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Was 龐蔥's name meant to be understood as "enormous scallion", "Pang Scallion", or something else?
The Warring States records suggests that the chengyu "three men make a tiger" comes from the story of a man named 龐蔥. This means "enormous scallion" in direct translation. Although Pang (龐) is a surname, so it might be meant to only be treated as such, I can't find another meaning for 蔥. Was his name meant to be interpreted as "scallion", or is there some other meaning?
I don't know if this is a good place to ask this, but I am going to anyway.
I'm a history major, and I'm writing my first big boy paper, a 7 page paper for Hawaiian History. I've decided to do it on the Great Mahele. I am in Hawaii, so my library has tons of great resources, but I am running into an issue. A lot of the primary sources are in Hawaiian, and I don't speak Hawaiian. In fact, my area of focus for my degree is Russia, this is a diversity requirement.
How do I, as a good historian, overcome this language barrier?
How did pizza become a standard delivery food?
Did pre-modern Asian societies grow and maintain bamboo purposefully, or did they just utilize "wild" bamboo? Is there any evidence the bamboo plant spread to the Middle East, Europe, or Africa, considering how useful it was?
Is it overly simplistic to call Hitler a white supremacist?
I realize there might be a disparity between modern definitions of "white supremacy" and what Hitler et al. defined as white ethnic groups.
Literature I've found mentions he viewed the (what he saw as) Han Chinese, Japanese, Native American and Iranian groups more favorably than many 'white' groups.
I also know he's a modern white supremacist symbol, but I'm wondering if white supremacy was actually consistent with his beliefs. 'Aryan supremacy' seems more descriptive and accurate.
Who said this quote?
I’m having an incredibly hard time finding who stated this quote online! I was wondering who said that “...most people just want merciful masters.” I thought that it was an Ancient Greek or Roman historian or philosopher. Can someone help find the full quote as well as who said it and it’s historical context? Thank you so much!
Can someone explain the convention sometimes saying "at Rome" and sometimes "in Rome". Is it a convention of historians or a peculiarity of English?
Are the potatoes that would have been eaten in Ireland in the time leading up to the Blight the same species/cultivars as would be eaten today in the USA?
why was napolean so motivated to conquer europe, other than the glory days reason?
Is Richard Pipes still the recommended author for books general history books about Russian revolution? I recall reading that his books were now outdated and that he was overly anti-communist for a historian, yet his books has seemingly topped the charts recently for books on Russian Civil war. Am I wrong in my assessment about Richard Pipes?
How historically accurate is having spear/javelin-throwing troop types in 9-10th century Britain?
I am playing Mount and Blade: Warband - Viking Conquest and almost every geared-up unit carries a bag of throwing spears on their back.
The number of spears can range from 2 - 4 and javelins from 6 - 8 ... with also an item called "Horseman Javelins" being an option which is a bag of 12 throw-able javelins.
Is the use of such weapons historically accurate?
Do we know the origin of the phrase "don't trust the Argies?" This seems to be exclusive to Britain and I would imagine it has something to do with the Falklands Conflict, but a cursory Google search has turned up nothing.
Was it related to a specific event, or was it a deliberately-coined propaganda phrase?
Why did serifs come about in font design? And why did there come to be two completely different classes of fonts based on if they had serifs?
How did Henry VII secure the marriage between his son Arthur and Catherine of Aragon? Considering England was not powerful on the world stage how did he secure a bride from such a powerful family?
Did William the Conqueror know that he was a descendent of Charlemagne as well as of Hrolf the Ganger (William's paternal grandmother, Judith of Brittany, was a 7x great-granddaughter of Charlemagne via the Herbertian-Vermandois line descended from Charlemagne's second eldest son Pepin of Italy)?
I've got a question regarding land easements in 17th to mid-19th c. New England. Did they use the term "easement" when referring to today's concept of it? Was it called something else?
My Fiance is a huge fan of Cú Chulainn and is planning a trip to Belfast soon. However, we are struggling to find historical/mythological sites/statues/anything related to Cú Chulainn to visit in Northern Ireland. I was wondering if you guys knew how to find them or where would be a good best for us to plan this trip. Unfortunately, she does not have a visa to travel to the Republic of Ireland or she would have gone there as well.
Thanks in advance!
Is it true Descartes had visions in an overheated room that led him to conclude God can be understood by reason?
Is there a good book on the Dutch east India company (VOC)? Nothing specific, I just want to learn a little more about them. Something a little more in depth than their Wikipedia article.
Can anyone recommend a good version of The Iliad? I picked up a copy in a charity shop a few years ago but thought it was dull as dishwater, but recently read a version of The Odyssey which was incredible, so I think I must have just had a fairly naff version of The Iliad.
And on that note, when it comes to translating versions of ancient texts, how much of a personal touch is a translator/historian generally allowed to bring to the table? Stephen Fry's two books Mythos & Heroes are written entirely in the vernacular and all the better for it IMO, but I can just imagine it sends some fusty old professor somewhere round the wall that he's done that.
Does anyone know the name of the separate building from the Catholic Church that the church would use in order to service the community when the priest was gone traveling? (specifically Southwest/New Mexico area).
Are there examples of the upper class in England losing their fortune or status during the later half of the 19th century?
I am particularly thinking of the landed gentry during the 1870 agricultural depression, but any reason for decline would be helpful. Would also really like to know the names of families who experienced this or where to find them.
Who is working on digitizing historical atlases? Those sorts of things don't fit on scanners well, but would benefit the most from a digital format's ability to zoom in and out.
What was Marshal's Suchet role in the Hundred Days, and why didn't the Emperor order him to aid him during the Waterloo Campaign? After all, Suchet was at this point Napoleon's favourite Marshal
During the Lazic war from 541-562 CE, what would the region initially invaded by Khosrau I be called in it's time? Would saying the middle east be acceptable?
Are “Inside the Neolithic Mind” and “The Mind in the Cave” respected academic works or more pop history?
Did warriors/soldiers pre-Industrial/World Wars also receive some sort of benefits/counseling similar to VA programs? Did they also suffer from the same mental health issues like PTSD?