Are there any credible theories that the mythology of Atlantis stemmed from sightings of the Americas? If so, what is the full premise of the theory.

We know that gold is not the hardest of metals and the coins could wear out easily.

So, why didn't they make them in a shape that has the least outer surface area?

I was unsure about to which 'ask' subreddit I would post this question, so I hope you guys know more?

There's a curious footnote in Rafe de Crespigny's Generals of the South (p. 9, fn. 17):

See the biography of Luan Ba in HHS [Book of the Later Han] 57/47 at 1841-42. A man of Wei commandery, Luan Ba was a curious man with a remarkable career. He was at one time a eunuch in the imperial harem, but left that office because his virility returned. Expert in Taoist arts, he used his powers to control the gods of Yuzhang and destroy their cult. He was put to death about 170 for his opposition to the eunuch dominance of the court of Emperor Ling.

I'm just curious whether there's been any work on the status of eunuchs, for instance, it might be argued that the fact that this eunuch's "virility returned" could indicate that eunuch is less of an anatomical designation and more a social one.

Edit: There's a second part to the footnote:

In the Tang commentary to Luan Ba's biography, extracts from the Shenxian zhuan by Ge Hong of the fourth century suggest that he came not from Wei commandery but from Shu, in the west, and a number of anecdotes enlarge upon his magical achievements. His record as a temporary eunuch, as a Taoist adept, and as a local administrator who founded (presumably Confucian) schools, is somewhat confusing, and it appears that Luan Ba, whatever his origins and reality, served as a focus for a number of popular stories.

So perhaps this indicates that Luan Ba may have been a composite figure, which may explain his temporary eunuchness.

Were most soldiers peasant levies, or professionals? What percentage of the army would likely be Samurai? How many cavalry, archers, spearmen, etc, would you expect?

And what kind of formations would they generally fight in?

Names like Smith, Baker, Carpenter are common, but a slightly less common surname is Coward. Considering the obvious connotations of the word, is there a historical explanation as to why we have a surname like this? Why wouldn't people just change their surname?!

Including statesman, soldiers, clergymen and regular people (laymen/peasants/city-folk).

I'm mostly referring to the evolution of technology that went into the construction of walls, rather than the evolution of specific designs that emerged to counter military threats of a certain time period. However I realize they go hand in hand.

I know that game of thrones was based on the war of the roses and in last episode >!one character suggest democracy and is laughed of!<

I figured that it would have been the same in britain at the time, so now i wonder what events made a switch to the now democratic system possible.

Also: When did “princess” become a popular term of affection for young girls?

According to an exhibition in Vienna, it was estasblished early on that the Privilegium Majus was a fake, yet, nobody seem to have bat an eye and the Habsburg were even able to use it to secure their privilege later on. I haven't seen or read anything about a negative impact of this forgery for the Habsburg. Thus, did anyone care that the Privilegium Majus was a forgery ordered by the Habsburg?

While I do know it was taken from them after WWII I am interested as to why Prussia was ceded to Poland.

Edit - commissar*, sorry.

I am referring to ones that are pistol-sized that you pretty much see pretty much only in fantasy settings / table-top RPG's or Diablo. They look quite craftable with medieval technology, and while not nearly as powerful as normal sized crossbows they would still would be lethal (wouldn't they?). I looked online but can't find any thing that explicitly answer this question, although I suppose a lack of evidence to affirm their existence would imply they didn't exist.

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On a side note, I am pretty much looking this up for fantasy board game related reasons. So I guess I would also appreciate if anyone can comment on how technologically viable for them to have existed, or what other supposedly "only-in-fantasy inventions" that could have be crafted if given the incentive. For example I know there were debates if flails where actually used on combat because how impractical they are, but it's obvious that people could have made them.

My teacher told me it came from the belief that the black man worked 3/5ths of what a whiteman did but I'm not sure if this is accurate, would be great if someone could verify it

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I'm aware of the ideologies of The Republican Party during reconstruction, which involved federal involvement in rebuilding states. I think the swapping of ideas between the parties happened sometime around the great depression when FDR supported rebuilding our economy through government intervention and creating mass amounts of jobs. But why did this change happen and was it over a long period of time or a short one?

In history class recently, my teacher mentioned that many crusaders believed in a far away mythical Christian Kingdom that would come to their aid in the fight against their enemies. Where did this myth originate from, was the belief widely held?

Where do you see substantial research gaps or ”new frontiers” in your area of study (particularly in regards to women’s history)? Alternatively, what seems to be "in vogue" your field right now?

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