I'm listening to the History of Rome podcast right now and it is skipping over some seriously logistical questions I have:

It seems Rome is just going from battle to battle to battle. From the Gallic sack to the Latin Wars directly into the Samnite wars, directly into the wars with Phyrrus, etc. How did they maintain their armies for so long, especially when the armies were made up of middle class citizens and up, only a small portion of the population. Who was tending the fields? What was the population at the time? Were their conquests enough to make up for this?

It just seems like they can do all these things while their enemies cannot. I think I am just missing a middle point that would connect all this together and make it more believable.

One common theme on the origin of Christianity is that it evolved/plagiarized one or more aspects from previous religions. I know this is a rather contentious point and not what I'm asking.

If it evolved over several generations then there would be immediate precursors to Christianity in the region that contained many, but not all, of the same characteristics.

Do we have any evidence of a proto Christianity? A known religion that existed very close in geography, philosophy and slightly before the general ~0AD birth date of Jesus?

Do modern historians think of that quote as a valid analysis of the French Revolution or just a random musing of a non-historian layman?

Just curious... how did the first auto buyers fuel their cars? I dont imagine there was a BP on every street corner. How did these two industries come together?

Edit: Looks like gas came first. Thanks guys for the info!

I see claims all over the internet about muskets like the Brown Bess, with its relatively heavy caliber, being particularly devastating (e.g. taking off limbs, "crushing" bone, etc.). The implication seems to be that though muskets were less accurate than modern field rifles like the AR-15 derivatives, they could cause considerably more damage if they hit someone. Is this an exaggeration?

I'm thinking of large clubs or bars where this is the primary draw for the clientele, not striptease as a form of foreplay between private sexual partners, which I assume has been around for about as long as clothes have. If the practice is fairly new, why is it new? Did it track with the prohibitions on prostitution or with the strictures against sexuality that rose with Christianity or the Puritans or the Victorians or something else entirely? If it's an old practice, what are some examples?

I understand that at the beginning of the war the Soviets had superior armor but inferior aircraft and infantry. How did Soviet artillery and their use of it compare with that of Germany at that time? What about by the end of the war?

I am just wondering about when it became common practice for prominent Roman generals/politicians to put their faces on coins that they minted? I know that under the emperors this became common practice and that Sulla did this during the Civil Wars, but was anyone else doing this at an earlier time?

What was considered clean to the Romans? What did the Romans do to say clean?

In Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Jack Weatherford claims that when the Mongol armies under Ghengis Khan came up against agrarian societies, that their meat and dairy-heavy diet gave them a health advantage over the peasant soldiers who ate mostly grain.

What's the evidence for this? And did the Mongols suffer from scurvy or anything related to have very few vegetables in their diet?

Please don't link me to the Oatmeal.

I know Germany held colonial territories in that region through the late 19th century. However, I have never heard of German involvement in defending their land in the Pacific Theatre of the War, so am curious. All responses are appreciated!

For example, there are many Chinese words that mean very specific emotions that the English language does not have a single word on its own to match. Is this because the Chinese language has existed for so much longer than the modern English language and has had time to develop these words?

My apologies if this is the incorrect subreddit to ask this, please kindly redirect me to the appropriate one.

Columbian Exchange?

Did they come from the preceding rules from horse drawn traffic or were they developed partially or fully from whole cloth? How did they become (more or less ) standardized internationally?

Im curious about the flavor and texture of the wines. Were they heavy / light? Was white wine an option? Was it frequently watered down or mixed with flavor additives?

Did the Inca have pyramids similar to that of the Aztec or Maya? I don't think I have ever seen a picture or heard about Inca pyramids before.