/u/Logan_Maddox's posts in /r/AskHistorians

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Why were Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria painted wearing crowns, while no kings before or after them wore crowns in their portraits? Why is it so rare for kings to wear crowns in their portraits?

1203 upvotes

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Did most cultures associate dark colours with bad things and evil? Did subsaharan Africans have a different understanding of this?

329 upvotes

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Why do many Welsh myths and Arthurian legends feature a "King of Ireland" when Ireland was fractured for the most part of these periods?

300 upvotes

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Why didn't Japanese cities have town squares?

282 upvotes

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How would a samurai show his love or attention for his wife in Old Japan?

233 upvotes

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In The Northman (2022), the vikings put a bunch of women in a barn and then set it on fire. Was this a real practice? Why would they do that?

218 upvotes

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How did Ptolemy catalogue so many stars and constellations that can only be seen from the Southern Hemisphere?

121 upvotes

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Did knights go to university in the middle ages?

119 upvotes

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How were people not constantly hypothermic from taking baths on rivers? Are there medieval bathing towels?

114 upvotes

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Why are so many evil cults in 20th century fiction snake-themed?

114 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Why were Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria painted wearing crowns, while no kings before or after them wore crowns in their portraits? Why is it so rare for kings to wear crowns in their portraits?	1203
Did most cultures associate dark colours with bad things and evil? Did subsaharan Africans have a different understanding of this?	329
Why do many Welsh myths and Arthurian legends feature a "King of Ireland" when Ireland was fractured for the most part of these periods?	300
Why didn't Japanese cities have town squares?	282
How would a samurai show his love or attention for his wife in Old Japan?	233
In The Northman (2022), the vikings put a bunch of women in a barn and then set it on fire. Was this a real practice? Why would they do that?	218
How did Ptolemy catalogue so many stars and constellations that can only be seen from the Southern Hemisphere?	121
Did knights go to university in the middle ages?	119
How were people not constantly hypothermic from taking baths on rivers? Are there medieval bathing towels?	114
Why are so many evil cults in 20th century fiction snake-themed?	114