded new cities as military colonies, did they initially consist of entirely free inhabitants, or were they provided with slaves (or the funds to purchase them)?	2
In pre-Columbian North America, was there long-distance trade for peppers and other Central American spices similar to the spice trade in the Old World?	2
Was Rome the only ancient empire that was still considered to be the same state after a succession of unrelated dynasties?	1

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