2 Answers 2014-10-28
Let's say that during the reign of Augustus, if I were to go to Gaul would the cities/people appear more Latin or Celtic? I know that Greek culture most certainly survived well into the late empire, but what about other cultures like Dacian, Celtic, Thracian etc.?
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I know that there is the 20 year rule on this sub, but I was hoping to get some historical context of the significance of Pope Francis's decree stating that the theory of evolution and the Big Bang do not contradict religious dogma (article can be found here). The article mentions Pope Pius XII opening the door to this, so I was hoping to get more background on that as well as other examples which marked a complete shift in the way the Catholic Church interprets the Bible.
Another interesting aspect of Pope Francis's decree is that it pretty much directly contradicts the teachings of his predecessor. So I'm also curious as to other historical decisions by popes which were similarly contradictory to the teachings of the previous pope. Is such a contradiction a rarity amongst popes? And if so, what are some important historical examples of this.
Hopefully this question is still within the bounds of the rules of the sub. Just to clarify, I'm looking for some historical context in which to frame Pope Francis's declaration rather than a discussion about how important the decision will be for the Church moving forward.
Edit: After reading the response from /u/Domini_canes I figured I would rephrase my question. As others have pointed out, the "contradiction" has been a bit overstated by the article. However, I'm still interested in various shifts in policy that may have happened in the past which re-aligned the Church in any number of ways. What were some of the reasons behind the shift in policy? How did people react to those changes? Has there ever been an instance where a pope condemned a previous pope for effecting one of these shifts? Have there been any instances where a pope was the major reason behind why a shift in policy occurred?
While I understand the article may be a bit hyperbolic on the importance of this single event, those were the types of questions I began wondering about after reading the article. The two examples given by /u/Domini_canes were exactly the type of thing I was looking for, so if there's any confusion as to my original inquiry you can use his post as a bit of a guideline.
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I often hear things referred to as Byzantine, especially in reference to tax codes. The dictionary definition described Byzantine as meaning "highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious".
What about the Byzantine government made it especially bureaucratic, in terms of its tax laws and otherwise? How do those things compare to other contemporary empires like the Holy Roman Empire? And if anyone knows, how does this compare to earlier tax systems under ancient empires like the Romans or Greeks?
1 Answers 2014-10-28
I'm doing a research project assessing the historical accuracy of the show Boardwalk Empire. One of the themes I will be looking at specifically is the status of women and in Boardwalk Empire there is much focus on a Catholic hospital that has quite backward views on pregnancy, prenatal care, birth control etc. I'm basically looking for some secondary sources, or indeed any primary source material people may have access to on this .
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August 1930, Marion, IN two young African Americans were broken out of a jail, beaten, and hung outside the downtown courthouse. Author of the book A Lynching in the Heartland claims that this is "an ordinary place in time".
How accurate is his claim and how do we account for the fact that a crowd of Marion citizens, consisting of both men and women, committed these crimes?
Thank you guys so much! :)
2 Answers 2014-10-28
My wife and I are watching The Great British Bake Off and we have to ask....are there really food historians? If so what do they do? And how do you make a living as one?
It may seem a silly question but we are dying to know.
EDIT: Just to say thanks for the responses. This is exactly why people love AskHistorians.
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I love doing primary source themes, letters, maps, artifacts, audio/video, newspapers, and paintings and photographs, history is full of so many records. But until now all these Tuesday Trivia records have been missing something: that smell of bureaucracy, of sweaty underpaid clerks and iron gall ink, these haven’t been OFFICIAL documents.
So let’s get some red tape wrapped around these pillars of learning. Please share an interesting historical record made by a government or other official body, like entries from the census, laws, court cases, birth certificates, death certificates, baptismal certificates, marriage certificates, whatever.
As usual I’ll share a few websites you may find interesting:
4 Answers 2014-10-28
I'm assuming it varies geographically and culturally, so multiple answers and the relevant context would be wonderful! Thanks.
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After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, what became of the Roman citizens? Did they remain in Italy, or did they to some other places? Could we say that no "true" ethnic Romans exist today, and are just diluted with other ethnicities?
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When you think about it, it's a weird thing to call a someone you are having sex with. Or would like to be having sex with. Is it a fairly modern usage?
I would love to be shown early examples in poems, songs, etc. I'm mostly referring to the English language, but other languages would be interesting as well.
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