A highly moderated subreddit frequented by historians and experts, intended to help facilitate public interest in history by connecting experts with obscure questions that might not otherwise occur to them. ## I asked - [p] [What did Ancient Egyptian princesses do?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ly931r/what_did_ancient_princesses_do_if_they_didnt_wind/) - [p] [Wikipedia says that cities subjugated by the Aztecs often rebelled when there was a new ruler. Is this true?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/u0s301/wikipedia_says_that_cities_subjugated_by_the/i73cnj4/?context=3) - [p] [Cornwall was a major source of tin for the ancient world, but which of their trade partners sent coral?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/um16rg/cornwall_was_a_major_source_of_tin_for_the/) - [p] [I'm a woman in the Bronze Age with no special access to prestige items. Do I own a knife? What kind? What do I use it for?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/raysc8/im_a_woman_in_the_bronze_age_with_no_special/) - [p] [[Early African Trade Centers]] - [p] [[Coins and Commodity Money]] - [c] [Would there have been any women at Krak des Chevaliers when it was captured by the Mamluk sultanate?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/weu4fs/would_there_have_been_any_women_at_krak_des/) - [c] [When were wars / battles / raiding seasons outside of places that have clear “summer/winter” seasons fought?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ur2nbx/when_were_wars_battles_raiding_seasons_outside_of/) - [c] How do ancient Chinese sanitation systems compare to those found in other river valley civilizations? [Attempt #1](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/irouuf/how_did_ancient_chinese_sewerstoilets_work/) | [Attempt #2](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kup24l/how_do_ancient_chinese_sanitation_systems_compare/) | [Attempt #3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kup24l/how_do_ancient_chinese_sanitation_systems_compare/) - [c] [How did the ancients teach literacy?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/l6vwwi/how_did_the_ancients_teach_literacy/) - [c] [[how does feudalism compare to hacienda systems]] - [c] [How did age-sets work to encourage cooperation in East African communities?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/mpq1jt/how_did_agesets_work_to_encourage_cooperation_in/) (relevant to [[age-sets]]) - [c] [Was the Maya game Pok-a-Tok really played to settle conflicts between warring groups and noblemen?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/r1hzii/was_the_maya_game_pokatok_really_played_to_settle/) - [c] [The clothes worn by the king's wives and daughters distinguished them by rank, but what WAS the practical difference between their ranks in Korea's Joseon Dynasty?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qjx2ns/the_clothes_worn_by_the_kings_wives_and_daughters/) and see: [[what was the difference between a Joseon empress and queen]] ## I Answered - [As a non-historian, how can I identify accessible, legitimate writing about medieval history without accidentally reading white supremacist propaganda/invented history?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kv3z8z/as_a_nonhistorian_how_can_i_identify_accessible/giwjsn2/?context=3) (adapted into [How to Evaluate Stuff You Learn on the Internet](https://www.obsidianroundup.org/evaluating-references/)) - [Do we call Pharaohs by names they actually used?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/lwuiyr/short_answers_to_simple_questions_march_03_2021/gpsldof/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) - [Why didn't any South American natives domesticate the Capybara, Tapir, or Peccary?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/lyraqg/why_didnt_any_south_american_natives_domesticate/) - [[Egyptian royal inbreeding had minor impacts|The Hapsburgs are famous for their defects due to inbreeding. This must also be true for ancient Egyptian royalty who routinely married their siblings, but if that is the case, why have I never heard of it?]] - [[Egyptian royal inbreeding had minor impacts]] - [[The relationship between Carthage and the Hellenes]] - [[Calendars and Rites of Passage]] - [[Hemp Was Used as a Recreational Drug by the Scythians]] ## I liked - Read this interesting [[rAskHistorians]] [answer to "how much of the modern russian far east did the chinese explore?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/i659jg/how_much_of_the_modern_russian_far_east_did_the/) that details the interactions between Russia and [[China]], particularly [[Mongols]] and Manchuria from the 7th century to the 1800s. This was linked from an [answer about Hokkaido (Japan) and the native Ainu people](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/lni0t3/looking_for_reading_suggestions_on_hokkaido/). - here's a decent overview of [how boardinghouses worked in 19th century New York](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ue8gbs/it_seems_like_boarding_houses_were_incredibly/) that reminded me a bit of Agent Carter; [[Backwards Mapping Fiction]]. - this is a phenoemal look into [the reign of Xerxes](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/uhk6k1/greek_views_of_xerxes_have_shaped_western_views/), how the [[Persia|Persian]] empire