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Questions tagged [asia]

A continent, east of Europe and Africa, separated from Europe by the Ural Mountains in the North, and the Straits of Dardanelles in the south, and separated from Africa by the Suez Canal.

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When, and in what manner, did horizontal writing in East Asian languages switch from right-to-left to left-to-right?

East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese) imported the Western style of horizontal writing as contact with the West increased, but it was always still written in the traditional ...
LittleWhole's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
420 views

Have Chinese (and surrounding) cultures traditionally heated their milk?

I’ve spoken with many middle aged Chinese people who have reported that for as long as they can remember, even growing up on a farm, they would never drink milk, even their own cattle’s, without first ...
Frank's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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Why wasn’t Japan colonized by the European empires?

Why wasn’t Japan colonized by the European empires? That is a question that I have some doubts, European countries like Portugal had already been there, but they never colonized that land.
João Schmidt's user avatar
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1 answer
1k views

Did China colonize any countries? [closed]

A lot of Asian countries used to use the Chinese alphabet to write such as Japan or Vietnam, were there any countries actually colonized by China that is not apart of modern day China?
Hoshirou Shinsato 's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
174 views

Could anyone please help me identify who this is meant to be?

I recently purchased this bust at an estate sale. It was advertised as an Egyptian goddess, but I don't think that is accurate at all. It looks to be more Asian in design. Any ideas who it is meant to ...
Efred's user avatar
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76 views

Did the Joseon dynasty ask the Ming/Qing emperors for permission to crown a new king?

Since they were vassals of Ming and Qing dynasties, did the Joseon kings ask permission for their coronation?
Ernest Bódiš's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
3k views

What would people have been smoking in 700 AD Central / Eastern Asia?

The question here is what would people have been smoking in Central and Eastern Asia in the 700's AD? I've got information about the derivation of my question from a movie, but the question is NOT ...
bob1's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
68 views

Was Ottoman control a factor in the voyage taken by Christopher Columbus? [duplicate]

I am reading A People's History of The United States by Howard Zinn and it says after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople they controlled the land routes to Asia, making sea routes necessary. But I ...
EsotericSloth's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
576 views

Where/when does the wok start to differentiate itself from pot-style cooking vessels?

I can understand how basic pottery imitating gourds can lead to "cauldron" style hanging pots, and on to the modern shapes used predominantly in the west. Similar for the flat cooking ...
DaPeda's user avatar
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18 votes
7 answers
10k views

"Never fight a land war in Asia." Okay, has anyone won a NON-land war in Asia?

The statement "Never fight a land war in Asia" has been variously attributed to Bernard Montgomery, Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. More famously, it appeared in the book and movie ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
244 views

When did Turkic languages emerge in Central Asia? [closed]

Consider the countries Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. They speak Turkic languages (alongside some Russian). It was primarily Iranic people (Scythians and Persians) who lived in ...
dejg's user avatar
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37 votes
3 answers
6k views

Did all the the -stan sovereign state names appear synchronously?

-stan is a Persian suffix that seems functionally equivalent to the Germanic -land. Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan are the sovereign -stan states. ...
user52066's user avatar
  • 329
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How were Cumans physically?

I usually find pictures of Cumans or Kipchaks (I know they are not exactly the same, but they were strongly related) wearing full armor and full helmets with a face mask on it. I'm curious about two ...
user2820579's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
403 views

Who is this Asian figure?

I’m looking for help in identifying this figure. I bought this box at a thrift store a few years back because it was silver and because it looked nice. Every once in a while, curiosity hits me as I ...
Determined Follower's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
786 views

When and why did "Near East" become "Middle East?"

Wikipedia: The Middle East is a transcontinental region in Afro-Eurasia which generally includes Western Asia (except for Transcaucasia), all of Egypt (mostly in North Africa), and Turkey (partly in ...
stackexchanger's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
456 views

What factors accounted for the pattern of caranvanserai across Eurasia? [closed]

This is a question we had in an AP World History test last week: I was able to answer (c) correctly (improvements in sea navigation and technology caused more and more people to transition from land-...
Christopher Miller's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
168 views

Which myths do these wooden carvings depict?

