Reddit’s AskHistorians is a carefully curated online community of more than 1.3 million history enthusiasts. Here, members of the public can ask direct questions of historical experts. These experts are acknowledged with “flairs”, small banners that identify their area of expertise.
Some contributors to Ancient World Magazine are flaired users on AskHistorians.
The ancient Greek stories about gods and heroes are set in a time long ago. Did the ancient Greeks believe that their tales were set during the period that we today refer to as the Bronze Age? The answer is no, but this requires some qualification.
The modern island of Thera is actually the rim of an old volcano. This volcano had erupted during the Bronze Age. What effect did this massive eruption have in the Aegean, and on nearby Crete in particular?
Someone on Reddit’s AskHistorians wondered if bows were unpopular in ancient Greece. An uncritical reading of the ancient sources might, at first glance, suggests that this was indeed the case, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The ancient Greeks were, like all people, highly mobile, and they founded a large number of settlements beyond the Aegean basin. What are some of the characteristics of Greek migration, and did these settlers bring their dialects and customs with them?
On Reddit’s AskHistorians, someone asked how one goes about interpreting the evidence from figurative art, such as vase-paintings. We figured it would be good to share our response here, too.
Did the hilly terrain of Italy force the Romans to abandon the hoplite phalanx? Did they even use the phalanx to begin with? In this article, we suggest “no” to both of those questions.
Were the Spartans really so great in war? What are the roots of their image as invincible super-soldiers? A deep dive into their history and institutions shows that there is some truth, but also a great deal of distortion.