In the Vassal-Treaties of Esarhaddon, section 32 says:

If you smear your face, your hands, or your throats with red paste which (is like) šapuhru in the eyes of the gods, or tie it to the hem of your garments in order to avoid the consequences of the oath -

Apparently šapuhru means cedar. Can anyone explain the significance of what is being described here?

Secondly, a treaty between Ashurnirari V of Assyria and Mati'ilu of Arpad, in its opening sections, makes reference to a sacrificial lamb:

This spring lamb has been brought from its fold... to sanction the treaty between Ashurnirari and Mati'ilu. If Mati'ilu sins against this treaty made under oath by the gods, then, just as this spring lamb, brought from its fold, shall not return to its fold and will not behold its fold again, Mati'ilu, together with his sons, daughters, officials, and people will be ousted from his country, will not return to his country and will not behold his country again.

It goes on to describe how the lamb's head is the head of Mati'ilu and his sons, daughters, officials, etc., and will be torn off and its knuckle placed in its mouth; the lamb's shoulder is the shoulder of Mati'ilu et al and will be rent from its body, etc.

So, I'm wondering, was there an aspect of public ritual to the formation of treaties? As it was recorded, would it have been accompanied by a presentation of the slaughter of the lamb mentioned? What was the practice here? Do we know?

I know it's not exactly a source, but I was playing the Black Ice mod for Hearts of Iron 3, and one of the techs (battlefield modified armor) stated that tank crews would scavenge scrap metal and armor from enemy vehicles and attach it to their own tanks as a sort of makeshift armor. Are there any accounts of this actually happening?

I am in illustrator working on a Norse Mythology project, trying to create a historically sensitive portrayal of Thor, Odin, the Valkyries, Fenrir, Jormungandr, Loki, and others. I am trying to create something historically accurate for these figures. Any insight or links would be appreciated.

Thank you.

I'm starting to elaborate my research master's project on the british policy of combating the slave trade, how it evolved during the course of the XIX century, and what impact, if any it has had on british colonial policies.

I believe i have good sources from the places i am focusing on: Brazil, Benin and Nigeria, but from where i live it is very hard to find even recommendations on books about foregin police of the british empire. I am familiar with Robin Blackburn, Thornton, Dreschler, Costa e Silva. any other readings i could be appointed to?

Now, just as the modpost asked, I'm gonna be upfront. I have to write a research paper on Sputnik. I really don't want you guys to write my paper for me, but if some of you who are experts in this era could direct me to some great sources, that would be fantastic! thanks so much.

I'm looking to compile a list of songs that could be used as primary sources for teaching History (any...European, American, World). Here are a few I have thought of:

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son" Nena - "99 Red Balloons" Bing Crosby - "Brother, Can You Spare Me A Dime"

Any others?

How much did they try to separate religious and state purposes? I tend to think that culturally there were a lot of similarities in how they thought the world should be and that these assumptions very well may have been based off of religious principles so I am wondering how much of it was from non-religion based ideals?

Edit: I have issues grammaring sometimes and getting my point across so if anything seems convoluted or unnecessary please let me know. Thanks!

Been fascinated with the development of law recently and have been reading short extracts from Plato's texts and I want to read more. A friend suggested starting off with 'The apology'.

I'm sorry in advance if this is not the correct subreddit to ask this question.

Hi, I am a person going into college and I really want to become a historian of some sort with college history professor as my first choice. For those of you involved in that field, how did you get there?

(I have already had this question approved by a mod)

Before the Second World War, WW1 was known as the Great War. Why wasn't WW2 named the second great war? Also, on a related note, when was WW1 renamed?

Why was East Pakistan even part of Pakistan in the first place?

I just finished Persian Fire by Tom Holland. It's basically an overview of the Greco-Persian Wars and origins of the Achaemenid Empire (starting with the Median empire).

One of Holland's claims is that Darius (and later, Xerxes) believed it was his duty as the chosen of Ahura Mazda to stamp out "Lies" in the world and let "Truth" prevail. The Behistun inscription seems to support this, as it's filled with descriptions of the kings Darius punished for lying. This is obviously propaganda, but it apparently has deep religious significance as well.

Is Holland correct? Did the Persians believe in "holy war" to stamp out "the Lie"? Did they claim to believe in "holy war" but simply use it as propaganda? Is this all a misreading of the text?

For my final exam I am to analyze and dissect the origins and progression of imperialism and nationalism in Europe from 1660 on with emphasis on the 19th century. I was wondering if these two concepts tie into WWI and WWII at all and if so how? I understand the concepts but a general overview of the roots and growth would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot

I’m well aware that African societies responded in different ways to European occupation, but to what extent did African rulers “resist” or “collaborate” in response to the colonial conquest? I’d appreciate any examples of either “resistors” or “collaborators,” as well as any books or articles that can lead me on the right path. Any additional, quality books or articles about European imperialism in Africa would be greatly appreciated also.

Thanks in advance!

I see dragons in mythology often, from Britain to Japan. Though the forms often change, they are usually large, magical creatures and draw on similar concepts. Why and how did so many separate cultures come up with a similar mythological icon?

This question may be based on an erroneous observation, but at least in media and my personal experience in the Northeast, singing and drinking don't mix (karaoke excluded). Drinking songs appear to have a long history in most of Europe, and it seems like the kind of tradition/habit that wouldn't be given up without a reason. Was there social pressure from the Puritans or other religious groups?