I'm still reading it, and it's definitely interesting, but is the current consensus that the Silk Road trade was as fundamental to the economy of the "periferal empires" like China, Rome and Byzantium as he makes it to be?

A long time ago I watched a programme where it showed paintings of the Virgin Mary with Arabic writing on here clothes. I forget why they said this was as I was just a child when I saw it, so along with examples a little reasoning would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

And if so, why?

The Ken Burns documentary, "The War" claimed that while the initial battles in the Guadalcanal Campaign were marked with significant causalities, American forces we're getting stronger and smarter:

"The Americans were beginning to learn how to beat the Japanese not only in the air and on the sea, but in the jungles where, over the next 3 years, the fighting would only get worse."

Episode One: "A Necessary War" (December 1941 – December 1942). Quote at 1h 55min.

What did they learn? What advances in combat strategy led to an increase in American victories?

Or was it fairly obscure? And do people still use surnames like Goering, Himmler, etc?

I've been doing a little reading and it seems that before the English invasion only two native princes claimed the title of Prince of Wales (Llywelyn the Great and Dafydd ap Llywelyn) or controlled enough territory to make such a claim credible. What allowed these men to unite the people of Wales and why had no other ruler been able to do so previously?

Hi r/AskHistorians!

I'm not a historian but I've had a passion for history for a long time, specifically the history of East Asia. I considered studying history in my early 20s but was talked out of it because I was told that the employment prospects were grim. More recently I've read a lot about the glut of humanities PhDs in the market and about how hard it is to find an adjunct role not to mention a tenure-track position. So I guess I'm glad that I didn't go down the path to academia.

I'm 30 years old now and make a decent living in professional services. Even though I can't take up history as a profession, I'd still like to contribute something to the field before I die. For those who know Chinese history, I'd like to specialise in the Six Dynasties period. I follow the academic literature actively and have done some translations of historical texts for my own amusement.

I imagine it's hard to undertake a PhD whilst working full time, so my plan is to retire at 55-60 and pursue a PhD then. At that age I'll be too old to start on the academic path, of course. My main motivation for a PhD is to be able to engage with experts in my field of specialisation and to contribute some of my own ideas to something I find quite meaningful.

I don't even have a bachelor's in history (I studied finance), so I'd be grateful if those in the know could help answer my burning questions:

• Is this a feasible plan?
• Do I need to get a decent Masters degree beforehand?
• Is it possible to undertake a PhD on a part-time basis?
• If I am to undertake a PhD in my old age, what could I be doing right now to prepare?
• What else should I be taking into account?

The Persian nation contains a number of tribes as listed here. ... : the Pasargadae, Maraphii, and Maspii, upon which all the other tribes are dependent. Of these, the Pasargadae are the most distinguished; they contain the clan of the Achaemenids from which spring the Perseid kings. Other tribes are the Panthialaei, Derusiaei, Germanii, all of which are attached to the soil, the remainder -the Dai, Mardi, Dropici, Sagarti, being nomadic.

—Herodotus, Histories 1.101 & 125

Naturally the name is interesting. Is there any link with modern Germans? Or is the link etymological? Or is it a simple coincidence?

I just learned about the Roma Sub Rosa series and being a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Roman history, I am eager to get started on the novels, which apparently mix both genres. I wanted to ask what are the experts' opinions on the historical accuracy of these novels. Thank you!

I'm doing a project on King Arthur at the moment and during my research, I have found that there are multiple theories that historians have concerning Arthur himself (e.g. he was a Romano-British soldier who commanded an army). I would like to know the most popular/credible theories among Arthurian historians and the leading historians in that specific theory. Thanks :)

I'm watching Flyboys, certainly really enjoying it, but I wonder how they trusted the pilots when they came back. Did they say "oh yea I got 7 kills" and they just believed him? There's no way there could always be someone to vouch for every kill. Even though it's highly immoral, did it happen?

Seems like such a small number of people to send.

I guess the question i'm asking is why oil rich nations of the middle east haven't risen into a growing superpower like China has. Not to sound like a conspiracy nut, but why are the Islamic states so disparate in modern times, compared to the Islamic golden age?

I did not see this on the FAQ so i thought I would ask how accurate the movie shows life in New York during the Civil War? Where gangs really that powerful and wide spread? In addition to that, how well does the movie show the events of the Draft Riots?

I would like recommendations of an in-depth unbiased account of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

It seemed so odd that Americans would choose Sputnik to be so fearful of. It did nothing more than beep and orbit the earth. Why did it launch such a controversy and fear that it would lead to the Space Race/freeze the cold war further? Why Sputnik? Why not the Russian number stations, or Russian spy planes? Or, semi-related, why weren't Americans fearful of the omni-present Nazi U-boats off the East coast?

Sources would be great to look at in answers, although if some of you experienced Sputnik first hand please shed some light on the subject. Thanks!

I saw a map of Caesars Gallic Wars and in the middle of the southern coast of Britain was labeled a tribe called Atrebates. Is it just coincidence that they have the same name as the Belgic Atrebates or were they the same tribe?

How were traffic lights synched before computers could automate light controls? Would they use a mechanical timer?