Ancient history was from the beginning of recorded history (c. 4000 B.C.) until the fall of the Roman Empire (c. A.D. 500).
12
votes
1answer
221 views
How many hours per day did a Sumerian farmer sleep?
I wonder about the life-styles of the inhabitants of ancient civilizations. As a particular case, if we consider the era of Sumer, what are the significant diversities compared to rural life today?
0
votes
0answers
37 views
What historical figures never lived to see their vision come to fruition? [closed]
I'm asking with specific regard to historical figures' visions that did come to fruition but they passed away.
Examples I can give you: the biblical figure Moses, who never got to see the promised ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
When were the lictors abolished?
I wonder when the institute of lictors was abolished in the Ancient Rome? Who was the last emperor to have lictors as companions?
6
votes
1answer
154 views
How were war elephants used against cavalry?
In this question: How do war elephants fight? it was mentioned that horses tend to dislike elephants, so it is effective against cavalry. How does this work in practice? I don't imagine it would be a ...
10
votes
3answers
241 views
What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under “kingdom”, “republic” and “empire”?
Traditionally the following stages are counted for the political order of the Ancient Rome:
Kingdom
Republic
Empire (subdivided into Principate and Dominate)
The "kingdom" is usually regarded as ...
10
votes
3answers
624 views
Real-life examples of finding long-lost treasure?
Whether it's Indiana Jones, National Treasure, or the latest Dan Brown novel, popular culture has fallen in love with the idea of finding long-lost treasure, preferably in some elaborate underground ...
5
votes
0answers
75 views
Legendary visits by Alexander the Great
There is a story about Alexander the Great visiting Jerusalem. This story is not supported by other sources, as far as I know, and so is probably not literally true (it may well reflect some ...
11
votes
2answers
343 views
Was lighter or darker skin pigment valued higher in ancient Greek civilization?
Did the ancient Greeks higher value lighter skin and hair, as do modern Indians?
3
votes
0answers
65 views
Changing troops in first line during battle [closed]
I remember Caesar in De Bello Gallico mentioning Romans changing fighting/resting troops in some siege defense while Celtic attackers didn't do this and lost the battle because of it (it was somewhere ...
11
votes
1answer
2k views
What really happened to the Maya civilization?
Are there any reliable sources that explain the "disappearance" of the Maya? I am highly skeptical about the following account as it states that the cities were destroyed by the war when in actual ...
2
votes
1answer
132 views
Did the Latins see the Etruscans as a plague?
I've read that Latins considered the Etruscans as a plague. However, it seems that the Etruscans (being peaceful merchants) were more civilized and educated than the Latins.
3
votes
1answer
155 views
What was the origin of the Classical Antiquity culture?
I many times heard a version that the advances of the Ancient Greek culture were in fact borrowed from Egypt or the Middle East. I will not buy this. Classical Antiquity civilization had a lot of ...
30
votes
7answers
746 views
History of scientific regression
Throughout history, humans have made many subtle and many substantial scientific advancements. Humans have explored, examined, learned, applied and at times seemingly "forgotten" and/or were unable ...
8
votes
1answer
153 views
What are the problems archaeologists face in deciphering Indus Valley writing?
From this link on Indus Valley writing, I came to know that:
The first Indian script, developed in the Indus Valley around 2600 B.C. is still undeciphered. Thus, it is still not possible to fully ...
2
votes
2answers
144 views
What was the ancient Jewish pantheon?
I have read that before the invention of monotheism, the Jews worshipped multiple gods of which traces remain in various texts. So I wonder whether it is possible to reconstruct it and what the gods ...
14
votes
1answer
317 views
What did the Romans do for Judea?
I watched The Life of Brian and I heard this quotation:
And from our fathers' fathers' fathers.
Reg: Yes.
Stan: And from our fathers' fathers' fathers' fathers.
Reg: All right, ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
Is there a known society without cult of love?
