askhistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Civilizations like Sumer were essentially "rediscovered" by archaeologists. What about Egypt, a civilization prominent in Biblical & Greco-Roman literature? How good was Medieval/Early Modern understanding of ancient Egypt?	190
Repost: In the 16th C. Leo Africanus said the Sub Saharan African city of Gao was "very civilised compared to Timbuktu". What was this opinion based on and what was Gao like at the time?	186
In Train to Busan, two elderly women are watching what appears to be a riot on TV and one mentions that in the "old days" the rioters would have been "reeducated". Were re-education camps ever a thing in South Korea?	165
In Netflix's Dracula, there's a character who specializes in the occult, vampirism etc. That got me thinking, could a Medieval or early modern nun have pursued these interests without being looked at askance? Did any church figures seriously study the occult or was it all just condemned and ignored?	161
Ancient Roman cities often follow a similar layout, so Roman cities in North Africa look much the same as those in Italy. How was this kind of uniform engineering achieved? Did city planners study "proper" Roman cities or was there some standard blueprint?	156
According to Wikipedia Mitch McConnell was a moderain the 60s & 70s, supporting abortion, civil rights, etc. How and why did he become so conservative after his election to the senate in 1985?	130
There seems to be lots of 19th C. Southern people with Classical names like Cassius or cities with names like Rhodes. Was Classical literature popular with the Southern elite? How did it inform American ideology in that time & place? Was Spartacus an icon for abolitionists, Cicero for aristocrats?	127
Why did Coca-Cola produce a clear version of Coke that could be disguised as vodka for General Zhukov and how long was this going on for?	121
Eleanor of Aquitane had to avoid suitors looking to kidnap and force her into marriage on her travels after divording Louis VII. Was this kind of abduction and forced marriage a common concern in Medieval Europe?	119
The Nazi government pushed women out of the workforce and encouraged them to have as many children as possible. Mussolini said "war is to man what maternity is to the woman". How did feminists react to the rise of Fascism in Europe? Was this a source of domestic resistance in Italy or Germany?	105

« < > »