I am hoping someone here can help answer this. I am really looking to learn about India in particular, but would be interested to hear about any Asian countries. I want to know if there were any establishments that were used as social gathering hubs, much like inns and taverns in Europe were used?

I would also be interested to know what kind of drinks were consumed at such establishments? Did Asian countries have beer or an equivalent of it? Did they drink rice wine or something else?

Thanks all!

I am researching project Ultra and was trying to find original decoded messages. So far, I have found only a few messages quoted in other documents (usually without any useful citation). I think I am simply looking in the wrong places. If someone could point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

P.S. While I would certainly appreciate any decoded signals, I would prefer ones already translated as I do not speak German. Regardless, if they are not available, I am sure I could run German ones through an online translator.

Like I said, any help is appreciated, Thank you!

What I mean by that is was there a time (during a civilization) before the social construct of race?

I'm enquiring as I'm trying to ascertain what kind of bow is being described in Homer's Odyssey, specifically the bow used to kill the suitors. In a lot of depictions of the scene I see that a Scythian bow is portrayed.

Also I was wondering, how would this kind of bow be used if it were real? From the description in the story the bow was extremely difficult to string, so I imagine drawing back the bowstring would take immense strength, but the Greeks used a pinching grip on the arrow between two fingers didn't they? Which usually meant bows were weaker, so is Homer explaining this away with 'Oh he can draw it with a pinched grip because he is a Greek hero!' or is it because of a different drawing style entirely?

I just read a reference about a Chicago Times investigation in 1888 on the subject, and digging a little bit deeper found out that it was one of the factors that fueled the London matchgirls strike of 1888.

I definitely would like to know more, but a quick search on my end was somewhat fruitless.

I saw this referred to online and I found the idea that it was accepted in Rome interesting. I had always remembered Romans as being very critical of men who allowed themselves to be the penetrated ones in a relationship when compared to the ancient Greeks (I make the distinction because if I recall correctly the issue wasn't male-male contact so much as allowing oneself to be dominated).

I have found some online sources that say that it occurred during the Principate but I'm wary of accepting it too easily because I know this is a hot button issue. As usually happens when something is so interesting to contemporaries, many activists or crypto-activists like to rewrite the past to legitimize their current positions, so I don't want to be taken in.

Full disclosure: I have no problem with same sex marriage. I just don't want to repeat half-truths or convenient untruths out of ignorance when the topic comes up.

Edit: I am also skeptical of all of this because I remember Augustus and other emperors enjoyed policing public morals, and they viewed marriage as an institution which guaranteed the reproduction of the Roman people (few among the aristocracy were having kids, getting married). Moralizing emperors would therefore probably be displeased with a union that precluded biological offspring.

What kind of punishment would be expected for different crimes? If it was not the first offence what difference would that make to the way the courts behaved? Would the age of the person (i.e. a child) or gender make any difference to the sentencing?

If you have any suggestions on books/areas where I could find out more they would be very much appreciated!

I'm trying to work out what the films and novels teach us about how people view the Civil War. I'd love opinions on as many films and novels as possible but in particular I'm looking at Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, Glory, Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (just kidding).

I need to do a project involving Pol Pot and his form of communism so I'm looking for a few sources that explains the basics of Maoism, Stalinism, Leninism etc. I would also appreciate comments, as long as there are sources backing you up that I can use when comparing the different ideologies.

Obviously his aggressive foreign policy in part led to WWII, but how much of the blame can be shifted to the Allies for appeasing him and failing to secure an alliance with the Soviet Union?

Socialism is a dirty word now in US politics, but this wasn't so, the SPA was a major political force in US politics in the early 20th century, but then they suffered a dramatic collapse and lost literally all political ground. What caused this to occur? it seems bizarre that a party could lose so much so quickly.

Also, does he deserve such a high reputation?

or even the Indonesians did... they say 1.6m people were destroyed in Triblinka in about 24 months, about the same amount of people were annihilated in Indonesia in about the same amount of time, but it is not spoken of. Stalin? Georgia? Why?

Cardinal Richelieu turned France into the predominate 17th Century power by giving need material support to the Protestant side battling the Catholic Hapsburgs, then eventually intervening on their behalf at the end of the Thirty Years War. Because he was a Prince of the Church why wasn't he excommunicated for openly helping Protestant forces? Were Richelieu's actions condemned by the Vatican or any prominent Catholics in France?