I’m watching the HBO tv series Rome. In the past I have watched actual documentaries on medieval living and they explained that because there was no water purification in (Europe) that people drank ale and not water and they didn’t even bathe in water. In this series about Rome, they constantly mention they are drinking water. So originally I assumed it was just an inaccuracy of the show, but now I’m thinking that because of the aqueducts, did the Romans drink water? As their primary drink? Or is this show inaccurate?

You know how back in grade school, you could draw a stick figure doing whatever (walking, etc.) in your textbook, and then have a little animation when you flipped the pages quickly?

When was the "flip book animation" developed? Were monks doing it in the marginalia? Does it predate film?

At what point did the Great War become the First World War? Was it during the Second World War or after?

A fairly simple one hopefully. Richard I of England is well known as Richard the lion heart and know for the crusades. From googling I can see he lived to 41, but of the years he was king, only spent 6 months in England.

Why did Richard I spend so much time crusading?

Directed here from having first made a standalone post - I'm curious about the convention of referring to nobility mononymously by their "region" (i.e. addressing a Duke or Earl of Someplace simply as "Someplace").

The most well-known example that jumps to mind is King Lear, with the Earls of Gloucester and Kent being just called "Gloucester" and "Kent", and likewise "Cornwall" for the Duke of Cornwall, etc.

As I gather this was generally reserved for close friends or those of "higher rank", at least to their faces (I guess it'd be interesting if there's knowledge on how people were referred to when not present!), and perhaps only for casual conversation - but I've not found anything that's both definitive and authoritative or that goes into further detail of when this might or might not have been appropriate, whether it applied only to those of certain rank, if it's used in both speech and writing, and so on. Any info appreciated!

I've seen Richard Sakwa's textbooks linked to here every now and then regarding Soviet history, but given his somewhat chequered takes on Putin and the invasion of Ukraine recently, I'm wondering if this is still done or if there's been some skeptical reappraisals. (e.g. Borjas did some hacky ideological work re: Mariel Boatlift, but his labour econ textbook is still reasonably esteemed)

I came across a "time table" from a nineteenth century saloon (sometime between 1840-1880, probably) that jokingly identified the drinks you would have at various hours of the day, from 6am to midnight. At 6 it's an "eye opener", at 7 a "refresher," at noon an "appetizer", a 1 a "settler", etc. The 2pm slot is called "a-la-Smyth". It's possible that this was just an inside joke for that saloon, but is there something in pop culture of the time that this might be a reference to?

I remember years back on the Internet it was common for atheists to say that Jesus Christ was basically a recycled version of Egyptian or Eastern deities. My question isn't whether there are similarities, but whether there is any meaningful connection in terms of Christian conceptions of who Jesus Christ is/was

Why are there no photos online of the 1973 Exhumation of Casimir IV's coffin?

I had seen a documentary on tv a while ago discussing various "curses" related to tomb openings (ie; Tutankhamun, etc), and one of the tombs they discussed was Casimir IV Jagiellon where a fungus was spread to many of the archeologists, and some died. I remember clearly of an interview with the photographer who was there taking pictures of the tomb opening, one of which was quite a striking shot of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła (soon to become Pope Jean Paul II) peering into the tomb opening. But upon searching for this or any other images of the opening of the tomb, I could not turn up anything. Also unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the program or the photographer - though am still seeing if I can find the program.
I thought this was very odd considering the historical significance of the event, and was wondering as to whether anyone knows about this topic or has any possible theories as to why the photos are not (or at least difficult to find) online? Could it be possible that the photos belong to the Vatican and they may not wish to publish them?
Many thanks for your help!

How long should I wait to repost a question that didn't get answered?

How insightful is Theodor Mommsen's magnum opus on Roman History? It could likely be outdated, but are those in minor ways or major? And should I also read the posthumously published additional volume by the Demandts from lecture notes?

How accurate is this battle scene from HBO's Rome opening? In what way is it right, and in what way is it off? (the battle: link)

Originally asked 6 years ago here, but I just want something more thorough

Given ferrous means containing iron, would an ancient blacksmith have been called something akin to a farrier? In current times farriers simply tend to shoeing horses, but most farriers worth their salt also have a smithy rig. Would a Roman soldier have needing to repair something have gone to the "farrier", or is this a stretch.

May I get source recommendations on an in depth look at the 1794 French Great Terror; that is, the 48 days from the passing of the Law of 22 Prairial, and the Execution of Robespierre.

Secondly, are there any acedemics which consider the Revolution in France to have ended with the execution of Robespierre ? (I would figure, if there are, they would be left-leaning academics haha; which is fine as I am curious nevertheless)

Hello can you please recommend some vietnam war books thanks

After Henry VII became King of England, his mother Margaret Beaufort was granted an independence that most married women didn’t have. How would her husband at the time have felt about Henry and Parliament removing spousal coverture? Would said husband (Thomas Stanley, her fourth husband by that time) have seen any social backlash from his wife being given the ability to own property or sue in court?

