askhistorians

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Did gladiators really look like tall bodybuilders with huge muscles and six packs, or is this an invention by media?	13
How much do advances in European farming since Medieval times rely on a better understanding of nature, biology and farm management, rather than just bigger and better technology?	11
Humans are bad at predicting the future. Flying cars in 2020? Not really. Are there any documented predictions made by Roman scientists for the future? Did they imagine certain things to be invented that still aren't possible to make today, but would work because it doesn't violate laws of physics?	11
How did the Mongol hordes stay alive outside of combat? Did they have long supply chains? Or live off the land? Or did they just take any food they wanted from villages close by their temporary camps?	11
How effective was artillery during a battle on a battlefield before the invention of cannons? Was it a good choice to lob a stone into the battlefield, possibly leading to friendly fire as there wasn't really any uniformity in missiles and maybe devices? Or what about ballista-ish artillery?	10
I'm a timetraveling dog enthusiast. I go back to prehistoric, greek, roman and medieval times in europe. What dog breeds do I recognize? What breeds are completely new to a modern man and are worth checking out? Are there any differences in behavior with the "recognisable" breeds back then vs now?	9
Pope Urban II - in simple terms - said that all who fought in the crusade would be forgiven for all sins and go to heaven. Was really all it took for quarreling Europe, both peasants and nobles, to largely set aside their differences and travel to foreign lands and risk their lives in combat?	9
Did we ever seriously get into contact with other species of the genus Homo, if so, are we able to know what happened during these interactions? What do we (not) know about their society and culture, along with our very early societies?	8
I go back in time to Medieval England with a coin purse with a hundred or so gold coins. Am I considered a wealthy man able to purchase and own property and live off the wealth generated by my serfs that came with the property?	8
Depression in medieval times: What's up with it? How was it treated (if at all) and how was it seen by the lowliest peasant to the mightiest king?	7

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