Reconstructing the "View" of the Past
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In the book that I am working on, I am trying to write to create a picture of how certain kingdoms would have conducted themselves back during ancient times. For instance, in one scene, I was taken back by how I could not adequately describe daily activities in the court of Saladin. I often read stuff by Shakespeare and he often recreates the daily life of various kings of history. How can I get first hand insight on what took place in the court of the Caliphs/Kings in terms of how their palace looked, how they conducted themselves, how their slaves reacted to them, how they ate, what they spoke about, etc.? I need this information not only for my book of fiction but also some other things that I am working on.
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That would be a bit of a challenge since you are not a first hand witness.
Judging by any archaeological remains (images, inscriptions, art), a correlation of the "official" documentation as well as any comments from a rival group would help. Most stories are highly romanticized so I'd scale any fairytale down to something believable.
I'll be first to admit that we have not done enough study of our past to be as vivid as Hollywood
But in the end it is just a re-creation...