Chronicles of the Past
In ancient Greece and Rome, men swam for exercise and to train as warriors. They also went to the public baths. Usually, they wore nothing at all. Did Romans have swimsuits? While the modern bikini’s design has been traced to the Roman subligaculum and strophium (briefs and breastbands, i.e. a “two piece bikini”), they were …
Read the full post →“Did classical Romans wear any sort of swimwear?”
Who used the scorched earth policy against Napoleon? desperate Russians The desperate Russians, however, adopted a “scorched-earth” policy: whenever they retreated, they burned the places they left behind. Napoleon’s army had trouble finding supplies, and it grew progressively weaker the farther it marched. What are the natural resources of Kamchatka Peninsula? Kamchatka’s natural resources include …
How accurate is clavells shogun? The scholars agree that “Shogun” is basically a Western romance fantasy and facts are embellished, but overall, they seem to agree that as a historical fiction, Shogun is a fairly accurate depiction of feudal Japan in the 1600. Is shogun by James Clavell a true story? Clavell stated that reading …
Read the full post →“Is the Tokugawa escape scene in Clavell’s “Shogun” historically accurate?”
Did the ancient Romans use bows and arrows? The normal weapon of Roman archers, both infantry and cavalry units, was the composite bow, although Vegetius recommended training recruits “arcubus ligneis” (with wooden bows), which may have been made in the northern European self bow tradition. Did the Romans have arrows? Roman Arrows. While many arrow …
Read the full post →“What was the equivalent of “Shoulder Arms, Fire!” for archers in Ancient Rome?”
What was the voyage of the Russian Baltic Fleet in 1905? In May 1905, the Russian Baltic Fleet’s 29 warships and their auxiliaries steamed northwestward through the Yellow Sea towards Vladivostok. They had endured a grueling seven-month journey that would soon end in the waters between Korea and Japan, near the island of Tsushima. What …
Read the full post →“What did the Baltic Fleet do in Reval in 1904 and when was it there?”
Why didn t armies just go around castles? Later castles were designed as strategic reserves. Everything valuable (people, crops, animals, chattel, etc.) were withdrawn within the castle. That means that the attacker can’t just go around the castle, the attacker has to go around the entire cultivated area—because the defender has laid waste to the …
Read the full post →“Why bother attacking castles at all? Why not go around?”
How do I find out if someone was in the merchant Marines? The public can access these records in two ways: through a request made via an offsite reference request (with reproduction provided for a fee), or via onsite viewing at the National Archives at St. Louis Research Room. The collection opened to the public …
Read the full post →“Did French Seamen Join the US Merchant Marine in WWII?”
Pottery plays an important role in studying culture and reconstructing the past. Historically with distinct culture, the style of pottery changed. It reflects the social, economic and environmental conditions a culture thrived in, which helps the archaeologists and historians in understanding our past. What is the cultural significance of pottery? More than any other artifact, …
Read the full post →“What is the historical significance of pottery?”
Why don’t Egyptians speak Greek? Egyptian & Arabic both divided the nouns into 2 genders (masculine and feminine) while Greek has 3, (masculine, feminine and neuter). Hence, it was easier for Egyptians to adopt a language like Arabic than to switch to speaking Greek. Did Egypt ever speak Greek? Greek began to be spoken in …
Read the full post →“Why didn’t the Greek language survive in Egypt?”
Why was Alexander happy with Porus? According to the Greeks, Alexander was apparently so impressed by Porus he gave back his kingdom plus the territories of king Ambhi of Taxila who had fought alongside the Macedonians. … The only possible answer is at the Battle of Hydaspes, the Macedonians realised they were dealing with an …
Read the full post →“Why did Alexander the Great spare Porus’s life?”