I found these wooden tableaux in my grandfather's storage basement after he died. He was an interior decorator in Los Angeles who bought and sold a lot of Asian art pieces, principally Chinese and ...
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-2 votes
1 answer
285 views

Were eastern weapons ever seen in medieval Europe and western weapons ever seen in medieval Asia? [closed]

Like could some trader in medieval France be selling a katana or urumi amongst his wares that he obtained in his travels? Could a merchant in Japan have a zweihander or flamberge in his collection?
Niobium_Sage's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
133 views

Why did Lovett, McCloy and Bundy want to resign from their US cabinet positions in September 1945?

Why did Robert Lovett (Assistant Secretary of War for Air) John J. McCloy (of the War Department) Harvey Hollister Bundy (liaison to the Office of Scientific Research and Development) want to ...
Ken Joyce's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
269 views

Why are the Corded Ware and Kurgan theories incompatible?

Why can't the Corded Ware Culture be a part of the Kurgan hypothesis of the PIE Urheimat? These two things overlap in time and place. Gambutas included the Corded Ware culture in her theory. I'm not ...
John Dee's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
160 views

How effective were arrow-firing guns?

In the Europe, briefly after the appearance of firearm, gun-fired arrows made their appearance, but very soon after, the ball projectiles became standard ammunition used in both cannons and handgonnes ...
Failus Maximus's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
350 views

Was there any politization of "hard" science (math, physics, chemistry, biology) in the Asian communist countries?

Where proven science results contradict political views, the most obvious solution is to try to discredit those results, by creating your own versions. It has been done multiple times in history, for ...
Yasskier's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
945 views

What did the ancient Eastern world think of the ancient Greeks?

The opinions of the Greeks the Eastern world which notably included the Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Indians and Egyptians are known to all. They elaborated at length through their literature ...
Kalis's user avatar
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1 vote
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Where did the stereotype of Asians being bad drivers came from and how did it expand? (if it's not an internet phenomenon)

I'd like to know the historic start of such a stereotype and how it expanded, if it is really something that comes from before and it's not just some internet phenomenon (which may be). I'm linking ...
user2638180's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
277 views

Can a country only have one indigenous population?

I recently came across the Kalash people of Pakistan and Afghanistan (thanks to this amazing music, if anyone's interested). As far as I can tell, studies seem to suggest the Kalash are indigenous to ...
Hashim Aziz's user avatar
88 votes
7 answers
34k views

Why is the consensus that WW2 started on September 1, 1939 and not July 7, 1937?

Looking at Wikipedia, dates given are 1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945, which end in the defeat of Japan. However why is the starting date when Germany invaded Poland and not when the Japanese ...
Matas Vaitkevicius's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
950 views

Why didn't Asian teams participate in the 1950 World Cup?

The Fourth World Cup was held in Brazil in 1950. It has the distinction of being the first World Cup held after a 12-year hiatus for World War II. It also has the distinction of being the only World ...
T.E.D.'s user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
465 views

Was the end date of Soviet-Japanese Border War the direct reason of starting Soviet invasion on Poland in 1939

The end date of the Soviet-Japanese Border War oddly coincides with the beginning date of the Soviet invasion on Poland in 1939. Was the end date of the Soviet-Japanese Border War the direct reason of ...
Marian Paździoch's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
207 views

Where did Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (Thieu) learn his English?

I just watched a clip of Thieu's speech in English from the early 70s. He seemed to have a good command of English. His Wikipedia page doesn't have much biographical information on his formal ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
428 views

Is there any evidence the Mongols expanded into northeast Asia?

There is plenty of recordings of the Mongol empire moving west, but is there any evidence of them expanding northeast towards the present-day petroplavlosk-kamchatsky area? Or were there factors that ...
Qiangong2's user avatar
  • 217
0 votes
1 answer
309 views

How was the sea route to Asia and the discovery of the New World prompted by the fall of Constantinople? And who discovered the new world? [duplicate]

So I was reading a book in class and I stumbled across this question but I can not figure it out.
Eva's user avatar
  • 19
0 votes
1 answer
89 views

Did specific countries have special influence in the founding of the UN? [duplicate]

I'm having a presentation on the influence of non European countries in the foundation of the UN. I was wondering was specific points especially China and the US had that got into the foundation of ...
Historyfriend123's user avatar
-3 votes
2 answers
135 views

Which countries actually played a part in the foundation of the UN [closed]

I'm doing a presentation on the influence of countries outside Europe in the foundation of the United Nations, I think China had some influence but I'm not sure!
Historyfriend123's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
578 views

Which people resisted Russian expansion most fiercely?

