What you see at the bottom of the Coloseum today, is actually the basements, and yes they where a locker rooms for lack of a better term.
They also functioned as an arsenal and prop room for the games and even had their own forges and workshops
There was also kennels for the animals used in the performances, they even had elevators and trapdoors through which they could spring surprises on the people fighting in the arena.
And yes they could flood the arena for naval battles, but i think there are only 2 documented occasions where that actually happened.

The coloseum performances was a strange mix of theater, public executions, WWE matches and a Zoo.
For example they would have comedic warmups to the gladitorial fights with women mock figthing midgets, short skeetch shows, public announcements and so on.

Many of the main fights were not actually to the death, but sophisticated shows with the figthers inflicting surface wounds on each other to highten the dramatics, gladiators were expensive, so only the most expensive games would be to the death.
Often they would reenact battles using prisoners to play the warriors of the losing side, these prisoners would be armed with lead or wooden weapons to ensure they lost the fight, again trained gladiators are very expensive.
The most popular fights would be animal fights, were they would pit animals against each other, like a pack of wolves against a bear, or they would have master hunters bringing down lions, tigers and so forth. On occasion they would also throw prisoners into the arena to be killed by the animals.

But no matter how popular the Coloseum was, the true love of the Roman people was chariot races, a sport that started small civil wars, and could destroy or even make emperors

@tobiusgregory2805

3y↑1

Ah Roma...my original favourite history topic, particularly the late Republic and the Eastern/Byzantine Empire. I'm very glad you're covering this topic!
2:02 Gaius Julius Caesar (the most famous one anyway, as his father and his grandfather were both called the same) was the man whose very name came to represent power and royalty; the Caesar family weren't powerful or rich before the time of Gaius himself (though they were patricians of the oldest descent) and his meteoric rise marks him as a truly Great Man of history.
2:55 Constantinople was the Eastern Capital from the time of Constantine the Great (who founded it, naming it "Nova Roma" though the name didn't stick). When the Empire was divided in the time of Honorius, this marked the beginning of two different paths for the Eastern and Western Empires, though the East had always been the richer half. Constantinople (Modern-day Istanbul, straddling the Bosporus between Europe and Asia in Turkey) survived until 1453, and had a great history. That's for another time though :)
3:08 After the reforms of Gaius Marius (Caesar's Uncle), the pay of Legionaries was standardised at 225 denarii a year. Before then, pay depended upon the General/Consul mobilising the traditional citizen levy and was more often a share of the loot of the campaign.
4:10 Depends upon which points you measure. Rome itself was founded around 753 BC. The actual beginning of the expanse of Roman hegemony probably began with the Conquest of the Latin League of Cities about 338 BC.The Western Empire (with Rome itself, though it wasn't the capital of the Western Empire by this stage) is commonly held to have fallen with the deposition of Romulus Augustus ("Little Augustus", as he was snidely known due to his youth) in 476 AD, so 814/1229 years. Constantinople, on the other hand, didn't fall until 1453 AD, so 1791/2206 years. Using that metric, the "Roman" Empire (and people in Greece continued to call themselves Rhomaioi - "Roman" even into the 20th century) is the longest continuous Empire in history. Only the Chinese Empires can claim to have existed as long, though with that comes a lot of hairsplitting so let's not go into that one haha!
7:20 The Roman Religion is quite a fascinating mix of concepts borrowed both from the Etruscans and the Greeks and is well worth reading into. You can see the more shadowy, less tangible "forces" that the Etruscans/Early Romans believed in (such as the "lares", the guardian deities of locations such as crossroads, households etc) as opposed to the more "Human" and relatable Hellenic Pantheon.
7:52 Fun fact; the man allegedly responsible for expelling King Tarquin was Lucius Junius Brutus, ancestor of one Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the assassins of Gaius Julius Caesar.
11:33 The "Supplicia Canum" ("Punishment of the Dogs") is indeed alleged to have happened (in varying forms) as a result of the failure of the Guard Dogs to alert the Roman sentries to the Gallic Assault. The sacred Geese in the temples of the Capitoline called out at the disturbance, thus alerting the sentries, though it was largely too late by then and the Romans had a heavy sack inflicted upon them (Vae Victis). Dogs were indeed suspended from the "furca" (fork) or the "crux" (cross) and a procession went through Rome thus, with the sacred geese adorned in purple and gold and carried on litters in honour of their "faithfulness". You have to understand the deep ritualistic superstition that pervaded Roman society at the time and they were not unique among the Italic peoples in sacrificing dogs.
12:38 This is a stylised graphic and thus likely to be inaccurate. The various Gallic peoples are often portrayed wearing winged helmets, though it's likely they never wore them, by and large. Similar to the myth of Vikings wearing horned helmets. The Gallic tribes were largely of Celtic descent, though most likely not too far removed from the inhabitants of the Cimbricus Chersonesus (modern day Denmark) and other Germanic peoples.
29:48 From a certain point of view, yes, though it's a bit of a simplified view and it certainly didn't happen overnight. There was more to it.
This video did a decent job of cramming over a millenia of history into half an hour though it did skip a lot of interesting events. Might be worth examining some of these areas in more detail! Love your work as always, Cheers!

All comments from YouTube:

@SoGal_YT

3y↑20

Thanks for watching! Like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video 👍🏻 Follow me on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sogal.yt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoGal_YT
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SoGal-104043461744742
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/238616921241608

@iroh9816

3y↑4

you should also check out historia civilis its really good

@lyonelk3108

3y↑2

You should really check out historia civilis or king and generals series on caesar. Its as interesting as the napoleon series

@iroh9816

@@lyonelk3108 what he said

@erikrungemadsen2081

3y↑1

@RodolfoGaming

You are clearly not aware of the ancient draconian mentality. Animals were both sacrificed and taken care of depending if they were to serve religious or practical stuff. No metaphor for crucifying dogs at all. Ancient Greece sexual favours were exchanged as payment for example too something that is completely taboo today and a crime (pedophilia).

