Short Answers to Simple Questions | May 16, 2018

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39 Answers 2018-05-16

Given that position in outer space is all relative, what was it that Galileo actually "discovered" that was so offensive to religion? Couldn't you just as easily say the Earth is stationary at the center and everything moves in a weird way around it?

I remember being taught that geocentric models of the solar system had the other planets simply move in very strange-looking paths around the Earth. This model, while messy, I would think isn't actually inaccurate - the models accurately showed the movement of the cosmos if you treat Earth as stationary. While Galileo proposed a cleaner model, with everything in nice elliptical orbits around the sun, why did the church react so dramatically against the idea?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Why did the Versailles Treaty focus so much on punishing Germany, when Germany did not even start the war and entered it to aid its ally?

2 Answers 2018-05-16

Are the Irish really Celtic?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

In the USA, women gained the right to vote in August of 1920. Just a few months after that, there was a Presidential election on November 2 of the same year. How did the former affect the campaigns on the latter?

The question is in the title, but to expand on that, it seems to me like opening such a vast, and previously unaccounted for, demographic after all the wheels of an election had started turning, could really throw a wrench in how a presidential candidate might operate for the rest of the campaign, how did the candidates at the time handle that?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Was it common for medieval historians to revise classical sources?

Since the oldest extant sources of classical writers were compied by monks centuries later, I suppose it's impossible to say either way with absolute certainty

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Why is the Armenian Genocide still widely unrecognised if it was committed by the Ottoman Empire and not current-day Turkey?

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1 Answers 2018-05-16

How reliable are "all gods are one god" approaches to religion? How much evidence do we have for myths overlapping?

Hey all - hope my question is OK

I'm reading the White Goddess by Robert Graves at the moment, which leans VERY heavily on the belief that Celtic deities were brought over from Greece, and ultimately Sumeria. Graves wasn't a neo-Pagan, but all the founder Pagans read him and this "all ancient gods are linked to one another" approach is everywhere.

I don't think Graves is reliable in the slightest - but I do know that gods and beliefs migrate with peoples.

Can you recommend me some books? Or give some answers about myths travelling and overlapping that are more based in fact (than poetry and wishing, which seems to be Graves' main sources)?

Would you say that Celtic myths being Greek in origin is a) bollocks, b) possible although not likely, c) something we have some evidence for maybe, or d) actual fact? how far is that a thing for other ancient people's and pantheons?

Cheers for any ideas

5 Answers 2018-05-16

how many people lived in the city of Carthage in 150BC(IE right before the last punic war)?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

How advance was african civilization pre-slavery trades and colonalism?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

'The Meghan Markle Effect' in British history.

Much of the news in the UK, including the BBC, are talking about how Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding is a milestone for the royal family as she represents the "first mixed-race member of the royal family". Now, I don't want to take anything away from this, nor so I want to get political or into a discussion about race, but it did get me thinking.

Surely throughout history, when members of the royal family were married off for political reasons, there must be many examples of mixed-race weddings. I'm thinking particularly of the English royal families in relation to, say, the Moors or the Ottomans or even India, but don't want to limit it to just this.

So any historians know of any good examples?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Was Alexander the Great's conquest of the Middle East in the 300s BC still known to Islamic historians in 1000 AD? If so, how much detail was known?

3 Answers 2018-05-16

Are there any instances of genocide in the ancient world?

2 Answers 2018-05-16

Why is the cross used as a holy symbol in Christianity, when clearly it is a symbol that should disturb Christians?

Edit: when did this practice actually begin?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Resources on the context, history and implications of the Isreal--Palestine conflict

I am massively into US politics. Like many, I have managed to completely ignore the history of things that have happened outside my country. As much as I understand that the Israel--Palestine conflict is a complex geopolitical quagmire, I know very little about its history and current state. Given the recent activity in the region, I have committed to learning enough about the conflict to be informed and in charge of my own opinion.

There are many resources available to research this topic, but many are biased and it is tough to sift through them. My goal is to become informed of the hitsorical context that created the conflict, the history of the conflict itself, and the current implications of the conflict in regional and international politics.

Any resources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Can the 9 Plagues of Egypt during the biblical period be explained through natural phenomena or are the origins of the plagues still a mystery?

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2 Answers 2018-05-16

When in Hitler's life did he start to hate the Jews?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Is it appropriate in contemporary history to refer to a Vietnamese soldier who fought Americans in Vietnam as a Viet Cong soldier?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

How was a hermit country like North Korea able to achieve the Nuclear Bomb but Iran was not?

Not certain if this is the correct sub to be asking this question since it is all relatively recent history, but I was curious how North Korea was able to achieve their goal but Iran, which is less economically isolated, was not able to build one

1 Answers 2018-05-16

In WW1, how did pilots manage to shoot through their propeller?

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1 Answers 2018-05-16

What did a regular Chinese city looked during times of Confucius (circa 500 BCE) ?

A few centuries later a thing as complex as the Terracotta army would be built, so It's safe to say urban society and life was already quite developed at that time.

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Jewish, as well as Roman and Arabic sources, tell us that a man named Jesus/Yeshua along with his disciples performed witchcraft, or miracles, ‘as was common in the day.’ What other examples of witchcraft from the region and time period do we know of and why did they not become as famous as Jesus?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Are there any comprehensive books on medieval Central Asia?

I'm trying to learn more about the various post Mongol khanates (1200s - 1700s) but I'm having trouble finding basically any resources beyond basic Encyclopedia Britannica type information. Are there any good books, or is this just a poorly covered area?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Why does Jesus tell his disciples to take up their cross in Matthew 10:38

Matthew 10:38 (NET) And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Since Jesus was still alive why would he tell his disciples to take up their cross. Was this some sort of symbolism inserted into the gospels later? Was it the punishment that the Romans inflicted commonly on religious zealots and the like? Was crucifixion a threat to them at this point for upsetting the order that Romans held so dear?

1 Answers 2018-05-16

Is there any evidence to show Shakespeare's actions and response to his son Hamnet's death?

How did he grieve? Was his son buried in a catholic or protestant manner?

2 Answers 2018-05-16

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