askhistorians

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Knights, princesses, dungeons, and dragons still loom large in children's pretend play. Did children of High Medieval Europe have a similar pseudohistorical analogue for their make-believe?	2289
Sun Tzu, to my knowledge, doesn't speak about digging latrines or army hygiene. What was camp organization like in his Zhou dynasty China (or the subsequent Warring states period)?	2199
Knights, princesses, dungeons, and dragons still loom large in children's pretend play. Did children of High Medieval Europe have a similar pseudohistorical analogue for their make-believe?	330
The Ancient Greeks are believed to have lacked a word for blue (the wine-dark sea!), yet Indian Indigo was also a highly sought-after luxury good. Are there any early accounts of Greeks describing the dye?	291
In the game Skyrim, the roof of the mead hall Jorrvaskr is an upturned longboat. Are there any recorded instances of Pre-Industrial cultures repurposing intact water vessels in land structures?	91
Augustus Caesar was said to have venerated Alexander who in turn admired Cyrus. How did Augustus and early Imperial Rome view Cyrus and the Achaemenid Empire? Additionally, were parts of Imperial Rome's political philosophy and bureaucracy inspired by Achaemenid legacy?	69
"Carthago delenda est." As a layman, the Third Punic War appears to not be a war of conquest but of total destruction and calculated genocide. What are the arguments against it being classified as such?	68
Contrasting Achaemenid Persia's highly limited slavery to the Spartan dependence on its Helot slave class, how significant was the issue of slavery specifically in prompting Sparta's vehement rejection of the 'gift of earth and water?'	6
The Russian term for 'Man of Steel' - Stalin, was adopted by the historical figure in the early 1900s. A nickname Superman shares and first debuted under. Was this coincidental connection every publicly scrutinized?	4
How much did Alexander's personality (excluding ability) contribute to the unique speed and scale of his conquest? Was this speed and scale imprudent and perhaps even consciously avoided by other great conquerors?	4

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