13 More Replies...

@debarpandutta6722

3y↑326

They literally crucified dogs. NO METAPHOR. However it stopped after a while

@markmorris7123

3y↑34

They also buried virgins alive after extreme events. Like after Cannae. People did some strange things back then.

@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t

3y↑64

@@markmorris7123 "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there."

@markmorris7123

3y↑11

@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t death in a brazen bull.. I think this would have been one of the worst ways to die in history

@stockrex

3y↑7

One of the events leading to the Epic battle of Adrianople.. Where really angry Goths kicked some Roman butt. LOL.. Well, one of the events leading to it, was the Romans forced Goths to sell their children into slavery in exchange for rotten dog meat to eat.

@redfelix78

3y↑5

@@stockrex imagine the amarican natives would have done such things to the european invadors...

12 More Replies...

@Aethelhald

3y↑137

"I didn't know the Romans had a civil war like this" ... Roman history from Marius onwards is basically a never ending civil war with brief periods of not having civil wars.

@cinnamon3578

3y↑6

The Eastern Roman Empire kept the traditon of obligatory civil wars too lmao

@Aethelhald

3y↑4

@@cinnamon3578 They did, but their civil wars were far less frequent and usually didn't involve as much slaughter.

@RESTITVTOR_TOTIVS_HISPANIAE

3y↑5

@@Aethelhald just take Constantinople and you are done

@Aethelhald

3y↑5

@@RESTITVTOR_TOTIVS_HISPANIAE Exactly. What also made Byzantine civil wars less deadly and destructive was that, all throughout the Byzantine Empire's history, armies were much smaller than they were in the days of the Roman Empire. A large army in 100 AD was like 60,000 men. A large army in 800 AD was 10,000 men.

And, as you said, their civil wars usually ended when the citizens of Constantinople opened the gates for the rebelling general, and the church would immediately crown him emperor, and bam... it's all over.

@RESTITVTOR_TOTIVS_HISPANIAE

3y↑2

@@Aethelhald better put the old emperor in a monastery or kill him. If not he's gonna come back slit nosed or with a damn crusader army.

3 More Replies...

@jamestheteabeaumont5900

3y↑58

When the Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum) was first constructed it had a solid floor, but in the 2nd century a system of trap doors and tunnels were constructed underneath the arena to allow animals and fighters to emerge from below. As a result the arena was no longer watertight and they couldn't have any more Sea battles

@edgardobassi4864

2y↑1

In the teatro Massimo they use to have naval battles and charriot races.

@brandonatchison4769

3y↑117

I am once again recommending Historia Civilis and Invicta. Historia Civilis has a really good series which explains Rome's political system and the events of the late republic. His latest video details Mark Anthony's embarrassing Parthian campaign. Invicta's videos are more like snapshots of significant events/campaigns and what daily life was like for the Romans.

@RodolfoGaming

yep indeed

@stonewall01

Basically just go to Historia Civilis, then to the Playlists, then click on the playlist titled "Roman History", start from the beginning and go. lol I just looked and there are 59 videos and they are in chronological order. Have fun!

@lordgrimm2905

Or unbiased history, the constant memes makes the short atention span beareble

@luciferkotsutempchannel

@@stonewall01 Why limit it to Rome? They have a Playlist of all their videos in chronological order.

@sebastianwaszczuk7975

I agree invicta are awesome

@muratemkuzhev1958

3y↑84

An obligatory Historia Civilis videos. Best stuff about rome on youtube.

@alexbriner8845

3y↑7

YES!!! Please watch Historia Civilis next!!

@sodinc

3y↑1

Absolutely yes

@anon300

3y↑1

Historia civils and unbiased history is kino

@jona.scholt4362

3y↑6

Let me add my name to the list; we need to see those blocks! I can't think of prominent ancient Romans or the leading figures of the English Civil War without seeing colored-in squares! We need the colorful squares! 😂

@wafflesaurus_supreme

Invicta is a much more in-depth channel and covers a lot more information about everyday life.

@kennykennington3696

3y↑93

I would recommend watching the Historia Civilis series. Its excellent and goes into great detail on Julius Caesar and other famous Romans of the era.

@BlameThande

3y↑3

I second...um, fifth, sixth? this.

@PhilHug1

3y↑87

The West Roman Empire lasted until 476, the Eastern half until 1453

@N0031inq

3y↑15

and lets not forget all the "roman" copy cats after. Like the Holy Roman Empire of Germany.

@PhilHug1

3y↑9

Yup. And the Ottomans and Russian Empire

@stockrex

3y↑3

Roman Empire was also technically copy-cats. The double-headed eagle as a symbol for Empire goes back to the Hittites of Anatolia. At least that is the furthest we can trace it back to.

@stockrex

3y↑3

Also, Italy itself is sort of a copycat of Byzantine. If one takes the Ostrogothic state put into place as an early form of Italy. The Ostrogothic King writes a long letter to Constantinople, telling them how he plans to create his kingdom in the image of Romans in Constantinople. The Byzantine response to this letter was Justinian to send Bellsiarius to reconquer Italy lol.

@debarpandutta6722

3y↑1

Byzantophile detected

6 More Replies...

@samuelterry6354

3y↑25

The Gauls did have winged helmets, but the Vikings never did.

@MettPitt

winged.. she didnt see the wings.. she thought they had horns

@samrevlej9331

The Gauls never had winged helmet to my knowlege, that's just a 19th-century reimagination, like horned helmets for the Germanic and Norse peoples.

@samuelterry6354

@@samrevlej9331 There are written Roman accounts of such helmets. And a lest one surviving physical example: the Ciumeşti Helmet. These would be purely ceremonial of course.

@samrevlej9331

@@samuelterry6354 Okay, but didn't the Romans have these ceremonial helmets too?

