I know that Ur at its height had a population between 50,000 and 80,000 (or was it Uruk?), but what would the population of the lands outside the city have been? Were there satellite villages and towns outside of these cities? Throughout history, the majority of the population has been rural. Did this apply to Mesopotamia?

I was wondering if there's a historical reason for the four year presidential term length in the US. Why not three years or five years? Is it completely arbitrary? Was it based on the term lengths of previous democracies or other institutions? If so, why do they use that particular term length?

I've been researching historical European gypsy persecution for a short story, and branding keeps popping up. For instance, in Scotland around 1624, gypsy women were whipped and branded on the cheek. I was curious as to what kind of brand was used (as in the shape, size, design, etc.) and if there were any other locations than the cheek? I am not asking specifically about Scotland; any information (in any European country) on the subject would be greatly appreciated, although I am focusing more on France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands 1580 and after.

Thank you for your help!

Let's say it's 1975 or so, and I've been sent to prison for getting into a fight after a little too much vodka.

I have no prior offenses and have been considered a good citizen up to this point. Let's say I lived in Moscow and worked at a factory.

What sort of conditions will I face? Are there rehabilitation programs, or am I just stuck in a cell and left to rot?

And how do we know?

Could a drunken carriage driver or horseman do some damage? Were there laws or admonition against drunk driving?

I was wondering if one of you could give advice on the best way to find newspaper sources for events when they don't come up from a google search Thanks

I am wondering about the prevalence of suicide by young people throughout history? It unfortunately seems to be so common now, somewhat assisted by the societal pressures young people in antiquity may not have had to deal with.

I've heard several theorists propose that the mongols would face severe difficulties if they had invaded Western Europe at their height because their bows wouldn't survive the European temperament, the glue would become undone, and the wood would rot. How true is this?

Is it maybe just a myth perpetuated through how beer seems important from an outsiders point of view? Sorry for crude wording but I hope my point comes across. I know a few German people and they all drink fairly often, so it's not just a stereotype. Right?

Thanks in advance!

Also, how did we arrive at the WW2 consensus?

I know that Europeans fought numerous wars against and alongside Native Americans, but I don't know anything about Native American wars/politics that didn't affect Europeans. Presumably pre-contact tribes killed each other over things like religion, territory, pride, etc. and presumably their post-contact descendants did the same thing until non-Native American intrusion became a higher priority. So what are some examples?

Who did they target? What would they do to those who were catatonic? I'd also appreciate your sources. I'm trying to write something so-

For instance, On Wikipedia and other sites I'm getting a predicted 2.5 million Aztec people still alive- however, are hue gees people 100% Aztec genetically, or does the number count Europeans who have interbred with natives? Similarly, are there any accurate predictions to the numbers of native North American, Mayan, and Incan populations?

Hey /r/AskHistorians,

I suspect this may be a naive question, or one where the answer is "go get a history degree" but I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask.

I'm a big spaceflight nerd and have decided to try to capture some of my enthusiasm in a podcast about NASA spaceflight history. It isn't anything rigorous and it's just for fun, but I want to do a good job. I've started reading some old NASA books and cruising around their history.nasa.gov website and it's a lot to take in. Do you have any advice for a history newbie on how to effectively intake and digest a large amount of information and come out the other end with a coherent and succinct idea of what happened?

So far my strategy has just been to read a bunch, then try to write down a few sentences that sum it up nicely. I also make a note of the sources I'm reading because while I don't plan on providing anything like a bibliography now, it seemed like a good idea in case I change my mind.

Any advice, cautions, or comments are extremely welcome! Thanks.

Just wondering, did the fall create a vacuum or affect trade routes or something in such a way that it affected the spread of Islam over 100 years later? Or was the relationship just tangential in the same way that WWI still affects us today?