askhistorians

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10th C Muslim historian al-Masudi wrote about a Persian king sending a gift to an unnamed Caesar of a leopard (or some other species of big cat), which upon arrival (presumably in Rome) mauled his son to death. Is there any historical evidence for a Roman Emperor's son being killed by a wild animal?	701
Ancient Roman elites and historians discussed alt!history scenarios where Alexander the Great turned west instead of east, and fought against Rome. (Unsurprisingly, the consensus was that the Romans would defeat him.) Are there any other ancient examples of alt!history discussion and speculation?	131
We know that British & French romances of King Arthur and Charlemagne (the Matters of Britian and France respectively) were widely popular across the Iberian peninsula in the premodern (ie, pre-1600) era. Were there other British or French chivalric romances circulating throughout Spain & Portugal?	57
The Sack of Rome (1527) - non-Italian perspectives and reactions of contemporary writers and historians?	15
Separation from the Byzantine Empire and formal independence of the Republic of Venice?	8
Dumezil and others argued early Roman history was historicized Indoeuropean myth (eg the 3 headed dragon became the 3 Horatii, the one-eyed god became Horatius Cocles etc). How much support is there for this among current historians? What, prior to MJ Brutus, can be considered historically reliable?	7
What Chinese historical texts (annals, histories, etc), if any, were available in Japan prior to 1800?	5
Historiography of 20th century California: what are the most important/influential histories/historians on the subject of California's cultural influence on the rest of country?	4
In an interview, Thomas Sowell commented that the average lifespan of Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa outside of the port-cities was less than one year, prior to the widespread use of quinine. I couldn't find a source. How true is this? What do we know about the mortality rates of this period?	2
Facts and Legends about the life, adventures and empire of Charlemagne in Greek and Islamic sources?	1

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