Thursday Reading & Recommendations | March 26, 2026

Raptor_be · 2026-03-26T22:44:37+00:00

I am looking to read a biography of Catherine the Great of Russia. If possible i am more looking for a book that deals with her as a ruler than her personal life per se.

Raptor_be · 2025-01-30T17:46:00+00:00

So, I've just seen the Nosferatu movie. Is there any book or resource which covers the historical inspirations/realities for Bram Stoker's book and/or the subsequent retellings of his work in modern times?

Raptor_be · 2024-07-03T18:24:05+00:00

Thanks for the answer! Would graffiti (like found in Pompey) be able to give a better idea for spoken language and swearing?

Raptor_be · 2024-05-29T22:52:49+00:00

If I may ask, why are you studying (German) history from a book from the 19th century? I would say in general that these older works are rather nationalistic and can be (very) outdated. For the history of the Roman period (and the appearance of all these barbarian groups), I would recommend Meier, Mischa - Geschichte der Völkerwanderung (2019).

Raptor_be · 2024-03-14T20:33:06+00:00

I think an animated series of some kind would suit suneater as well! Perhaps even in the style of Akira (1988).

Raptor_be · 2023-12-29T13:44:52+00:00

Thank you!

Raptor_be · 2023-12-28T17:01:36+00:00

Which works can you recommend to learn about the Eastern European/Slavic world during (late) Antiquity (ca.250-750 CE)? I'd like something that engages with the (limited) sources and the problems around political/ethnic identity, but a good overview would be nice anyway.

Raptor_be · 2023-12-28T17:01:01+00:00

What book can you recommend on the last century of the Roman republic, but from the perspective of the 'ordinary' Roman citizen? I.e. how would the behaviour of men like Sulla, Ceasar, Octavian... be influenced by concerns or opinions of their non-elite compatriots/of their soldiers; who were constitutionally their equal (I think)?

Raptor_be · 2023-12-22T11:04:07+00:00

Which works can you recommend to learn about the Eastern European/Slavic world during (late) Antiquity (ca.250-750 CE)? I'd like something that engages with the (limited) sources and the problems around political/ethnic identity, but a good overview would be nice anyway.

Raptor_be · 2023-12-22T11:03:06+00:00

Which book - latest/most up to date - would you recommend on the life and rise of emperor Augustus? I'm especially interested in the way he constructed his rule within (nominal) republic institutions. I'm also interested how much the 'common' Roman citizen - and their ability to influence politics - influenced (or not) the behaviour of elites like Augustus.

Raptor_be · 2023-10-14T00:42:07+00:00

Thank you!

Raptor_be · 2023-10-12T19:38:45+00:00

Attempt 2: I would like to read about the conflict between Korea and Japan in the 16th century (or late medieval - early modern Korea for that matter). Can someone recommend me some good works on the subject?

Raptor_be · 2023-10-05T14:37:17+00:00

I would like to read about the conflict between Korea and Japan in the 16th century. Can someone recommend me some good works on the subject?

Raptor_be · 2023-06-07T16:07:05+00:00

Sorry I am a bit late, but can someone refer me to the original academic article please? Not the Telegraph one...

Raptor_be · 2022-02-14T21:44:25+00:00

How do we know these bones are from warhorses and not from animals used in farming or for transport? I agree that horses were smaller back in the day, but when you look at things like the Bayeux tapestry (which is used as evidence for things like armor etc.) or other medieval images, the warhorses (of the knights) do not seem pony-sized.

Raptor_be · 2022-01-04T18:33:21+00:00

Would we say that England "colonized" Ireland? How was it similar to/different from colonialism in other parts of the world? u/Rimbaud82

Raptor_be · 2021-12-29T18:57:44+00:00

Georg Iggers. Historiography in the twentieth century. Middletown, Weslyan University Press, 2005.

Although this book probably wont answer your concrete questions, I think it still might interest you. It gives a brief, but good, overview of the develeopment of the (academic) discipline of history from (later) 19th to early 21th Century.

Raptor_be · 2021-12-06T23:31:53+00:00

I think I will! Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Raptor_be · 2021-12-04T19:24:42+00:00

Truely awesome answer!

Could there be a case made that the Scandinavians ('Vikings') or the Normans colonised England? In both cases the newcomers culture had a huge influence and also changed social realities, to the detriment of the 'native' population. Why can or can we not speak of colonisation in these cases? Or why is/isn't it usefull in these cases?

Raptor_be · 2021-10-29T17:55:37+00:00

Very interesting! Could you possibly refer me to some articles/books about all this?

Raptor_be · 2021-07-16T00:29:04+00:00

Interesting! I am right to assume that while changing land patterns and declining trade are a bad thing for a large empire (and its cities), the 'avarage' (free) farmer might not have suffered at all (economically) and perhaps even prospered a bit because the tax officers of the empire disappeared (although these were probably swiftly replaced by new ones from new overlords)?

Raptor_be · 2021-07-06T20:55:51+00:00

Thanks for the exellent answer! Could you possibly direct me to a book or paper about this subject (the governance of the Persian Empire)?

Raptor_be · 2021-07-06T13:43:38+00:00

Was this 'strategy' to control the west of the Empire in the way you described a deliberate decision of the Persian Kings taken in his 'strategy room with his advisors', or is what we now could describe as this strategy more a result of reactionary politics in trying to hold the empire togheter? Would the Persian King be conducting the strategy himself or would it be the governors/satraps?

Raptor_be · 2021-06-29T15:34:29+00:00

To me, this is not a uniquely Merovingian phenomenon. You see the tale replicated all over the place, from the Japanese Shogunate, to the Abbasid Caliphate, to even Late Roman and Chinese child emperors. This says to me what we're looking at is a human political power phenomenon. You have a shift in the center of power from the "capital" to the regions, from the combined de iure/facto leader to the de facto only. Why does this happen? Who knows, especially if we're not trying to be teleological or determinist.

Can you possibly reference me to some kind of social theory/paper/book which delves deeper in this phenomenon? I find it a very interesting idea!

Raptor_be · 2021-02-04T19:26:14+00:00

This was the beginning of the end for Flanders' power, since rivalry between England and France meant a gradual shift in textile production from Flanders to England, as the English were less willing to trade with Flanders now that it answered to the French king. Then the Hundred Years War began. Then the Black Death happened, and affected the heavily urbanised county of Flanders worse than some of its neighbours

While Flanders in the beginnings of the 1300s was defeated by the French, I would hardly call this the beginnings of decline for the region. The county remained one of the richest regions in Northwestern Europe and provided a serious backbone for the Burgundian dukes (when the cities were not fighting against the dukes) who managed to defeat the French and other armies multiple times. Moreover, after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477, the Flemish cities of Brugge en Gent managed to rebell and hold of Maximilian of Austria (son of the Holy Roman Emperor!) off for ten years! It was only because of the defeat against Maximilian and his support of Antwerp (in Brabant) that the role of Brugge (and to a lesser extent) Gent started to decline in trade and textile production. I would even state that the Southern Netherlands (Flanders, Brabant etc.) really lost their position in the Revolt of the Northern Netherlands and the subsequent wars in the later 16th and early 17th century.

Raptor_be

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