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What's the hottest debate in the field right now?
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Jan 23, 2013 02:25
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 00:56 |
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Earwicker posted:I have read in a few places that clean water for drinking was relatively rare for most people in medieval Europe and so everyone constantly drank beer or other alcoholic beverages instead. Is this true or a misconception and if it's true how anyone get anything done and why didn't people constantly die from dehydration and alcohol poisoning? Gonna jump in on this one although it's by no means a definitive answer. Something I learned from Ken Burns' awesome Prohibition doc as well as A History of the World In 6 Glassses is that the ABV% was really low. Like beer was 1-3% and wine was watered down. Then the industrial revolution happened and suddenly you had cheap 30% ABV distilled alcohols but people didn't change their drinking habits to reflect this. So whereas having a beer at breakfast was normal and basically of no consequence (and in fact an important calorie supplement) suddenly they were drinking whiskey and everything got hosed up.
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Jan 24, 2013 02:47
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Obdicut posted:Anyway, neat and purty. It reminded me that there's a few citations of the Mongols using devices that created really bad smells that disoriented people. Anyone have any clue what that was? Just burning a bunch of poo poo (maybe literally) to confuse the enemy, or was there something particular that was used for noxious smokescreens in medieval warfare? One of my fave quotes. By a Japanese soldier present at the FIrst Mongol Invasion of 1274. quote:The commanding general kept his position on high ground, and directed the various detachments as need be with signals from hand drums. They sent iron bomb shells flying against us, which made our side dizzy and confused. Our soldiers were frightened out of their wits by the thundering explosions, their eyes were blinded, their ears deafened, so that they could hardly distinguish east from west. Not specifically about the smells, but speaks to the disorientation. I imagine if your society isn't used to gunpowder the smell would be downright awful and totally discombobulating.
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May 30, 2013 05:28
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