Answerbag: Archaeologist's answers

Answer to What is war good for?

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 00:38:27 -0800

What is war good for?

There's a very interesting theory in Sociology and Anthropology that War is a natural part of the Human evolutionary process. The most aggressive and powerful civilizations almost always tend to be those with large populations and a need to expand; perhaps war is, in part, nature's way...

Answer to Who enslaved more black people, Hispanic or white people?

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 00:34:38 -0800

Who enslaved more black people, Hispanic or white people?

This question is based upon a logical malapropism - the assumption that slavery originated in a "White" or "Non-Black" society. I know this probably wasn't your intention - this is a really heated topic. I'll try my best to give you some basic, but useful,...

Answer to Who is the queen who got married to her brother?

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:24:08 -0800

Who is the queen who got married to her brother?

The truth is that many Egyptian "queens" married their "brothers". In Egypt, there was no system of Primogeniture - that is, inheritance by the eldest son. Instead, there were complex webs of interrelationship between husband and wife, brother and sister, etc. As a result,...

Answer to How did Hannibal cross the Alps in 218 BC?

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:18:53 -0800

How did Hannibal cross the Alps in 218 BC?

When Hannibal announced his intention to Carthage's ruling Oligarchy that he intended to cross the Alps, he was met with guffaws and insults, with one leading citizen asking him how he intended to find a way through. Hannibal's response was typical of the man. "If I cannot find...

Answer to Are there any independent sources that verify the claims SuperShadow makes on www.supershadow.com? Namely, that he is a high-paid Lucasfilm consultant and personal friend of George Lucas?

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:28:02 -0800

Are there any independent sources that verify the claims SuperShadow makes on www.supershadow.com? Namely, that he is a high-paid Lucasfilm consultant and personal friend of George Lucas?

Supershadow has been making claims about Star Wars storylines since before Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. His claims have been controversial from the very beginning. In the early days, several of us thought he might have an inside link, but very few people really believed that he and George Lucas...

Answer to Who is Supershadow of Supershadow.com?

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 23:32:14 -0800

Who is Supershadow of Supershadow.com?

Supershadow is an individual who wants very badly for the rest of the world to believe that he has an "inside link" with Lucasfilm. Nothing he says has ever been proven, although he has occasionally been accused of the intentional circulation of false information. At best, he's...

Answer to If only the Dark Side deals in absolutes then why are the Jedi orders so cut and dry? Are there any freelance Force users not strictly affiliated with the Light or the Dark?

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 23:28:41 -0800

If only the Dark Side deals in absolutes then why are the Jedi orders so cut and dry? Are there any freelance Force users not strictly affiliated with the Light or the Dark?

Lucas has confirmed the existence of "Grey Jedis", but we don't know much about them, except that Qui-Gon Jinn was (probably) one of them. One of the problems suggested by canon sources prior to the considerable re-writing of the mythos with the new films was that much of the...

Answer to Which known religion is considered to have been the "first"?

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 22:44:10 -0800

Which known religion is considered to have been the "first"?

Interesting question! Generally speaking, we sort of agree in Archaeology that the oldest form of "organized" religion surviving to the present day is Hindu-Aryanism, which began about 8 to 10,000 years prior to the present day. That's the short answer. The long answer is a...

Answer to If a Catholic and a non-Catholic marry in the Catholic Church, do the children have to be raised Catholic?

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 22:31:00 -0800

If a Catholic and a non-Catholic marry in the Catholic Church, do the children have to be raised Catholic?

Absolutely not. In fact, a priest advising you otherwise is clearly violating current Roman Catholic Doctrine, as of Vatican II. As recently as a few years ago, at least one priest in my former home Archdiocese was actually censured for threatening to prevent a marriage between a Catholic and a...

Answer to Where and how can someone buy a slave today?

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:22:23 -0800

Where and how can someone buy a slave today?

Most slaves today are taken from East Africa (particularly the Southern Sudan) or from Southeast Asia. They are, of course, almost always taken against their will - but there are a large number of female slaves from Southeast Asia and the South Asian island groups who are, in fact, sold into...

Answer to What were the factors leading the U.S. to enter conflict on the side of allies rather then side of the Central Powers?

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:47:27 -0800

What were the factors leading the U.S. to enter conflict on the side of allies rather then side of the Central Powers?

The United States of America had been at the verge of war with the Central Powers - in particularly Germany - since fairly early in the commencement of hostilities, when President Woodrow Wilson had secretly agreed to supplied the British with war materials in their efforts against the Germans. ...

Answer to Why doesn't the US president write his own speeches?

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:09:01 -0800

Why doesn't the US president write his own speeches?

It's important to note that some presidents have (and continue) to write at least -some- of their own speeches - President Clinton wrote about half of his major speeches, and most presidents of the twentieth century have, at the very least, reviewed the text of all speeches written for them,...

Answer to Who declared that all US presidents are exempt from war crimes and how is this justified?

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 23:53:43 -0800

Who declared that all US presidents are exempt from war crimes and how is this justified?

No such claim has ever been made in any official, legally binding sense. Some political groups have made this argument - most recently the so-called "Neo Conservative Movement" and its "Project for a New American Century", however, the argument has not yet been accepted as a...

Answer to In WWII, why were chemical weapons not used to the extent they were in WWI, especially by the Axis Powers?

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:42:08 -0800

In WWII, why were chemical weapons not used to the extent they were in WWI, especially by the Axis Powers?

As far as we know, the only country to use chemical weapons in a combat setting during wartime in the European Theatre was, ironically, the United States. The U.S. had developed an experimental mustard and or tear gas impregnated machine gun round. The idea was that the round would penetrate,...

Answer to Why did Western Europe never fully develop Marxism?

