url stringlengths 70 107 | id stringlengths 5 7 | num_comments int64 1 811 | name stringlengths 8 10 | title stringlengths 14 300 | body stringlengths 0 39.6k | score int64 0 56.8k | upvote_ratio float64 0.16 1 | distinguished stringclasses 1
value | over_18 bool 1
class | created_utc float64 1.32B 1.69B | comments list | best_num_comments int64 1 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/13pi8m3/is_there_a_job_that_involves_astronomy_and/ | 13pi8m3 | 9 | t3_13pi8m3 | Is there a job that involves astronomy and ancient history? | 7 | 0.77 | null | false | 1,684,829,972 | [
{
"body": "Yes.\n\nArchaeoastronomy is a field of study that analyzes how past civilizations understood the sky, and what cultural role that may have had for their scientific understanding, religious beliefs and practices, their society's architecture, or upon their arts. Clive Ruggles is a well known scholar ... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/11c15ca/what_perspective_did_herodotus_write_the/ | 11c15ca | 2 | t3_11c15ca | What perspective did Herodotus write The Histories from? (Ancient History) | Herodotus was a great traveller with an eye for detail, a good geographer and a man with an indefatigable interest in the customs and past history of his fellow citizens. His *magnum opus* is undeniably *The Histories* depicting the Greco-Persian Wars. I was therefore wondering exactly from what perspective was this hi... | 0 | 0.5 | null | false | 1,677,373,120 | [
{
"body": "Hi there - unfortunately we have had to remove your question, because [/r/AskHistorians isn't here to do your homework for you](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/rules#wiki_homework). However, our rules DO permit people to ask for help with their homework, so long as they are seeking clarif... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/xopd8m/ancient_history_where_to_start/ | xopd8m | 6 | t3_xopd8m | Ancient History, where to start? | Hey Everyone,
Tl:dr - Need opinions on which to start reading about Ancient History? And what era/civilization/empire excites you personally in the Ancient History?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the past up until a few months ago, i was not int... | 2 | 0.6 | null | false | 1,664,212,255 | [
{
"body": "Welcome to /r/AskHistorians. **Please [Read Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/rules) before you comment in this community**. Understand that [rule breaking comments get removed](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/h8aefx/rules_roundtable_xviii_removed_curation_and_why... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/w4wt98/is_there_a_book_or_resource_that_deals_with_the/ | w4wt98 | 2 | t3_w4wt98 | Is there a book or resource that deals with the entire history of meat processing, dating back to ancient history? How past cultures broke a carcass down, what parts were used for what, etc. | 42 | 0.89 | null | false | 1,658,450,820 | [
{
"body": "‘Lesser Beasts: A Snout-to-Tail History of the Humble Pig’ does a good job of covering the history of pork consumption back to ancient history, but does not detail butchering techniques. \n\nHere are some additional books that speak to the history of meat, but may not have the butchering specifics yo... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/tzm3z9/how_do_we_know_any_of_our_ancient_history_is/ | tzm3z9 | 5 | t3_tzm3z9 | how do we know any of our ancient history is actually true? | Everybody has played the game of telephone where successive attempts to pass a statement between person to person become muddled and increasingly more inaccurate until the final answer has little if any resemblance to what was initially said.
I can only imagine that because all of history until very recently aside fro... | 78 | 0.85 | null | false | 1,649,480,867 | [
{
"body": "This question, nearly exactly came up barely a week ago with a good answer from u/itsallfolklore\n\nhttps://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ttqg14/how_do_we_know_that_our_history_is_correct/\n\nIn that same thread I replied with an older answer from a similar question answered by u/DanKensing... | 3 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/vb72lw/were_the_hebrews_ever_attacked_by_egypt_in/ | vb72lw | 3 | t3_vb72lw | Were the Hebrews ever attacked by Egypt in ancient history? (was the attack from Shishak true?) | Any insight appreciated | 2 | 0.75 | null | false | 1,655,107,544 | [
{
"body": "Yes, many times, and often when they weren't actively being invaded, Egypt was still meddling in their affairs. \n\nThe story of Shishak, specifically, is a difficult one to confirm in history because of the presence of the Hebrew king, Solomon, who is regarded as a mostly legendary character by hist... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ttn9dx/is_there_any_surviving_lyrics_from_ancient_history/ | ttn9dx | 4 | t3_ttn9dx | Is there any surviving lyrics from ancient history? | IIRC not very much is known about music in the antiquity (Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia...) in comparison to later times, mostly learnt from mosaics, paintings, carvings and such but most depicts people playing instruments and or dancing.
