Good books on the Incas?

I'm looking for solid reads about the Incan civilization, in particular the history of the empire and their religion. When I've searched for books, some seem pretty solid, like Kim Macquerrie's Last Days of the Inca, or Hiram Bingham's Lost City of the Inca. But others look like trash, like this thing. I've found a few books that are translations of primary sources about Bernabe Cobo, I'd love more along those lines (I have to imagine there was more than one jesuit writing on the topic at the time).

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Have the Kurds ever had a state? If not why have they never been able to create one?

The Kurds are split between Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Was this because of western colonialism?

5 Answers 2014-06-29

What was the Value of a Knight and other warriors?

Assuming a Knight had a War Horse with armor for it, Full Plate Armor Covering the most it can, with Chainmail covering the not plated portians, A Sword and Shield, and a mace incase of Knight vs Knight combat. How much would that be in Medieval Cost; and if it can be equated to todays prices, how much in todays USD? Also, what would the prices equal for say, a Viking with a Hauberk an Iron helmet, a Seax, a shield, a 7-10 foot spear, and a Yew Bow (and or Sling). And if they were wealthy enough, a sword.
The Time scale of this is: Knight, 1300-1400 AD; Viking 800-1000AD.

2 Answers 2014-06-29

How does the Royal Navy's organisation (command chain, promotion, conscripting, etc.) differ from the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

When population growth became observable, how did faiths rooted in reincarnation initially address the "new souls"?

Not to say Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions are rooted in reincarnation, but intertwined with the concept theologically. How did the thinkers of these faiths explain where all the new people (billions more than those reincarnated from the last 100 years or further back) came from?

2 Answers 2014-06-29

The last caliphate ended with the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s. Why has it taken until 2014 for the Muslim world to declare a new one?

5 Answers 2014-06-29

Franz Ferdinand has been shot. At this point, is there anything that any one national leader could have done to prevent WWI or is it now bound to happen?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

From the Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution, Were There Many Civilizations That Treated Women As Equals? What Societies Treated Women Best?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Why are the dialects of Spanish so much different and more varied than English dialects across North America?

If there's a better subreddit for this, let me know, but I thought there might be some historical linguists lurking around.

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Battle of stalingrad. Pictures? Details? Info?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Were the Byzantines more technologically conservative or innovative?

Would the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire be considered more technologically innovative or conservative? I've seen different representations of this popularly - in video games such as Medieval II: Total War, they are on the conservative side, with little to no gunpowder technology into the 1500s (although, admittedly, this may be the developers' not putting in units that never existed), and in Paradox Interactive's Europa Universalis IV, Byzantine technology advances less quickly than the French, English, or Spanish, instead being on par with the Hungarians and Russians. However, in another Paradox game, Crusader Kings II, the Byzantines have a technological advantage over feudal Europe. In more grounded terms, I know that Greek and Roman learning was much more well-preserved in Constantinople than it was in western Europe, and things like Silk Production, Greek Fire, and a Centralized government were all more advanced in Byzantium than they were in western Europe. However, I've also read that they failed to see the advantage of gunpowder weapons in the Siege of Constantinople.

So, my main question is: would the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire be considered more technologically conservative or innovative? Of course, this probably would be different in different time periods of their history. As a secondary question (although I realize this is probably more speculative history) is, in a surviving Byzantine Empire (with relatively comparable nations in Western Europe), would they be capable of keeping up with England, France, Spain, and Portugal technologically?

2 Answers 2014-06-29

Why was Brittany able to maintain its independence for so long?

I might be wrong, but it seems to me that the region known as Brittany (aka Bretagne), has been a relatively or wholly self-governed region for the better part of the last 1000 years (following the arrival of the Bretons). Obviously it has been partitioned and owned by France for some time now, but what about before that? Am I right in thinking that this region is kind of remarkable for its historical independence?

2 Answers 2014-06-29

Dear historians, i want to learn more about the history of England/Great Britain but i'm not sure which book to get

I was wondering if you could recommend a book for someone who does not have any real knowledge of the history of England. I have looked into it, but there are so many books... i need your guidance.

5 Answers 2014-06-29

Are there modern day examples of one country purchasing land from another which is not disputed? i.e. Alaskan, Gadsden purchase.