Was there ever a society in which sex was viewed either as a functional necessity, duty before the gods or pleasure without any admiration of love?
2
votes
2answers
86 views
What were the origins of democracy?
I realize that many people say that Athens is where democracy started, but is there any solid proof that it was the first? On Wikipedia, it is stated that:
there is evidence to suggest that ...
4
votes
1answer
144 views
Chart of total gold in possession of humans
Where can I find an approximate chart of total mass of metallic gold in possession of humans by centuries starting with Neolithic?
I also would like to see this detailed by civilization/culture.
5
votes
2answers
241 views
Are the Ramayana and Mahabharatha exaggerated stories or pure fiction?
I would like to know the opinion of historians on the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha. I can accept that they are excessively exaggerated and glorify people as Gods, but are they totally fiction? Do we ...
7
votes
1answer
282 views
How far into the past was significance ascribed to the Golden Ratio?
I think everyone knows about the golden ratio or the divine proportion (I got to know more about it after reading the wikipedia article on it). It's present everywhere in nature and also in the human ...
9
votes
2answers
348 views
If modern human existed for hundreds of thousands years why was writing invented only some 7000-9000 years ago?
Linguistic studies indicate that human languages were not that different from modern languages 6000 and 7000 years ago. They had distinguishable sounds, vowels, consonants, syllables, roots and stems ...
4
votes
2answers
156 views
Is there a majority viewpoint for the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization?
This article on the end of the ancient Egyptian civilization posits four different points at which the civilization ended:
Is it the definitive end of native Egyptian rule (at least until the 20th ...
6
votes
1answer
124 views
When were the different stories of Hindu gods written?
I'm a Hindu by religion. And I really respect my religion like I respect others. But from my childhood, I'm listening a lot of stories about Hindu Gods and Goddess which are interrelated to each ...
2
votes
2answers
71 views
Is there any history magazine like “Foreign Policy” for politics? [closed]
I'm a college student. I'd like to read a history magazine (online preferred) that relates to History in the same way that "Foreign Policy" relates to Politics or "The Economist" relates to Economics. ...
9
votes
3answers
187 views
What are the most comprehensive historical references for ancient India?
India is referenced in many ancient Greek and Persian sources, but these are often fragmentary. Which sources (if any) exist which describe ancient India in detail?
Since ancient can be interpreted ...
7
votes
2answers
179 views
Army formation: veterans at the first line
I am trying to understand the early roman legion deployment. I can see some advantages to putting the inexperienced warriors at the first line and the veterans at the last.
But have there been ...
9
votes
3answers
660 views
Was early Sumerian civilization wiped out by a flood?
Sumerian texts speak of a worldwide flood that wiped out most of mankind's achievements on earth. I had always suspected such a flood -- even if only covering all of Sumer -- was mythical, but then I ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
Who is the most ancient Indo-European who is known by name?
Who is the most ancient historical Indo-European who is known by name?
In other words, is it Pythonos, king of Kussara (17th century BC) or are there more ancient figures?
5
votes
2answers
427 views
How often did city-destroying floods happen in Mesopotamia?
I keep seeing Mesopotamia described as a floodplain, and I'm finding inklings of evidence that some cities in ancient Mesopotamia were actually destroyed by floods. But how common of an occurrence ...
1
vote
2answers
121 views
History of the Levant and Israel - 2000 BCE to the bronze age collapse - where to find info?
Where can I find information about the period 2000 BCE - 1300 BCE in the Levant with focus on Caanites and (possibly) proto-Hebrews?
Period from the very beginning of the tribal organization of what ...
10
votes
2answers
272 views
Early history of prime numbers
Prime numbers are those whole numbers greater than 1 which cannot be written as a product of numbers greater than 1. I'm curious about their very early history, say 200 BC and earlier. What I know:
...
4
votes
1answer
363 views
Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and the Science
For someone who is born in India, some of the few mythological stories we watch on tv/hear from our grandparents are Ramayana, excerpts from Mahabharata or other Vedic stories of gods, the vedic way ...
