AskHistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Do we know whether, when Constantine moved the official capital of the Roman empire to Constantinople, many Romans followed? If so, would it generally have been public officials , or some other cross section of the population?	105
How was the Silk Road affected by Byzantine monks smuggling out silkworms and their eggs in the 6th century? Did this effectively end the Chinese monopoly on silk? Did they take any retaliatory action?	104
Did the mafia coordinate with the US government in WWII? if so, did they act in good faith, and what were the parties' objectives?	102
Throughout his gospel, John frequently refers to himself as "the one who Jesus loved." Are there any nuances to the translation, and was John writing for an audience he would expect to be personally familiar with Jesus (and himself), or had the faith already spread well beyond that?	101
Was the 'Lost Cause' narrative prominent in 20th century academia, among those who should've known better? If so, were they following trends of the general public, or leading them? What changes brought about its repudiation?	101
Before Jules Michelet coined the term 'Renaissance' in the 19th century, was it recognized as a distinct historical period from the late middle ages? Was it, in fact, a distinct historical period, and, if so, what were its characteristics?	99
Is the perception that the Reagan administration slow-walked the response to the AIDS epidemic accurate?	98
One of the storytelling cliches of modern Westerns is that the same traits that make someone an ideal lawmen would also make them a successful criminal. Was there, in fact, much overlap between the two populations? How would a new settlement go about hiring someone to enforce the law?	96
Who was St Valentine, and how did he become associated with lovers? Cupid was originally the Roman god of erotic love and desire; how did he become co-opted as a cherubim in Christian art, and have other pagan figures been similarly incorporated?	96
In the 6th century, Nestorian Christian monks smuggled silkworms out of China to Byzantium. How big of an impact did this have on the respective countries? What were the effects on the Silk Road itself?	92

« < > »