AskHistorians

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Rodrigo Diaz aka El Cid is known as a Christian-Spanish folk hero and subject of epic poetry of a pious, chivalrous crusader, but he also served as a mercenary for Berber and Muslim/Moorish forces. How did the Islamic literature traditions treat him?	257
The Byzantines still believed to refer to themselves as Romans. However, an aspect of Roman identity is its founding by Romulus and Remus, descended by Aeneas, a Trojan prince who was the son of Venus. How did the Christian Byzantines reconcile their identity with their Greco-roman pagan origins?	102
Did Julius Caesar intend to reform the Republic and Senate from its lethargic state and step down from dictatorship like Cincinnatus after his campaigns and reforms, or did he want to become king in all but name?	47
The Romans preserved or adopted the traditions of the Greeks, primarily via the Etruscans and Magna Graecia. But how much of the traditions and customs of the old Latin tribes, like the Samnites survived in Roman culture throughout the Empire??	25
Are there views in historiography that sees Odoacer's Kingdom as a continuation of the Roman State, given the continued existence of the Senate, legal and administrative institutions, and Emperor Zeno's recognition of Odoacer as a governor of Italy?	12
I am a Roman from Scipio Africanus' time. I've seen glimpses into the future, into the time of the First Triumvirate, Nero, Trajan, Diocletian, Constantine, Theodosius, Justinian, Basil ii, Alexios Comnene and Constantine XI. How recognisable would they be to me as Romans?'	11
Cyrus the Great and Croesus went to war in Anatolia around 547 BCE. When was the earliest point of contact between the Greek City-states and Persia, and how (i.e., Trade) and how much did the Greeks knew of the Persian life, culture, religion and society by the Peace of Callias?	7
Why did Howard Hughes (presumably) wanted to kill off RKO Pictures? What was his intent in owning and then mismanaging a Big 5 Hollywood studio?	6
The primary elements of King Arthur come from the Historia Regum Britanniae, expanded by the Vulgate Cycle until L'Morte D'Artur. While this results in a linear line of influences and chronology of Arthurian Mythos, what about Robin Hood? Does it have any foundational texts, or chronology?	3
In the Historiae Regum Britanniae, Aeneas' descendant Brutus of Troy was directed by the goddess Diana to settle in Britain. How did those in medieval times approach pagan gods of classical literature, especially the Gallo-Etruscan-Greco-Roman pantheon?	3

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