askhistorians

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Between the collapse of Roman Britain and the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, is there any archaeological evidence of the survival of Christianity as a folk religion or of crypto-Christians living amongst pagans?	8
Is there anything known about the kahins (soothsayers) of pre-Islamic Arab paganism?	8
Was formal feuding reserved for nobility in the Holy Roman Empire or could a burgher or a peasant write (or ask someone literate to write them) an Abklag and start attacking someone else's friends/family/assets?	8
When Tsarist Russia conquered the Central Asian Khanates, was any attempt made to convert the peoples? Did Orthodox missionaries attempt to preach to them? If so, was there any success?	8
Is the criterion of embarrassment - the idea that embarrassing details are probably real else they wouldn't be included - something in History used outside of biblical studies? If so, why haven't I seen it applied to Western treatments of early Islamic history?	8
Were non-Muslim minorities involved in the Ottoman and pre-Ottoman Mediterranean slave trade inside Islamic empires/polities?	7
Could certain peasant families within medieval villages in England or France have different hereditary rights with regards to land usage, or trapping wild game? Or similarly, could neighboring villages have different rights to certain things e.g. letting their pigs loose in the woods?	7
In Joe Abercrombie's newest novel, steam engines are being used to pump water out of mines alongside bombard-type cannons that burst after 2-3 shots. Historically, how important were advances in metallurgy to the development of the steam engine?	7
Did the spread of mechanical clockmaking precede the preference for punctuality as a cultural norm in Europe or was punctuality valued prior to widespread mechanical clocks?	7
Were the Caliphs of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties expected to lead Friday prayers each week in their capitals or simply on occasion if ever?	7

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