handled power, rebellions, family power, expansion of the empire, uniting the Persian empire, centralization of power, and above all how Xerxes likd to build things. - This is a really nice [roundup of resources about ancient city guards](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qignt7/the_fantasy_trope_of_a_city_guard_was_largely/hijvze5/) that I can dig deeper into if I ever need to. - Here's a really nice [history of the canary islands](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/u0h53o/between_1402_and_1496_spain_conquered_the_canary/) written by a native. - Here's a really lovely [story of a first-generation backwoods-born American son of great adversity, who hung out with George Washington but lacked social skills despite being talented](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/u2agqz/i_could_imagine_the_first_generation_of_children/): Major General John Stark who was an instrumental but lesser-known figure of the American Revolution. If you’re not familiar with Stark, he was involved in several battles including Bunker Hill, Trenton, and Princeton, but he is best known for his moniker as the Hero of Bennington for his victory in Vermont in 1777. Shortly after, he was involved in stopping the British retreat at Saratoga. He coined the New Hampshire state motto, “Live free or die.” - [In 400 AD Rome hosted a population of well over a million people, 200 years later the population of the city was counted in low tens of thousands. So, was there just a gigantic empty ghost town located in the center of Italy? What happened to all that infrastructure?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ungz8t/in_400_ad_rome_hosted_a_population_of_well_over_a/) because the answer is specifically talking about the decline of Roman infrastructure, but does a good job of explaining how, for example, amphitheatres become farms, stone buildings for housing get reused. - [Can obsidian be turned into a sword like weapon?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ul4de5/can_obsidian_be_turned_into_a_sword_like_weapon/) because it does a really good job of showing how Obsidian developed as a weapon materiel in Mesoamerica. #articleseed/overviewTopic/knives - This thread asks [what makes "Milk and Honey" so special in Abrahamic religion?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kuxui4/what_makes_milk_and_honey_so_special_in_abrahamic/) and the answer goes into detail about [[Phoenician]] trade in a way that really kind of makes me think of Phoenicia as being very similar to Poland in that the Caananites were sort of trapped between superpowers and although the Caananite city-states were culturally aligned with one another, the different city-states fell to different powers at different times (i.e. [[Egypt]], [[Mesopotamia|Assyria]]). The main takeaway (and what I added to these notes) is that milk and honey was able to be traded by the Phoenicians because the mountain part of their territory wasn't taken over as much and couldn't support "normal" agriculture but they could raise sheep and have advanced beekeeping, so it became "the land from which milk and honey flows." Milk and honey didn't mean "wealth" to the Israelites (they weren't luxury goods or anything) it meant *safety* because the Phoenican coast was fairly safe from invaders, which the Israelites would have valued. - This [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/l7ga78/the_five_element_system_earth_water_fire_air/?user_id=107156619577) via [[rAskHistorians]] does a really nice job of clearing up misconceptions about whether or not the elements of [[classical antiquity]] really grew out of [[Greek]] thought: the tl;dr on this is that Aristotle and Plato are *erroneously* both given credit for the 5 elements theory (earth, air, wind, fire, spirit). - the popularity of long straight swords throughout post-[[Roman]] Europe and Asia mostly has to do with similarities to the Roman weapons. Curved weapons were probably more effective, but were often considered "lower class" because of their resemblance to peasant weapons. [Source](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ktzkix/why_were_curved_swords_more_prevalent_in_eastern/) - [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/emq127/the_incas_were_able_to_construct_one_of_the/fdqq5e5/) thread about gift economies in lieu of money among the [[Incan|Inca]] is going to be really useful for refactoring [[Civil Mage|Civil Mage]] to not have a monetary system (see also: [[Coins and Commodity Money]]) but I don't have the mental capacity right now to really mine it for details. It also talks about the tribute system and how taxation in terms of labor during the "off" months was less problematic than a tax on harvest goods a la feudalism. * Incidentally, there was a comment that said "This reminds me of the trade / debt value system in the goblin market in the Wayward Children series." that inspired [[2021-03-24 5 SFF Stories With Unconventional Economic Systems (DRAFT)]] - [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/gu1tj5/did_people_realize_they_were_part_of_a/ftb9pet/?context=3) is an absolutely amazing post on the [[Bronze Age]] "collapse" that seems like it would be amazing story fodder. It's also specifically about a book I own, 1177BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H Cline (and the