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Questions tagged [origins]

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Did the idea of true/false Gods originate in Dharmic religions and migrate to Abrahamic religions, or could they have a common inspiration? [closed]

Bible verses I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Deuteronomy 5:6 “You shall have no other gods ...
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4 votes
1 answer
467 views

Was this device created in the 15th or 18th century and what was it really used for?

The following picture appeared in my Facebook feed. Looking around, I was not able to find anything that could at least somewhat prove that the device was genuine (many people create random things now ...
Alexis Wilke's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
162 views

Is there any historical evidence of Picts originating from Scythia? [closed]

I am reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles which states early on, this passage: The island Britain (1) is 800 miles long, and 200 miles broad. And there are in the island five nations; English, Welsh (...
Samid's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
755 views

What is the historical origin of the Jewish Sabbath?

The Jewish Sabbath is presented in the Old Testament: 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord ...
user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
891 views

How old is the practice of removing wisdom teeth?

According to this brief history of wisdom teeth removal, wisdom teeth may have been helpful in prehistoric times, but are now removed due to their general incompatibility with the human jaw. However, ...
EphraimRuttenberg's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
5k views

Was the title "Prince of Wales" originally claimed for the English crown prince via a trick?

As the son of a proud Welsh woman, as a child I was told the origin story of the title "Prince of Wales" was that after Edward I beat Llywelyn ap Gruffudd at the Battle of Orewin Bridge, as ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 575
2 votes
0 answers
2k views

What is the origin of this joke about matchmaking?

The joke is told with references to Bill Gates and the World Bank, like so: I told my son, “You will marry the girl I choose.” He said, “NO!” I told him, “She is Bill Gates’ daughter.” He said, “...
syre's user avatar
  • 213
8 votes
1 answer
215 views

Where was the Barberini psalter created?

Would you know where the Barberini psalter was created? I have checked the on-line sources and cannot find the answer (maybe I have overlooked it?) It was created in the 11th century. The obvious ...
Yulia V's user avatar
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17 votes
3 answers
5k views

What is the history of the check mark / tick mark?

Wikipedia has an interesting article on the meaning of the check mark "✓" in different cultures. In the English-speaking world, "✓" generally has a positive connotation — "yes, OK, correct, ...
Quuxplusone's user avatar
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6 votes
7 answers
3k views

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,...
Emmanuel Dan's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
162 views

When did cultures start to emerge in ancient Peru?

Upon understanding John Rowe's theory of horizons, I became a bit confused about what should be considered a culture. This concept isn't very clear to me. According to John Rowe, the earliest period ...
Chris Steinbeck Bell's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
435 views

What was the source for Adam's children in the endnotes to Josephus' "The Antiquities of the Jews"?

I was reading Josephus' account of Adam's children in "The Antiquities of the Jews" (located in Book 1, Chapter 2) and noticed that the total number of children that Adam had was not in the text ...
Christian Sirolli's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the earliest known "one arrow is easily broken but a bundle of arrows is not" story?

The "parable of the arrow/sticks", as described in the title, is frequently repeated amongst many nations and civilisations, even though many of them have not come into contact with each other. One ...
March Ho's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
890 views

What is the earliest known reference to the phrase 'water of life'?

In many languages, the general term for distilled spirits (whisky, brandy etc) translates in modern English to 'Water of Life'. Latin - Aqua Vitae French - Eau de Vie Gaelic - Uisce Betha As a ...
Cdn_Dev's user avatar
  • 559