askhistorians

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Historians, what do you think is currently the single most controversial or debated topic in your specific area of study, and what is it about?	2060
If a Roman soldier from the 2nd century were to awake one morning and suddenly find himself serving during the reign of Diocletian or Constantine, what major differences would he immediately notice?Which aspects of his military service would change the most?	276
When and why did moral opposition to same-sex relations first emerge? Was this a novel invention of the Abrahamic religions? If not, in which other ancient cultures or traditions are similar anti-homosexual sentiments known to have existed?	38
How did civilian life in the capital of the Roman Empire compare in 100 AD vs 1000 AD?	22
In terms of infrastructure, how did the Persian capital of Ctesiphon compare to its eastern contemporaries of Rome or Constantinople? More broadly, to what extent were the Persians able to boast similar feats of engineering as their Roman neighbors (aqueducts, massive temples, bath complexes, etc.)?	6
The secular side of Constantine the Great?	6
Are the Principate and ‘Byzantine’ eras of the Roman Empire different enough (in terms of culture, religion, language, geography, etc) to be considered two distinct civilizations?	6
If a Roman soldier from the 2nd century were to awake one morning and suddenly find himself serving during the reign of Diocletian or Constantine, what major differences would he immediately notice? Which aspects of his military service would change the most?	5
How did the standard of living in the city of Rome change over time?	4
In the Christian gospel of John, the word “λόγος”, or “logos”–a term with a well established tradition in Stoicism and Greek philosophy in general–is famously used to identify Jesus with God. Why does the author use this language specifically? Were he & his audience pupils of Stoicism?	3

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