flaws with it). - [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/esuwlr/how_did_carthage_raise_an_army_if_they_nearsolely/ffeckip/) is a great thread about the composition of [[Phoenician|Carthaginian]] armies and their navy, which has some great tie-ins with [[The Tyrants of Syracuse by Jeff Champion]]. - [This thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/l8zfmc/did_the_99_feel_rome_declining/) in [[rAskHistorians]] really reminded me of the homilies given in L. E. Modesitt's *Imager Portfolio* -- I hadn't realized they were an actual thing that happened in the early Christian church, and now I want to riff off of that for my [[Backwards Mapping Fiction]] series. - This [explanation of the origins of the term 'going postal'](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/v20gki/the_term_going_postal_refers_to_getting/) had a lot of interesting history about the US postal service and especially its changes from a very community-based thing to a more soulless process. - This [[rAskHistorians]] thread on the topic of [how much did Persia, Rome and China have to do with Axum](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ldwcqz/the_manichean_prophet_mani_regarded_axum_as_one/) might be useful, #xref with [[The Civilizations of Africa by Christopher Ehret#ch05p215 Politics and Trade in the Kingdom of Aksum]]. - this is a really interesting [summary of the role of Dionysis and Orpheus cults and myths in Greece](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/u6pw6m/what_is_the_relationship_between_dionysus_and/), particularly involving people being ripped limb from limb. ### [[rAskHistorians|r/AskHistorians]] > [How do sleep patterns vary between forager and farming communities?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/fanssm/have_sleep_patterns_always_been_the_same_i_read/fj1ejya/) > In these situations, how one sleeps becomes a part of how one's social world is reified. So this seemingly inconsequential habit becomes related to how you tend your home's fire, how you build your house, how often you have sex with your partner, how your partner feels about sexuality, if your husband will cheat on you, how often your infant is held, and whether your toddler will be hit by another in child-on-child violence. I read this great comment about how sleep patterns are incredibly tied to culture. It's great for stuff like how the [[Monche Nomads]] might wake up often to tend a fire, and how groups in pastoral communities cosleep. ^95daf6 ### [[rAskHistorians|r/AskHistorians]] > [Did ancient societies just go out every summer to fight each other over nothing in particular?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/klfwu4/did_ancient_societies_just_go_out_every_summer_to/) > So in several premodern societies you literally had a dedicated class that would go out of its way to wage war for profit, for power and for glory, and not necessarily in a a centralized way, as allies in a former campaign could later become bitter enemies over the division of the spoils of war. Do bear in mind that not all military operations were epic wars of conquest, not at all, many times these groups were content with merely raiding and plundering border territories and carrying off with the loot before effective resistance could be mounted. > <div></div> > <cite>u/wilymaker</cite> This is a genuinely fantastic explanation of why raids (such as those fought in [[Lysaria]] prior to the [[Unification War]] were fought. ### [[rAskHistorians|r/AskHistorians]] > [How advanced were Mesoamerican societies compared to their northern counterparts?](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/k30toz/why_were_the_meso_american_tribes_so_much_more/gf997n2/?context=3) > Trade networks connected Puebloans all the way to Mesoamerica, largely through tribes that the Mesoamericans labelled as Chichimec, but these trade links cannot be ignored due to their scale. The formation of Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL) possibly occurred in this period, considering by the time Europeans arrived, around half of the continental United States was already engaged in the use of universal trade signs between them. The Puebloans are also known to have produced, apart from cities, certain defensive works, and great palaces as well. > > Now, while neither necessarily built, say, dams, aqueducts, and chinampas like the Mesoamericans did, they had their own things to deal with. Mississippians didn't have any shortage of water and figured out their own solutions to dealing with the river (mound-building, for instance, may have started as a defense against floods, and city walls likewise), while the Puebloans figured out irrigation in the relatively arid and mountainous climate of their homeland, able to get the most out of their crops. Both cultures adopted the Three Sisters agricultural system around this time, which significantly contributed to crop and diet diversity, and made every inch of land all the more productive. They're not less advanced, they're just coming to different solutions. > <div></div> > <cite>u/Milkhemet_Melekh</cite> Some really useful notes about [[2020-08-24 Chichimecs|Chichimecs]] and [[Mesopotamia|Mesopotamian]] civilizations, and especially some useful information for best practices for agriculture that might be useful for the Temple of [[The Gardener]].