/u/RusticBohemian's posts
Byzantine Roman troops frequently panicked and ran from battle. Yet Byzantine Romans are considered by historians to have been the only western state to have maintained the Roman's highly organized and trained approach to war. How should we reconcile these two ideas?
Mark as read: Add to a list
Large "Mass Timber" buildings are promoted as lighter, stronger, more enduring, and more sustainable alternatives to steel and cement buildings. Did earlier generations build tall buildings from wood? How did cement and steel become the norm when we've always had wood?
Mark as read: Add to a list
Florentine scribes developed the "lettera antica" script, which they thought ancient Roman texts had used. They also thought Roman scribes decorated their letters with vine patterns. Did the Romans write like the Renaissance humanists thought they did?
Mark as read: Add to a list
The US convinced citizens to buy war bonds during WWII, raising billions of dollars But inflation soared during and after the war. Did US bondholders ultimately lose money due to inflation?
Mark as read: Add to a list
Was it common for premodern Catholic monks and nuns to join monasteries/nunneries without religious callings because they didn't want to starve? To what degree were these places "employers," of last resort? Were unenthusiastic members a drag on their communities?
Mark as read: Add to a list
Red means stop. Green means go. How far back in time would you have to travel for these assumptions to no longer hold?
Mark as read: Add to a list
Japanese schoolchildren were indoctrinated with the idea of Bushidō ("the spirit of the warriors") during the Meiji era. Did this indoctrination end up backfiring by causing common people to clamor for war even when the elites knew diplomacy would have worked better?
Mark as read: Add to a list
The goddess Athena was claimed as the civic god of Athens. After being marked with this association, did other cities downgrade their worship of her, or in any way discriminate against her?
Mark as read: Add to a list