Today:
You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.
As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.
Just defended my thesis this Tuesday! Now working on revisions.
Has anyone found any images or records of common people using rushes on their floors during the middle ages?
I know rushes were used as floor covering but everything I've found so far only shows nicely woven matting.
I know Erasmus wrote about it, but it's a bit vague if people writing about rushes mean matted or loose, compacted, pressed, etc.
Personally I think people, even common ones, used woven rushes, neat, tight, room filling if they had money, loosely tied together, compacted, simply woven if you had no money.
But I would really like to just read or see any kind of evidence of rushes, matted or not, being used by common folk before the 1500s.
Much obliged.
PS: here is a thread I wrote on the subject with some info and pictures:
https://twitter.com/fakehistoryhunt/status/1595824242234376198
What are some historical myths/misconceptions that the need to stop?
Few that come to mind; Napoleon was short, Medieval people drank water instead of beer (joking joking), Roman’s wore togas all the time
History and YouTube.
There was talk recently about some YouTube channels that do a good job with being historically accurate.
Are there any Etymologists that could speak to the validity/accuracy of linguistic channels? Like 'Rob Words' or 'Dr Geoff Lindsey'
One's a Doctor so should be accurate, but they both have that English accent that I'm culturally conditioned to believe what they say, just because of the way they say it.
Historians, what are your favourite "Supernatural" events in history that can be explained today with modern science??
Hello Historians!
I love wearing ancient clothing styles like exomis and chlamys and other greek and roman type outfits.
Is it possible to find a buy an authentic roman fibula that still works? Is that against some ethical standard, like they should be in museums or something?
I'd really like to have a real fibula for my clothing if it's possible. Where does one get something like that?
Your Weekly /r/askhistorians Recap
Friday, November 18 - Thursday, November 24
###Top 10 Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 4,131 | 87 comments | Why did magazines like Playboy and Penthouse do such serious journalism? |
| 3,422 | 46 comments | Why did the World Fair stop being a major event? |
| 2,187 | 28 comments | What's the origin of a muted trombone going "wah wah waahhhhh" as a sound effect for somebody failing? |
| 2,137 | 29 comments | 21 years later, the effects of 9/11 can still be felt at airports every day. Did the makers of such enhanced airport security policies intend them to be permanent (as they now seem to be) or to be merely temporary measures until things cooled down? |
| 2,033 | 68 comments | Did American men really wear a coat and tie at home during the 1930s and 1940s? |
| 1,963 | 61 comments | [Great Question!] What was buying groceries like in America 100 years ago? |
| 1,886 | 42 comments | If a slave owner in 1830's Alabama ordered his slave to commit a crime, who would be punished for the crime and what would the penalty be? |
| 1,805 | 86 comments | What were some notorious scams that were done in the time and period you study? |
| 1,734 | 82 comments | Why is Kissinger considered a foreign policy genius? |
| 1,689 | 24 comments | Do food historians here have an opinion on the YouTube channel "Tasting History with Max Miller"? |
###Top 10 Comments
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Why did north carolona join the confederacy ? And why didnt the union have any regiments from north carolina like they did from east tennesee or arkansas? I'm told that north carolina was mostly free farmers so they seem like a fertile ground for pro union sentiment but I haven't seen any of that so far in my studies.
Zhu Yuanzhang's story is one of the most remarkable in human history. Yet, I only see a chapter or two here and there about him and the founding of the Ming. I've probably read every major list of books about Chinese history, and I don't recall seeing any recommendations full book-length treatments of his life. Are there any? If not, why not?