I’ve recently been binging on classical history, and I was recently reading Herodotus’s ‘Histories’ in which there’s a particular story he tells about the Phoenician circumnavigation of Africa (which he himself admits that he didn’t believe) where he describes a report from one of the sailors where they “on a westerly course round the southern end of Africa, had the sun to their right — to the northward of them.” I didn’t think much of the passage at the time (another gold digging, camel chasing, dog sized ant story), but I saw a lecture recently where Tom Holland (the historian) claimed that this tale was not only true, but that Herodotus had accidentally shown that the story proves that the Earth is a sphere. If this is truly the case, it’s an incredible story. But (and I hate to admit this) I just don’t quite understand the reasoning as to why this would be the case, and the story isn’t worth much if I can’t get there myself.
So, here’s to some of you friendly strangers, and the hope that you can help me out with a really cool anecdote to keep in my back pocket about how close that even people like Herodotus can be to making world shaking discoveries, but just not quite ready to make the final connection.
Edit: so that it’s a little closer to a question
2 Answers 2019-05-22
There were riflemen units in the Napoleonic and American revolution wars but the standard solider had a musket. Was it a matter of production or pride in the musket?
2 Answers 2019-05-22
1 Answers 2019-05-21
The common answer is to end slavery and to preserve the union. But was it really?
1 Answers 2019-05-21
I’ve been reading quite a bit about the American Revolution, it’s one of my favorite parts of history. I’ve been trying to find good resources explaining how the Continental Army was organized, like ranks and what made up a company/regiment, what made up the army in general. I don’t expect anyone to know everything about it so even a small fact would be appreciated. Thanks!
1 Answers 2019-05-21
1 Answers 2019-05-21
I've read the short paper from Rafe de Crespigny about the Three Kingdoms period, and wanted something that goes into more detail about the historical events of the Three Kingdoms period (as opposed to the more legendary version of events).
I was trying to find an affordable book (as opposed to Imperial Warlord) that covers the period for someone who has little background in Chinese history, and I found the above book. Would anyone be able to endorse that book or have any suggestions for alternatives?
3 Answers 2019-05-21
I took four years of Spanish in high school and tried two semesters of French in college for a change of pace. When I was in high school I could speak, read and write Spanish. Although my skill has atrophied from disuse, I can still read it well enough to understand Newspaper articles and the like. I’m not sure if I should invest my time more in the language I already know best, Spanish or if I should broaden my horizons by learning another. I’m not sure how well you need to understand a language, but being able to read it seems like it would be the bulk of the use cases. Wouldn’t it make more sense to learn a less commonly taught language than investing more time in languages like Spanish and French that many English speakers are familiar with? I know the standard advice is to study a language related to an area that you want to study, but I feel like this can be circular in practice because my interests reflect what there is a lot written about already in English. When I mentioned, the history of science, as an interest I’ve been recommended German. I’m becoming increasingly aware of how Western oriented the curriculum is and isn’t a lot of that the result of English language historians only knowing a couple of West European languages. I feel like I would better contribute to the overall body of knowledge by learning less commonly taught languages that have a scientific tradition.
I don’t really have one overall question. I just want to know how much you rely on foreign language as historian and any advise you have for strategizing language learning .
1 Answers 2019-05-21
Politically I am kinda on the Left, and I hear the argument that the Nazis weren't fascist, they were far Left, or otherwise that fascism is a "Leftist" concept all of the time.
I am very worried that in reading this, someone might immediately think it is being asked by a holocaust denier, and then at the end, be worried that I am asking this as part of a political agenda or something. I've got no agenda, just trying to ask for objectivity in an area that seems to be affected by political movements currently.
1 Answers 2019-05-21
The tool starts with a person (I started with my great grandfather) , then you can click to show his or her parents, then you can click to show his or her parents as long as it will let you. I am playing with this today, and most branches just come to an end when (apparently) the information runs out. But others lead back through royalty and well known figures from antiquity including those in the title. Am i right to be suspicious?
3 Answers 2019-05-21
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Edit: I get it, lots of american towns still have them. What I'm asking is why they originally came about.
1 Answers 2019-05-21
1 Answers 2019-05-21
This comes from some Game of Thrones related discussion I had yesterday. One person posted the following:
Dothraki don’t use lances either, they’d be outmatched on a cavalry fight. They do use bows though, but a stationed battalion of archers protected by spear men would annihilate a battalion of horse archers.
I replied with:
It didn't go that way for the Mongols, who seemingly inspired much of the Dothraki.
I will admit that almost all, if not all, of my knowledge about the Mongols came from one reading of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, and I read that around 2004/2005 if my memory serves me.
Now, I've seen that book referred to as a good source, but I've also seen it criticized for exaggerating claims so I am not sure if I have been duped or mislead.
My understanding of the Mongols is that their use of the recurve bow, in combination with their horsemanship and overall tactics, allowed them to dominate their enemies. The recurve bow had a longer ranger and better penetration than longbows which allowed them to harass and kill soldiers while they were out of range. I thought that their use of the retreats, both real and feints, drew many European armies out of their fortified locations and into traps where they were then slaughtered.
2 Answers 2019-05-21
This is just barely in the 20 years rule, but as far as I know, the Serbs just had very outdated anti air weapons, how could have they managed to shoot down the stealth aircraft with it?
2 Answers 2019-05-21
I've narrowed it down to East-Asia, but I know that the same phenomenon happens in India and other countries.
