AskHistorians

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What do we know about the tradition of monarchs wearing crowns? Did historical sources leave any clues as to why a crown would eventually become the object of choice to symbolize rulership?	1225
I read somewhere that a great drought in 22nd century BCE prevented the Nile from flooding for several years. The Egyptian Old Kingdom collapsed soon afterward. Do we have any primary sources that described how catastrophic this event was?	21
Why did the Soviets have so little political influence in the occupation of Japan compared to Germany at the end of World War II?	16
Varangian vs Praetorian	14
In the wiki page of the game Europa Universalis 4, it mentioned something "By the game's start in 1444, these merchant adventures have stopped (ie Zheng He's expedition) and the Ming court has begun to adopt an isolationist look to foreign affairs." What made the Chinese change its foreign policy?	11
The strait of Hormuz today is considered one of the most strategically important sea lanes in the world, mainly in part to the sheer amount of oil and natural gas that passes through it. Did the strait also had a similiar strategic value in ancient times?	11
I'm an average Egyptian nobleman during the first century of Ptolemaic rule. Was I proud of being a native Egyptian, or did I pretend to be Geek? How freely was I able to practice my native religion? How much power and influence did I lose before they came?	10
During the Bronze Age at the Eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus was known to be a great source of copper. Where did these people get their tin, the other component of bronze? Did the ancients document a location where a great abundance of tin was to be found, just like copper was in Cyprus?	7
Did the Ottomans have any diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty?	7
My theology professor back in college told us that the Acts of the Apostles were primarily divided into two halves: what should be and what happened. How much of this is true?	6

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