So I ask if there is any surviving records or fragments even of any concrete song pl... | 6 | 1 | null | false | 1,648,808,052 | [
{
"body": "While you wait for a more comprehensive answer, the always wonderful u/Spencer_A_McDaniel has written an excellent article about Ancient Greek music, complete with reconstructed recording of most pieces of music from the Greek world that have survived.\n\nhttps://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2019/10/30/... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/t9xfs3/are_there_any_prominent_or_any_at_all_references/ | t9xfs3 | 3 | t3_t9xfs3 | Are there any prominent, or any at all, references to the great sphinx in ancient history? | like to preface this by saying that i know very little about ancient egypt and nearly nothing about the great sphinx.
I read a very brief passage on the sphinx and learned the word itself is a greek term and that we arent sure what exactly it was actually originally called and it got me wondering. What is the earlies... | 15 | 1 | null | false | 1,646,793,043 | [
{
"body": "There are various representations of the Sphinx in New Kingdom art (*edit:* 'New Kingdom' means 16th to 11th centuries BCE), showing it as having a beard and a crown. These can't have been part of the original carving: the beard was detached -- fragments have been found -- and it is suspected that th... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/nt116i/how_much_ancient_history_is_lost_forever_simply/ | nt116i | 14 | t3_nt116i | How much ancient history is lost forever simply because it was made of wood? | 239 | 0.92 | null | false | 1,622,914,763 | [
{
"body": "I mean that's a super broad question to answer simply because we don't know. Since wood rots in almost every climate and circumstance produced by nature, almost all of it has and the only way we could know the potential is if it hadn't, and if all the wood didn't rot you wouldn't be asking this quest... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/rli2aq/ancient_history_facts_are_often_framed_in_a/ | rli2aq | 4 | t3_rli2aq | Ancient history facts are often framed in a "re-discovery" kind of way, like finding out about another sumerian king or such things. I wonder: How firm was roman imperial succession transmitted through the ages? Were there any emperors that were forgotten, and only later "re-discovered"? | And how does this compare to contemporary Great powers, like the diverse persian empires? | 44 | 0.89 | null | false | 1,640,103,469 | [
{
"body": "Yes this actually happens. It’s rare with such well documented persons but there was one “emperor” during the third century crisis who was “lost” to history until the 1930s when he was found on a random coin in the British museum.\n\nEmperor Silbannacus is now believed to have reigned briefly during ... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r7d5za/did_a_concept_of_property_exist_in_prehistory/ | r7d5za | 4 | t3_r7d5za | Did a concept of property exist in prehistory? Also, did poor and middle-class people in ancient history and prehistory move houses/cities, and how? | Yes, it does seem like a fairly silly question, but moving houses and cities in frigging 2021 is still a big deal. Even with movers and packers who just wrap up your entire house and then you take a flight and your entire house reaches its destination a few days later, even with that, it's a nightmare. How did people d... | 25 | 0.86 | null | false | 1,638,467,958 | [
{
"body": "Not a silly question at all, actually a very good one requiring a complicated answer. I can't take a proper stab at it right now but I can point you towards some reading on the topic. This series of blog posts is very good, summarizing some thick and hard-to-get tomes on related subjects:\n\nhttp://h... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qi4ukn/how_to_prepare_for_studying_ancient_history_for/ | qi4ukn | 5 | t3_qi4ukn | How to prepare for studying ancient history for graduate work when my college has almost no courses related to my intended areas of study? | Hello! I'm currently a sophomore undergraduate history major wanting to study either the ancient Mediterranean world(Egypt, Mesopotamia, Rome) or Mayan and Aztec civilizations for graduate school. Currently I'm a bit lost since there's nobody in the history department who has specialized in these fields since the main ... | 8 | 0.9 | null | false | 1,635,482,418 | [
{
"body": ">I wanted to ask if I should double major in anthropology due to the lack of exposure? I feel like I should've double majored in anthropology initially since there's more courses offered related to ancient history than the history department currently offers.\n\nI think this heavily depends on your d... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kvwgpm/how_does_one_go_about_studying_ancient_egypt_with/ | kvwgpm | 24 | t3_kvwgpm | How does one go about studying ancient Egypt with an MA in Ancient History? | Hi there!
I'm currently starting an MA in Ancient History (In Switzerland). I jumped into these studies for two reasons: (1) being passionate about ancient Egypt and (2) being assured by the university representative that it could lead me to working in research studying that field.
