For example, I have heard from various sources the difference between a "Battlefield weapon" like a Longsword as opposed to a "sidearm" sword, but was the specific term "Sword of War" or a direct translation thereof, a term used by people in the late medieval to early modern ages?

This is going to sound like an awful question, but if one of the goals of the Nazi regime was to exterminate the Jewish population, why were there survivors? Why were bunk houses built for the Jewish people to live in at concentration camps? Why weren’t they just brought in on trains, immediately killed, and their bodies dumped in mass graves? What was the purpose of keeping them alive for so long if the goal was to kill them all?

I was doing some brief research recently of Chinese Freemasons and modern day Triads, and how they are derived and this sort of thing. It came to my attention that the Hongmen (I'm not sure if this is the proper name) initiation contains parts about destroying the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty. I have also heard this in other places, like art and otherwise. I am curious as to what exactly caused the Hongmen to want to restore the Ming Dynasty. How did this connection between the Ming Dynasty and Hongmen begin? What about the Qing Dynasty did they dislike? I'm having some trouble finding anything for this, could any of you recommend some good sources for more context on either the Hongmen or the Ming-Qing Transition? I'm not super informed on Chinese history.

Bonus Question: Could you recommend any good sources for learning about the differences in art and pottery specifically between Chinese Dynasties?

By "everyone" i mean people from all over greece (by my perception)

I want some realism in my story and my main character would be traveling to an unfamiliar area to her, so, presumably, some of the crops farmers grew would be different from what’s she’s used to seeing/eating. Any and all food grown in European countries at that time frame would be extremely helpful to my efforts to create a realistic story, save for the fantasy elements here and there

My mom started digging into our family tree and was able to trace my lineage up until the 1600s and until myself, they were all in France. The only thing I know (who knows if it’s accurate) is that the French used to be the Gauls and then charlemagne was a thing, they became Christian and then it turned into the France I’m familiar with.

I tried doing some online research and it basically said they came from the same boat as the Celtics but I think of England and Ireland when I hear Celtic. Can someone help me kind of figure out what the origins were?

From what I understand conquering a country usually means by military force and to annex a country means that the annexed country wanted to join to the annexer. (it's a word now) did all the countries that the USSR annex (Poland, Baltic states, Albania, ect.) Do so willingly? Also I keep reading that the USSR occupied their annexed country's with military forces, which kind of sounds like what happened when a country is conquered. Any clarification is much appreciated

My 8th grade history told me it can be very dangerous to judge the past by modern morals/standards. Can someone explain this to me? I read Wikipedia’s page on presentism and I kind of understand it but at what point does it become dangerous. I was having a conversation with a co worker about Ota Benga and the 1904 worlds fair and i felt he simplified the argument that people were terrible and it was horrible what happened. I get he had a sad story and ending but from what i also read he seemed ok and happy with meeting everyone at the fair. I’m not sure what my real question is other than what are the dangers of looking at and finding understanding to historical events/practices of the past from a modern perspective. I know hitler and slavery are commonly used examples. Thanks!

I know that there were female samurai before the Meiji Restoration, and I know that the Japanese military used the ideals of the old samurai class to inspire Japanese citizens and soldiers. What I'm curious about is how this resurrected & popularized idea of Bushidō was communicated toward women. Were Japanese women & girls inculcated with a "Samurai code" in the same way and with the same ideals that Japanese men & boys were?

*edit: By "Early 20th Century" I mean anything from 1900 to 1945, basically.

What did they wear indoors vs. outdoors?

In Greek accounts, Athens was burned down and sacked by the Persians under Xerxes two times: in 480 BC and in 479 BC. But in Persian accounts it is completely different and they say Xerxes liberated the city and like his predecessors he let the people to retain their religion and traditions.

Sorry if this isn’t allowed, delete if so. I’ve always been fascinated by WW2 and recently found out that my Italian great grandfathers were Apparently pow’s in India. My nonno isn’t always on top of his history so I was wondering if there’s a way / link to see the list of Italian pow’s in India. I’m seeing that the British library has something but I’m having a hard time finding the actual document. If anyone can help or has any knowledge on this is would be so so helpful! Thank you :)

Hey guys, I was just wondering if there are any historical texts/artwork that shows Viking hairstyles like Hollywood has portrayed them in shows such as Vikings and Norsemen. The hairstyles I am mostly talking about are usually severely shaved back and sides of head, I figured it was to show off their multiple tattoos but I wasn’t sure if it was a purely creative choice on the show creators part or if there was some sort of historical context.

My friend tells me that Plastina is a very famous name in the Philipines. Apparently a member of their family was very close to a king about 50 years ago. Googling reveals nothing to me, so I wanted to ask you guys.

Considering Germany and Finland were allies for a time it seems like that they must have discussed to what happend to Finland in 1939 especially in regards the timing of the winter war. So did Germany sell out Finland there or what exactly was the plan here?

It seems that the combined weight of all of China should’ve been able to steamroll the Korean kingdom, but they managed to smash any army and resist any invasion attempt that Sui threw at them. How did they manage this feat?