Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]

Improve your reading experience

Logged in users get linked directly to articles resulting in a better reading experience. Please login for free, it takes less than 1 minute.

More from Trying to Understand the World

A Little Intelligence ...

... about Intelligence.

a week ago 11 votes
The Long And The Short Of It.

Or, in defence of nuance.

2 weeks ago 15 votes
Digging Deeper.

Because the alternative is worse.

4 weeks ago 21 votes
Such Times.

And the banalisation of Evil.

a month ago 22 votes

More in history

‘Gods, Guns and Missionaries’ by Manu S. Pillai review

‘Gods, Guns and Missionaries’ by Manu S. Pillai review JamesHoare Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:08

5 hours ago 2 votes
The Birth of Gods

Hesiod's Theogony

8 hours ago 2 votes
The Trojan Horse, the Deception That Ended the Trojan War

Arguably, one of the most famous aspects of the Trojan War is the story of how it ended. This story famously involved the incredible deception of the Trojan Horse. According to this ancient legend, the Trojan Horse was used by the Greeks to end a grueling ten-year siege of the city of Troy. It […]

23 hours ago 2 votes
The Great Destroyer: Cyrus, Babylon, and Jerusalem

The Great Destroyer: Cyrus, Babylon, and Jerusalem JamesHoare Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:06

5 hours ago 2 votes
How the Antigonids Endured and Ruled Macedonia After Alexander

Following the death of Alexander the Great, his generals fought for control of the various parts of his empire. Despite taking control of the Macedonian homeland, the Antigonids are less famous than the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Asia Minor. Meet the rulers of the Antigonid Empire, which spanned various extents of […]

17 hours ago 2 votes