I’ve heard of Tel Dan and The House of David but not much of the - seemingly related to the conquest of Canaan - Judges in anthropological terms. Is this simply a “Mediterranean Dark Age” hole in the textual record? Are Ruth, Judges, Kings, Samuel etc regarded with more historic credibility than other parts of the Bible?

I've seen books with middling Amazon reviews praised by historians and vice versa; I've seen Pulitzer winners that historians shrugged at or cautioned against. If someone doesn't have the time to dig into an author's previous work looking for bias or blind spots, or to read half a dozen books on a topic to get all the perspectives, but still wants more meat and analysis than Wikipedia offers, what's the best way to tell if a book under consideration is worth picking up?

I get that most topics are going to have multiple valid points of view, but what are some red flags to warn a reader away from something other than obvious bias (books co-authored by pundits for example). Or, maybe more importantly, green flags that indicate a particularly good work?

During WWII at any time did the Axis powers join forces (besides Germany & Italy) to battle the Allies? And if so when/where?

So in the Age of Sail, a lot of concern was put into making sure the water rations lasted, and being becalmed could be a disaster because there was no way to get more water unless it rained. However distilleries/stills had been around for centuries at this time, mostly for the manufacture of spirits, but did it just not occur to anyone that it could also be used to make seawater drinkable? I mean it probably couldn’t have kept up with the rate at which water was consumed on a ship and the best way to restock would still be rain, but it could’ve at least helped stretch supplies a bit at least. Did it just not occur to anyone?

I'm aware that Cuba was in many ways an agent of Soviet interests, but I'm also aware that Cuba had its own political ideals and sometimes clashed with Soviet control.

Now add to that the relatively small geographic area, population, and economy of Cuba, and contrast it with the breadth of its foreign influence during the Cold War: military actions in Angola and other African nations, diplomatic presence in Oceania, military and economic support throughout Central America. How did such a small nation have such a large presence?

Was Cuba purely a pass-through of Soviet influence in these far-reaching influences? Or was Cuba able to self-fund these efforts through domestic economic activity?

So I have an ancestor who was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1695 but He immigrated to Dromore, Ireland at some point because he married my great grandmother there in 1715 and he stayed there. I know around the time he must of left the Jacobite Rising was occurring but I haven’t been able to figure out when he would have immigrated but his father and mother died in Scotland and his wife was born in Dromore so I guess I’m trying to figure out from a general view point on what motives he had or anyone at that time had to leave

Edit: Here’s some info about him if it’s relevant

Robert John Milliken B. 1695 Renfrewshire, Scotland D. 1750 Dromore, Ireland M. Agnes McFarland in Dromore, Ireland in 1715

Father is James Milliken b. 1648 Renfrewshire, Scotland D. 1725 Scotland

Mother is Harriet Frazer B. 1648 Knock, Scotland D. 1710 Scotland

This question also stretches beyond the realms of music I suppose. Celebrities and legends are nothing new, I understand there have been 1,000s throughout history, but during the 1700s etc did these figures know of each other and communicate with one another.

It’s fascinating for me to try and comprehend. Thank you.

How many scholars are specialized in history of biblical times? How many of them don't accept the historical existence of Jesus?

Since both the Nile River and the Colorado River flow through considerable extents of hot desert climate, in which desert agriculture would be possible, how come an Egyptian-like civilization never grew around the Colorado River?

I read that skulls were drawn on German bombs and tanks during Workd War 1.

In SS uniforms, skulls were drawn on the caps.

Is there any reason why skulls were associated with German armies and forces so much?

Look at the title of the Constitution, with its overly excessive serifs. There are three serifs alone for every lowercase E. How does one even manage to think that the curved portion of an “e” is a natural place to add a slash? Or John Hancock’s signature, with that unnecessary flourish at the bottom. He could’ve stopped at the K, but instead he just had to put some decorative swoop in a separate stroke. And it appears this embellishment came as naturally for him as crossing a t. And then there’s blackletter in general, which has all these useless lines and diamonds added randomly. Even today, if you look at The New York Times, you’re reminded of how illegible the font is.

If you’ve ever watched videos of people practicing calligraphy, it takes them 30 seconds to write down a single word. Meanwhile, Jacob Shallus apparently wrote the 4,000+ words of the Constitution over the course of two days — curly entry swashes and all.

Were timeliness, resource efficiency, and reduction of potential points of error not important concepts hundreds of years ago? I just don’t understand why so many practical documents were written in such extravagant fashion. I’m trying hard to imagine some 1700s eight-year-olds who were all forced to write their names in fAnCy aesthetics.

Why was this practice of “decorative” handwriting so ubiquitous? Were flourishes just a subconscious part of people’s handwriting back in the day, or were they more an unnaturally learned behavior, such as dotting lowercase i’s with a heart? Or maybe this type of decoration was encouraged from childhood. “Good job, Georgie! I love how you added that random, extra squiggly line in your G. It really shows off your sensitive side.”

I am interested in learning more about the mysterious Sea Peoples who arrived to Egypt at the end of the Bronze Age. I am aware of some of the more conventional theories of where they came from, but would love to hear someone expand on the current state of evidence. I am also curious if there are any more fringe theories about their origin that aren’t widely accepted or discussed. First time posting here, hope it’s ok!

I discovered the fact that the current day Ghana, Benin, and Mauritania are not located on where the Kingdom of Ghana, the Kingdom of Benin, and Mauretania used to be. I was wondering why the people of these nations named their countries after historically unrelated countries when they became independent from European powers. Also, why is it that we don't see any disputes with these names? If a similar thing happened in Europe, e.g. Macedonia, it would have brought a lot of controversy, but we rarely see the people of Mali saying anything about the name of the Republic of Ghana, even though the Mali Empire had succeeded Ghana in history.

This is a claim that's fairly common, and seems to be the belief of most Ukrainians in the modern day. Are there actually any documents which imply that Stalin or other members of the CPSU intended to harm Ukraine with the famine, or is all evidence of this circumstantial?

My partner is trying to argue that a knight in full armor did not have enough freedom of movement to successfully mount a horse (from like a mounting block, if not the ground) by himself, and had to utilize a system of hand operated poles with tethers and the help of a squire.

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IS THIS TRUE?!?!?!?! are all my childhood fantasies of knights dashing off on their steeds just impossible?!