Obviously I’ve only seen these battles on TV on The Last Kingdom and Vikings, but with the number of people and the complete chaos I can’t understand how you could tell one side from another. I know shields were painted differently and some armies carried flags but if you aren’t holding something that says what side you’re on, I’m sure killing people on your side had to be pretty common.

I have always thought that Christmas was about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but apparently he wasn't even born in December which has made me confused about why all Christians celebrate Christmas. I also read somewhere that garland, wreaths, mistletoe, holly, evergreen trees, yule logs, and gift-giving have Pagan roots which is ignored by most Christians. I have had a hard time with finding something about the evolution of Christmas and how it got so widely accepted by Christianity.

Why did Turkey treat the NC as a puppet/dependency instead of trying to support it to be more independent ? It seems that the turkish gov. Was satisfied with the current situation, but why didn't they let/help NC be more independent and sovereign/self sufficient ? So they could have developed their own policies, military and economy (with turkish support), Try to evolve like israel did ? I understand that mainly western reluctance due to greece would made recognition of NC almost impossible.

All that aside, did the NC have a chance to be more sovereign and independent ?

I'm watching the TV Drama Vikings, and I know much of it is unrealistic however entertaining, but how does one become a noble in that time? Continental and the British Island were much easier to understand, but the show depicted as if you just need to kill the noble, which seemed weird.

A friend of mine recently pointed out that if we study modern history the same way we study ancient Rome, we'd have no mentions of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Game of Thrones, the Oscars, etc. His point essentially was that an over emphasis on the statements of politicians and leaders and political events has led to a lack of study on everyday pop culture events of the ancient world.

So my question is: what were the big pop culture events of the ancient world that dominated everyday conversations between people, even if it wasn't particularly impactful in the grand scheme of history?

I am studying this topic. For example, what are their genetics and what have they become.

In a similar manner to the Europeans, I am wondering if China between the years of 1300-1700 had the naval and navigation technologies capabilities that allowed it to colonise the world.

Did there naval and navigation technologies rival West Asian and European countries or were they inferior.

In 'Red Star Rogue', the author states that K-129 left port with 12 crew beyond what would be customary for a Golf II sub. The author argues that the additional crew were KGB operatives that commandeered the sub and attempted to destroy the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor; that the sub sank when the warhead exploded during launch; and both Russian and US administrations from LBJ onwards collude to conceal the true events because an attack by a rogue sub could not be deterred or defended against by accepted protocol.

Among the supporting arguments provided by the author:

1/ The fact that the Soviets searched for K129 far from where it was recovered by the Americans* (as part of Project Jennifer) is evidence that the sub was operating far from where the Soviet navy ordered it to.

2/ The sinking of the sub coincided with sudden changes in both US posture (starting with LBJ & continuing through the Nixon administration) & USSR nuclear launch protocol that have never been publicly explained

3/ The stated reason for the K-129 sinking (hydrogen gas) would not cause the amount of damage needed to abruptly sink a post-WWII diesel-electric sub.

4/ US government statements that the Project Azorian recovered items only from the forward compartment (compartment #1) are not consistent with other unclassified disclosures, most notably that returning the ship's bell to the Russian Navy indicates that the US recovered far more of the sub than disclosed (as the bell would have been in Compartment four).

How credible is the author's theory?

I’ve often heard this repeated as a fact but I am unable to find records of this on the internet

Since the Romans had colonised England and built fortifications throughout, why did the Vikings not come into contact with British legions?

Did the population diminish so drastically that there just want enough people to continue the ring military traditions that would have survived in Britain after the fall?

I assume there are no sources that outright "expose" it, but it wouldn't be surprising if they were just protecting the kayfabe.

I can see different reasons gladiator combat could make it into sources, but I doubt anyone was writing with the intent of passing on the idea of how it's done to people who will live after the fall of Rome. In their own day, if the crowds weren't aware of it being fake, then it would be more lucrative to keep the secret, and on the other hand, if they knew, I doubt people were learning about the art of it from the books - people getting into it in any form would be shown the ropes, not read about it. (I suppose dirt sheets and such from the time period would be possible?)

Mainly concerning deaths, I can see why you wouldn't want a great gladiator to die - maybe they just fake died and retired? A guy who's a good draw could later be brought back as a different character or train others - that sounds more financially smart than letting top guys in their prime die.

P.s. I'm not trying to push this as a conspiracy theory ("What the Senate doesn't want you to KNOW about Spartacus!") or anything. It would be cool to get exact sources that would make me go "yep, this theory's dead"

So Jesus was born in spring or late summer depending on who you ask. But Christmas was chosen to compete with Saturnalia or Solstice depending on who you ask.

Solstice is usually or always December 21st, how did Christmas end up 4 days off?

It's well-known that Charles Schulz had to fight to have Linus quote the Bible in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" against Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez, and CBS's fears that an overtly religious special might be too delicate a subject for TV audiences. Of course, Charlie Brown was an instant success and became one of the most iconic Christmas specials of all.

But only three years later "The Little Drummer Boy" featured the Nativity story heavily, with the Magi in supporting roles and the climax taking place at Jesus's bedside. Were Rankin-Bass and NBC not similarly concerned? If not, was the success of Charlie Brown a factor in their decision? If so why did they not commission one sooner-- why, indeed, did no network commission such a special in the intervening time?

Is Eric Zemmour just appropriating a tradition for far-right propaganda. Was bonapartism always placed within the French far right tradition, cause I’ve also heard of bonapartism as being placed more towards the center of the French political spectrum in the 19th century?

Do historians have a central online repository for historical information that any historian can contribute to?

When exactly did people understand that at the exact same moment it might be early morning e.g. at Rome, but noon in central China? Had they understood that from planetary motions or could they have deduced it some other way?