Unfortunately, after approaching tw... | 6 | 0.88 | null | false | 1,610,473,360 | [
{
"body": "Finish your current MA degree in Ancient History. In the meantime, try to pick up some classes on Egyptian language, probably starting with Middle Egyptian (ca 2100 BCE to 300 CE) to boost your resume. If you have to go to a nearby University to find it, do that. Ancient Greek might be useful, too, ... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/nlc0af/what_are_some_reliable_websites_and_or_sources/ | nlc0af | 5 | t3_nlc0af | What are some reliable websites and or sources for Ancient History? | I was wondering what are some reliable websites and or sources regarding topics like Sparta, Rome and Alexander the Great. Any help would be great! Thank you | 4 | 0.83 | null | false | 1,622,018,190 | [
{
"body": "Hi there! A website that i highly recommend is Perseus Digital Library. There you can find a ton of sources such as roman and greek historians, philosophers and much more. And, for our joy, you have them in Latin or Greek and a translation in English. Perseus provides two dictionaries too if you are... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/mwwfq4/medieval_andor_ancient_history_your_army_has_just/ | mwwfq4 | 3 | t3_mwwfq4 | Medieval and/or Ancient History. Your Army has just lost a battle. What happens now? | Let's say you are the general or leader of an army in ancient or medieval times. You fight and you lose a battle, a siege or suffer significant losses due to attrition. What would you do. What would a fairly organized army even be able to do and what would they avoid. How would they motivate their forces in this case? ... | 13 | 0.85 | null | false | 1,619,187,920 | [
{
"body": "The question leaves open a wide and vague area for contemplation. Since, simply \"losing a battle\" is still a category of several possible outcomes and circumstances. There are many ways and extents to which one can \"lose\". And depending on the condition a general finds themselves in, the decision... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a4vnuv/old_generations_complain_about_the_next_one_since/ | a4vnuv | 14 | t3_a4vnuv | Old generations complain about the next one since at least Socrates, but do we have similar evidence from ancient history of the reverse: younger generations complaining that old people "just don't get it"? | There is ~~a famous quote by Socrates~~ a quote often [misattributed to Socrates](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a4vnuv/old_generations_complain_about_the_next_one_since/ebi5iu5/) complaining about younger generations:
> “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; the... | 679 | 0.95 | null | false | 1,544,448,597 | [
{
"body": "Such complaints were probably always common.\n\nIn the Greek world (or at least in Classical Greek literature) elderly men were often stereotyped as rigid, suspicious, and stingy. In his *Rhetoric*, for example, Aristotle says:\n\n\"\\[Elderly men\\] have lived many years; they have often been taken ... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/k0tufn/it_seems_to_me_that_throughout_much_of_ancient/ | k0tufn | 3 | t3_k0tufn | It seems to me that throughout much of ancient history homosexuality was pretty commonplace and accepted. What contributed to it become so demonized in the eyes of many political entities and people? Was homophobia a large issue in Ancient greece and pre-Christian Rome, or did it come from nowhere? | Obvious religion was a primary reason, but where did the stigma in the religion come from? Why did the human authors of religious texts feel the need to condemn it? Basically I want to know why the opinions of populations shifted so drastically. | 10 | 0.81 | null | false | 1,606,317,030 | [
{
"body": "A great question u/cactus_licker3 because it's obvious something changed, but (as with all historical questions) when we pry into the details it becomes so murky. Was homosexuality commonplace and accepted in much of ancient history? Yes and no. There have likely always been people who felt this way,... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/hsrd2j/how_were_new_gods_created_in_ancient_history_do/ | hsrd2j | 5 | t3_hsrd2j | How were new gods created in ancient history? Do we have some account of the "birth" of a new good in a polyteistic religion? | I recall that in ancient Greece some gods were patrons of specific cities, and that these gods prominence reflected that of the city, but how these gods were created in the first place? Did an important person made a story up about an ancestor god to justify their power, like the whole Aeneas thing being the ancestor o... | 10 | 0.73 | null | false | 1,594,970,634 | [
{
"body": "We haven't stopped \"creating\" divine figures. Even in monotheistic religions you can create new divinities, or at least psuedo-divinities. In Christianity, specifically Catholicism, we see this in the canonization of new saints. These saints become symbols of protection and essentially take on the... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8xni80/is_other_countries_have_fake_ancient_history/ | 8xni80 | 16 | t3_8xni80 | Is other countries have fake ancient history? | Well I am south korean and studying history at university.
