Muslims claim that Qur'an is a direct revelation of the God. I don't think historians take this as it is. So, what theories have historians developed in order to explain the origins/compilation of the Qur'an ?

The history of American slavery is a history of slaves trying to escape the institution. We know some were successful, either by buying their own freedom or merely running away.

Were there ever any schemes for these former slaves to pool their money and free even more people?

I read that Augustus' full name at death was Imperator Caesar Divi Filvis Augustus. But he is commonly referred to as Caesar Augustus and Augustus Caesar, between the two is one more correct than the other? Or does it not matter in what order the name is said?

Hello

I'm working on a Russian/Ukrainian cookbook which includes a bit of history. I understand how Western (and specifically French) food and culture came to be popular in Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries.

My question is why there wasn't a backlash against it given the political situation, specifically Napoleon invading Russia in 1812. Or was there? I know there were slavophile movements but they seem more of a protest against Westernization in general.

I'm just having a hard time writing, like, "French food was all the rage. Then Napoleon invaded and everyone hated him. But French food remained popular regardless." Or is that really all there was to it?

Hope my question makes sense. Thank you!

I have recently watch the miniseries Death of Yugoslavia. It was extremely fascinating to hear all of the major players give their take on what had happened, considering this was before any war crimes had been prosecuted and the conflict still wouldn't be over for another 6 years. Now that the series is 21 years old, I would like a good book to compare what was known during the conflict to what is known now. What would you guys recommend?

Just a curiousity that came up recently for me, but do we know the exact route Hannibal and his army took and if so, have we found any evidence left behind?

E.g. as "comrade" is thought to have Iberian influences, did Francoist Spain have a similar address?

I'm Danish myself, and a casual history buff who loves to have a well organized timeline in my head chronicling when various historical events happened in relation to other historical events.

But one of the things I'm surprised I've been unable to find specific, readily available information on is the timeline of Norse Mythology. I know most of what we know about it comes from the 13th century Icelandic sources, so it can be difficult to extrapolate an exact timeline from those, but do Historians have any idea when organized belief in Norse Gods - as we know them (Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldr Freya etc.) - began?

I've always been under the impression it started sometime after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, but could it have begun earlier, concurrently with Christianity perhaps?

Thanks!

Were secret agents and espionage in any way the decisive margin for who won the Cold War?

Hello!

I'm not sure if the question in the title makes an awful lot of sense in the way I phrased it so maybe an example will make it clearer.

Currently, around 75% of the votes the German AfD got in elections were votes people cast out of protest against Merkel's refugee policies. All the other ideas that party stands for were apparently irrelevant to those 75%.

Did something similar happen in the Weimar Republic? Like, did people vote the NSDAP because they were fed up with the economy crisis but didn't really subscribe to any other of the NSDAP's ideas?

I can't imagine it being a lot but then again I also can't imagine voting for them at all even out of protest so what do I know...

The first part of the question is basically, would the Opium Wars or Chinese history in general be any different if the rebellion didn't happen?

The second part would be, is it perceived as a part of the general foreign Western incursion into 19. century China or a separated event?

Also because the wikipedia article mentions a nationalistic anti-Manchu/anti-Qing element as being one of the driving forces of the rebellion, is there any sort of positive interpretation of this rebellion in modern China despite it being Christian, considering how negatively the Qing dynasty is viewed?

In HBOs Rome series, Cleopatra is frequently portrayed as a highly drug addled, hedonistic individual. She is mainly shown smoking heroin and cannabis.

Yet, many modern histories of Ancient Rome prioritise her political role, whilst sections on her personality is focused on her talent for seduction and/or political intrigue.

Is there any evidence or "reliable" historical accounts of Cleopatra's relationship with drugs? Any answers or recommended reading would be greatly appreciated.

In the latest Dan Carlin podcast on Persians, he mentions in passing that historians try to reimagine sword fighting as those skills are lost in time in most of the world except in some places like Japan. Considering that swords are so common in popular entertainment, I never realized that what is shown is probably not how it actually happened.

When did sword fighting disappear in different regions? I guess that the Samurai kept the art of sword fighting alive till the Meiji restoration, which may explain why it was passed down to our times. However, why did it disappear in other places?

Obviously when people think of Asia, they think of buddhism, but is there a more in-depth and diverse history of Religion in China?

I wasn't sure where to take this question so figured I'd just ask a historian. I'm writing a war film and need as much info on how war is conducted as possible.

Not sure if I phrased this question correctly. What I mean by this is, I think pretty much every "government secret" before WWII has been declassified to the best of our knowledge? I'm wondering if there is an exact year we can go to where everything that happened before that has been fully declassified to the best of the government's ability.

I know that the 'Christopher Columbus proved Europe wrong about the Earth being flat!' thing is blatantly false, I also know that Greek scientists discovered it many, many years before and it was the commonly accepted model among scientists for many centuries after that, but what about the common people? I know the Printing Press existed for about 50 years after Columbus 'proved' it was round, but before then when books weren't as widely published or available, would the common people (Of any variety--Roman citizens, Peasants, etc. Basically, people who weren't scientists and philosophers) have known that the Earth was round?

I understand how music can be written and passed throughout generations, with sheet music and a mathematical reason. I don't however understand how dance can be transcribed and made official. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.