askhistorians

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The ancient city of Troy was thought to be a legend until the 19th century, when its ruins were found. How do we know that those ruins are of Troy and not some other random city, and that Troy did, in fact, exist?	5674
In 1858, the Ottoman Empire legalized homosexuality. What did this look like and how was it received both by the public and by other countries?	5650
Did people in the 1920s have "'80s parties" where they dressed like it was the 1880s? What about people in the 1820s and "'80s parties" representing the 1780s, etc.? More generally, how did people in the past view the aesthetics and culture of the further-past, and what is the origin of "decades"?	3065
Did the ancient Norse believe that the other realms (Asgard, Jotunnheim, etc.) were other planets like in the Marvel movies, other "planes" like in D&D, physical places that you could get to by conventional means (albeit with difficulty) or something else entirely?	3043
It's the European middle ages, and I'm traveling from England to Rome or Jerusalem for a pilgrimage. What's border security like, as I cross (presumably) multiple international borders along the way? Do I need a passport or some equivalent?	2302
Did the Cossacks really write this letter to the Ottoman Sultan? (NSFW) NSFW	1166
Jesus was a carpenter, and the medieval church was known for being really into relics (pieces of the Holy Cross, body-parts of various saints, etc.) Were there every any relics like "a table that Jesus made"? If not, why not?	1104
I'm in a coma for an extended period of time (weeks to months) in the European middle ages. What happens?	798
Angkor Wat, in modern-day Cambodia, was one of the largest pre-industrial cities in the world with an urban sprawl of over 1000 square km. How did it grow to be so large, and what was life like for the people in a city so large that you couldn't walk from one end to another in a single day?	594
I learned in school that Feudalism was invented by Charlemagne in circa 800. What system(s) of governance were used prior to feudalism in europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, and what advantages did Feudalism have that made it as ubiquitous as it was throughout later medieval europe?	499

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