How were Roman Consuls addressed by their troops? Currently working on a period piece and can't find many answers aside from the Latin translation of "my lord". Is this correct or was it something more akin to how we address presidents and prime ministers today (e.g., President Biden = Consul Pompeii)?

A mystery about a writer!

There is a series of cues for this, no one around me had the faintest idea. I tried to google for 6 days in different languages but I had nothing. This is asked in a local competition in Turkey. Translated it myself. There goes the clues my fellow historian redditors: -They are an author who is also a soldier. -This author belittles Italy in his famous book and this attitude is was not welcomed. -There is a street after the author's name in the city that the author died. -This author was wounded in a war. Therefore they had to leave the army. After that, they spent 10 years travelling Europe which is an important source for their works. -This writer has a book about a ruler/sovereign. When it was first published, the writer was at their sixties. -After finding out about this author, you'll see that they are the founder of something (like a formation, organization, club idk about that part). -Answer of this question is seven letters and one word. What is the name of that?

Did Richard lionhard know Persian but not English?

I've been reading a novel that's often pretty historically accurate and I reached a line: where he says he could speak French Italian and Persian but not English even tho he wasn't the king of England

While I know the last part is true I was wondering where the Persian part comes from? And since the story doesn't have anything to do with Persia or Persians I couldn't just write it off with a "the writer probably just made it up" without asking to make sure

Also if true can someone give me a source and reason for this?

Has the discovery of Gobekli Tepe really pushed back the history of human civilization by a significant amount?

are there any famous war doctors who had an impact on their redpective conflict ?

The only one i can think of is florence nightingale but she only worked at the hospital and did not join the on field conflict.

Not sure where the best place to ask this is and didn't see a rule against it (feel free to delete if there is one), but I'm looking for a veteran historian (could be a professor, writer, or something else) that could do a quick (no more than 30 minutes) interview over zoom/zoom-alternative. The subject is over disciplinary literacy in history. DM or reply here! Appreciate your time.

On feudalism, at the FAQ section, one of answers split feudalism in three different concepts: 1. feudo-vassalic relations, 2. Marxist feudalism, and 3. Blochian feudalism.

For the Marxist feudalism, they say:

Marxist Feudalism: This is the 'feudal mode of production', a pre-capitalist economic model consisting of a dependent peasantry with control of their own labour being exploited by an violent aristocracy.

Did the peasantry not control their own labour and were they not exploited by the aristocracy before the feudalism?

What was an early 19th century location called "Archangel"?

I see references to a place called "Archangel" in the old document indexes I have been browsing, but the fact that it was apparently named "Archangel" is the only detail given about the location, nothing else, and google has not been helpful at all given the nature of the word.

What I know is:

• It might have been a prison seeing as the sentence on the index translates to "imprisonment in Archangel"
• Even in German text it is still written as "Archangel"
• Might be somewhere near Bavaria considering who these documents tie to
• Existed in the decade of the 1810s

this may have been asked but could not find it amid all the other Columbus questions:

Would Columbus have considered himself "Italian"?

How can I find the oldest businesses existing and non-existing, in any given County in the US?

I remember a story about a medieval England woman (a noble; likely a queen) whose excessively thin casket size stirred up quite widespread talks/myths. This story was dissected by a historian online. I can’t for the life of me find her name; somebody help?

Following Operation Demetrius how long were suspected Irish nationalists generally kept by British authorities?

The Marine Corps breakout at Yudam Ni during the Korean War was led by a single tank. The book Frozen Chosen by Thomas Cleaver claims it was an M26 Pershing, while Wikipedia, citing Escaping the Trap: The US Army X Corps in Northeast Korea by Roy Appleman claims it is a Sherman. Is it definitively known which tank actually made the push from Yudam-ni back down to Hagaru-Ri?

Was the figure of Camazotz in the mayan Popul Vuh a god, a spirit, neither, both, or something else?

I've found conflicting sources; a number of pages say that he was "the mayan bat god", but Wikipedia and a number of others list it as simply a spirit in service to the gods of the underworld. It doesn't help that wikipedia's sources seemingly aren't available online.

Short of visiting an auction broker or expert in rare currency, is there an easy and reliable way to establish the value of rare US currency beyond checking similar items via online auctions?

Most curious about a 5 dollar Virginia note from the October 1776 printing and a Pennsylvania 1769 colonial 18d "relief of the poor" note from the March printing, but also curious about other notes like state/bank notes from the mid 19th century.

Which of Hermann Goering's sisters moved to Lancashire, UK?
I have heard one of Hermann Goering's sisters lived near my area, in Lancashire, but I cannot find anything about them, I can hardly even find the names of his sisters. I know it's obscure, but can anyone help me here?