3
votes
1answer
123 views
Cannabis in ancient Vedic Soma, are there any sound historical proofs?
Michael Wood says in his documentary The Story of India first episode:
Soma is still used as a medicine in Central Asia. The active element in
the plant is ephedrine, and the effect that it has, ...
0
votes
1answer
126 views
What city is 2000 years old?
In his 1988 song "The Star Called Sun" Viktor Tsoi sings about a city that is 2000 years old. His fans for a long time speculated which city he could mean.
So it is interesting what cities were ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Are there any existing foreign language teaching texts from the Ancient Near East?
The various cultures of the Ancient Near East spoke a wide array of languages and we know that there was plenty of communication between cultures. We even have a language like Akkadian that served as ...
7
votes
1answer
124 views
What is the history of standing armies in India?
Specifically, the points I am looking answers to are:
1) What is the first recorded instance of a standing army in the Indian subcontinent.
2) When did it become a general practice to have standing ...
13
votes
1answer
254 views
Comparison of Ancient Greecian and Egyptian schools and methods of studying to modern day
I've been watching some documentary that stated that our modern schools are used to make people submit to authority and think in a linear way. Just to make us good workers.
And I wonder - What was ...
10
votes
2answers
122 views
Animal “blood lust”
I remember reading in some older books about ancient combat that animals would sometimes get "into the fight" so to speak. For lack of a better term, this was evidenced by horses actually attacking ...
6
votes
4answers
695 views
What is the oldest road in the world that has been in continuous use?
My suspicions are that a road in Rome, Italy, likely has a strong claim, or perhaps a road in Egypt. It just needs to be a road that has been in continuous use for traffic, whether it was some form of ...
13
votes
3answers
224 views
What were the origins of Etruscan Civilisation?
Given the differences between Etruscan civilisation and other Italian peoples of the same period, is the conclusion that Etruscan civilisation was autochthonous sensible?
21
votes
1answer
587 views
What knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Alexandria?
Of course we'll never know for sure, but do historians have some reasonable ideas about what knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Serapeum of Alexandria, when it was destroyed by the Decree ...
7
votes
2answers
247 views
How would a large kingdom be ruled?
Genghis Khan, Alexander etc. are rulers who had kingdoms which were larger than most of the countries now. How would they have ruled their countries efficiently when it would take weeks for ...
12
votes
5answers
680 views
How well can cavalry fight infantry?
In the Battle of Pharsalus, Caesar's infantry won by throwing their spears at the horsemen's faces.
So how come in Battle of Zama and many other battles, including the battle where Khalid ibn ...
9
votes
4answers
213 views
Are there ancient historical sources which have been permanently lost?
I'm in a Yr 11 Ancient history class studying Rome, and whenever I look over ancient sources on wikipedia there is always a list of lost works and occasionally a sentence describing how unfortunate it ...
11
votes
2answers
193 views
Was Theodoric the Great killed by Justinian?
In a recent Medieval History class my professor made a statement that Theodoric the Great after he signed up with Byzantines was killed on the orders of Justinian I so the Byzantines could take over ...
6
votes
4answers
159 views
Resources on the History of African Civilization
I was wondering if anyone might be aware of any good resources on the history and development of African civilizations? I will of course be seeking council from the Most Wise and Great God Google, ...
10
votes
2answers
136 views
How Was Roman Military Equipment Created and Distributed
When discussing the logistics of Roman armies, I usually see consumables and seigework discussed the most. However, I've been wondering about how the arms, armor, and tools were created and ...
9
votes
1answer
248 views
When did key locks first appear?
When and where did the first metal key locks appear (not the door bolts)?
When did they became widespread?
7
votes
2answers
238 views
Organized crime as a historical phenomenon
Is there any scholarly consensus about the origins of organized crime historically? Do movements such as the Ndrangheta have analogues in the pre-Christian or Medieval world? Or is it a relatively ...