But some korean people believe that there was an ancient Korean Empire 10000years ago call 'Hwhan'.
They think this Hwhan empire had occupied total Asia continient, half of the russia, and even America and Europe.
This is really awkward theory and there is ... | 134 | 0.91 | null | false | 1,531,216,219 | [
{
"body": "There is an excellent writeup from /u/commiespaceinvader about a nationalist pseudo-history in Hungary, which claims that the Sumerians became Scythians, Scythians became Hungarians, and also Jesus was a Scythian. Therefore Hungarians are descendants of the inventors of civilization and also Jesus.\n... | 3 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/l2mqvi/are_there_any_writings_of_jokeshumour_from/ | l2mqvi | 3 | t3_l2mqvi | Are there any writings of jokes/humour from ancient history? | 2 | 1 | null | false | 1,611,318,557 | [
{
"body": "The [oldest known written joke](https://www.wlv.ac.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/2008/august-2008/the-worlds-ten-oldest-jokes-revealed.php) is from ancient Sumeria and was written down about 1900BCE. [It's a fart joke](https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-joke-life/worlds-oldest-joke-traced-ba... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/gutgxr/ancient_history_books_recommendations/ | gutgxr | 6 | t3_gutgxr | Ancient History Books Recommendations | I've been on and off reading through the books on prehistory for the last couple of years, and now I want to somehow structure further reading. The goal is to get a good grasp on european/middle east history starting with invention of agriculture and up to around 500BC (for now), and also whatever epic literature is av... | 6 | 1 | null | false | 1,591,046,895 | [
{
"body": "For Anatolia, I recommend combining Trevor Bryce's [*Warriors of Anatolia: A Concise History of the Hittites*](https://books.google.com/books?id=XO2ODwAAQBAJ) with [*Ancient Turkey*](https://books.google.com/books?id=SsLKBgAAQBAJ) by Antonio Sagona and Paul Zimansky. All of Bryce's books on ancient A... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/j5feoh/prevalence_of_eastern_mediterraneanwestern_asian/ | j5feoh | 2 | t3_j5feoh | Prevalence of Eastern Mediterranean/Western Asian ancient history | As a reasonably well read non-historian, I (an American in my early 30s) have the impression that our most extensive knowledge of ancient history (Bronze Age and earlier) comes from the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asian regions. From where we have identified our oldest permanent cities to the most powerful empire... | 10 | 0.92 | null | false | 1,601,884,421 | [
{
"body": "Let me start by noting I am not an expert at Asian history. I have a degree in ancient history that focussed on the classical Greeks and Romans.\n\nHowever there are a number of things at play, some I learned in uni, some from further reading.\n\nFirst is the preservation of written histories. To t... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/95bnm2/modern_historians_often_doubt_the_historicity_of/ | 95bnm2 | 13 | t3_95bnm2 | Modern historians often doubt the historicity of surviving ancient histories of the Roman Kingdom. We seem to question less the ancient descriptions of people and events of the Republican and Imperial eras. How far back does our knowledge of specific people and events of Ancient Rome reliably go? | 73 | 0.91 | null | false | 1,533,648,744 | [
{
"body": "The answer to this question is quite complex and depends not only on the historian, but also what particular bit of history we are talking about. Between the things everyone agrees are \"real history\" (eg the existence of Julius Caesar) and things everyone agrees are mythical (eg Romulus) there is a... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/iot6v5/studying_ancient_history/ | iot6v5 | 4 | t3_iot6v5 | Studying ancient history | Can anyone recommend me any book to start studying the ancient history? I really wanted to learn more about the first civilization, but never was quite sure where to start. I would be really thankful for any kind of recommendation) | 2 | 0.76 | null | false | 1,599,570,342 | [
{
