And what kind of relations might I have with the Romans? As someone living right next to the Roman Empire, is my tribe engaging in lots of trade with Rome, feel threatened by them, see them as a source of income or opportunity for personal gain as a soldier, see them as potential targets for raids? etc.

I realize there's tons of variation over time, location, and tribe affiliation in Roman-barbarian relations so I chose this particular time and place as a start.

I've been seeing a lot of this quote recently: US police killed more people in March than UK did in 20th century; and it made me wonder how many deaths, if any, have been attributed to the Gardaí.

I would also like to ask how accurate the claim that UK police only killed 52 people in the 20th century is?

I'm not talking about a China-wide republic, of course, but (for example) maybe some region during a chaotic period like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Hypothetical examples of cases I'd be interested in, just to see if this rings any bells:

• A group of petty warlords unite to form a collective, oligarchic type of government ruled by council, under the threat of a neighboring kingdom that would have conquered them all in detail if they didn't unite. (Something with more institutional permanence than an ad hoc defensive coalition.)

• A peasant rebellion which theoretically claimed to owe allegiance to a mythical "Celestial Emperor" type figure who would rule as a perfectly just monarch, but in practice govern themselves democratically (or male-only version of democratic, or whatever).

• Merchant elites in some port city like Shanghai purchase some sort of communal autonomy / self-government type charter from the government.

During the time leading up to the independence of the United States, what was the profile of the groups supporting independence, and what was the profile of the groups against it? What was the occupation/identity/location/etc of typical supporters/detractors? How did this profile shift throughout the war or after?
Thanks

Comparing with actual artists how famous and known they were? Local celebrities? Michael Jackson mega stars? Unknown dudes?

I was reading a bit about punishment in the 1800s and learned about public shaming.

Just wondering what motivated the movement from public shaming to strictly being jailed.

I've read that the academic world's accepted position on Jesus is that he did exist, though his divinity is is not accepted. What records, if any, exist to support the claim that historical Jesus existed, preached, and was crucified?

This question has always puzzled me. Why, or how, did someone believe in ending slavery, but not in racial equality (since not all who were abolitionists wanted racial equality)? What was the mindset?

I have read and re-read The Prince countless times, as well as having gone through his Discourses on Livy for the second time currently. Each time I read either of these books, I find some interesting new quotes that I missed before (most recent is how he compares Fortune to a woman in chapter XXV). Practically each chapter seems to be put in practice in past and/or contemporary politics. Of course, you must disregard some context in certain areas, like chapter XIV on war tactics. But even that can be applied in different ways other than physical fighting. So, is Machiavelli the 'godfather' of present day politics, or is there another? Also, who in American politics, or otherwise, do you think acts(ed) the most Machiavellian?

If not, why? Surely there must have been many reasons to try and do as much damage as possible?

I don't want to come across as disrespectful, but how much of historians' work has changed how we view history? Is our understanding of Ancient Greece or the French Revolution or the Islamic Conquests better today than ten years ago?

What are some of the biggest discoveries for history in the past ten years? What are the biggest breakthroughs?

Is this an accurate statement? If so how was slavery one of the most integral parts of creating America as we know it today? If not what would you say was one of the most integral things for creating America today as we know it?

What is a good source to read up on so I can educate myself?