Today:
Welcome to this week's instalment of /r/AskHistorians' Sunday Digest (formerly the Day of Reflection). Nobody can read all the questions and answers that are posted here, so in this thread we invite you to share anything you'd like to highlight from the last week - an interesting discussion, an informative answer, an insightful question that was overlooked, or anything else.
Thank you to everyone who turned out for this past week’s Tuesday Trivia thread, A Day in the Life! We learned about what it was like to be everyone from an ancient Greek peasant to an optician in 1900s Missouri to a...cathedral in 18th century Salzburg?
Yesterday we tweeted all the answers one by one from @askhistorians (which you should be following anyway), so if you want, click over there and read the answers one by one when you have a few minutes.
(Oh, and this Tuesday will be history that passes the Bechdel Test, t.i. involves primarily women actors and what they do is not focused on a man, so bring your girl power!)
May I point you lovelys to the magnificent, 13 part, answer to the question: How did early modern Europeans think of sleep/dreams in the context of the supernatural/magic, and how might sleep/dreams have in turn influenced concepts of the supernatural/magical? by u/6FtAboveGround?
Hello all (and thanks to u/Gankom for the two nods!)-
As an architecture nerd, I was thrilled to be able to provide this answer to the question "why do all ancient Greek buildings have such a similar look?"
(I’m very sorry for this, but it’s sung to the tune of the Arrogant Worms ‘Mounted Animal Nature Trail.)
On the AskHistorians Super Show, you'll be sure to see
All of Histories favorite threads, all posted for all to see
Histories never dusty any more, it’s last thread left me stuffed
Don't worry, we’ve got more than Hitler stuff!
The AskHistorians Super Show, it's great for Mom and Dad
Where else can Grandma and the kids see the silence of the lambs?
Don't have to walk a hundred miles or [sail the largest sea] (https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a55on8/in_the_filmbook_master_commander_lots_of_the/)
And the only fearsome sound you'll hear is the hammer of the mods.
Welcome one and all to the Sunday Digest. I apologise profusely for the lyrics; sleep deprivation is a crazy thing. So as per my usual, lets start off with the main features of the week.
Tuesday Trivia! What was “a day in the life” like for people in your era? This thread has relaxed standards and we invite everyone to participate! The Tuesday feature has been just fantastic for awhile now. Great job to all involved!
Short Answers to Simple Questions | December 12, 2018
And the Saturday Showcase
Edit: Many thanks for the gilding! You guys are the best!
I wrote a summary on the theology of ritual purity in Zoroastrianism as a followup here: https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a5u329/how_were_menstrual_cycles_perceived_in/ebq7mx0?utm_source=reddit-android by /u/lcnielsen
Several days after the initial question and after u/Bacarruda linked some old answers of mine, I went into depth on the relationship of armour to the weapons that it defends against.
I don't usually like to link my own stuff here, but someone finally asked a question I've been waiting to get a chance to answer ever since signing up here - just why did so many foreigners decide to go and fight in the Spanish Civil War?
Sadly, I could only answer at a very awkward time so it flew a bit beneath the radar - it even missed u/Gankom's eagle eye!
/u/Georgy_K_Zhukov on "When Aaron Burr learned that Alexander Hamilton may have intended not to fire his shot or aimed to miss Burr during their fatal 1804 duel, he described it as "Contemptible, if true." Why would choosing not to fire or to deliberately miss be considered shameful in a pistol duel?" and "During the time period when dueling was common, were members of the clergy ever involved in duels?"
/u/EnclavedMicrostate answered "The religion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is popularly described as a form of "Christian mysticism". How Christian were Hong Xiuquan and the Taiping? What did they really believe?"
/u/systemmetternich answered "With regards to European nobility, "minor nobility" is sometimes referenced (e.g. John came from a family of minor nobility). What exactly makes them "minor" in comparison to other nobles and how would their lives differ?"