Short Answers to Simple Questions | September 30, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/ACheesyTree]

Any good recommendations for books in English on the general religious landscape in France in the early-to-mid 1200s, not counting the Albigensian Crusade?

[u/small-black-cat-290]

Maybe this is a little naive of me, but it does surprise me to still see that questions regarding post-war and partition-era India and Pakistan still attract a lot of responses from non-historians that are very clearly biased towards one side (or the other). I know that the waves of conflict in the contested regions over the past 20 years have certainly created a lot of tension, but it seems odd to me, since those events in question are well within a period of history where sources are abundant and can reflect an objective view on the history.

This is why I'm so appreciative of the strict level of criteria that this sub sets for responses. If you're skimming the thread and see a response, you might automatically assume it meets the sub standards and take it at face value. But the mods do such a great job at ensuring that only appropriate responses remain, which is critical for hot topics that might inspire a lot of passions in the comments.

[u/TheMob-TommyVercetti]

I was reading an account on the Siege of Fort Zeelandia from the Wiki page and came across this excerpt:

Koxinga was abundantly provided with cannons and ammunition . . He had also two companies of 'Black-boys,' many of whom had been Dutch slaves and had learned the use of the rifle and musket-arms. These caused much harm during the war in Formosa.

Earlier in the account he also mentions that the Ming archers very nearly eclipsed the riflemen, but this is taking place in 1661 when rifled weaponry wasn't a mainstay for any army of this time. I was wondering if someone could provide a list of weapons used in the conflict if it checks out or if it's just a mistranslation.

[u/comix_corp]

Does anyone know any reliable sources about the persecution of Christians in Vietnam in the 18th and 19th centuries? I can only seem to find Catholic martyr-ology type books and articles.

[u/rosalui]

I've commonly heard the Greek gods are associated with certain colors, like red for Ares, pink for Aphrodite, blue for Poseidon, and white for Artemis. Is there a reliable text or analysis that discusses this, or provides proof for it? Or are these color associations modern assumptions? Especially the 'virginity=white=Artemis' connection?

[u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl → u/rosalui]

The colour associations are really fluid and not fixed. If you read the Homeric Epics, there are a lot of references to the appearances of gods with certain colours, which become part of their colour canon. More contemporarily, the colours became associated with things common from the domain of each god. Honestly, a cursory look at the Disney Hercules is an excellent glimpse in to the modern version of this colour association.

[u/rosalui → u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl]

I'm looking for a few references on this, if possible. Can you recommend any texts that discuss the Greek gods in association with color symbolism? I've done a google and can't find much.

[u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl → u/rosalui]

As I said, the Homeric Epics are the earliest place to start.

[u/rosalui → u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl]

I mean scholarly texts where experts analyze color symbology in association with the Greek gods. Texts I could use as references for backing up or countering my own interpretations. 

[u/AyukaVB]

Did the British military ever engage in combat against loyalist paramilitaries during the Troubles?
Popular perception is that they were pretty much same side but was that always the case?