I have read that women during the Tang dynasty were quite liberated (there was even a female Empress who ruled in her own right), but during the Song dynasty and after this was not the case. For example, foot binding became popular during the Song. What was responsible for this change in status?

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From a historical perspective, of course. What's the earliest example of a trick that we have written down?

With the Greeks using their notorious phalanx formation. How were the Romans able to counter that tactic and and defeat the Greek armies.

After doing some research into my favorite carols, i discovered that almost all of them were modern, with the earliest - 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' - coming from the 16th century as a secular tune and being given religious words in the Victorian era. What was medieval folk and devotional music like? Are there many that we still sing today?

For the purposes of this question, the medieval period can run from 1000 - 1400, to give us a more manageable time range.

Hittites? Egyptians? Persians? Greeks? Romans? Celts?

Not sure if there's a better sub for this, but at some point humans (or pre-humans) must have just shat wherever (or however most animals do it), right? So I'm just wondering when/how we transitioned from that.

We've probably all heard the medieval trope where a kingdom/county/city is riddled by some problem, and when they have failed to solve the problem themselves, the king/count/mayor promises their daughter's hand to whoever manages to solve it.

My question is, are there known examples of a nobleman marrying off his daughter more as a "prize" for some feat than due to e.g. political considerations. I'm leaving the details open to interpretation; I'm interested in anything you think of.

I'm mostly interested in medieval Europe, but other areas and eras are fine too.

Hey, got a new question; I've been doing some research about the positions of disabled persons in history and I was wondering how I'd fare.

I have Cerebral Palsy, mostly affecting my legs but with a touch in my fine motor skills, I cannot walk without support but I don't have any secondary conditions. I am not mentally disabled and fairly intelligent. I did not present as disabled until I was a couple months shy of my first birthday.

Would I survive? And if I did what would I do as a disabled female?

Some of the books I've read have claimed that people unable to walk were often, if not left to beg that is, put to such tasks as weaving/sewing or going into religion or becoming scribes...

Both during and post-Cold War period.

Most of the books I've found have either focused on the character of Napoleon and the campaigns and so on are secondary, or are so closely focused on battles, tactics and organizations that I don't get the context.

I once heard that pirates wore eye patches, not because they had lost an eye, but rather because during a siege with another ship it was beneficial to see in the dark of the below decks. Therefore, a pirate would wear a patch over one eye and upon descending into the below decks would switch the patch to the other eye thereby eliminating the need to adjust their eyes to the dark. Is there any validity to this claim and/or were patches even all that common?

Was Roman incense adopted from the east and similar to it in composition? Or did they have their own? Is there any idea of what it was made out of or what it may have smelled like?

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What economic system/model was Nazi Germany based on? In what ways did the state interact with the economy? Thank you!

Hey all, first of all I hope this the right subreddit for this request: I'm looking for recommendations for histories of India or the Middle East over the time period of the past 2-3 thousand years. The reason I ask is that over that time period I really have no idea what happened in those parts of the world, and that gap in historical knowledge kind of bothers me. Basically I'm looking for anything to read/ watch that would help me understand what life was like in those places during from say 1000 BC to 1800 AD. Whether it is broad or narrow in scope doesn't matter so much, nor what kind of media it is, as long as it's accurate and interesting. Also the source can be about either the Middle East or India, not necessarily both, I just happen to be interested in both and I thought I'd make only one post. Thanks -SlimDouchebag