AskHistorians

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Reading Mary Beard's SPQR, she mentions a Roman general sacking Troy. This is prior to Augustus' refounding it as Ilium. So who was living in Troy between the end of the Bronze Age and Augustus' Ilium? How large was the city? Was it a Greek city or were the inhabitants still 'Trojans'?	2
Did Christian merchants participate in the Ottoman slave trade?	2
Did the Romans always pursue total war or were they happy to accept trading a few borderlands on occasion? If there were a inclination for total war, was this unique in the Antique Mediterranean or were the Romans just always in a position to pursue total conquest whereas their enemies were not?	2
Given that in Europe and the Middle East, from Antiquity up until Early Modern Times, it was thought that bad odors could spread disease, were perfumes thought to be prophylactic?	2
Is there any relationship between how highly a culture values punctuality and how easily accessible timekeeping was to public historically? That is, do cultures with a history of accessible timekeeping value punctuality more than cultures with only recent access to timekeeping?	2
I've recently begun watching Downton Abbey. In its time period how unique is Downton in being a manor with an estate and a local village? What portion of the English were still tenants living on a nobleman or gentleman's land at the time?	2
Many plants have pharmacological properties and can be used to alleviate symptoms of illnesses - to what extent did people in the ancient and medieval world have accurate knowledge of the medicinal properties of flora?	2
Guns utilizing clockwork to repeat/reload frequently show up in Steampunk literature, games and artwork. Were there ever attempts in real-life to utilize springs and cogs to build a repeating gun before cartridge ammunition?	2
What's the history of policy, laws and thought from Marxist-Leninist and Maoist political parties regarding recreational drug use?	2
I've frequently heard that the Mongol invasion destroyed Iraq's ancient irrigation systems and subsequently caused the Mesopotamia region to fall from its historical prominence. Is that true and was no effort made to repair the irrigation networks after? If so, why?	2

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