"body": "[*Ancient Civilizations*](https://books.google.com/books?id=isxbCgAAQBAJ) by Chris Scarre and Brian Fagan is a pretty good overview of the best attested ancient societies. I also highly recommend the superb exhibition catalogues produced by the Met Museum, both of which are available for free:\n\n* [... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2y8s0x/just_how_bad_is_the_situation_in_iraqsyria_in/ | 2y8s0x | 22 | t3_2y8s0x | Just how bad is the situation in Iraq/Syria in regards to ISIS destroying ancient history? | wondering if there are any experts on the region's history that can chime in on the destruction ISIS is doing. They've destroyed a museum in Mosul and now I'm hearing bulldozed an entire ancient city? I know civilization pretty much started over there. just how bad is it? | 285 | 0.96 | null | false | 1,425,740,429 | [
{
"body": "To those who are reporting this thread, we appreciate your diligence and vigilance. You are correct that normally these threads are against the rules due to the 20 year rule. Thank you. However, we have decided to allow this thread as it pertains to public history.",
"created_utc": 1425754539,
... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bt7on7/have_veterans_and_soldiers_always_been_at_risk_of/ | bt7on7 | 4 | t3_bt7on7 | Have veterans and soldiers always been at risk of or commonly documented to have suffered from PTSD throughout ancient history or has the nature of modern warfare given rise to war's psychological effect on the troops fighting in it? | 30 | 0.79 | null | false | 1,558,875,850 | [
{
"body": "We don't know the answer to either part of the question! It's an ongoing scholarly controversy, outlined by u/hillsonghoods in his [Monday Methods post on premodern PTSD](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9mdx60/monday_methods_on_why_did_ancient_warriors_get/). Some scholars claim that ... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/g1yuwk/its_already_established_that_there_are_records_of/ | g1yuwk | 2 | t3_g1yuwk | It's already established that there are records of PTSD occurring in medieval and ancient history, but were there any form of official, sanctioned treatment to handle people suffering from it in those time periods? | 11 | 0.74 | null | false | 1,586,978,821 | [
{
"body": "You may wish to read the [Monday Method's thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9mdx60/monday_methods_on_why_did_ancient_warriors_get/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=AskHistorians&utm_content=t1_fmbq6lr) by u/hillsonghoods on pre-modern PTSD, and the problems with di... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/g0i6t1/whats_a_good_history_textbook_one_that_goes_from/ | g0i6t1 | 3 | t3_g0i6t1 | Whats a good History Textbook? One that goes from Ancient History until Modern History. A kind of timeline. | Would love to find a book that has the main events in History. Thank you. | 3 | 1 | null | false | 1,586,781,609 | [
{
"body": "Hi there!\n\nWe flaired users here at AskHistorians actually compile and maintain a [booklist](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books). I suspect you may find [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/general) section on general history informative. I might also flag [the Ox... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/bgjgti/why_does_it_seem_like_throughout_ancient_history/ | bgjgti | 6 | t3_bgjgti | Why does it seem like throughout Ancient history, tribes were continually pushing out (North, West, and South) from Eastern Europe or the Steppes? | In the 100s BC, Germanic tribes were pushing in to Gaul enough that it gave Rome pretext for invasion. Germanic tribes also went north, supplanting the natives in Scandinavia.
In the 4th and 5th century, Goths and Lombards and Vandals moved West, leading to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The 5th century also s... | 8 | 0.9 | null | false | 1,556,042,084 | [
{
"body": "This is a good question with no possible good answer. In each case, the variables were different, and we should add to this the hypothesized \"migration\" of the Proto-Indo-Europeans into Europe, from some homeland variously located in the western Russia forested steppe or perhaps from Anatolia. Nobo... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ahq0sz/historiography_textbooks_specifically_for_ancient/ | ahq0sz | 5 | t3_ahq0sz | Historiography textbooks specifically for ancient history? | I'm looking for good books that give college or graduate students an overview on how to do history, but which are specifically oriented toward writing ancient history.