@sangfroidian5451

3y↑102

Animal sacrifice of all types was very common in Ancient Rome for auguries, portents and religious ceremonies. The particular type of animal was picked depending on the season, tradition and type of augury sought. So yes, dogs among many other animals were regularly sacrificed in a variety of ways. Occasionally human sacrifice occurred also, Roman civilization is a relative term.

@stockrex

3y↑10

There was one story where a Naval Commander in one of the punic wars, kept killing chickens. The idea was the chicken would have to run a certain pattern before dying for it to be a good omen. Finally after many chickens and a long time passed he got the omen that he was looking for. I think that whole fleet ended up sinking in a storm actually.

@destrorso2505

3y↑3

human sacrifice was kind of a no no for romans, it was kinda done in triumphs tho, and other 2 explicit times iirc, during the second punic war and under augustus

@edgardobassi4864

2y↑5

Relative term? Americans don' still have Death Penalty?

@sangfroidian5451

@@edgardobassi4864 the civilisation of Rome is used relative to the 'barbarian' practices of the pagan non-Roman tribal communities, largely of Eastern Europe but farther afield also, of the same era. I don't think I've heard of anyone outside the US refer to USA as a 'cilivisation', not solely due to the ongoing use of the death penalty, but that certainly doesn't help.

@edgardobassi4864

2y↑1

@@sangfroidian5451 US is not a Civilization? Anyway, I was referring to the surprise and horror of killing dogs when They still have the Death Penalty!

2 More Replies...

@stockrex

3y↑29

The Gauls had tribal confederations and would migrate and go on raids. They had contact with the Greeks via Marseille in Southern France. They Grew wine there and in the surrounding area. One of the inventions attributed to the Gauls was chain mail armor. Not every Gaul could afford it but for their nobility class, it made them fearsome warriors. Around the time they sacked and looted Rome, they also sacked the city of Delphi in Greece. Where the famous Oracle of Delphi was. A group of Gauls were later hired by the Seleucids and moved into the center of what is today Turkey. These would be called the Galatians. Just a quick overview of early Gauls, people can add to if they want.

@PhilHug1

3y↑46

If you're looking for more ancient Rome stuff, Kings and Generals have a ton of videos on Rome include Ceasar's civil war and conquest of Gaul (France)

Also, I recommend listening to the History of Rome podcast. It covers Rome from Romulus to the last emperor

@pumakattentv

Hells yea!!

@Greatlicht

Kings and Generals on ceasar's civil war is really so good and i enjoyed watch them a lot lol

@The6Foot4Asian

2y↑2

So Romulus to Romulus? XD

@littlebigjohn69

2y↑9

the coloseum is huge, it seated 50000 people . the pantheon is amazing , you cant judge the building from pictures you got to see it personally .

@untruelie2640

3y↑19

"The great Carthage waged three wars. It was still powerful after the first, still habitable after the second. It was untraceable after the third." - Bertold Brecht

@jlawson65

3y↑15

The Colosseum floor is missing. The area you see are the pens and storage areas. The people sat on benches. Clay tickets told you which entrance to use to get in, then row and seat. Because Each arch around the base was an entrance. Using this system the building could be filled and emptied of people in a very short time.

@davidb3979

3y↑13

10:27 he means that dogs were nailed to crosses and crucified every year in an annual ceremony. It was literal, the Roman's actually did that!

@dentonstalesofthevikingage8945

3y↑11

Nero wasn't actually in Rome when the fire started, and he rushed back to help with fire fighting operations.

@johnashtone7167

3y↑5

Disputed, but hey, he probably wasn't responsible for the fire, but he was a tyrant of the first water :-))

I always smile when reading Tacitus and the fact the author wasn't bothered that Nero murdered, poisoned, had sexual encounters with children , men and wives of other married men. No Tacitus objected to him having been an Actor :-)) Different morals :-))

@Macilmoyle

3y↑7

From Wikipedia
The supplicia canum ("punishment of the dogs") was an annual sacrifice of ancient Roman religion in which live dogs were suspended from a furca ("fork") or cross (crux) and paraded. It appears on none of the extant Roman calendars, but a late source[1] places it on August 3 (III Non. Aug.).

In the same procession, geese were decorated in gold and purple and carried in honor. Ancient sources who explain the origin of the supplicia say that the geese were honored for saving the city during the Gallic siege of Rome. When the Gauls launched a nocturnal assault by stealth on the citadel, the geese raised a noisy alarm. The failure of the watch dogs to bark was thereafter ritually punished each year.

@marvelfannumber1

3y↑7

Many people already mentioned the tunnels beneath the Colosseum, but about the seats. What you see today in the Colosseum is merely the substructures for the seating (as well as the stairwells). The Colosseum originally had marble seating, much like Ancient Greek theaters, and was divided among social classes. The level closest to the arena was reserved for Senators (the Emperor also had his own box at this level), then above that were the non-Senatorial nobles, then the next two rows were for wealthy and poorer citizens. The last level at the very top had wooden seating and was reserved for women and slaves.

This marble seating is (almost) completely gone today, because after the Western Roman Empire fell, the Colosseum (and many other Roman monuments) was used as a quarry, the marble seating being a great target for looters wither wanting to decorate their homes/churches or to make quicklime. What remains of the Colosseum today is essentially a shell, with all the ornaments and expensive stones removed (aswell as half of the arena being gone due to an earthquake in the 1300's).

@circus1701

3y↑10

Geese are very good guards - they make one hell of a racket when alarmed.

@steved6092

3y↑9

" SUPPLICIA CANUM " was an annual parade and sacrifice of dogs, allegedly 1 or 2 (still horrendous though🙈) geese were honoured in the same parade. Probably came about due to the Gauls feeding the hungry guard dogs to keep them quiet and the geese raising the alarm.

