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Posted by /u/StrawberryPatient307

How empty (of population) was the ancient world?

When I look at Bronze Age maps, I see states and civilizations around the major rivers, not far from those areas the map appears completely empty. How should this be interpreted? Does it mean there simply weren’t many humans overall, or were humans living everywhere but not in t…

Posted by /u/snugglebunny822

Of the roughly 1.6 million Homestead Act patents issued between 1862–1934, is there any data or academic estimate on what percentage of that land remains in the hands of the original family line today?

Posted by /u/Umpuuu

Medieval peasants famously ate "bread and cheese". What kind of cheese was it? Would whatever cheeses they normally ate, be recognizable as any of the modern varieties?

Posted by /u/Odd_Old_Professional

Children's Sleepovers: where does this tradition come from?

My youngest is having a sleepover, and it is kind of a weird custom. Where does this come from? How old is it? Was there an older custom that this grew out of?

Posted by /u/Naive-Actuary4414

Why do Western countries like the UK, US etc consider Greece and the Roman Empire as the basis of their "civilisation"?

Okay so I would like to explain my context so that you guys can better understand my question: I am a tribal, Indian guy from the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. And here in India, the basis of the Indian "civilisation" are considered to have been formed by Vedic cultur…

Posted by /u/Kutluna

Why have straight men historically been so hostile toward homosexuality?

I've had this thought since I was a kid, and every time I bring it up to my friends they just laugh. But I genuinely don't understand it, so I'm curious if there's an explanation from psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, or history. I'm a straight man, and my logic has a…

Posted by /u/grapefruitcanteloupe

Why did so many communist parties historically view homosexuality as “bourgeois decadence”?

It seems that until relatively recently, most communist parties and leaders throughout history were against homosexuality. Some examples being Fidel Castro calling homosexuality a “bourgeois trait”, as well as the French Communist Party calling homosexuality “the rubbish of capi…

Posted by /u/ProfessionalKnees

Did women in 1920s America really wear their stockings rolled down and apply rouge to their knees for a night out, as the musical Chicago implies?

In the song All That Jazz from the musical Chicago, Velma Kelly sings: Come on babe, why don't we paint the town And all that jazz I'm gonna rouge my knees, and roll my stockings down And all that jazz Was common for women to do this ahead of a night out? Why? As someone who has…

Posted by /u/t-licus

Did medieval people know that the past looked different?

In medieval European art, you often see scenes and characters from the Bible depicted as if they lived in the artist’s present. Think Roman legionaires in full plate armor, Moses and the Israelites dressing like 14th century nobles, or Jesus’s Jerusalem looking like medieval Nur…

Posted by /u/assbootycheeks42069

The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees a "speedy" trial. When this amendment was written, how long did it usually take for someone to be tried for a crime after being arrested?

Some context: I am not an attorney, but I do work for one. Many cases drag on for a year or more before resolution, which is disheartening when many of our clients are in jail. From some preliminary reading on this issue, the major limiting factor in when someone would be tried…

Posted by /u/SaysToMabelISays

In the Iliad, Ajax is shown as one of the only great warriors to not receive help from the Gods while still accomplishing amazing feats. Would this be seen as a bad thing?

One of my favourite characters in the Iliad is Ajax. In his frequent feats including holding off the Trojan army essentially by himself to protect the Greek fleet, almost killing Hector (who then receives help from a God to return), he's never described as receiving direct inter…

Posted by /u/Being_A_Cat

Why is the Jewish language called Hebrew instead of Jewish/Israelite?

Posted by /u/WartimeHotTot

How did US homelessness during the Great Depression compare to homelessness today?

The way I was taught about the Great Depression in school made it seem like there was extreme political pressure coming from homeless people themselves, and this ended up affecting politics at the highest level. To me, it seemed that the term Hoovervilles (along with Hoover blan…