askhistorians

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Ibn Battutah mentions that in the palace of the Sultan of Birgi, gold and silver tableware are used. Meanwhile, porcelain bowls and wooden spoons are brought for "any who felt scruples about using the gold and silver vessels." Why would one not want to use gold and silver in 14th century Asia Minor?	43
After Europeans began producing their own firearms (for sake of simplicity, lets say 1500), did the Chinese continue their own indigenous production or copy the European designs?	36
Did medieval Islamic rulers keep menageries? If so, what animals would have bewn considered exotic?	27
Why did Ghengis Khan and his dynasty feel the need to conquer as far as Germany and Egypt?	27
Given that so much of modern western culture is drawn from Greco-Roman influences, why is there (subjectively) such little attention paid to Persian history, armies and castles?	27
Until the 20th century, Baghdad had access across the Tigris via a pontoon bridge. Did this not block ships from passing through the river? Was there a system in place to raise and lower sections?	25
When and why did wine and poetry become viewed as feminine? It seems that men and kings from Greece and Rome to Persia and China wrote or enjoyed poetry while drinking wine, but at least in the modern USA those are both deemed unmanly.	23
In 1917 the Russians formally adopted the Federov Automatic Rifle as their standard infantry weapon. Yet in WW2 they were still mostly using Mosin Nagants. What was the reason for not continuing production?	22
Given their prominence in ancient and early medieval armies, what led to the decline in slingers in Near Eastern medieval armies?	21
I'm a nomad living in Central Asia in 700 bc. How do I interpret death by natural causes (ie heart attack, aneurysm)?	21

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