askhistorians

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What was classical-era Chinese understanding of the far west like? What sorts of knowledge/myths did they have of places west of Persia, such as Egypt, Greece, Scythia or Rome?	2146
The American stereotype of the "wildly gesticulating Italian" is sometimes claimed to reflect the reality that Italians historically used gestures to communicate across dialects, and adapted this practice when immigrating to the USA. Is this true? Is historical body language well understood?	126
What was the Imperial Chinese Department of Secret Books, what did it do, and when did it exist?	28
Was the ideology of Mao presented as building on the traditional Chinese schools of thought (such as Legalism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc.) or as breaking from traditional Chinese schools of thought by the leaders of the Chinese Communist party during the early years of the PRC?	7
Popular culture has a particular view of 17th century sailors as being stereotypical pirates or stuffy officers in the Royal Navy. How would a typical British/North American mariner have actually made a living in the 17th century? Would most move through major ports, or operate as local fishermen?	6
The Roman Empire and the USSR are both often described as functioning economically and politically largely through patron-client relationships. To what degree did these relationships resemble each other in these vastly different places and times?	5
How did the Colombian Exchange affect China?	5
Why did the Russian SFSR maintain so many autonomous republics within its borders? Why did the many autonomous republics and oblasts within the Russian SFSR not become SSRs in their own right? What purposes were served by the establishment of numerous republics from the lands of the former Empire?	5
How did the surviving Jacobins/other radically republican figures view the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna?	4
In classic cinema, fainting in response to emotionally charged events seems to have been a common trope. Was such fainting actually more common in the past, or simply a trope in storytelling which has fallen out of fashion?	4

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