@melkor3496

3y↑16

Haha you were so confused with the crucifying dogs part. lol

@chrislawley6801

3y↑6

So was I at first The Romans were really into crucifying anyone & everything

@Macilmoyle

3y↑14

A lot of people are recommending HBO's series Rome. You might also check out the BBC's dramatisation of "I, Claudius", Robert Graves' series of novels about the Emperor Claudius and his somewhat dysfunctional family :-)
It might be somewhat dated in production values, but the cast is incredible and it gives a pretty wide picture of the events of the early years of the Roman Empire.

@Darkpaint84

3y↑4

and the acting in I, Claudius is excellent

@eamonnclabby7067

I think I,ll try and watch this again on BBC I Payer...good call...E

@shoutinghorse

3y↑2

I Claudius is an excellent series and filled with a star studied cast of British acting greats. Many virtually unknown at the time like John Hurt and Patrick Stewart. The fantastic Brian Blessed plays Augustus.
A must watch if you can get hold of it.

@brontewcat

One of my favourite series, although I understand that Augustus was far less benign in reality.

@Macilmoyle

@@brontewcat You could probably say that for all of them. :-)

@michael_177

3y↑9

Ugh yeses. When I finish this 6 hour car journey I'll deffo be watching this. Anyone else visited Cornwall before? I've just been there a week and was blown away at the prehistoric megaliths and dark age settlements. And incredible natural beauty of the landscape amazing 👏

@alansmithee8831

3y↑2

We used to go near Penzance out of season as was cheap and could take dogs on beach. I mentioned Minack Theatre in Greece video comments.

@michael_177

@@alansmithee8831 Wow yes minack theatre rang a bell, just checked, and yes i was there a couple days ago, incredible place

@antonywarriner6002

Proper job

@steved6092

3y↑7

Hi SoGal ... The Colosseum originally had a floor (at the level of the semi circle on the right) ... The passages under the floor were to enable the movement of gladiators, animals etc ... Trap doors in the floor allowed the " suprise " introduction of lions, tigers, wolves to the arena during gladiatorial fights. It was also possible to flood the entire arena (from reservoirs miles away) to re-enact sea battles with smaller scale ships. ...... It's an amazing place .... a Cross has been erected inside in honour of the many (probably thousands) of people that died in the arena..... Modern stadiums use the same principles that the Colosseum was built on, for quick evacuation if needed.

@felicepompa1702

Also what remains of the colosseum is only half of the building, miners and heartquakes during the middle ages began to dismantle the colosseum but during the renaissance a church was built inside the arena and the pope protected the ruins of the colosseum

@steved6092

@@felicepompa1702 Thanks for the reply ☺ .... can't wait to return to Rome again ... I wanted to see inside The Pantheon but it was closed the days I went 😕 ... great reason (excuse !) to return though 😆😆

@felicepompa1702

@@steved6092 if you visit rome (after this stupid situation ends) try coming during early-mid autumn or late spring because summers are too hot even for locals, that just escape to the sea (early october might be the best period, or at least i find it the perfect mix between summer's good weather and winter cold)

@steved6092

@@felicepompa1702 Hi, thanks .... It would be late spring again ... must see the Spanish Steps with the Azaliahs again and perhaps pay to go around the Forum this time (advised against paying last time for some reason) ... There was too much to see and not enough time in five days and spent best part of two days at the Vatican as well (also got lost walking from one place to the other occasionally ! ! 🙈😂) ☺ ... but was desperate to see the Pantheon though

@antondzajajurca7797

3y↑8

A lot of stone from ancient roman buildings were used to build "modern" (rome after roman empire) Rome, therefore, among other, Flavian amphitheater (Colosseum) without seats :D

@Thatguyy100

3y↑4

The rooms under the stage of the colloseum were waiting chambers for the gladiators, animal cages, lifts and other storage ereas. It was under the stage becausse there were platforms that could open up and release animals or gladiators directly on the stage erea.

And also remember the seats and such are no longer visible becausse
a) It is a very old building.
b) during the middle ages and renaisance the colloseum was partially used for building materials. There was a church in the colloseum for a while after the romans but a lot of the walls and seats were broken down and the building materials were reused for other construction projects in the city.

@alancook

3y↑8

For more about Londinium, I recommend you view "The Secret City of London" by CGP Grey.

@markwilliamson2864

3y↑5

Is it just me or does it look like a Flake 99 has fallen on Roger’s head and is melting down his cheeks.🍦😆

@TheGaryQ

2y↑3

I hadn’t heard about the Romans crucifying dogs, but I can find some validity to geese helping to save Rome from the Gauls. I used to fly frequently with a friend from Van Nuys airport and that airport had a flock of guard geese that did a great job of helping to protect the planes and hangars from unwanted intruders.

@persallnas5408

3y↑7

A note on the word Gaul, surprisingly its unrelated to the word the Romans used for the region, Gallia. Gaul comes from a Frankish word meaning celt or foreigner. The same germanic root appears in the words Wales and Cornwall.

@stockrex

That is some good stuff.. Looking more into it. IT explains why Wallachia and Romania are related. They both mean Roman. It's just Wallachia from a Germanic perspective after the fall of Rome. Romania from the Roman perspective. Since our history tends to be written from a Germanic point of view, we get terms like Byzantine and Wallachia instead of just Romania.

