askhistorians

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Marseilles was founded as a Greek colony in 600 BC, centuries before other cities in France. How has this fact affected the politics, culture, and identity of Marseilles from then to the present?	291
How common was illegitimate birth in medieval Western Europe? Was "bastardry" a significant social inhibitor across all levels of society?	287
How come people in Ireland call their indigenous language "Irish" while the Irish diaspora calls it "Gaelic"?	287
Dmitri Shostakovich famously premiered his 7th Symphony during the Siege of Leningrad and broadcast the performance to the frontlines to inspire Russian troops and intimidate the Germans. Do we know how how German soldiers responded to such a dramatic composition, under such dramatic circumstances?	286
Leon Trotsky is often seen as a "good guy" in contrast to Stalin's brutality. How accurate is this narrative?	284
How was bastardy viewed in classical Greek culture? Does the presence of so many heroes born to unmarried parents suggest that there was no great stigma against it?	282
After the mass expulsion of Spanish Jews in 1492, many Sephardi exiles escaped to the Islamic world, while others settled in Christian Europe. What kind of contact existed between early modern Sephardi communities on opposite sides of the Mediterranean?	280
According to a recent census, 62% of Argentinians are of Italian descent. How was the country able to incorporate such a massive number of immigrants without losing its dominant Spanish language?	280
I know the Romans had no conception of race, but did they view Black Africans any differently than they did the Persians, Libyans, or Celts?	268
Why is Tunis/Carthage no longer such a significant city?	267

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