I have time and again run into online discussions where the other guy comes with the typical bs of:

• Hitler didn't know about it or was against it.

• There is no way that many people could've been murdered. The number is much lower.

• They were just following orders.

Can anyone give a well structured and sourced answer that completely disproves what are obvious falacious arguments?

I'm trying to make a medieval fantasy story surrounding this time period. So forgive my curiousness.

how long did this go on for? Like how many years had samurais been working as guards and mercenaries there?

What would be some like historical Japanese names? (like I'm scared to use some other site to look cause it might be ridden with anime fans)

In Eric Cline's 1177 BC, The Year Civilisation Collapsed he notes that one of the Mediterranean civilisation's principal sources of tin was in Afghanistan. Given how important tin was to a bronze age civilisation (Cline compares it to the modern day focus on oil), do we know how this trade actually functioned?

For example, who was mining the Afghani tin and facilitating its transport westward to the Mediterranean? Do we know if there were ever attempts by e.g. Assyria to restrict/bottleneck the supply to put pressure on their more western neighbours?

Thanks for reading

In Martin Scorsese's Silence(2017) Father Ferriera tells Father Rodrigues that the Japanese people have misunderstood his teachings of Christianity and worship the sun rather than the Son of God. Is there any evidence from the time that this was true?

I'm going for a BA History and while doing some quick research in my free time on the French navy in the 17th and 18th century I discovered that all their major ports seem to have been located either on their southern or western coasts, facing away from England, rather than on the Channel facing towards England (like how the English had Plymouth and Portsmouth facing France).

Were there any geographical or meteorological hindrances on France's northern coast that prevented them from building more major ports there? (sandbanks, lack of sheltered ports, stronger tides, unpredictable weather, anything really...). And if there are any such reasons why didn't these hinder the English ports on the opposite side of the Channel?

It seems really weird to me since when you look at France's northern coast on a map it looks like there are dozens of harbours great to shelter ships at (St. Paul-de-Léon, Lannion, Paimpol, St.-Brieuc, St.-Malo, Mont-St.-Michel, Bréhal, and on and on it goes)

(I also asked this question on /askhistorians, /meteorology, /geography and /oceanography to get answer from as wide an a range of people as possible, if you know other subreddits that might provide an answer please suggest them to me)

Since I was young, I have been interested in History. So far in university, every course that I have taken has been in the classics. However, I am currently double majoring in Computer Engineering and Applied Mathematics with a minor in Physics, and unfortunately this means that I cannot take the 10 courses at my college that span from ancient Greek history to the rise of the Byzantine empire.

First, I feel the need to mention (before any of you do) that I fully realize this is a long period to study, and that this isn't something I could go over in a weekend. Many of you either are currently or have already written your dissertations about one event in this period! So let me be completely clear what I am asking for. I am asking for a list of books that I should read over the course of 5-10 years so that one day I will have the knowledge that may not be that of a History PhD (as I will be pursuing my PhD in Computer Engineering), but it will certainly be better than most people.

A few of you may say that one of the better ways to learn history is the pedagogical approach, as a directed course of study that I receive from this site will not require me to write papers and various other things that are required of a History graduate student. I do not disagree with this, but I simply do not have the time to do so.

So with that out of the way, what I am asking for is a set of what you believe to be the best books that span from Ancient Greece to Rome, ending with the early Byzantine Empire. I will be purchasing and reading these books in chronological order, so it would be much appreciated if you would post them in this order. I am not looking for a singular book that covers a large period of time. Moreover, I am also interested in the military history of these periods. As an example, if there is a general book that covers the socio-political aspects of the Peloponnesian War very well but neglects the military history, and another book that does the opposite, then it would be much appreciated if you mention both books.

Please note that I am looking for texts that are academic in nature, as opposed to some of the books that pop up when I type "Best books on Ancient Greek History" such as Mary Renault's works.

I realize this is a lot to ask for, and many of you will only be able to concentrate on a specific area. That is all that I ask for. You have my word that I will put in as much effort into reading your responses as you did writing them.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to resuming my personal edification in History!

(TLDR: I want a large list of the best academic textbooks on Ancient Greece and Rome, and the military history of this era.)

(Note to administrators: I realize that these kinds of posts are not quite what this sub was created in mind for, but as far as I can tell, I am not violating any rules and I am sure that someone else will benefit from a post like this.)

By "pre-colonial" I mean before the British takeover, around 1500-1800.

I want to learn more about the history of the church, I’m interested in learning about it’s spread and the papacy, and really anything else. What would be some good things for me to read?

When was the saying or label ''first world'' or ''third world'' countries used and what was the original indicators for this.

I am having a disscussion with a friend because i am saying that thia label was started to opress the less developed countries and to say that this are ''worth less''. Any information regarding this subject is apreciated.

Bernhard Riemann, one of the most influential mathematicians in history, died at the young age of 39 from tuberculosis. In 1866 Germany/Italy, how common was it for a relatively young man, of at least decent socioeconomic standing to catch tuberculosis? I had imagined the disease not being as rampant by that point in history, but may be mistaken. Also, once caught in a circumstance such as this one, how common was death in the next year or two?

I just learned that Riemann died at such a young age while doing some reading on him, and am shocked. He accomplished so much for the field of mathematics, we can only imagine what other advancements he may have made. An anecdote, immediately following his death, from his wikipedia page sums up that sentiment:

"Meanwhile, in Göttingen his housekeeper discarded some of the papers in his office, including much unpublished work. Riemann refused to publish incomplete work and some deep insights may have been lost forever."

(This is my first /r/AskHistorians post, so I'm sorry if anything is presented incorrectly. Thanks a lot!)

I'll cut right to the chase just because I don't want people to think I'm rambling: are there any good books out there about American counterculture (history, politics, creative works, etc.) in the 1980s?

Now for the explanation. I've noticed an interesting paradox when it comes to American cultural history: when we think of American counterculture, there's a lot of focus on the 1950s through 70s (from beatniks to disco), whereas the '80s are depicted as the "death" of counterculture under the Age of Reagan.

At the same time, the '80s are portrayed as being about hair metal, John Hughes, and Rubik's cubes. But I know there was the first rumblings of college radio and alternative rock in the form of Husker Du and Talking Heads, subversive films by auteurs like David Lynch and Spike Lee, and Reagan was not as universally loved as he might seem in retrospect. It's just that this seems to be a neglected topic when it comes to the retelling of the 1980s. Are there any good books out there about this?

And it doesn't even necessarily have to be a book "about" 1980s counterculture, as in I'm happy to look into books that deal with other time periods too as long as the '80s are treated with a reasonable degree of depth. Thanks in advance!

In my history class my professor told me Mandela was a great person who fought for peace and did nothing wrong and was jailed for trying to end apartheid but I was reading more and apparently he was a communist terrorist who orchestrated many terrorist attacks and bombings that killed dozens of innocent people l? Wtf is this true? It feels like everything I've learned is a lie...

I've had a growing interest in them lately.

Doesn't have to be a book. Could be a podcast or a youtube channel or something like that. The more extensive the better.

Last time I asked this question or was only met with jokes. "Ve vill ask zee questions comrad", "in Russia KGB read books on you!". That sort of thing. Very disappointing. As much as I live a good joke I'd appreciate real answers.

Thanks!!

If you're getting on with a guy from a first conversation he might ask for your number, presumably to talk further and plan meetings if things go well. Without the telephone however this wasn't possible. So what did guys do to ensure further communication yet not come off as 'too much too soon'?