A London Review of Books article refers to the "frequency of signs daubed on Pompeian walls forbidding their use as a toilet." I cannot find a single one of these signs. Are they a myth?
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Stanley Elkins & Eric McKitrick claim "In matters of public finance, Adams was much closer to Jefferson than to Hamilton." Could someone elaborate on how exactly Adams came down on specific policies?
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"German historiography developed an explicit interest in hermeneutics, emphasizing the role of understanding–after the historical projects of philological studies generally and scriptural interpretations of Biblical texts" What does this mean?
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In 18th century America, there was a dispute over the Wyoming Valley between New Englanders and Pennsylvania, with the former threatening to secede from the latter. Since obviously that did not happen, how was this conflict actually resolved? Did the Yankees get to keep the land?
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Thomas Jefferson seems to have been a truly horrible war-time governor of Virginia. After the initial censure attempt was dropped, did his inability as an executive become a political issue again during his remaining long political career?
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In 1542, 50-year-old Henry VIII executed his 5th wife, a sexually abused teenager. Was there in court a detectable undercurrent of disgust with Henry or sympathy for Catherine, separate from the general exhaustion with the House of Tudor's instability?
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[Historiography] "German historiography developed an explicit interest in hermeneutics, emphasizing the role of understanding–after the historical projects of philological studies generally and scriptural interpretations of Biblical texts" What does this mean?
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I’m a 17th century French noble capable of raising a few dozen soldiers. How do I make sure that I benefit (economically, politically, and reputationally) from their use, and not just have them thrown in the meat grinder for someone else’s “gloire”?
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[High School Teacher getting ready to teach this time period] I'm reading "America in the King Years" and I am confused. What was the legal status of segregation 1955 - 1963?
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In his 2023 history of Central Europe, Martyn Rady implies that Catholicism (as opposed to Eastern Orthodoxy) more naturally lent itself to allowing competing institutions to the state (parliaments, universities, etc.). Is this a widely held view among historians?
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How did the rank of emperor only become associated with the East Franks (HRE), not the West Franks (France)? Why wouldn't a French king simply claim Charlemagne's legacy c. 1000?
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How important was the city of Vienna to projecting power into Central Europe? Was the failure of the Ottomans to capture it the major setback if often is claimed to be?
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In English, some inflections are written as part of the word (“call” -> “called”), while others are separated (“to call”). When did these become standardized? In earlier written English (including Anglo-Saxon), did we see variations (e.g. “tocall” or “call ed”) in what was considered its own word?
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Under the Achaemenids, the Ancient Near East's literary culture shifted from Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform imprinted on clay to alphabetic Aramaic written on parchment. Is it a coincidence that the language, script, and media changed simultaneously? Would it have been hard to write Aramaic on clay?
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I’m a mid-level bureaucrat in the Grant administration. I want to give 15 regional offices a 25 page report on some matter. Does my clerk have to handwrite the document 15 times? What sort of labor saving devices exist to help bureaucracy function?
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The 9th and 10th century Hungarian Raids get glossed as them simply extracting booty. Given that the main sources of wealth in Early Medieval Europe were land, labor, and court/ecclesiastical positions, to what extent did the Hungarians try and broaden their extraction beyond movable wealth?
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Israel Finkelstein published his incredible archaeological synthesis “The Bible Unearthed” 22 years ago. What recent works can I read to fill in the subsequent two decades of finds about the Iron Age Hebrews?
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Powells Books gatekeeping yet again
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I notice that 18th century philosophers tend to look fondly on Rome, referring to it as “free” or an exemplar of “liberty”. My conception of freedom is based around democracy and non-domination, so this seems absurd. What criteria did Enlightenment elite use to decide how “free” a society is?
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I’m a mid-level bureaucrat in the second Cleveland administration. I want to give 15 regional offices a 25 page report on some matter. Does my clerk have to type the document 15 times? 20 years before, did they have to handwrite it 15 times?
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In 1525, the Holy Roman Emperor captured his rival King of France. Why was trying to force France into the Holy Roman Empire not pursued? It seems both legalistically and ideologically viable ("reunite Frankish kingdoms under the universal monarch"). Was it considered?
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Prussia joined the War of Spanish Succession in exchange for voluntary recognition by the HRE that it was kingdom-ranked. Was it a realistic option to join the other side to try and force recognition instead?
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Recommended books on late medieval/early modern (c. 1400 - 1600) Italy which are not primarily about the Renaissance? (Interested in statebuilding, politics, international relations, and economics)
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