/u/PaladinFeng's posts
How pious were monks actually during medieval times? Do we have any "uncensored" behind-the-scenes accounts of the realities of monastic life?
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Neo-paganism (esp. Neo-Celticism) is strongly tied to environmentalism. Was original Celtic/pagan belief actually that environmentally-friendly? If not, when did these two worldviews become intertwined?
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Campaigns of war seem to inevitably bring along with them rape, pillage, and wanton looting. Are there any examples of military campaigns where the leadership managed to quash such behavior and execute a "clean" campaign? NSFW
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We often hear of ancient burial sites getting plundered by graverobbers, but what do we know about the graverobbers themselves? Were these simply opportunistic bandits or something more systematic/organized? What was their MO and were they all that materially different from 20th century excavators?
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One common explanation of failed expeditions and military campaigns throughout history is the trope of the "traitorous guide"--often a native to the region--who leads the party astray. Is this trope merely a matter of scapegoating (and racism against locals) or a legitimate explanation?
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San Francisco Police Commissioner Jesse B. Cook claims that patrons of Chinatown opium dens would bring their own opium to smoke. I always assumed that the opium den would provide the product in addition to the space. Where would a person procure opium if not from the den itself?
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How far back can you go in Chinese history and still find a cultural identity that would be recognizable as an antecedent of modern Chinese culture?
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The Bible tells of Israel/Judah facing down and sometimes even triumphing over major regional empires like Assyria and Egypt. In reality, what would the power imbalance have been between a small regional kingdom like Israel, Edom, or Aram versus an Ancient Near East Empire?
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