@pianoman1857

3y↑9

12:43 hum you should read the comics Asterix and Obelix :)

@sithlordbilly4206

2y↑3

The Roman Coliseum Plans Are: It is elliptical in plan and is 189 meters (615 ft / 640 Roman feet) long, and 156 meters (510 ft / 528 Roman feet) wide, with a base area of 24,000 square metres (6 acres). The height of the outer wall is 48 meters (157 ft / 165 Roman feet). The perimeter originally measured 545 meters (1,788 ft / 1,835 Roman feet). Located below the Colosseum is an underground area called the Hypogeum, this was divided into two levels which comprised of a series of connected corridors and tunnels that lead into and out of the Colosseum. By the way. The Roman Didn't invent crucifixion they merely perfected it. Naval battles used to exist but they suspended it for underground passages. The water drains into the sewer & the aqua ducts filled it up. 🤔 The also had shade to cool off like an ancient air conditioning system very sophisticated technology the Roman's had. 🤔 Can you please let me know somehow if you got both My Message's I'd like to know if you "Read My Comment" I went to a lot of research and trouble for it. I would appreciate that very much. both this one & The "Dog Crucifixion" one too! 🤔 Thanks! 😁

@N0031inq

3y↑8

The viking helm thing is actually a Celtic thing and the romanticize of the viking era added the horned helmets and the typical Conan the barbarian attire to the vikings. Real viking helmets did not have horns or feathered wings or much in the way of ornaments and the viking themselves resembled mostly other typical Germanic peoples in the way they dressed. On a battlefield between the English and the Vikings I am pretty sure most people would have a hard time to figure out who is who (both parties being Germanic and basically using same tactics and weaponry).

@RaixsOreh

3y↑6

If you want to go i depth into rome. Historia Civilis is a channel with an extensive playlist of videos dedicated to rome. I'd love to see you react to the entire playslist even if its 1 video at a time.

@ftumschk

3y↑3

23:53 "Londinium" means nothing in Latin, and it was almost certainly a Romanisation of an indigenous Brittonic (Celtic) placename. In Welsh, for example, London = Llundain (approximately "Lindine"), and it could have been called something vaguely similar in the distant past, allowing for vowel-shifts (etc) over the millennia.

@stockrex

3y↑2

I was wondering about this. If it were an actual true Roman name or something the Romans adopted from a settlement of the Britons. Now we know.

@BanditoBurrito

2y↑2

I don't think human history is necessarily just "bad", it's just the most brutal parts are most of the time; the most interesting. We could spend all day reading and watching videos about Rome's achievements in technology, philosophy, and architecture. But at the end of the day, we want to hear about the sacking of Carthage for example.

@Welsh_Dragon756

3y↑2

Vespasian was one of my favourite of the roman emperors. He originally turned down being emperor after winning the war of the 4 emperors as he just didn't want to rule like the others. But his army persuaded him to take control a bit like George Washington. On his death bed his final words were "woe is me, I think I'm turning into a god" mocking previous emperors who believed they would become a god upon death.

@RetrousseRaptor

3y↑4

They really skip over a lot of stuff in the second half of the video. There’s an excellent series done by the channel Extra History on the Crisis of the Third Century which is one of my favorite YouTube series on Roman history out there. Explains quite a bit about the fundamental dynamics of the Later Roman Empire.

@johnelliott7850

3y↑1

The 'Punishment Of The Dogs' was an annual event in early August. ...And I have personally photographed the 'S.P.Q.R.' on Roman drain covers. Thanks for another video full of interest.

@computergamescritical6917

3y↑6

You should react to Historia Civilis! They have really well-done and engaging history videos regarding Rome.

@sangfroidian5451

3y↑3

The Colosseum was about half the size of a modern NFL/soccer stadium and could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators who would mostly be seated on benches or stand. It's now a ruin, so what you see now is only a portion of what was there back in the day. This is a short video that gives you a closer look - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaSbYIeqGWg

@thimbur3543

I think it's also been said that the arena could be flooded and used to re-enact sea battles.

@sangfroidian5451

3y↑1

@@thimbur3543 It was, but exactly how they achieved that and the infrastructure supporting it is an hour long documentary in itself! ;)

@starrynight1657

3y↑2

I was wondering what Cleopatra has to do with Halloween, I thought it was about ghosts, witches etc

@melkor3496

3y↑12

You should watch the HBO series called Rome it’s very well made.

It has 2 seasons.

@eamonnclabby7067

3y↑2

Totally agree, here on the Wirral I live 5 minutes walk from a Roman road that connected the Roman city of Chester to Meols on the north wirral coast, funnily enough it is still called Roman road...E

@SmashBrosBrawl

3y↑2

it's good, but it definitely makes up a lot of stuff for the sake of 'dramatization'

@ikedi6005

3y↑1

Strong disagree. It's good as drama on its own, but rubbish as historical drama.

@eamonnclabby7067

Both have merits.....knocks Spartacus for six...the film that is..where the baddie Roman generals are played by British actors

@melkor3496

3y↑1

@@eamonnclabby7067 At least they are played by good British actors in rome.

1 More Replies...

@hellobanking2774

3y↑1

"Show more Love"I couldn't agree more!!

@sithlordbilly4206

2y↑2

Every afterwards, it became a yearly Roman tradition to celebrate this occurence by parading geese around the city on opulent litters, while crucifying dogs by nailing them to crosses made of alder wood. This barbaric custom apparently persisted at least until the 1st Century CE, when it was recorded by Pliny the Younger.

@connorward2400

3y↑4

I enjoyed the Kings and generals videos on Caesar's civil war. Rome had a lot of Civil wars, three in late Republican era post Marian reforms pre Empire.

@gertoise

"How would you even crucify a dog" hahahaa I'm dead😭😂😂.

@DarkGlass824

3y↑3

When it comes to animal sacrifice, or anything shocking really, about the ancient world you have to appreciate how long ago this is taking place & how different their world was compared to ours. They lived in a much more brutal and difficult world to survive in much less thrive in. Makes you be grateful for what you have.

@MrMooemoney

Mike Duncan's history of Rome podcast is one of the best educational podcast ever....

@tobiusgregory2805

3y↑1

@mr-x7689

25:39 The "floor" of the coluseum was removable, and the part beneath could be flooded to host reenactment sea battles. But it also served as an i guess the right word migt be a staging ground, for all the fights. The part beneath had cages for animals and slaves when not flooded. They had primitive elevators that could send animals and fighters up to the "floor" of the arena. (I belive they have built an replica elevator on site, don´t know if it´s still there.)

