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Did Muslims swear by "the beard of the Prophet"?
In Western historical fictions, Muslims (from the Middle East) are often depicted to swear by "the beard of the Prophet".
"By the beard of the prophet, we will not offend you; but unless you
withdraw from the bars and allow us to drop the bridge,…
user69715
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What were the Nazi racial views on Hungarians and the Japanese?
Hungary and Japan were Nazi Germany's allies during WWII, yet it could not possibly be argued that the Japanese belong to the "Aryan race", and Hungarians speak a non-Indo-European language, which probably disqualifies them as Aryans too. Did the…
ymar
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19
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Why did the Turks adopt the Latin alphabet after WWI?
The Turks used to write their language using the Arabic alphabet. After WWI, when Mustafa Kemal revolutionized the country, he imposed the usage of Latin alphabet. Also the new writing system seems to have been particularly inspired from German,…
Bregalad
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19
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Were there any wars in ancient Greece where religion played a major part?
I know that the Greeks had a god of war and many other deities associated with warfare in some respect. I also know that the Greeks would consult the oracles for advice prior to their military endeavours. But what i am unsure of is whether there…
Notaras
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19
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Why did civilisation/city states never take root in Australia and North America?
I recently read that the Australian Aborigines numbered close to a million during the time of Botany Bay and comprised of ~250 tribes/nations. The Native Americans of North America also boasted impressive numbers of between 5 and 20 million people.…
coleopterist
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19
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1 answer
What were the “passports” that diplomats requested when declaring war?
From Andrew Roberts’ Napoleon: A Life, on the 1803 outbreak of war between Britain and France, after Britain demanded Malta and Napoleon then wanted to know whether this demand was an ultimatum threatening war:
In fact Whitworth [the British…
Lee C.
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19
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Was the Roman Empire based on a 'plunder economy'?
It has been stated by Arnold J. Toynbee and James Burke that:
The economy of the Empire was a Raubwirtschaft or plunder economy
based on looting existing resources rather than producing anything
new. The Empire relied on booty from conquered…
Chris Bunch
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19
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How and when was Portugal created?
We all know that the Iberian Peninsula is separated between two major countries Spain and Portugal. When and how was the country now known as Portugal formed?
Portuguese is very similar to the Galician language in northwestern Spain and not that…
Medi1Saif
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19
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Why do land mines seem to be a more serious problem in the Balkans than the Alps?
The last war in the Balkans finished around 2000. Until today, land mines are a big problem, especially in Bosnia. There are huge regions where you shouldn't leave paved terrain.
Since I love hiking, this posed a serious threats during my stay in…
RoflcoptrException
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19
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Why did Nazi soldiers do Hitler's bidding?
The atrocities committed by Nazi soldiers during World War II are well known. I'd like to know what motivated those soldiers to do Hitler's bidding. Were they brainwashed? Did they believe they were doing the right thing in killing 6 million…
SabreWolfy
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19
votes
3 answers
Is there any evidence of arachnophobia in ancient history?
Are there any sources that would tell us whether (any) ancient Greeks or Romans were afraid of spiders?
Michal Paszkiewicz
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19
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What was this small state in the south of France in 1789?
On wikipedia I came across the following rough political map of Europe in 1789:
To my surprise there seems to be a small state enclaved in the south of France, circled in the picture. I have no clue what this could be, so my question is:
What is…
user13415
19
votes
3 answers
Did the Romans ever deploy troops to, or try to conquer, Ireland?
The Romans obviously conquered Ireland's nearest neighbor, Britain (at least the southern part of it), but they seem to have stayed away from Ireland, at least as far as I am aware.
Is this the case, and if so, why did they abstain from military…
Wad Cheber
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What documentary evidence is there that Roman crucifixion victims were completely nude?
(A few days ago, a user posted a couple good questions about the historic practice of crucifixion in Ancient Rome on the Christianity SE. Unfortunately, they posted the questions as an answer to this question, so naturally they were deleted. I…
ThaddeusB
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What did other European powers say when Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas?
In 1494, Portugal and Castile (succeeded by Spain) divided all lands outside Europe, including the newly "on-discovering" Americas, between them signing the Treaty of Tordesillas.
What were the biggest and well-organized European powers at that…
curiouser
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