On a recent trip, a tour guide mentioned that the Polynesian people may have their origin in the fertile crescent. He said their language, religion, and genetic profile were similar. He then went on to claim that they could be a long lost tribe of Israel. Is there any truth to what he said?

I was reading about Isabelle I of Castille and it said that she funded Spain's first government sponsored police force, and that previously smaller independent local groups would attempt to keep law and order.

I realize that the military as an institution has been around for a very long time, but I was wondering about the world history behind government funded forces specifically dedicated to law enforcement.

I remember reading 10 Days That Shook the World, by John Reed, and one thing that stuck out was the accusation that the bourgeoisie was engaging in self-sabotage and hoarding as a tool to fight a government which they felt was going too far left.

This has become a frequent accusation by leftist governments since, such as during the Cuban revolution during its early years in power, in Chile in opposition to Allende, and more recently (though it violates the 20 year rule) in Venezuela under Chavez and now Maduro.

How real is this? Is it just a boogeyman used to deflect responsibility from the government? Honestly I have always taken these accusations with a grain of salt, especially since I have never actually seen proof of this, much less of it being part of an organized action meant to influence politics.

I think that the title says it all.

At what time did people begun to show disgust towards nudity in public. As far as I know in the medieval ages no one would be as horrified as today if you would appear naked anywhere. Am I wrong?

How and when did it develop from the survival need of clothing to public standard?

West Virginia notably split away and formed it's own state, but were other areas who opposed secession still forced, for example, to contribute to the Confederate war effort, pay taxes to the Confederacy, etc.?

Did most people predict a UK/France victory or German victory? How about among military experts? How likely did people think was the chances of the US or Soviet Union entering the war against Germany (as opposed to war against Poland or Japan)?

Maybe it's a more theological question but the reason for it must be historically grown.

by "deny sexuality" I mean that they have rules like "no sex before marriage" or the islamic headscarf to hide a womans hair as some kind of "sex symbol".

This is no critic of this religions. I'm just curious

So I'll apologize in advance if this has been answered before as I can't conceive that no one has asked it before... but I'm having no luck finding another thread.

To specify the question is about the more square shaped shields the Romans used.

It's kind of a two part question.

#1) What were these actually made of?

#2) How effective would they be at stoping a direct sword blow or arrow hit? Would there be a realistic chance of piercing through one and injure the holder or damaging it to the point it could no longer be used?

And what were their reasons?

"Clovis received an appointment to the consulship from the emperor Anastasius [491-518], and in the church of the blessed Martin he clad himself in the purple tunic and chlamys, and placed a diadem on his head. Then he mounted his horse, and in the most generous manner he gave gold and silver as he passed along the way which is between the gate of the entrance [of the church of St. Martin] and the church of the city, scattering it among the people who were there with his own hand, and from that day he was called consul or Augustus. Leaving Tours he went to Paris and there he established the seat of his kingdom." - Gregory of Tours, Histories 2.38

Gregory of Tours portrays Clovis as very 'Roman'; he's a Catholic, he wears a lot of purple in this passage and later Clovis commissioned the first Salic Laws. So what was his relationship to his Roman subjects like?

edit: Seems I've semi-resolved this myself

It seems Clovis was on fairly poor terms with catholics in his kingdom until his victory against Alaric II in 507.

Many catholics believed 'barbarians' should be segregated from more civilised catholicism (largely as Arianism was the dominant religion of the Visigoths in Toulouse, Vandals in Carthage and Ostrogoths under Theodoric). Alaric II re-issued the Theodosian Code, banning Arian conversion to Catholicism - many of the Cathlolic priests in Clovis' kingdom lauded him for this;

"with our knees bent to the ground, we prayed for the kingdom of Alaric ... so that the Lord might expand his realm"

However, Clovis was determined to become catholic; victory over the Alemanni had already convinced him of the power of Christ. The bishop of Reims then baptised Clovis and his entire 3,000 man army, many of whom were renegade Roman soldiers. Clovis then sought an oracle from St. Martin at Tours in order to gain divine favour over a war against Alaric;

"'Lord God,' said he, 'if you are on my side ... deign to show me a porpitious sign as these men enter the church, so that I may know that you will support your servant Clovis'"

So winning the war in 507 resulted in the very catholic precession outlined by Gregory of Tours, in another attempt to gain the favour of Roman catholics.

And what was the religion like just before conversion to Christianity?

I've wondered this ever since I found a Melodiya copy of Bon Jovi's "New Jersey" in a used record store. (Specifically Fred's in St. John's, Newfoundland, where Soviet fishing vessels were once common.) Did the USSR pay royalties to the Western record companies and artists, or were they basically state-sponsored bootlegs?

Since England was first invaded by Anglo-Saxon Germanic tribes and then by the Normans, you would think Arthur would be a Celtic nation icon and reviled in England, which as we all know is named for the invading Anglos.

A paper I was reading made reference to an island called Lerne saying that it was north of Britain, but I cannot find out what island it is referring to through google, nor does the paper make mention of it again.

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I saw on that new Youtube channel about WWI that they would shoot soldiers who fell asleep while they were supposed to be on duty watching the No Man's Land.

How strictly was that enforced? Were they ever like, well, we like this guy. Let's give him another chance.

Or were they seriously grabbing the guy and shooting him in the head?

Supposedly, the Brazilian expeditionary force to Europe in WWII had smoking snakes on their insignias because of a popular saying claiming the Brazilians will never join the war.

Problem is, I saw this saying attributed the the Brazilian PM, to certain Nazi officers and even to Hitler himself - and I could never find a direct quote or a reliable source. So, do we know where this phrase comes from? Or is it just a myth?

At what point did the English become English rather than Normans or French nobles (since for a long time after the Conquest the nobility spoke French and had lands in Normandy and other parts of France).