askhistorians

Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
How did Aramaic become so successful? It was a lingua franca of a vast geographical area for many centuries. The Arameans were not a powerful entity with colonies, huge expansionist military campaigns, or significant cultural influence, unlike the success behind Latin, Greek or Arabic	47
I hear in the 1980s - and remember some of it as a child - placing personal ads in newspapers and magazines was a common way of meeting a potential partner. Was this quite widespread as dating or hook-up apps are today, or was it a marginal thing, even looked down upon?	43
There are attempts to discuss WWI in popular culture as a war where there was no "clear evil side", meaning between the adversaries the reasons for going into war come down to imperialistic pursuits? What is your assessment of such comments?	34
In Dead Souls, Gogol describes the sale of serfs in exchange for money, completely independent of the land they work on. Was this satirical only and would have been recognised as such by the contemporary readers or was it an established practice equivalent to slavery?	29
The Venetians almost destroyed the Parthenon in 1687 fighting the Ottomans. Was this an accident or is there evidence that they knew what they were doing - meaning they were aware of the ammunition held in it - and still proceeded with their plan?	26
Reagan's public policies or lack thereof are considered to be directly responsible for many people's lives, victims of AIDS in the US. If the American administration under Reagan was inefficient in their response, what was the level of response internationally, especially in wealthier countries?	24
The Middle Ages were a time of great technological advancements, for instance in civil engineering and architecture. Why was the term Dark Ages applied to this period and is it still used by historans?	22
In ancient Rome (the city) was it common to see women of all social classes in the streets? Or was it mostly working women, with the wealthy women confined at home? Would there have been considerably more men in the streets, markets, and public buildings and forums?	19
In Genius, Mileva Maric is shown as a subject of derision, discrimination and disrespect by her fellow colleagues at the Zurich Polytechnic, who view her as some sort of a curious anomaly. Was this typical treatment of women in sciences at that time in Europe?	12
Prof Brinkmann claims 'whitewashing' first appeared in Renaissance Italy, specifically in the context of Renaissance sculpture. Is this view widely accepted among historians or this question still remains to be studied?	12

« < > »