askhistorians

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Did the Mongol Empire had any allies and friends? Or was everyone their enemy at the time of their conquest?	83
How did the Vikings spend all their loot and where did they all end up? Wouldn't all that loot and plunder brought back home would have an effect on the medieval Scandinavian economy?	80
Do we have solid and credible evidence that ancient Sumer had a standing professional army? If so, were they the first civilization to have one?	70
I read that Spanish and Portuguese missionaries held Mass in Japan in the 16th century. Where did they get the grape wine and bread necessary for celebrating the Eucharist when there is none of it in 16th century Japan?	69
Did the ancients have a concept of historic site preservation like we do? Like did Romans in 300 AD think that buildings like Colosseum and Pantheon are old and need to be preserved?	67
TIL about the Great Mosque of Xian that looks more like a Chinese temple than a mosque. Why does it seem only in China that mosques adopted native architecture rather than following the usual design?	65
How come the Europeans were able to colonize India and the Middle East and did not colonize China, Japan and Korea when India and the Middle East had empires more powerful than Japan and Korea like the Mughals and the Ottomans?	62
In Ancient Egyptian burial tradition, mummification is expensive and only afforded by the elite. So, how would a poor ordinary Egyptian view and think about the afterlife?	60
When were European pagan religions completely supplanted by Christianity? Can we expect remnants of pagan religions by the 12th century? 14th? How about the Renaissance?	58
What meals would students eat while they were taking classes at a medieval university? If I am a student at the Oxford University or the University of Sankore at 1200 AD, will I see a canteen with many students eating meals? What it is like?	58

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