The Russian Empire's expansion towards the east and south meant conquering lots of local tribes along the way (Buryats, Yakuts, etc.). These peoples unwillingly became ethnic minorities in Russia. ...
user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

Were Archimedes screws used in pre-modern times in the far east?

Screw pumps or Archimedes screws were used by the Romans in mine dewatering. They were possibly used in ancient Babylon (a few hundred years before Archimedes) to irrigate the famous hanging gardens. ...
mart's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why didn't Asians discover Australia?

Asians were trading with each other. Indians, Malay, Javans and Chinese were competing with each other for trade route supremacy. As South as Timor were in touch with Asian civilizations. How did no ...
Bhushit Joshipura's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
118 views

How much of Marco Polo's accounts were actually the first Western record?

While there's already an answered question here about Marco Polo and fireworks, he is often credited with being the first Western record of many other innovations. One website, for example, credits ...
Reversinator's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
509 views

How do the efforts of the Jesuits in China differ from their efforts in Japan?

Question How do the efforts of the Jesuits in Ming China China differ from their efforts in Japan? I know that when the Jesuits arrived in both countries, they started to convert people into ...
John Rawls's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How did China become so **populous**? [duplicate]

China is the world's most populous nation. But why is it? In other words, what historical factors made China as populous as it is today?
George A. Solodun's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
685 views

Impact of the spread of disease from non-Europeans to virgin populations in the Old World

It is well known that Europeans brought a host of different diseases to the Americas. This led to catastrophic declines in the indigenous populations. I am looking for documentation of non-Europeans ...
otteheng's user avatar
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20 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why did no other empire contest Russia's colonization of North-Asia?

As far as I know, no 18/19th century empire tried to colonize Siberia or the northern Far East besides Russia. That sounds implausible to me and I'm curious how could that be?
Ezra's user avatar
  • 575
9 votes
4 answers
7k views

How did South Korea become one of the most developed nations on Earth? [closed]

What I've learnt from South Korean history (roughly, from one of my liberal arts classes) is that because of their geographical disadvantage, they were invaded by China and Japan numerous times in the ...
Egor3648's user avatar
  • 111
6 votes
1 answer
864 views

Why are the Rohingya not recognized in Myanmar (Burma), amongst the other 135 ethnic groups?

The government of Myanmar (Burma) officially recognizes 135 ethnic groups. This sounds like, to use a technical term, 'a lot'. It would thus seem that they tried to be pretty inclusive, at least when ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How did Asian Americans manage to become richer than an average American? [closed]

By "richer" I mean higher median income. Large-scale immigration of Asians to the United States began in the 19th century. In the beginning, most of them were poorer than an average American. ...
user8819's user avatar
16 votes
5 answers
4k views

Is it true that Proto-Ukrainians conquered Europe and India?

I am a Ukrainian high school student. Recently we were told by a teacher that Proto-Ukrainians, the people who lived in the modern territory of Ukraine and ancestors of modern Ukrainians, once ...
Smych's user avatar
  • 193
3 votes
1 answer
428 views

Is there a Buddhist-Franciscan connection?

A sentence in a book review seems to presuppose that: Cardini also says nothing about the Muslim world as a conduit for cultural goods from even greater distances, such as Chinese-style ...
Felix Goldberg's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is there any evidence of post-landbridge travel across the Bering Strait?

During the era of the landbridge across the Bering Strait, evidence suggests that people traveled from Asia to North America by foot, becoming the first humans in the Americas and the ancestors of the ...
Nerrolken's user avatar
  • 7,732
13 votes
7 answers
2k views

The Needham Question: What stunted China's technological and proto-scientific advancement?

According to Joseph Needham Why did modern science, the mathematization of hypotheses about Nature, with all its implications for advanced technology, take its meteoric rise only in the West at the ...
Opcode's user avatar
  • 231
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

What became of the last samurai?

During the Meiji Restoration, the previously powerful samurai class was abolished. What did all the former samurai become? I have heard often that many former samurai joined the new conscription army ...
congusbongus's user avatar
  • 14.5k
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

Did Japan have any continental colonies before modern times?

Imperial Japan built up an impressive collection of colonies on the Asian mainland due to their uncontested navy and comparatively modern army. Did Japan ever hold any colonies on the mainland before ...
congusbongus's user avatar
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