​
The only ones I've found are Morley's *Theories, Models, and Concepts in Ancient History*, Morley's *Writing Ancient History*, and perhaps Or... | 13 | 0.83 | null | false | 1,547,930,502 | [
{
"body": "Here are some others to check out:\n\nMarincola, J. (2011). Greek and Roman historiography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.\n\nKraus, C. S., Marincola, J., Pelling, C. B. R., & Woodman, A. J. (2010). Ancient historiography and its contexts: Studies in honour of A.J. Woodman. Oxford: Oxford Universit... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cs6cz8/what_are_the_best_books_covering_ancient_history/ | cs6cz8 | 5 | t3_cs6cz8 | What are the best books covering Ancient history? | I’m trying to read about Ancient history and wish to cover the entire period so I’m looking for some book recommendations about the key historical events. I’d like to start with a broad overview of the earliest settlements then follow the development of Western Civilisation. Any suggestions would be great and if I’m be... | 3 | 0.81 | null | false | 1,566,158,957 | [
{
"body": "For a fairly brief overview from the recovery after the bronze age collapse to Rome I'd recommend this by Charles Freeman which largely does what it says on the tin.\n\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Egypt-Greece-Rome-Civilizations-Mediterranean/dp/0199263647",
"created_utc": 1566163839,
"distinguish... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/h17d2x/reception_of_nonenglish_research_in_the/ | h17d2x | 2 | t3_h17d2x | Reception of non-English research in the Anglosphere (especially ancient history) | I hope this question is appropriate. I sometimes encounter that German historians (especially ancient historians) complaining about English speaking historians are more and more not able to read German or other continental European languages and thereby being unable to receive the research done there. [1] Is there any ... | 2 | 1 | null | false | 1,591,907,497 | [
{
"body": "Anyone working on a PhD in ancient history in the US is expected to have a reading knowledge of at least two modern languages, typically French and German, and most departments administer translation exams before you advance to candidacy. \n\nI wrote more about scholarly training in Egyptology in [Ho... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/cl99rn/how_do_we_know_that_people_in_ancient_history/ | cl99rn | 3 | t3_cl99rn | How do we know that people in ancient history actually worshipped their "gods" and they weren't just folk tales and folk heroes? | It seems possible to me that Indian, Greek, and Roman gods could have just been folk heroes and stories passed down from generations used metaphorically and artistically. At what point did people start thinking they were real and worshipped them? Is it possible that people would start doing that with our marvel and s... | 10 | 1 | null | false | 1,564,776,789 | [
{
"body": "For decades, folklorists followed the lead of the European folk to make a distinction between folktales, elaborate stories told as fiction, and legends, narratives told to be believed. More recently, the celebrated Swedish-Irish folklorist, Bo Almqvist (1931-2013) suggested that the definition of a l... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/es2703/in_ancient_history_did_trepanning_work_in_any/ | es2703 | 2 | t3_es2703 | In ancient history, did trepanning "work" in any sense? Why did cultures believe in this practice, and what were its usual outcomes? | 5 | 0.79 | null | false | 1,579,645,525 | [
{
"body": "Yes, it worked, at least for some things: It's a pretty straightforward treatment for a pretty straightforward injury. A blow to the head can cause bleeding in the dura, the covering for the brain. This bleeding will collect, pressing on the brain, and potentially causing death-- this is a \"subdura... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/41w3ff/why_were_eunuchs_so_prevalent_as_both_servants_to/ | 41w3ff | 13 | t3_41w3ff | Why were eunuchs so prevalent as both servants to various aristocracies, as well as major power players in ancient history? | I've been listening to an audiobook version of Susan Wise Bauer's The History of the Ancient World, and there are frequent mentions of persons both in servant roles, and as political powers over the course of ancient history, particularly Asia (For a time frame, I'm at the point where the book is recording events from ... | 45 | 0.96 | null | false | 1,453,320,340 | [
{
"body": "Hey hoooo, it’s a Big-Thinking Eunuchs Question! I shall refrain from rubbing my hands together in glee and doing a little dance, because you just unwittingly stepped onto Mrs. Caffarelli’s Wild Gender Studies Ride. \n\nEunuchs, as you have very keenly observed on your own, are seemingly the perfect ... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a634ye/how_was_winter_warfare_generally_conducted_during/ | a634ye | 4 | t3_a634ye | How was winter warfare generally conducted during Ancient History (5000 BC to 500 AD)? | There's a lot of material on post 18th century winter warfare and it's generally well understood, but I seem to find almost nothing on winter warfare before the 8th century. How were peope equipped for winter campaigns during Ancient History? I especially think of European civilisations like Rome or Greece that left th... | 11 | 0.77 | null | false | 1,544,777,325 | [
{
"body": "Hi, it seems that, generally speaking, soldiers were released during the winter, and armies reformed in spring for \"Campaign Season\". While you're waiting for a direct answer here, I took a spin for posts on the subject. Here are couple describing exceptions:\n\n* /u/ScottHammond on Alexander in [I... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5641mk/so_ive_been_reading_a_few_books_about_ancient/ | 5641mk | 9 | t3_5641mk | So I've been reading a few books about ancient history, and I have frequently encountered the claim that bronze was a superior material to iron, but iron was much more common, cheaper and easier to forge. Is this true? | 39 | 0.83 | null | false | 1,475,733,995 | [
{
"body": "u/alricofgar weighed in on this topic [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3lyrz4/why_does_the_difference_between_bronzeironsteel/) - some other commenters, such as yours truly, provided minor contributions as well.",
"created_utc": 1475758627,
"distinguished": null,
"id... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a38fn6/does_ancient_history_hold_any_records_of_massive/ | a38fn6 | 3 | t3_a38fn6 | Does ancient history hold any records of massive popular protests like those we see in this era? If so, how were they received? | I mean protests and marches equivalent to our modern day Million Man March, The Monday Demonstrations (Berlin Wall), Gay Rights, Anti-War, etc, but from ancient times.
