Questions tagged [ancient-history]
Ancient history was from the beginning of recorded history (c. 4000 B.C.) until the fall of the Roman Empire (c. A.D. 500).
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What are some of ancient maps created from a single perspective?
Years ago I read that other civilizations had maps like that of the Herodotus, naming lands or peoples according to cardinal directions but without referring to them as continent or ethnicity.
But ...
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On the Ezana Stone, who are the black and red people that the Ethiopian king was referring to?
On the Ezana stone, the Axumite (modern day Ethiopia) king wrote in Ge'ez, Sabaean and Greek to describe his victory over the Kasu (Kushites) and Nuba (Nubians).
He mentions the black and red peoples,...
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What was the image of Jhwh before it was almost erased from history?
Clay tablets found in Mesopotamia tell us that Adam was an earth god. In Genesis Adam was demoted to human status probably to make a monotheistic text possible.
Did Jhwh have an image (idol) before ...
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What was the function of the walls of Jericho?
The walls of old Jericho have been dated to around 8000bc. This is thousands of years before the nascent civilisations of Babylon and Egypt built similar fortifications and thousands of years before ...
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What's the most ancient known example of a woman challenging feminine gender roles?
One example of that would be the goddess Inanna from Sumerian pantheon. She rejected to live as her culture felt a woman should live, namely, bear and raise children, do the housework, etc. In most ...
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Hyrcanian Burial Practices
In Cicero's Tusculan Disputations (book I, section XLV), he remarks:
It is customary with the Magi, to bury none of their order, unless they have been first torn by dogs. In Hyrcania, the people ...
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563 views
Is a wheel older than a wall?
I caught a snippet from the president’s remarks. He was talking about the wheel and how it is older than the wall.
Is there historical fact to back such a statement? Or the other way around?
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What was the condition of women in “primitive societies” around the world?
In Book I, Chapter IV of "An Essay on the Principle of Population" (6th edition, 1826), Thomas Malthus states how terrible the condition of women was among "savage societies" (to which he meant ...
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Is the Prologue to Eunuchus the earliest recorded defense of literary fair use?
In Eunuchus by the Roman playwright Terence, there is a prologue penned for the explicit purpose of justifying the author's reuse of existing characters. In a section, the author identifies some ...
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Which groups of people were awake at night in antiquity?
I've come across claims that prehistoric people didn't get much sleep, which seems to be extrapolated from observations of existing primitive cultures. I'm wondering whether there's something more ...
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What do historians infer about the world view of the ancient Egyptians based on the prophecy of Neferty?
Here are some excerpts of Neferty's prophecy
Papyrus Hermitage 1116B, lines 17- to 21
Utterly destroyed are those times of happiness at those basin lakes,
with men set to slitting fish, ...
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Are there any famous people who died from cancer before 1800? [closed]
Cancer was described by the ancient Egyptians by 1600 BC and, much later, by Hippocrates and then Celsus during the early empire. Cases were diagnosed but there is no mention of people who were famous....
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Where did Cimon spend his time while in exile?
The Athenian statesman Cimon was ostracised from Athens for ten years (461-451 BC), after the Athenian expedition led by him and sent to help Sparta during the helot uprisings was dismissed by the ...
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What’s this odd hat/crown and is it related to Baal?
So I was looking at a history book and it was set in ancient Egypt, in the temple of karnak. They were talking about how their were doors only the pharaohs and priests were allowed in, and how they ...
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What is the latest case of employment of Cretan archers in Antiquity?
It is known that Cretan archers were widely used (presumably as mercenaries) across Mediterranean by Greek armies and were occasionally included in Roman armies of Republic and of Imperial period. I ...
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Is there any evidence in history to suggest that there was a Melanchro (dark-skinned) population in Colchis as claimed by Herodotus?
On Quora, I encountered a variety of unsourced claims on this subject which I will list below
There are accounts of Black Colchians:
In 522-443, a Greek poet named Pindar described the ...
