I have noticed I have been increasingly interested in the stars and their alignments and what they may or may not truly mean. This stuff dates back to ancient times and I think it would be interesting to pick up a good book from an old philosopher or even something to recent time. I get a kick out of horoscopes although it does not make or break my day. I just enjoy learning about how things such as daily activities and human characteristics align to the stars.

I do not have much experience with reading books from this field so I am a starter and open to any recommendations.

Any recommendations on authors or philosophers from recent and ancient times would be great also.

Thanks

Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just pass a bill instead of going through the amendment process?

I just started reading the book The Civilization of the Middle Ages, and I did research on the author, Norman F. Cantor. It mentioned he was a widely published medievalist who was controversial, at the least, amongst historians. Why is this so?

Now of course a lot of information we have on the Trojan war, as well as Troy itself has been clearly imbelished by Homer. He was a storyteller first and foremost, not just a historian.

I understand that ruins have been found in Turkey that somewhat resemble the city Homer described, as well as evidence of conflict.

Is the Trojan war considered fact or fiction at this point? Did the Romans really decend from the Trojans, or is this more likely the Romans finding a way to attach themselves to the myth?

Homosexuality was fine, then during the Victorian era it was considered worse than murder. During the 17th century people would have had sex in rooms with children present, whereas Victorians wouldn't even want to look at each other naked even when married. These days you're bigoted for being against homosexuality. What exactly is the reason for these changes? Why were the Victorians so different to previous time periods? Surely if they were told it was okay and natural, that would continue would it not?

I am aware of how Rome preferred to make a vassals instead of allies. However I would imagine that in the early parts of it history it would not have the power or authority to subjugate. Im thinking of an alliance network Rome may have had perhaps with germanic tribes?

Considering that everything fell apart so quickly after his death, how did he keep it together for so long?

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In England we celebrate St George’s day where st George killed a dragon. Obviously he didn’t kill a dragon but I hear he’s a real person so does anyone know what he did to gain the day in his name?

More specifically, is there a specific era in India's (extraordinarily long) precolonial history where it was notably and significantly more liberal regarding homosexuality than it is today? To narrow this question temporally, I'm mainly interested in the India of the two or three centuries immediately prior to British rule, but if there are noteworthy instances beyond that then feel free to raise them.

I have been searching and exhausted my resources.

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Im sure this is a dumb question but what started as a curious thought has anoyed me over the past hour as I look online for an answer. So if a soldier was more comfortable with a mace, flail, or any other weapon that was less popular during Midieval times would they be allowed to use it if the weapon was available to the soldier and would be safe to use near allies?

The Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Dred Scott v. Stanford is now almost universally regarded as (to put it quite charitably) an utter disgrace and permanent stain on both the Supreme Court and the United States as a whole. However, while most say it was the wrong decision, I’ve heard some argue that, as terrible as it is, the ruling itself was constitutional and not truly overturned until the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. What is the case? Was the Dred Scott decision built on actual legal principles, or was it a clearly partisan ruling done in the interests of slaveholders?

I feel almost silly asking, but even if not an official mode of transportation someone must have ridden an aqueduct as a shortcut. I was thinking of the importance of canals and the idea popped in my head.

That's about it. I'm interested in reading about this particular topic, but I can't seem to find any books or articles about it in english. I'm not opposed to learning chinese and/or japanese if necessary, but that's not particularly ideal right now. So, that.

Thank you to anyone kind enough to answer.