So, in East and South-East Asian countries with strong confucian influence and tradition, the importance given to education and exams are a common theme. In China, Korea, Japan, and even countries where chinese influence was not as strong such as Singapur, all have in common that as the entrance exams for universities, such as the Gaokao in China (where your results will determine your options and is seen as a crucial moment in life for many students) approach, suicide rates between students rise, as the pressure is so big, and failing the exam is devastating for many.
But entrance exams are not a modern invention in this countries. In confucian societies, entrance exams for public service were set for centuries. Are there any historical records of suicides happening or increasing due to the exam-systems?
Mandatory: "sorry for spelling and stuff, english is not my native language".
Edit: Uh, didn't even check the flair... No, this is not famines and plagues related, but well, no idea how to edit that now.
1 Answers 2019-05-21
Welcome to Tuesday Trivia!
If you are:
this thread is for you ALL!
Come share the cool stuff you love about the past! Please don’t just write a phrase or a sentence—explain the thing, get us interested in it! Include sources especially if you think other people might be interested in them.
AskHistorians requires that answers be supported by published research. We do not allow posts based on personal or relatives' anecdotes. All other rules also apply—no bigotry, current events, and so forth.
For this round, let’s look at: Ceremonies! Weddings, awards nights, groundbreakings, (ahem) graduations...what ceremonies did people in your era host and attend? What was their purpose; what was it like to participate or be in the audience?
Next time: Travel!
5 Answers 2019-05-21
1 Answers 2019-05-21
Oh dear, this seems to be several questions, I hope that's okay as they're all the same novel. Spoilers, if you haven't read it.(Also, here's the book on Gutenberg). Breaking that down:
Question 1: Obviously, it's a fiction novel, but Jules Verne was well learned and I'm wondering if these folks are prototypes of folks that might exist. German professors obviously exist, but would they know everything Vernes' professor knows?
The professor is introduced as:
My uncle was a German, having married my mother's sister, an Englishwoman. ...This home was in a large town, and my uncle a professor of philosophy, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, and many other ologies.
That's a lot of ologies, so straight up is it possible for someone to even have those qualifications? He seems to be around 40, which I base on his ~20yo nephew and his otherwise very good physical health.
The tools he brings are:
A centigrade thermometer of Eigel
A manometer worked by compressed air, an instrument used to ascertain the upper atmospheric pressure on the level of the ocean. Perhaps a common barometer would not have done as well, the atmospheric pressure being likely to increase in proportion as we descended below the surface of the earth.
A first-class chronometer made by Boissonnas, of Geneva.
Two compasses, one for horizontal guidance, the other to ascertain the dip.
A night glass.
Lastly, two Ruhmkorff coils, which, by means of a current of electricity, would ensure us a very excellent, easily carried, and certain means of obtaining light and a voltaic battery.
Some examples of his feats:
Feat 1: Speaks several languages - Latin, Italian, French, Icelandic, Danish, English, German.
Feat 2: Judges by sight of the rocks around him what era of time they're in (e.g. when they're coming out of the volcano at the end), or when they're descending into the earth at the beginning.
"We are still within the region of the primordial soil, the soil in which took place the chemical operation of metals becoming inflamed by coming in contact with the air and water....This is gneiss. This is mica schist--siliceous mineral...this is the epoch of transition,..."
Feat 3: Identifies a Ichthyosaurus and plesiosaurus by sight.
Feat 4: Picks up a bunch of bones and be able to identify them not just as a fish, but of a specific type of extinct fish:
The Professor examined the fish carefully, noting every characteristic; and he did not coincide in my opinion. The fish had a flat head, round body, and the lower extremities covered with bony scales; its mouth was wholly without teeth, the pectoral fins, which were highly developed, sprouted direct from the body, which properly speaking had no tail. The animal certainly belonged to the order in which naturalists class the sturgeon, but it differed from that fish in many essential particulars.
"This fish, my dear boy, belongs to a family which has been extinct for ages, and of which no trace has ever been found on earth, except fossil remains in the Devonian strata. To the order of Ganoides--an order of fish having angular scales, covered with bright enamel--forming one of the family of the Cephalaspides, of the genus Pterychtis.
"a man of the Quaternary period of our globe....I dare venture to say that this human sample or specimen belongs to the Japhetic family, which spread over the world from India to the uttermost limits of western Europe.... The facial angle is formed by two planes--one more or less vertical which is in a straight line with the forehead and the incisors; the other, horizontal, which passes through the organs of hearing, and the lower nasal bone..."
Overall Questions:
Is this at all realistic? Would such a learned man exist in 1863, and if so, could he feasibly do all of these things?
And that leads me to questions 2 and 3 - they just sort of set off for four months and come back and everything is jolly. At what point would they have been declared dead? If so, would the estate have been auctioned off? Was it common to make multi-month trips?
Edit: I just learned there is an eponymous movie. I have not seen it; my questions are based around the novel.
1 Answers 2019-05-21
I was recently taking a high school final exam and a question regarding religion in Ancient Greece came up. That question left me wondering whether atheism was present in Ancient Greece and what was life like for an atheist in Ancient Greece.
1 Answers 2019-05-21
1 Answers 2019-05-21
I always wondered if archaeologists could discover a lot more if they didn't have designated areas for excavation, but rather could dig up anything, anywhere.
For instance, in Romania, we know where some settlements were 2000 years ago, but we can't really dig there because there's a sprawling city on top.
1 Answers 2019-05-21