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Codex A for Herodotus' Histories and questions about discovery of the fragments of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri
This question is related to this one: Where can I find the primary source for Herodotus' Histories?. Thank you to everyone who provided information there. That really helped!
I have some ...
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314 views
Earliest Traces of Slavery
The earliest example I know is from Sumer. That would be the earliest example of institutionalized slavery, because that's (one of) the earliest forms of urbanized civilization. However, what's the ...
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Where can I find the primary source for Herodotus' Histories?
I'm looking for information re: the primary source for Herodotus' Histories.
The two primary sources on the Wikipedia page for Herodotus Histories both trace back to Godley’s translation. Godley's ...
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1answer
258 views
What's the most elaborate ancient mechanism?
I'm playing the latest installment of the Tomb Raider, where you uncover secrets of ancient Incas and Maya. The game is full of huge stone doors that open only when you go through an elaborate ...
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1answer
154 views
What is the earliest depiction of a crane?
Various sources on the internet - such as Crane (machine), A History Of The Crane and The sky is the limit: human powered cranes and lifting devices - state that the Ancient Greeks were the inventors ...
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110 views
When were the first heating apparatus used for bathing?
If in the Odyssey they already washed themselves with warm water prepared on fire, why didn’t the athletes in the loutrons of the palaestrae do the same? They used cold water, which is ineffective for ...
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Are there any documented cases from ancient or medieval times of someone escaping captivity by cross-dressing?
In 1642, at the beginning of the English Civil War, the Irish Royalist Daniel O'Neill escaped from the Tower of London where he had been imprisoned by the Parliamentarians by
tying bed sheets and a ...
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1answer
136 views
Why is Anubis given a scarf in some representations?
Two links containing images of Anubis with scarf;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis_Shrine
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anubis
In some representations Anubis wears what seems to be a scarf. ...
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4answers
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Cultural understanding of Penelope's suitors
In the Odyssey, Penelope is courted by 108 suitors, who camp out in her house/royal court indefinitely, behaving badly, while she delays them. I'm having trouble understanding the historical and ...
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Where can I find high-resolution images of these Sumerian tablets
I've looked around quite a bit and couldn't find them. Looking for sketches, and a bonus images of the tablets, of the following Sumerian documents:
Kesh temple hymn (maybe that is in here, not sure)
...
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Did foreign language phrase books exist in the ancient world?
I am finding out about the ancient equivalent to modern foreign language phrase books, used in conversations. Such as a medieval Italian-Latin conversational book, or an ancient English-French ...
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What was the early understanding of static electricity shocks?
What was the common understanding of electric shocks caused by static electricity in the ancient world and middle ages? I'm talking about the shock when you touch something on a dry day for example.
...
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5answers
439 views
A magic system at least partially based on the real-world cultural history of magic?
EDIT: Just to clarify, when I refer to magic, I am referring to the supernatural variety, not the stage variety.
PREFACE: It was recommended to me that I might try and have this answered by the ...
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2answers
299 views
Are the Sabean people of Cushitic or Ethiopian origin?
The Sabeans are widely acknowledged to be of Semitic or south Arabian origin. Historical sources like Josephus Flavius and sections of the Bible seem to create conflicts about their origin.
There is ...
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1answer
259 views
Did the ancients build elaborate, automated traps?
Quite a few movies with archaeology have as part of the plot ancient traps with elaborate automation that are triggered by pressing or lifting something (e.g. Indiana Jones and "Les rivières pourpres ...
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What is the oldest inscription of Yahweh found?
Is it true that Assyriologist Friedrich Delitzsch found an inscription of Yahweh around 2500 BC?
I've heard of the Stela of Mesha dated around 900 BC but I also came across Friedrich Delitzsch and ...
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With no heavy infantry, how could melee units be effective, facing competition from ranged units?
Arrows can sometimes even penetrate heavy armor. Yet, as far as I'm aware, Egyptians or Persians did not have heavy infantry, but only had light units.
In light of this, I am uncertain how could the ...