Most of the history I learned focused on the last couple centuries, and skimmed over ancient times. | 13 | 0.81 | null | false | 1,543,981,418 | [
{
"body": "Secessio Plebis (withdrawal of the Plebs) was a form of protest that occurred several times during the Roman Republic, it entailed large portions of the Plebeian class (commoners) leaving the city and the Patricians (ruling families) to fend for themselves. \n\nSince the plebeians were the shopkeeper... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a5vq1s/were_musicians_held_in_high_regard_in_ancient/ | a5vq1s | 3 | t3_a5vq1s | Were musicians held in high regard in ancient history as they are today? | Musicians today are revered, often because they are very, very talented individuals who make us feel things words cannot begin to describe. My question is, in ancient history (for the sake of a time frame lets say from B.C. Era - 1000 A.D.) were musicians held in such high regard as they are today? Were they given incr... | 9 | 0.72 | null | false | 1,544,723,015 | [
{
"body": "I can ramble about this for a bit.\n\nPlato wrote a short dialogue called Ion, and music is the theme. The conclusion, as I remember it, is that music is not a skill, but is in fact a result of possession by the muse and is a divine gift. Thus, in a chain resembling (as Plato says) the attraction bet... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ywjgr/to_what_extent_is_our_understanding_of_very/ | 1ywjgr | 10 | t3_1ywjgr | To what extent is our understanding of very ancient history (Sumeria for example) colored by the biases of the 19th century European archeologists who first discovered their records? | 94 | 0.93 | null | false | 1,393,347,125 | [
{
"body": "I think the most salient way that they have been colored by biases is by access. Many near eastern ancient historical artifacts were discovered during the late 19th and early 20th century, which corresponded with the zenith of power for several European empires. This of course meant that lots of it e... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3u2e8j/when_reading_about_history_especially_ancient/ | 3u2e8j | 7 | t3_3u2e8j | When reading about history (especially ancient history) you always hear about envoys being slain. How was the job viewed in the lense of the contemporary population and where did they find willing recruits? | Many thanks in advance! :D | 40 | 0.88 | null | false | 1,448,363,484 | [
{
"body": "It's mentioned alarmingly often in historical texts because it was and always has been really extraordinary. Diplomats have served rulers and nations for millennia, and they frequently have been members of a ruling family or some other person with close ties to the leader. This is, incidentally, why ... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3qcow0/what_is_some_of_the_best_evidence_that/ | 3qcow0 | 12 | t3_3qcow0 | What is some of the best evidence that corroborates the Afro-centric view of ancient history? | I know a lot of people like to prove it otherwise but, if any empirical evidence actually supports some of the ideas like the early ancient Egyptians were black, the African presence in the Americas that predated the European, of black civilization in East Asia or the Black Athena idea. Some notable scholars that come ... | 14 | 0.84 | null | false | 1,445,904,328 | [
{
"body": ">the African presence in the Americas that predated the European\n\nThere is no evidence for this. You can read more about it and related theories in our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/nativeamerican), though please do follow up with more specific questions you might have.",
"c... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2m3myj/is_the_study_of_ancient_history_more_dominated_by/ | 2m3myj | 10 | t3_2m3myj | Is the study of ancient history more dominated by historiography than other time periods? | I've taken a few courses on ancient history, particularly of ancient Greece, and am growing increasingly confused with scholarship dealing with that subject matter. It seems as if every 'scholarly' book I read on the ancient world deals more with historiography than anything else, and I come away from readings more fam... | 25 | 0.8 | null | false | 1,415,820,491 | [
{
"body": "I'm sure there are people here who will disagree with me, and that's fine. \n\nYou are right to identify the paucity of sources. The effect of that is everyone working in these fields has basically read everything, so we all know what each other is talking about (if we're good at our jobs, which of... | 2 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5hn3x6/how_much_has_our_understanding_of_ancient_history/ | 5hn3x6 | 4 | t3_5hn3x6 | How much has our understanding of ancient history changed since around 1900, given new technology and archaeological findings? | Follow-up to that other question about a 1900 historian's possible "misconceptions" from our point of view. I know technology played a big role in terms of our gaining raw data about ancient history, but I don't know what was discovered when. How big would the gap between our understanding of ancient cultures and the 1... | 27 | 0.8 | null | false | 1,481,413,298 | [
{
"body": "I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that virtually every aspect of archaeology has been overwritten in the century plus since 1900. Technical improvements in optics, chemical analysis, and computing have certainly contributed substantially to our ability to analyze archaeological data, but the ... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9mybll/how_do_we_know_the_dates_of_events_in_ancient/ | 9mybll | 4 | t3_9mybll | How do we know the dates of events in ancient history? | When doing research on ancient history and going to websites like Wikipedia, it will tell you the date that an event occurred, but it isn't usually clear why a certain event was dated that way.