"The area dosent look big, to do stuff." The roof beneath the arena floor is several meter high, and had a cupple of levels to it. You see the small black dots outside the arena? Thats people. The arena it selfe could host around 55.000 spectators.

"There dosen´t look like there was any seats" There was, but during the centurys the arena was partly dismantled after earth quakes. Stones was removed and used to build churches and palatses and other buildings. The marble was removed and was often burnt in to burnt chalk, and the bronze used to keep stones in place was chiseled out and used for other things. Wikipedia have more info if you want to knowe more, or simply watch soem documentrys about the Coloseum. It´s rather interesting, as the fact it was rare for gladiators to die in the arena and the tumb up and down wasen´t a thing. The idea whit the tumb was that it was held sideways and IF there was to be an exicution of a fighter, then the tumb was moved to the side of the neck, where the sword then was trusted in to the chest and stright in to the hearth, and as sutch minimizing the suffering of the person.

@persallnas5408

3y↑2

One last thing, if you want to take a deeper dive into Roman history I cannot recommend highly enough Mike Duncans legendary podcast "The history of rome". It ends with the fall of the empire in the west in 476 but then you can continue with Robin Piersons equally brilliant "History of Byzantium" wich picks up from there. The first episodes are a bit dry and stilted but then its excellent, sometimes sublime even.

@brontewcat

I have been listening to Mike Duncan’s History of Rome on and off for the last few years. It is excellent, but full of so much information that I think I would absorb more if I followed it up with reading about Roman history.

@persallnas5408

2y↑1

@@brontewcat Well... yes, of course, read and read, read the scources and read the interpretanions of those scources and read the interpretanions of the interpretanions those scources and keep a clear and honest mind. And no dishonest "person" will ever fool you again.

@ryanfrancis827

3y↑2

If you’re interested in reading about the history of Rome, I’d recommend Mary Beard’s SPQR: A History oh Ancient Rome. I read it during lockdown here in the UK — highly informative and yet not boring!

@shanenolan8252

3y↑2

Thanks great video. Brian cox great narrator

@ftumschk

... and the first Hannibal Lecter on film :)

@wwciii

3y↑3

The Romans paid their soldiers in salt, an expensive commodity, thus the term salary (salt payments).

@broadband01

3y↑2

the floor in coleseum has gone and underneath is the foundation walls

@HT-on5sk

3y↑5

If you like roman history, I strongly suggest watching the tv show Rome (it's only 2 seasons)

@Manu-rb6eo

3y↑1

A good show 😉, not very historically accurate, but it feels authentic, it's the most authentic recreation of the Roman society.

@davidjones332

3y↑1

Many of the tenement blocks, and the dome of the Pantheon are of concrete, which the Romans invented. They also invented what is now called Portland cement, which sets under water for harbour works.

@JustMe-vv9yz

The tunnels where underneath the arena, covered by a platform, and housed the animals, prisoners, etc. used for combat. The gladiators and workers also used them to get around to different areas of the Colusseum.
The seats where on the sides, like in stadiums nowadays, but because of the age you can't really see it. They where just rows of stone on different heights for the people to sit on.

@schererpie

I lived in rome before i moved and my mom thought me about what the SPQR stood for wich is really cool and everytime i passed it i would repeat it's meaning

@Metatraxi

3y↑1

I'm not surprised, it can be very daunting with the whole of that coming at you so fast. This is something we definitely did learn about in school because, as you saw, the Romans eventually came over here to Britain. We mostly learnt about lots of their innovations in technology etc, from memory.

Being from where I am I, probably quite predictably, have some more BBC programmes to suggest you watch. First is a documentary series called 'What the Romans Did for Us' presented by Adam Hart-Davis, a brilliant and enthusiastic historian and presenter. The title is pretty self explanatory about many of the innovations the Romans came up with. He did do this in 2000 so hopefully this isn't too hard for you to find, he also did series covering; the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts and other ancient civilisations in a similar vein.

The second id a bit different, it's a drama series, some might say the best drama series the BBC ever did; I, Claudius. It covers the time of Augustus as emperor right up to the end of Claudius' life, you learn a lot more about him as a person and just how unlikely is was that he would become emperor. It is based on 2 novels from Robert Graves in the 1930's which became this series in 1976 and was the last entirely studio bound historical drama the BBC ever did (so as you don't get your hopes up too much). I must tell you though, some of the best actors of their generation were in this thing and I'm sure you will recognise at least a handful of them, if you want to try it it's well worth your time.

Once again, best of luck going forward with this.

@Metatraxi

Also, this morning, I found another YouTuber called The SPQR Historian, maybe worth checking him out too.

@dave_h_8742

3y↑5

Mary Beard did a few good series on Rome it rise and fall.

@Davey-Boyd

3y↑1

Yeah she is awesome!

@PeterDay81

3y↑3

The man doing the narration for this played a part in sharps rifles as Major Hogan. A Swashbuckling period drama series about a British officer fighting during the Napoleonic Wars.Today, there are reportedly more than 14,000 known uses for salt. ... The expression to be worth one's salt, which means you're competent and deserve what you're earning, is most often said to have its roots in ancient Rome, where soldiers were sometimes paid in salt or given an allowance to purchase it. i say this because i live in Droitwich Spa it was known for it's salt.The popular image of the Vikings is one of fearsome warriors wearing horned helmets. However, there is only one preserved helmet from the Viking Age and this does not have horns. it was a Hollywood thing.All the best from England and stay safe young lady.

@byronofrothdale

I didn't know he was the narrator. Sharpie is one of my favourite Sean Bean's characters.

@chrisbovington9607

3y↑1

He was also King Agamemnon in the film Troy.

