With 'mercantile companies' I mean those operating similarly to the East India Co., and in the time period when they were fully active (i.e. the 17th-18th centuries).

So far in the show (Up to Season 2 Episode 2), all battles between the two seem to have been easy for the Vikings, and they don't take many casualties. Would this have been the case?

Ancient Babylon is a very interesting period of time to me, but I've never really been able to find a solid source on what Babylonians stereotypically looked like. The two more common answers I've found are that they had an Arabic appearance (very tanned with dark hair), or that they had an Aryan appearance (white skin with blonde hair). The ladder seems less likely to me, but I'm no historian, so share your knowledge with me!

I just read the article about the 440-pound bomb unearthed in Cologne. The article said "hundreds of tonnes" of unexploded ordinance are found every year. If that's 200,000 pounds every year for the last 70 years, that's 14 million pounds of explosives to date. Am I missing a decimal point somewhere, or does that just seem like a terribly high failure rate of Allied bombs? Were German bombs "better" as far as exploding when they were supposed to?

Dear people of /r/AskHistorians. I bought a book today about Chinese Propaganda Posters (Wolf, M (2011)Chinese Propaganda Posters. Cologne: Taschen). It is really amazing how all those cold-war Chinese Propaganda posters are bundled in one book. Now is my question: Are there books like this for other nations as well, such as the U.S.A, Nazi-Germany or Sovjet Russia? I would really like to invest more into these books as I can use them for my job (History teacher). The era of the posters/propaganda does not really matter. I have no clue if this is the right subreddit to ask this question. If not, please delete it. However, thank you in advance!

Can historians say Hitler was evil? Or Napoleon was good/bad for France?
Or are historians limited to trends, cause and effects.

Did the Soviets use the the Black Power, Gay rights, Women's rights, etc. movements in the 60's as propaganda against the U.S.?

As a first year teacher this is my first "summer vacation" in about 10 years. I've decided to try and read a lot about historical eras that interest me. I find the medieval period fascinating and have already read Charlemagne by Derek Wilson and I'm about halfway through Joan: Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint by Donald Spoto. While these books are very informative, they focus on the subject (as they should) and not so much the campaigns that were being waged. I feel like I would have a better grasp on what was going on if I could see some maps or was familiar with the strategies involved in sieging towns, blocking access to waterways etc.

Could anyone recommend a book that explained military strategy during medieval battles, and/or the lives of soldiers who apparently were mostly common laborers who fought during the times when they weren't needed at home to harvest, etc.

Why are these and others simply referred to as "Ancient _____ Mythology"? Did they not have names for their own religions, or do we simply not know if they did?

In the movies and statues, a lot of Romans and Greeks were depicted as huge hulking dudes of solid muscle, like the Spartans in 300, or the gladiators from the Spartacus tv show. I mean now days to get like that it requires a ton of specifically designed workouts and micro managing your diet. were their daily activities enough to get them like that? or are the statues and depictions highly exaggerated?

Just wondering how much money grave robbers were making in Britain (or indeed anywhere in Europe) during the 18th/19th Centuries? I understand that their work was very risky and they were frequently assaulted by members of the public. They would often sell to the black market or sometimes physicians/researchers.

Even a very rough idea would be fantastic! There is literally no information about this on the internet :(

EDIT: This is research for a story I am writing. Nothing dodgy!

I was discussing this with a few people in /r/paradoxplaza and was hoping to get some expert knowledge on this. Thank you!

In media I've often seen that two armies would have rules to adhere to while doing battle. Thing like "this general is a higher rank so he deploys his troops first"

These "Gentlemanly" rules that are ignored these days as they hinder ones effort for victory.

I'd like some sources on these as I find it bazzar and interesting!

Thanks

Historically it appears that Japan has traditionally been an inward looking, isolationist nation. When did it change to an outward looking expansionist empire? What prompted the change? Was it deliberately mimicking European empire building/colonization that was occurring in Asia?

In old pictures there are always dozens of smaller and bigger ships in the docks with hundreds of longshoremen working. Now many docks have closed and there are hardly any freight ships on once busy rivers like the the Danube or Thames.

Sorry if the answer to this question is obvious, I'm coming from a landlocked country :)