For example, the Wikipedia article for the Great Fire of Rome states: " The **Great Fire of Rome** was an urban fire in Jul... | 2 | 0.63 | null | false | 1,539,168,055 | [
{
"body": "This is not a problem most of us worry a great deal about, and honestly the answer is nowhere near as exciting as you might think it is. For a start, there is a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5izv93/how_confident_are_we_that_the_year_is_actually/dbc9y1r/) in the AskHistorians ... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3bl5fz/how_did_royal_chinese_women_in_ancient_history/ | 3bl5fz | 8 | t3_3bl5fz | How did royal Chinese women in ancient history get their hair into such elaborate and intricate styles? | I'm watching the Empress of China right now, and (aside from all the other things going on) my main question is how did they get (and keep) their hair in such big beautiful styles?
Is it extensions? Is it oil? | 20 | 0.85 | null | false | 1,435,632,632 | [
{
"body": "To add a little bit of meat to this answer, I talk about hairstyles and makeup styles of Tang dynasty women (what you'd be seeing in that show, seeing as it's Wu Zetian) [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2jebjb/what_are_the_significance_of_painted_eyebrows/) if you're interested.\... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/939ijp/did_any_ancient_societies_study_ancient_history/ | 939ijp | 2 | t3_939ijp | Did any ancient societies study 'ancient history', if so what did they study? (any sources?) | 13 | 0.85 | null | false | 1,532,995,724 | [
{
"body": "I am not exactly sure what you mean. The field of history itself doesn't begin until the fifth century BCE with Herodotus and Thucydides. Both had unique styles and manners to convey the past or the current, in many cases. Historians like Xenophon broke ground in areas like anecdotal and biographical... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/4x7uj3/teaching_ancient_history/ | 4x7uj3 | 6 | t3_4x7uj3 | Teaching ancient history | I am starting my Ancient History 6th grade classroom this year. I chose to move up from teaching all subjects in 4th to just ancient history in 6th. I'm very excited. I am wondering if this group could help me with a couple of things. I am going to use the series 'History of the World Through 100 Objects' as a guide fo... | 9 | 0.82 | null | false | 1,470,920,383 | [
{
"body": "This is great and I think I can recommend some great supplementary objects, but could you specify when exactly your cut-off is as far as timeline? Also, you are covering the whole world's histories I assume? ",
"created_utc": 1470964807,
"distinguished": null,
"id": "d6dy5he",
"perm... | 1 |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/76jiqz/before_radiocarbon_dating_how_inaccurate_were/ | 76jiqz | 3 | t3_76jiqz | Before Radiocarbon dating, how inaccurate were historians and archaeologists about dating ancient history, classical period, etc.? | 8 | 0.9 | null | false | 1,508,080,883 | [
{
"body": "You'd probably want to run over to ask [anthropologists](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/).\n\n\nMore broadly, prior to the understanding of radiometric dating techniques things were typically aged within the confines of what we knew. If you have one arrow head manufactured with a very speci... | 1 | |
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3z4vav/how_did_ancients_view_their_own_ancient_history/ | 3z4vav | 3 | t3_3z4vav | How did ancients view their own ancient history | Nowadays, we put great importance on ancient artefacts from hundreds or thousands of years ago. However, how did people who lived thousands of years ago think of things that were ancient for them. For example, what did the Greeks and Romans think of the Pyramids and other ancient Egyptian structures, which by then were... | 57 | 0.89 | null | false | 1,451,736,723 | [
{
"body": "Adapted my answer to a similar question asked a while ago:\n\nMost ancient peoples had a fairly detailed story of their own origins and prehistory, which tended to begin with the gods or with an age of super-human rulers. Ancient ruins that were poorly understood could be given a place in such storie... | 1 |
End of preview. Expand in Data Studio
- Downloads last month
- 5