/u/Velteau's posts in /r/askhistorians

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Article 24 of the Magna Carta stipulates that "no town or person shall be forced to build bridges over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so." What would qualify as an "ancient obligation" in this case?

1728 upvotes

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Why is the mother of Jesus deified but his father is almost not mentioned?

1721 upvotes

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Why did all three of the great independent empires to have existed in India (Mughal, Gupta and Maurya) fail to conquer the southern tip of the Subcontinent?

1579 upvotes

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The song 'Come Out Ye Black and Tans' has a verse that goes "come tell us how you slew them old Arabs two by two, like the Zulus they had spears and bow and arrows." Were there really Arabs still using pre-gunpowder weaponry by the late 19th to early 20th centuries?

950 upvotes

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Why are Shaolin monks versed in martial arts, if Buddhist beliefs preach peace and understanding?

126 upvotes

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Why do we call it "China" instead "Zhongguo", but "Iran" instead of "Persia"?

94 upvotes

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Is it just a coincidence that the International Date Line happens to pass almost perfectly through the Bering Strait?

73 upvotes

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What determined whether a region in the Roman Empire became latinised (Hispania, Gallia, Italia) or not? Why did some regions adopt Roman language and culture but most didn’t?

65 upvotes

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Was it just a coincidence that there was more than one place in Europe called "Galicia" and "Iberia"?

61 upvotes

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Why are ethno-linguistic regions so much more well defined in southern India than in the north?

60 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Article 24 of the Magna Carta stipulates that "no town or person shall be forced to build bridges over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so." What would qualify as an "ancient obligation" in this case?	1728
Why is the mother of Jesus deified but his father is almost not mentioned?	1721
Why did all three of the great independent empires to have existed in India (Mughal, Gupta and Maurya) fail to conquer the southern tip of the Subcontinent?	1579
The song 'Come Out Ye Black and Tans' has a verse that goes "come tell us how you slew them old Arabs two by two, like the Zulus they had spears and bow and arrows." Were there really Arabs still using pre-gunpowder weaponry by the late 19th to early 20th centuries?	950
Why are Shaolin monks versed in martial arts, if Buddhist beliefs preach peace and understanding?	126
Why do we call it "China" instead "Zhongguo", but "Iran" instead of "Persia"?	94
Is it just a coincidence that the International Date Line happens to pass almost perfectly through the Bering Strait?	73
What determined whether a region in the Roman Empire became latinised (Hispania, Gallia, Italia) or not? Why did some regions adopt Roman language and culture but most didn’t?	65
Was it just a coincidence that there was more than one place in Europe called "Galicia" and "Iberia"?	61
Why are ethno-linguistic regions so much more well defined in southern India than in the north?	60