@eamonnclabby7067

3y↑1

I really enjoy over the hills and far away on YouTube...and Sharpe too..E

@Macilmoyle

@@chrisbovington9607 And Hannibal Lecter in the film Manhunter

@PeterDay81

@@eamonnclabby7067 John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician born in Holbrook, Derbyshire.He sang the song over the hills and far away and he played Daniel Hagman in Sharp. but this is the original version of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bs07OvqXp4 . Cheers and stay safe.

2 More Replies...

@MartinMundorf

3y↑1

As a person who studied ancient history (especially rome an its north-west provinces (germany, belgium, england)), christian archeology and historical geographics - Im sitting here with a smile watching your video. id like to answer all the questions who show up in your mind, but I guess, it would fit in the comment section^^ But I really really like your interest (Neugierde as we say in german) . (subscribed your channel instantly^^)

@anta3612

There originally was a floor in the Colosseum with tunnels beneath it (which are still visible today). These tunnels are where wild animals and various stage props were kept. Spectators sat on the steps. There are online reconstructions of the Colosseum which show what it originally looked like and what the various sections of the building were used for.

@jensschroder8214

3y↑1

The word for the German emperor >Kaiser< comes from the name Julius >Caesar<. It is spoken almost the same way.

@eri3421

If you want to know how the Colosseum used to look like in the past, look for the Arena di Verona. It's another amphitheatre, it's smaller but it's still got the floor and all seats (and yep, it's used for concerts and opera)

@persallnas5408

The Yale lectures you watched, was it the ones with Donald Kagan?

@BerishStarr

3y↑1

The list of cities in Europe the Romans founded is loooooong. London, Bath, Leeds and Lincoln in England, to name a few of the 40-50 or what ever number of Roman towns there are in the UK. Augsburg, Lyon, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Barcelona, Zagreb, Vienna and so on. These are just a few I could remember, but the list is very long.

@johnc2988

Claudius, around 41BC, is said to have understood Etruscan and written a treatise or history of the Etruria.
Giacometti's tall thin statues are very similar to early Etruscan statues.

@melkor3496

3y↑8

Well well what a nice surprise. :)

@marengomango2260

3y↑3

Sogal Kaiser is German for emperor which does come from Caesar. Which in latin they would pronounce Ca- (pronounce this like a K) and then you would pronounce -sar like you would pronounce Czar of Russia but with a more of a s then c. I also take Latin btw too.

@ftumschk

Kaiser and Czar both ultimately derive from the Latin Cæsar, which - as you say - would have been pronounced with a hard "c" or "k" sound. The Roman "kai-sar" eventually become "ki-zar" in German and "kzar" in Russian. Similarly, Roman "princeps" would evolve into to the French/English "prince" and German "Prinz", and Latin "dux" (military general) would become the French "duc" and English "duke".

@marengomango2260

3y↑1

@@ftumschk I know they derive from Latin I am just trying to tell her how to pronounce it in Latin because she said in Latin you pronounce it Kaisar which is german. But yeah I get what your saying

@ftumschk

@@marengomango2260 Sorry, I misread your post! Never mind, I hopefully chipped in a few other nuggets of info for those who are interested :)

@BluesImprov

The area in the Coliseum that is partially open for viewing was the area under the floor. It was the area where the gladiators and wild animals were kept before their turn to go up to the Coliseum arena and perform. They had a rather ingenious "elevator" pulley system to literally lift the animals up to the arena floor. When I look at that area in photos I often try to imagine what it must have been like for those men sitting in those cubicles, knowing they were very likely about to die in an "entertainment" for the Emperor and the citizens in the stands.

@bambinauga

The Colosseum wasn't built yet during Augustus' times, the sea battles mentioned took place in the so called "Gardens of Caesar" located in the Trastevere neighborhood.

@untruelie2640

3y↑1

There are few very long lasting civilizations (Ancient Egypt: ca. 2700 BCE - 332 BCE, classical chinese civilization (various empires, states, etc.): 221 BCE - 1912 CE), but the roman state, although it tranformed over the centuries, was the longest continuously existing state in history. According to legend, it was founded in 753 BCE and it's last iteration, the Eastern Roman Empire, fell in 1453 - 2,206 years after the founding of the city. (The romans counted the years "ab urbe condita", "since the founding of the city". So 44 BCE, the death year of Julius Cesar, was the year 709 for them)
PS: There is a VERY good Youtube channel called "Fall of civilizations", with high quality podcasts/documentaries about the downfall of various civilizations, like the Byzantine Empire. :)

@PalaiologosKomnenos

At 4:10 you ask if the Roman Empire was the longest empire in history, this is correct but it doesn't end in 476 as the video would suggest but rather in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople. (the Empire lasts for 1480 years in total, 27BC until 1453AD

@Charliebhoy79

3y↑1

If you want more detail, Mary Beard has a 3 or 4 part series thats on Youtube, shes a prof of classics but the series is fantastic. Search Mary Beard Rome Documentary you should find them, would love to see a reaction to them but they're about 50 mins an episode, well worth it tho.

@carlhartwell7978

The area under the floor was where they kept the animals, there were lifts (elevators for you), used to bring them up to the arena. I don't know if they kept gladiators down there as well, could have I guess.

During the 'sea battle reenactments' the basement structures would be dismantled and filled with water. I can't imagine that happened too often! Seems like a heck of a lot of work lol

@tensaibr

3y↑1

Some of those drawings were painted much later. When people didn't know anymore how the Romans, or their enemies looked like. Hence what you called the Viking helms :P

@davidb3979

3y↑1

In the Colosseum the floor is long gone, all that in the middle is the rooms and cells under the floor. The original floor had trapdoors which would allow prisoners, gladiators or animals etc. to ascend from those rooms.

