Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
There are some parts of history, especially ancient history, where we have very little documentation. The third century crisis in Rome, the Mayans, the Carthaginians, are all examples. Which “black hole” in history most interests you?
If I had to pick, I would love more info on the Parthians/Arsacids. They ruled Iran for 500 years and were the Romans most perennial rivals. We don’t have any native narrative history from there, and really have to piece things together from minimal evidence.
Number one for me is probably the early (think Cahokia) Native Americans, who didn’t leave almost any records and built mostly in wood. The large majority of our knowledge of North American native tribes starts with the tribes which existed at the time of European contact, and often only in the state they were in at that time. It would be fascinating to know their earlier histories, who came before the tribes we know, how did they form, how they got to be in their political positions and relative powers as we know them.
Also, the proto-Slavic cultures in places like Poland that also built primarily with wood (and so left essentially no ruins) and either barely had writing or wrote on wood which did not survive. We do have some general knowledge about these cultures but as far as I know there’s not much granularity.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link