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2answers
201 views
Are there any records of javelin throwing techniques from antiquity? For example, ancient Greece, such as peltasts?
I can find plenty of information of contemporary javelin throwing techniques, but I am interested to know if there are surviving records of javelin throwing, particularly from ancient Greece, and ...
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Question about Tauri tribe in Crimea
The old name for Crimea is Tuarica and the tribe that for some time lived there is Tauri. The info I have is that they are schyto sarmatian tribe and etc, but the point of my question is; Does anyone ...
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Were the earliest Egyptian hieroglyphs ever discovered really found in Qustul in Ancient Nubia?
In a comment posted on an answer to the question, 'Does modern scholarship accept an Ethiopian origin for Egyptian hieroglyphs?', the user that posted the question wrote:
"The oldest kingdom in ...
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3answers
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Does modern scholarship accept an Ethiopian or Nubian origin for Egyptian hieroglyphs?
Diodorus Siculus made the claim that the Hieroglyphs were actually an Ethiopian script, which was held sacred by the Egyptians and was learned and transmitted only within the priestly families of ...
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Why did Hawaii become a dependent state of USA after USA was born 300 years ago? [closed]
I’m asking this because, I know that Hawaii is a very ancient civilization because it has an unique language, and you can’t find anywhere on Earth except in Hawaii, and when USA was born 300 yers ago, ...
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430 views
History of Moti Masjid
Who built the Moti Masjid?
Google says it's Sahjahan who built it, but Wikipedia says it was built by Jahangir.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moti_Masjid_(Red_Fort) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
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3answers
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How did the ancient Greeks synchronize time?
How the time synchronization was achieved in ancient Greece? The context of this question is about Eratosthenes and his calculation of the size of the Earth based on Sun casting shadows with different ...
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2answers
545 views
Is there any historicity to the concept of Ghost Fences / Walls?
A Ghost Wall or Fence is a concept I keep coming across in historical fiction set around the Iron Age or Sub-Roman Britain. Generally, it appears as a boundary made of deceased peoples bones to either ...
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What was the relation between the biblical king Herod and the Parthian king Orodes II?
What was the relation between the biblical king Herod and the Parthian king Orodes II who was named Hyrodes Anaridus on coins?
The son of Orodes II, Pacorus invaded Judea, however I could not find ...
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0answers
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Roman desks and lacquer
I've been watching the Netflix piece on Ancient Rome and noticed a beautifully lacquered desk which I felt might not be accurate for the time. Does anyone have information about their use of lacquer ...
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Example of a battering ram used to successfully breach a gate
I am looking for a specific example of a battering ram used to breach the gate of a castle or fortification in Europe. I can find lots of indirect references to the use of battering rams on gates (...
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Have large human bones been used as measuring instruments?
Have any of the six types of large bones from the arms1 or legs2 of human beings ever been used (to a significant or considerable extent), in ancient or prehistoric times, as measuring instruments for ...
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Who was the first female ruler to be given the suffix, “the great”?
Down through the ages exceptional elite leaders have been referred to with the suffix, the great. Cyrus the Great of Persia, Alexander the Great of Macedonia, and perhaps Alaric the Great of the ...
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Has the drought also revealed ancient structures in France as it did in Ireland?
I was wondering whether the drought has also revealed ancient structures in France as it did in Ireland (e.g. like https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44801939).
I searched the net but couldn't ...
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When did Northern India and N. China begin to dominate in global demographics?
Video: Human Population Through Time
This simple video says that there were 170 million people in the world at the beginning of the current era. Each dot represents a million people -there are about ...
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Are there any documented cases where a society was capable of large scale selflessness for the benefit of future generations? [closed]
Are there any documented cases in history where a society has altruistically created or conserved something exclusively for the benefit of next generations at a large scale?
An good example of such ...
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2answers
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What was the medium for Marcus Aurelius's Meditations?
I imagine Romans using papyrus and quills on a still table, allowing time for the ink to dry, which may not be possible in a battlefield. I once saw a documentary which depicts him walking off in ...