When did public health vaccination efforts for children begin in the United States? Or if it was regional/state specific, I'm most interested in the South and Virginia. I know in Virginia vaccines became mandatory for public schools by 1925, but I've come across newspaper articles saying all school children in a particular location were vaccinated in 1918. And I'm an archaeologist who has found smallpox vaccine capillaries at a school that was open from 1886-1923. I can't seem to find good sources on when dedicated public health campaigns to vaccinate school children began. Everything I come across is politicized due to the modern vaccine debate, about smallpox eradication efforts starting in the 1950, or scientific rather than historic.

How did the Plantagenets refer to their dynasty? Did they call themselves Angevins, Plantagenets or something else?

Got from neighbors, who went to Italy few weeks ago, an old bell unknown origin. Bell is fully metal, the handle depicts, i suppose, hunter (maybe warrior) with sword and bow. The edge of bell isnt polished. Probably handmade. No markings. Who can help identify it, or at least recommend to whom can i contact about it, please tell. photo 1 photo 2

Does anyone have any examples of slow burner discoveries? I need some examples of technology that took ages to be exploited/become mainstream despite the science being out there. Cheers!

I recently learned about the Amesbury Archer- he was buried at Stonehenge but isotope analysis suggests that he was born in Central Europe.

Any other examples of cases where science reveals that an ancient person ended up at a burial site far from their original homeland?

Historical Help...I am writing for a song and i swear ive googled this to the ground. but did the U.S. military issue canes for those wounded in battle during major miltary campaigns? if anybody knows and would like to help? Thanks in advance.

The Duchy of Swabia was a vital stem Duchy and the birthplace of many Imperial dynasties and yet ceased to exist in the 14th century, and despite a short lived Habsburg revival, Swabia never returned.

During the "mediatisation" of the HRE or when Napoleon was playing in Germany, was there any attempt to rebuild Swabia? Instead of a King of Württemberg, a King of Swabia?

Outside of Christianity and Jesus, what miracles/supernatural activities have been historically documented? (either miraculous by their standards or our?)

In a discussion elsewhere about current events, someone mentioned that the UK would never had made peace with Germany. They provided reasons like those adduced by /u/kieslowskifan in "Why were Hitler's peace offers ignored?":

Even die-hard Realpolitikers at the time recognized that accepting German hegemony on Europe was dangerous and that Germany had shown that it could not be trusted.

Were those reasons brought up in the UK in the cabinet debates of May 1940, when Churchill was establishing control of the government and Halifax was pushing the idea of making peace? In "Was there ever a point during WW2 where the Allies seriously consider signing a peace with Germany? If so, what would the terms have looked liked?", u/Georgy_K_Zhukov doesn't seem to mention those arguments. My impression from that is, instead, Churchill didn't see any terms that both side could agree on, and that Churchill wanted to negotiate as equals.

Which era was it where people were persecuted with fake reasons just to steal their lands?
I remember seeing a post here on Reddit where one of the comments said something like "Yea basically this entire thing was just a land stealing thing, they were given a chance: 'give us your land or be executed'"

And it was some historic post about an era and a place where people's land were stolen for the rich I assume and the way to achieve that was by giving them an option to give up their lands or die.

Maybe if they died their family could keep the land? I am not about that part and whether it was in the comment.

But now I'm curious - which era was it? What was this comment talking about? I can't find the post

Is it true that when Philip V became King of Spain, he couldn't even speak Spanish? I've seen this mentioned a couple of times here and there, but nothing sourced.

Can anyone provide Lay 76 and Lay 102 of the Song of Roland in the original Old French?

Can someone direct me to a Civil War roster for Company C, 1st U.S.V.V. in June/July of 1965? I’m trying to trace a signature and the last name is very difficult to read. It’s James B….the rest is almost illegible, so I’d like to have a list to compare.

Thanks!

What are some confirmed Cagot surnames? I know their whole deal is they weren’t actually different from other french people, but we know there were a few names that were at least associated with Cagots. Are there any surnames we know of that belonged to Cagots?

Does anybody know what this thing is?

Ill put a link to my image but i dont know if it will work https://imgur.com/a/eQlmoRT But it is a circle with a brass 2 headed eagle on it which is behind glass around the glass is i think brass with a pattern that is hard to describe around it and a hook on the top i assume to hang it from something the whole thing is about the size of my palm

How old does a time capsule have to be before it is of historical significance?

What should you put in a time capsule?

Why did Russia issue a posthumous pardon to Walther von Seydlitz in 1996?

Looking for a book that’s like: here are one chapter bios of the twenty most important monarchs in western history. Is there something like that? Everything I find seems to just be about British history.

Is there a shorthand for people who were part of the Polish Solidarity union? Something like "Solidaritans"? Something like an equivalent to referring to "Panthers" to refer to members of the Black Panther Party?

Did the axis actually have a chance of winning the war?