A Comm for Historymemes

I really gotta set some time aside and get into history more. These memes seem like 🔥 and I have no idea what they’re talking about.

I usually try to include explanations or links in the comments!

If anyone has reading or podcast recommendations for someone starting out, I’m all ears.

I'm not much of a podcast person, but I can give you a scattershot list of various non-specialist books!

• Caesar, Life of a Colossus on the the main man, Julius Caesar! Well-written and detailed, putting into perspective the political environment Caesar existed and interacted in through the course of his life.

• Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World may challenge some of your preconceptions about Genghis and the Mongol Empire (though at times it veers into a touch too apologetic) while inspiring interest in just how a minor tribal leader from a backwoods nomad clan managed to create a vast and surprisingly loyal empire in a handful of decades.

• Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation is an excellent resource on the birth of the Turkish Republic and the life of its founder, a man both ruthless and idealistic. Very gripping read.

• The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England is a very light and fun book that nonetheless is very much about real historical details, backing its claims with sources while giving a 'ground eye' view of everyday medieval life and law.

If you're looking for something heavier or more specific, but still not inaccessible to beginners, I might recommend:

• Imperial Ideology and Provincial Loyalty in the Roman Empire - despite the specific title, the book is very friendly to those without a strong background in Roman history. It takes time to explain common Roman institutions before elaborating on their relation to local cultures, rather than assuming that the reader already understands such things.