Unanswered Questions
1,098 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
15
votes
0answers
346 views
Are there any references to entombed animals in ancient India?
The 13th century Hindu philosopher Arulnandi Shivacharya wrote a work called the Shiva Jnana Siddhiyar, which among other things contains a refutation of Buddhist philosophy. In this excerpt, various ...
13
votes
1answer
358 views
How much did a sword cost in AD 1000 Constantinople?
Qualifications:
Obviously, swords vary in quality. Ideally, I would like to know what a standard army issue sword would have cost, if I bought it privately. But I realised we may only be able to ...
12
votes
0answers
627 views
Was Heisuke Yanagawa really censored out in photos, and why?
Heisuke Yanagawa (柳川 平助) was an IJA Lieutenant General who commanded one of the main armies in the Battle of Nanking. He would have been one of the generals photographed marching into Nanking. I've ...
12
votes
1answer
435 views
Did Arabs actually raise a red flag on the dome of their commander's marquee during the Haraam months?
This answer to the question What is the purpose of putting a red flag on the dome of Hussain ibn Ali(as)'s shrine? states that if Arabs were at war with each other, during the Haraam months there ...
11
votes
0answers
284 views
How did the Hansa organize river trade in the 14th and 15th centuries?
How did the Hansa accommodate the transition from sea to river trade along a trade route? Would river travel have been controlled by one group of people, e.g., Guild of the River Oder Merchants? Would ...
11
votes
1answer
357 views
What were the requirements for Ancient Greek colonist groups?
Disclaimers
Given that the colonies were not created in empty space, it may not have been necessary to equip each and every group of colonists with the skills needed to be self sufficient.
Assuming, ...
10
votes
0answers
181 views
What is or was a Bond Major?
In our parish church we have a clock with an engraving on it that says 'The Gift of the Hon. Edward Trelawny the Bond Major 1737'. Does anybody know what a Bond Major was/is?
Unfortunately I have no ...
10
votes
0answers
593 views
What is this old dual-disc metal object with a spindle? [more pictures added]
[Updated: There are now pictures of both top and side views. Scroll to bottom of post to see the side views.]
While sorting through family artifacts, I found a black metal two-layer disc with a long ...
9
votes
0answers
268 views
What is the name of this ancient means of identification based on broken objects?
I'm gathering data about the origins of identification/authentication means. I remember having read about a way of identifying a friend, during the bronze age. Maybe during classical antiquity also.
...
9
votes
0answers
358 views
When was the last US letter of marque issued?
Article I of the United States Constitution lists "grant[ing] Letters of Marque and Reprisal" as an explicit power of the Congress. Are these still being issued? If not, when was the last ...
9
votes
0answers
210 views
What does this lapel pin signify?
Metal with painted areas. Center area has an insignia. I have checked online at several places with no luck.
https://i.stack.imgur.com/YR0Iz.jpg
Palm sized. Gold sunburst cross 0°. Superimposed gold ...
9
votes
0answers
427 views
What happened to the Heart of Atlanta motel after the ruling of Heart of Atlanta v. United States?
The Heart of Altanta Motel was a resort motel in Georgia that infamously sued the United States for the right to discriminate against customers against the provisions of the public accommodations ...
9
votes
0answers
177 views
Was Voltaire actually present at the British Raid on Lorient in 1746, which was attended by David Hume?
Voltaire wrote a satirical account of the raid at which Hume himself was personally in attendance with General St Clair. However, it is difficult to find out if Voltaire was actually an eyewitness ...
9
votes
0answers
368 views
How did the Belgians issue ID cards with ethnicity to women in Ruanda-Urundi?
I've read about how the Belgians issued ID cards to the inhabitants of their colony Ruanda-Urundi (later independent under the names of Rwanda and Burundi):
Indeed, the Belgian colonists classified a ...
9
votes
0answers
377 views
Does Patonce Cross symbol have any record of use in Hungary?
Hungary introduced new 10000 HUF notes that contain a symbol I couldn't relate to Hungary's history. There were no official notes known to me why they use Patonce Cross on Hungarian notes.
And here ...
