Would a ninth century Frankish king be aware of the wealth of Hellenic folklore? What about a 12th century north German duke, or a sixth century Welsh prince? How aware were Italians and Greeks, from 600-1200, of their cultures' pre-Christian mythology?

There is a recent trend in fiction works such as I Am Legend, The Last of Us, the Planet of the Apes reboot, where an epidemic that kills 70-90% of the world's population is able to brought it to post-apocalyptic wasteland level with no need of nuclear war like in past fiction (let's ignore straight zombie fiction and alien invasions to keep the death-from-germs thing). But has something remotely like this actually happened to a country or civilization in History?

Is there any historical basis to "pirate speak", you know stuff like "arr there be buried treasure" etc. Thanks.

This has long bothered me. Does anyone here know how we ended up with the 6,000,000 figure? Thanks.

Went for a bike ride and the wind was giving me a hell of a time so I wondered this.

In the Book "Out of Nowhere" I found a story about an unnamed American who was traveling in Africa and ended up being recruited by either the CIA or possibly the South Africans to kill Russian advisors in the Angolan war of Independence. I was hoping to learn more about mercenaries operating in Africa during the last century and learn more about what happened in Angola during this period. Does anybody know any good books about these subjects?

Am I mistaken in how important Aryan physical characteristics were to Nazism? It seems that if it was that central, it would not have escaped the public eye that Hitler didn't look like people "should" look. I'd have to imagine that they got around it somehow, but if so, how? Was it ever explicitly addressed?

Thanks!

I've never fired a crossbow before but I'd imagine that it would be much more accurate, easier to use, and quicker to reload than primitive firearms.

Was the reason portability of ammo? Bullets are less bulky than bolts.

Also, if there is more information are there any good books on the subject?

In movies and reenactments of the American War of Independence, soldiers are seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder in long rows facing the enemy. If I were designing a battle formation that would make it as easy as possible for my troops to get shot, that is the one I would pick.

• Was this really a typical formation?
• If so, why was it preferred over something more spread out?
• Was it in use from the beginning of firearm warfare? If not when did it become common?
• When did it fall out of favor?

Thanks for your help!

P.S. I searched this sub and the FAQ before posting this. If there has already been a thread discussing this, I thank you in advance for the pointer.

Until relatively late in antiquity various Celtic peoples predominated in parts of Anatolia, France, Spain and other areas in between. I have also heard that the republican Romans considered them fearsome warriors and may have even copied the Celtic javelin/sword/shield strategy to create the iconic legions.

How did this all change? Was it tied up with the 'migration period' or did it happen before? Why aren't there major, continental European nations that speak Celtic languages today? In a place like Turkey are there any vestiges of Celtic language/culture today?

This is a practice mentioned in A Song of Ice and Fire and I was curious if it has historical precedent.

Was this something that existed during medieval times (or before/after)? If so, what was the general reasoning behind the practice?

I've had the impression that the Europeans of the middle ages looked back fondly on Greek history and philosophy but they seemed to have had an extremely stratified political system. Did they see Greek democracy as a mistake or just something that would not work for them? Or did the romantic notions of Greek democracy not really appear until later.