askhistorians

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In stories from the Middle Ages and previous centuries where people are executed for strange crimes like ‘excessive public laughter’ or ‘wearing one shoe in public’ are these satirical hyperbole or were people put to death for bizarre ‘crimes’ in days gone by?	344
How did the Romans deal with the Aqueducts freezing during the winter?	37
In Bullfinch’s Mythology, who are the people called the Aethiopians? This sounds like the modern day word for Ethiopia but I’m afraid it may be a confusing translation. The passage mentions them being so favored the gods visit from Olympus.	10
In the documentary series ‘The Story of Europe’, it is mentioned that when Constantine is parading towards the temple after his paramount major victory he stops and turns around and is booed by the crowd, can someone explain what this means?	6
The knight tomb covers in many medieval churches that are carved to look like their dead with armor on and their sword in hand, were these stones mass produced or custom made when a person died?	5
How did Erwin Rommel flood The Valley around Carentan?	3
Are there any historical records from ancient China that demonstrate hunting and de-scaling of Pangolins for traditional medicine?	2
When did we begin transitioning from naturally occurring ingredients in soaps, shampoos and other household hygiene items to ingredients like ‘cocamidopropyl betaine’ and ‘iodopropynyl butylcarbamate’ and what influenced this shift in manufacturing? [Common ingredients on a Shampoo bottle]	2
Should ancient ruins be maintained perpetually even if the face of the original structure has to be altered to keep the structure from collapsing? Or should ruins be allowed to decay with time once they begin to collapse?	1
How have archetypes reappeared again and again in cultures that never interacted to exchange ideas? Why do we see the same images pop up if there’s no base model for everyone to look at of the same story or image?	0

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