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:19:16 -0800

Why did Western Europe never fully develop Marxism?

This is a difficult question, though the previous answer had some excellent thoughts on the topic. Its important to remember that Marxism originated in Western Europe, to begin with. As early as the 1840s, attempts were being made to establish proto-Marxist states, and in 1871, a Marxist...

Answer to Has Australia ever entered into a major war?

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 11:57:50 -0800

Has Australia ever entered into a major war?

Australia has engaged in a number of conflicts and declared wars. The internal struggles for power between native and settler aside, the first major conflict for the Australians outside Australia was the deployment of Australian troops as part of a colonial detachment bound for the Anglo-Zulu War...

Answer to What is the function of the U.S. Senate?

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:50:11 -0800

What is the function of the U.S. Senate?

The U.S. Senate is the senior legislative body of the United States. Bills may originate in the U.S. Senate, and if they do so, they must be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives as well to enter law. However, so too must every House of Representatives legislative act be approved by a...

Answer to Why isn't the District of Columbia allowed to vote in Congress/Senate?

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 11:40:24 -0800

Why isn't the District of Columbia allowed to vote in Congress/Senate?

According to the U.S. Constitution, only states are permitted a binding vote in the Congress/Senate. While representatives and "observers" are currently elected from territories and the District of Columbia, and while they are occasionally given the right to "express their...

Answer to Was the Ptolemy family Greek or Egyptian?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:29:58 -0800

Was the Ptolemy family Greek or Egyptian?

The Ptolemys were Greek, as were their descendents. Ptolemy the Great did take Egyptian wives, but the family remained Greek in its outlook and behavior, even creating some very interesting fusions of Greek and Egyptian art. Cleopatra, incidentally, was ethnically Greek. She had no African or...

Answer to What kinds of sports did the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas and ancient Egyptians play?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:25:20 -0800

What kinds of sports did the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas and ancient Egyptians play?

The Aztecs and Maya enjoyed a variety of sports. The most common were games of "temple ball", which go by several different names. These were ritual games, usually played with very large inflated bladders (some believe that they were heavy, like medicine balls, others that they were...

Answer to When you are baptised at a Catholic Church, can you switch religions?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:14:00 -0800

When you are baptised at a Catholic Church, can you switch religions?

Of course! However, ultimately, it's up to the religion you want to join. Some religions and denominations take a very dim view of Catholics, and may forbid your membership based upon past affiliation.

Answer to Can a saint be decanonized?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:12:35 -0800

Can a saint be decanonized?

Yes, but the procedure does vary from religion to religion. For example, St. Christopher (the St. Christopher who carried Baby Jesus on his back, specifically) is no longer an "official" saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Essentially, it's believed that he is a myth, and while...

Answer to I am Catholic and my husband to be is Anglican but has not been baptised. To get married in a Catholic Church, does he have to be baptised first?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:10:28 -0800

I am Catholic and my husband to be is Anglican but has not been baptised. To get married in a Catholic Church, does he have to be baptised first?

Certainly not. To put it bluntly, your Husband could be a Zoroastrian Shaman, and he'd be permitted to marry you in the Church. My wife is not Catholic, and we had no problem getting marred in the Roman Catholic Church five years ago. What will most likely occur is that the Church will...

Answer to Where is King Arthur's sword Excalibur?

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 22:00:51 -0800

Where is King Arthur's sword Excalibur?

Unfortunately, we do not know. If one accepts that an individual at least inspiring Arthur as fact, it isn't hard to accept that he may have carried a named sword, perhaps a sword to which tradition had ascribed mystical powers. Arthur would be only one of thousands of historical...

Answer to Has the US ever lost a war?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:13:27 -0800

Has the US ever lost a war?

The other answer is not correct. 1) The War of 1812 is regarded by Historians as a 'draw'. For the record, the United States has never legally declared war on Canada, and the War of 1812 was, in fact, fought over the issue of impressment (forcible conscription of American citizens...

Answer to What war/battle has resulted in the greatest number of casualties?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:06:51 -0800

What war/battle has resulted in the greatest number of casualties?

An excellent answer has already been given. As a point of comparison, however, the greatest number of casualties in a measured period of time actually occurred during the First World War, at the Battle of Verdun, when some sixty thousand Frenchmen died in the first thirty minutes of fighting. ...

Answer to Why is support for the current Iraq war diminishing when death tolls are smaller than in previous wars?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:03:44 -0800

Why is support for the current Iraq war diminishing when death tolls are smaller than in previous wars?

Your question, while valid, is based upon a factual malapropism. The Police Action in Iraq has actually incurred roughly the same number of combat casualties as the Spanish-American War and the War of 1812 - between 1500 and 2000 individuals, at minimum. Some independent sources have estimated...

Answer to If the South had won the Civil War, would slavery likely still be legal there today?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:49:07 -0800

If the South had won the Civil War, would slavery likely still be legal there today?

Article 14 of the Confederate Constitution specifically forbids the passage of any law which forbids ownership of slaves at the state level. While the Confederate Constitution DID outlaw the international slave trade in Confederate Waters (even suggesting military action as a recourse for...

Answer to What was the stance of Vatican City during World War 2? Was it occupied?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:44:18 -0800

What was the stance of Vatican City during World War 2? Was it occupied?

A very challenging question to answer, but I'll try to summarize the main points. Vatican City was in a very difficult position during the Second World War. The Lateran Pact had essentially granted independence to Vatican City, and the world community had recognized this independence....

Answer to What is the electoral college?

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:18:19 -0800

What is the electoral college?

It is important to point out that there are no qualifications for becoming an elector. The constitution of the United States suggests prohibiting the following from becoming electors: Representatives or US Senators High Ranking U.S. Officials in position of "trust or profit" An...