@gazza6066

Your comments on human history show what a revolutionary concept Star Trek was when it hinted at the background of the federation

@shanenolan8252

In the Coliseum it's an elevator system , it was very advanced, most people stood except in the boxes but admission was free and there was free food

@gfletcher6183

3y↑1

London wasnt our capital city, they spent more time up north, in York . where I live we were on the main road to York and was given the latin name of Danum

@Antinoustheartist

37w

Yes the part underneath the Colosseum is where the gladiators would be but also where they would have animals like lions, and such also some coliseums had trap doors from below the floor that they could let animals out of

@richardvandeursen2395

That's a funny helmet Roger is wearing. Too small for his head. :)

@spooksmysteries4971

About the influence of Rome. To think that many, if not most, modern European highways still follow the routes of roads built by the Romans. Also many major cities in Europe have been once roman forts, e.g. London, Paris, Marseilles etc. Also the oldest still functional lighthouse in Coruña, Spain, The tower Of Hercules, is built circa 2nd century a.d. by Romans

@marsultor6131

The videos of Invicta about antiquity are great as well!

@generaldreedle2801

Fun fact about Hadrian’s wall in northern England is that most of it was converted into a road in the 1750’s to make it easier for the Army of the day to traverse East to West in order to fight the Jacobites. It’s still known as the Military road today.. Less than 10% of the original wall is left.. Very popular walking country but don’t forget your waterproofs.

@adamburke1088

Underneath is the "locker room" of the coliseum. It also held animals and provided access to the arena from under the floor. people sat around the arena. It held over 50,000.

@archercolin6339

When I do Medieval re-enacting, I sometimes half-joke that the Middle Ages was the period of the fall of the Roman Empire, from the fall of Rome itself (starting when they withdrew from Britain in 410AD) to the end of Eastern Roman Empire with the final fall of the Byzantium (Constantinople) in 1453. (Which sparked the Age of Exploration and led to a certain Italian discovering the Caribbean...)
It used to be said that 3 words would practically guarantee your safety anywhere in the known world - 'Civis Romanus Sum' - because any attack would be met by a visit from the Roman Army...
Mark Anthony - deaf, according to Shakespeare asking Romans to 'lend me your ears'...
Julius Caesar also gave us a month - July

@Coldfire75

The structure in the center of Colosseo (Anfiteatro Flavio) was under the arena

@ProfTydrim

3y↑4

ABout the dogs: They were literally crucified every year for a long while

@charlesyanni5195

Was taught in college that James Madison, Father of the US Constitution, had researched other forms of government in his life, especially during the time of the Constitutional Convention, and was very well informed about the structure of government of the Roman Republic. Was also told that many of the American Founding Fathers were acquainted with the Roman Republic. Was taught that Roman Republic (and Carthaginian Republic) was based on the political writings of Aristotle: Ars Republica. Aristotle felt that the best structure of government involved elements of monarchy (the executive head), elements of aristocracy (the Senate), and elements of Democracy (the election of the Senate by the people). After the Athenian Republic's defeat by Sparta, many ancient Greek philosophers became disillusioned with pure Democracy. They felt that pure Democracy could lead too easily to demagogues. The Founding Fathers also worried about demagogues. So, America wasn't specifically founded to be a pure Democracy. Hence, the existence of the Electoral College who actually elect the presidents. (The poor people, technically, elect the members of the Electoral College.) Incidentally, ancient Roman Senators were also sometimes called The Conscript Fathers. Thank you very much if you read this!

@snapshotinhistory1367

3y↑1

Caesar was "dictator" not "emperor", his adopted son and nephew Octavius (Augustus) was the first Emperor of Rome, and both gave there name to imperial titles "Caesar" was basically like calling them a prince and "Augustus" was the Imperial title.

And the pronunciation was spot-on, in Classical Latin, Caesar full name was "Gaius Iulius (The J was and I back then) Caesar" (pronounced Guy-us, Oo-Lee-Us, Kai-zer, or something like it), oh and the V was a W sound, so Veni Vidi Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered), the famed quote of Caesar, was pronounced like Wee-nee, Wee-dee, Wee-kee

@victormanteca7395

The maze in the colosseum were installations, lifters, halls, cells, jails for the animals, gladiators, etc., and were under the floor of the arena.

@digge2210

2y↑1

London,Vienna, Budapest,Istanbul, Paris, just few capitals that was founded/implemented by Rome

@Groffili

3y↑1

Gauls were Celts - and Celts were Gauls... the Romans used these two terms almost interchangable. The Celts were a cultural group, divined into a multitude of various tribes, living mostly in western and central Europe. Their origin is most likely the area of the so-called "Hallstadt-culture", in the areas of southern Germany and Bohemia. From their, they spread as far as the British Isles, the Iberian Peninsula and even to modern Turkey.
In the 5th century BCE, they took over northern Italy... and these tribes were also those who went on to conquer Rome for a while. The Romans continued the lands of northern Italy "Gallia Cisalpina" - the Gaul this side of the Alps.

France got her name from the germanic tribe to took over this area/kingdom/country several centuries later, in the middle of the first millennium. This tribes were the "Franks", most likely meaning something like "the free people". Charlemagne would be the most well known of the King of the Franks.

@derboy8623

„Is that the longest empire in history?“
Egyptains: hold my wheedbrew

@locusta4662

Egypt was much smaller both in extension and population . Anyway that's also Qin empire that lasted a lot of time

@alansmithee8831

Tempus Fugit SoGal and Roger (Maximus?) on this one. It was again a bit like revisiting Ladybird children's history books as there was so much to get through.
12:40 I thought the geese that saved Rome was known to everyone but the poor dogs was new to me. The picture shows helmets based on a famous one that was probably a ceremonial one, and Vikings did not have these but it it is thought that theirs looked like this with chin straps up.
No wonder there were so many cats near the coliseum when I went as a teenager. Other comments answered about this before me as the dogs wanted their tea.
A friend who had a Gallic wargame army painted many with red hair like Irish as before Latin times the people in Gaul were similar Celts. Some attacked Greece and settled in modern day Turkey.
The Romans even got up here to Yorkshire and started wearing pants as it is a bit cold for a toga.

Load More Comments...

More Comments

just now