AskHistorians

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Did any ancient patrician Roman families rise to prominence in post 476 Byzantium or Western Europe?	84
Prior to the introduction of the potato to Europe, were all the main calorie-supplying staples grains, or could lower-calorie root vegetables like beets and carrots realistically supply the needs of the population?	84
A wrestler recently told me that ancient Greco-Roman wrestlers were more like sumo wrestlers in terms of body mass than modern wrestlers. Is this true?	84
What was life like in Kaga ikki, aka, "The Peasants' Kingdom," where commoners seized control of a Japanese province and held it for decades?	83
Julius Caesar fought to conquer Gaul from 58 to 50 B.C., but then had to withdraw and fight his countrymen in the Roman Civil War that lasted five years. What happened to the mostly-conquered Gauls during this period? Did they reassert their independence?	82
Nomadic herders have roamed north Africa for millenia. How did the fit into the political and social worlds of the settled lands they moved through?	81
George Washington and his rebels sneak over the Delaware and leads a surprise attack on men celebrating Christmas — were Washington's contemporaries impressed or disgusted by the victory at Trenton?	81
The Romans, Byzantines, and early Ottoman empires held the same isolated southeastern stretch of the Crimean peninsula. Why was this small area worth holding? Why not attempt to take the rest of Crimea or other contiguous areas of the northern black sea coast?	80
Were spouses traditionally less important for meeting our social and emotional needs than friends and extended family?	80
The Senate banned all Patricians and Equites from competing as gladiators, as well as all their sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren under the age of 20 — in 19 A.D. Were there many blue bloods and their heirs fighting in the arena? Why did this decree need to be made?	80

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