I know some modern day treaties give compensation for disputed lands, but the Alaskan and Gadsden purchase weren't really "disputed", as far as I know (though a minor argument for Gadsden might apply). They were more of straight purchases of land. I know the HRE and British Empires did quite a bit of this, but are there modern day examples? as in post WWII. I tried to look up from the soviet breakdowns, but didn't see any, nor to the crashing of the French and British empires in Africa and Asia. I don't mean leasing ports or army bases, but straight "We want this land as part of our nation, and here's some money for it" treaties.

1 Answers 2014-06-29

In WWI, in the multi-ethnic states (Russia, Austro-Hungary, Ottomans,etc.), did minority nationalism increase or decrease over the course of the war? Did the dominant ethnicity/religion become more nationalistic, or did they try to rally all groups behind the King/Emperor?

I asked a version of this question on WWI AMA but got no answer. Obviously, the outcome of the war was a plethora new national states. Minimally, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Turkey, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Turkey, Armenia (briefly), Georgia (briefly), and Azerbaijan (briefly) emerged during this period and Yugoslavia and Romania expanded to include more co-nationals. Albania and a few other Balkan countries emerged in the period immediately before the war. Ireland appeared shortly after the war, in large part because of ethnic agitation during the war.

However, during the war, was it clear that this is how Europe was going to end up? Was there increasing nationalism among, say, the Hungarians before the Aster Revolution? Or were they rallying around the flag and proudly fighting for King and Kaiser? Was there a sense that "their people" were dying for "someone else's Kaiser"?

I have a sense of what it was in the Ottoman Empire: increasing nationalism for some of the Christian minorities, which was brutally repressed; increasing nationalism for the Arabs, who participated in the famous Arab Revolt; but also increasing Pan-Muslim moves by the government, which tended to favor non-Arab Muslims generally rather than Turks specifically. Do we see similar patterns in other countries? Russians favoring East Slavs while the Baltic states were restless? Austrians favoring Germans and Hungarians while the Slavs were increasingly nationalistic? What about other states with minority populations?

And what about, say, French Jews still reeling from the Dreyfus Affair? Or Scotsman looking across the Irish Sea?

Edit: I'm asking about changes specifically during the war years.

1 Answers 2014-06-29

How did Eastern and Northeastern Europe become predominantly Orthodox rather than Catholic, when prior to their conversion they had been Slavic religions next to Catholic kingdoms?

The only center of Orthodoxy was the Byzantine Empire, right?

2 Answers 2014-06-29

What were Ludwig van Beethoven's political beliefs, and did they affect his career?

It's my understanding that Beethoven believed quite strongly in the ideals of the Enlightenment, and respected Napoleon Bonaparte as the champion of such right up until Napoleon crowned himself Emperor. Was Beethoven a republican? If so, did that affect his relationships with his various patrons? If he was not a republican, what did he believe?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

What were the main internal and external forces that prevented the Iranian uprisings in the summer of 2009 to continue with the same cadence?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Has a rogue general or military unit ever sparked a larger conflict or even war?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

How tall was US President Andrew Jackson?

I have looked online and cannot find reputable sources to discredit the findings of my grandfather who visited his home "The Hermitage" in Nashville, Tennessee. Wikipedia and many others show him at 6'1" tall, but my grandfather claims the manniquins at the museum that held his clothes are no taller than 5'7". Is there any reliable answer to this question?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Anyone have good sources on Danish, Swedish, and Dutch involvement in the slave trade or what slavery was like in their colonies?

English preferably or Spanish. Thanks!

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Were churches in the US segregated? If so, how was it 'justified?'

How was the sitting arrangement in this churches? Were there mixed denominations?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

If I were a young Navajo man in the 40's, what was my attitude about the U.S., and how would I feel if I were asked to be a codetalker in the Pacific war?

I can find very little information on what pre-war/Depression life was like for the Navajo. Was there any hesitation or apathy towards the U.S. and WWII? What books would be instructive on the subject? Thanks in advance.

1 Answers 2014-06-29

Was there a long standing organization within the catholic church whose purpose was to actively seek out heretics and other practices deemed "anti-christian"?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

I'm a physician in the 14th century. What can I successfully treat?

Obviously, medical knowledge is not at its finest. What are some things that I DO know how to cure?

1 Answers 2014-06-29

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