AskHistorians

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The show "Blood of Zeus" shows a war between Zeus and Hera, where the bastard sons of Zeus form an alliance with their father against Hera. Was the kinship between illegitimate children common in Greek mythology?	9
Mike Duncan's narrative of the History of Rome subtly portrays Antoninus Pius as an Emperor so successfully conservative he set the stage for future crisis after crisis, and eventually, the fall of Rome. What does the historiography say of this depiction?	8
In The Great Wall (2016) the Song dynasty has a military force whose armour is brightly coloured in accordance with their role e.g. the archers wear red armour. Was this a practice at any point during the Song dynasty?	8
In Zhang Yimou's film Shadow (2018), the homes of the wealthy in fuedal China are vast open plan halls separated by many moveable and translucent dividers. Is this historically accurate? How did this work in practice?	7
Historians like Prof Andrew Lambert & authors like Adrian Tchaikovsky have focused on the transformative nature of bronze & then iron during pre-history. How dramatic a change did these metals bring to Europe?	5
In my old school history book Sulla's Civil War is described the "catalyst" that "signed the death certificate" of the Roman Republic. What do more in-depth histories have to say about this and the role Sulla played in the Republic's demise?	5
Why was suicide so common in final decades of the Roman Republic & how was it regarded in Roman culture?	5
What was Liberator's "the plan for the Roman Republic" after they had assassinated Ceaser?	4
As the Italian Peninsula has an enormous coastline, why did Peter Strothard say the following about the wars following the Idea of March; "to prevent an invasion of Italy by sea required control of only two ports, Brundisium & Tarentum"?	3
The massive indirect consequences for Europe of Attila's invasion (e.g. helping topple Rome) is often discussed. What were the indirect consequences of the less discussed Mongol invasion of Europe 750 years later?	2

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