I’ve just hiked 71 miles in 5 days and I have to say my feet are pretty broken. They hurt like hell and I have some nasty blisters. Which is probably down to my socks and footwear, but that is not the issue here! When I was walking particularly on my final day the question above was all I could think about.

They walked for miles and I have seen their footwear, it did not look comfortable. Did they just tough it out or was it a case that it’s just how the grew up so their feet were used to it? Thanks

Posted this on r/totalwar as throwback to m2tw loading screen quotes and a discussion opened up about the significance of each language choice.

Hope someone here can clear it up.

Thanks.

On the DNa Inscription by Darius, it is written explicitly:

"I am Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, having Aryan lineage."

Was this necessary? Or does it give the Shah some form of legitimacy?

Especially as you go further back contemporary records get scarce at best. What allows us to know that Alexander the Great was a real person? Or Ramesses II or Sargon of Akkad?

This is less a question about these specific people and more about methodology. I'm not asking "Was Caesar fake?" I'm asking "How do we know he was real?"

If its just "A lot of contemporary sources talk about the person" how do we separate literary/mythological figures from real ones?

It's been 25 years since I graduated with a history degree and I haven't used it since but a friend is writing a book on the French Decadent movement and she needs works on the historical background of the time. Anyone have any idea where to start? We're near DC but the LoC is out of visitors passes this week.

I recognise that this isn't a faith-based sub but was wondering which Roman Emperor could fit this description from the Book of Daniel :

"When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses--but only for a time"

So they were first mentioned in the late 2nd century BCE? Interesting. They were known to be great warriors? Cool. Then they were Islamized, but what happened after that? Did the "Daylamite" identity just vanish? Did they become Persians? Apparently they might've migrated westwards and become Zaza Kurds? Anyone have any ideas?

Electric guitars these days, particularly ones made in the US or having “vintage” qualities, are prohibitively expensive for teenagers even with part time jobs. Yet seemingly there was an influx of young aspiring rock musicians in the late 60s who were able to obtain a guitar like a Les Paul or a Marshall tube amp that now would cost thousands. How expensive was this gear 50-60 years ago, and how much was that compared to the expected earnings of a 16-18 year old doing part time work?

If the Hittite language is the oldest indo-european language, and the migration going west from the home of Aryans, did Hittite culture proceed and create that of later Europeans like the Greeks?

I watched Das Boot many years ago but I'm watching it again coz it was on Netflix.

1. The engine room seemed to be just right next to where the crews dwell. Being literally a complete isolated space with many diesel engines constantly running, were the crews always smelling the strong smell of diesel?

2. The British destroyers dropped the bombs into the water and in the movie the bombs seem to be exploding in the very vicinity of the submarine (like ~7 feet or 2 meters). Yet the boat seems to sustain the impact pretty well. Is this realistically accurate?

3. Could they communicate through radio with some command station or with other German naval vehicles? It seemed like they could only receive messages which then decoded with the enigma, and communicating with others was non-existent (except the lamp morse code with other submarine passing-by).

I am looking for recommendations on American expansionism, manifest destiny, and specifically the experience of Native populations under the military and state of the USA. I don’t know the lay of the land when it comes to scholarly works on this topic.

Can I move away to "the big city" somewhere and make a living for myself? I don't want to grow up to be a housewife.

I dislike farm tasks. What jobs could I do in the city?

Is it safe enough to go alone? Do I need to move with a male friend or relative?

Hi there. I am currently doing final project for MSc. I have started 3 conversations about sources on different subreddits and have been suggested sources. How ethical is it to use these sources?

Was it possible, through some kind of great or significant act, to become a hero and worshipped during your life and after your death? Note that I am not talking about state-cultivated cults of personality surrounding rulers but rather more local or translocal heroes who have accomplished a great task.

Lately I've been hearing a streamer talk about how there aren't any quotes of Hitler actually saying "Let's kill all the Jews", so I was wondering if there are any recordings or quotes or written material from the time proving that he himself ordered the killing of the Jews, or what his objectives were with them.

Obligatory noIamnotaconspiracytheoristyestheholocaustactuallyhappened.

Hey, my friend and he is an Egyptologist , told me that most modern archaeologists tend to that populations were rarely replaced in the past and that cultural change came about through cultural change rather than the displacement of populations, That is, there is indeed a large part of the Egyptians whose origins go back to their ancient civilization, as well as the Iraqis, the Chinese and others. Is this true? Do most modern archaeologists really think so?

From my best understanding, it’s agreed upon that Iranians are descendants of indo Iranians and Indians are descendants of indo aryans mingling with the local Indian population from 1500-500 BC. The indo Aryans and indo Iranians were both descended from the Andronovo culture in the central steppe which is descended from the yamnaya culture.

Some evidence has shown (I think) that Scythians(or Saka) are also descended from the yamnaya culture and had some mixing with East Asian dna.

This makes total sense as…well the Scythians are from the area that the indo Aryans and Iranians originated from. Does this confirm that they’re all descended from the same peoples ? The Vedas continuously refer to the Aryans as a certain ethnic/religious group. Did they know the Shakas had the same descendants.

I also am curious about the population of the Scythians. I’ve always read that they’re a large heterogeneous group. But after seeing some videos online I'm not sure. Which is the correct answer ? Are the shakas in Central Asia significantly different from the Scythians on the Pontic steppe near Greece ?

Also some further questions : the Andronovo Culture overlaps with the Indo Aryan migration into India. Was the Andronovo culture then technically the source of the “Aryans” that were migrating into India and Iran at the time ? Could these burial sites at the Andronovo culture technically be precursors to future vedic rituals?

What kind of music/songs were popular among the upper, middle, and lower classes of The United States during and leading up to the American Civil War? Were there large differences between what different classes in America were listening to? Were there large regional musical differences for example North vs South, Louisiana vs Texas etc.?