AskHistorians

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Has it been proposed that the Biblical exodus and story of Jewish slavery is inspired by Egyptian rule in Israel during the New Kingdom?	35
People from Madagascar to the Philippines to East Timor to New Zealand speak Austronesian languages, brought to these islands by their ocean-faring ancestors centuries ago. Today, does any cultural affinity or pan-Austronesian identity exist between these nations?	35
Would 10th century Anatolia have been homogeneously Greek?	35
The Sassoon family achieved great wealth and prominence within the British Empire and England during the 19th century, despite being Indians of Iraqi-Jewish descent. How was this possible considering the prejudices of the time? How did other British elites and the British public react to their rise?	35
Because of Precolumbian Siberian-Alaskan trade networks, did any Siberian natives come into contact with artifacts from the modern United States and Latin America?	35
I recently saw a provocative blog post make the claim that the Greeks and Romans in their time were in no way "more advanced" than the Indians and Chinese. Is this true?	34
Early worshippers of Jesus synthesized Christmas with the Roman holiday Saturnalia. German Christians later incorporated possibly pagan elements like evergreen trees. How did Christians in other parts of the world combine Christmas with their own local traditions?	34
Who were the most wealthy and powerful individuals in 1775 Boston?	34
I've heard that in 1650, so many men died in the 30 Years' War that the Holy Roman Empire (or at least some of its members) legalized polygamy. Is this true? What implication did this have on society?	34
Did the Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Germanic, Mongolic, Arabic, and Sumerian writing systems evolve independently?	34

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