I love listening to you, History Guy! You remind me of my favorite college professors. You have the same kind of enthusiasm when you talk about history, and you feed my passion for the subject. Please, do more videos about the ancient world, and keep up the great work!
thanks for touching on the ancients HG...well done. by the way, Nicias was a good man, a true son of the Greeks that tried his best to thwart danger and follow sane practices, and came to a horrible end in Sicily, thank you again for this video, im sure you know about Nicias, and the subject of the Peloponnesian war is so vast i imagine your love for the subject would have to be a 10 part mini series, so well done for a short snippet on such a vast subject....hope you had a merry christmas and happy new year.
Fleets of fighting ships were built, lost, and built again. (This in addition to all heating, cooking, smelting, etc, being done with wood) This is how formerly heavily forested lands of magnificent ancient trees were reduced to the rocky grasslands we see today in Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Crete, and Sicily, because after 3 or 4 "rotations" (clearcutting and regrowth) the soil is so exhausted that the forest refuses to regrow another time. This is history worth remembering, because we're doing it again in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Most of the forest cover they removed was regrowth from being lumbered out during the of the neolithic and Mycenaean periods. The region last had old growth forests some 3000 years ago.
Yep, before civilization ....... before all the woods were cut down for cooking, home and shipbuilding, and land cleared for farming, etc; it's been determined that a squirrel could jump tree-to-tree from present Spain around the Black Sea to the eastern side of present Turkey without ever touching the ground. What a shame.
The American timber industry plants more trees than it cuts. There are more trees in the Continental US today than there were when Columbus discovered the West Indies.
How about a history of horse thievery? The earliest recorded horse theft, the most well-known horse thief, the consequences both way back then and now, etc.
I'd also be interested. My great Grandfather fled Scotland due to a charge of horse theft, and changed his name from Hamilton to Edwards. I don't know why he picked a Welsh name, as far as I know we have no Welsh blood, but Wales is where I've ended up living.
My dads father and gramps brother would steal cattle in North Dakota and drive them into Canada . Then they would sell some and some were butchered and sold over the counter in their butcher shop in Saskatchewan . They were never caught but the North Dakota “Rangers” really would have like to speak to them .
There were a couple of interesting horse thieves in the American west, but given how long horse thieving has been going on, (since the dawn of domestication) there must have been some interesting horse thieves in European history. If you want the first horse thief, who stole for riding rather than eating, I think you have to start in Mongolia. :):)
Cultural differences in the perception of horse thieving and cattle rustling have had some horrendous results. Many Plains Indians groups viewed stealing a horse from a rival group to be an act of prestige and heroism, and sometimes used it as a right of passage to adulthood for a young man. Settlers in the region tended to view it as a very serious offense as horses were very valuable and it was quite possible that a man who lost his horse out on the open plains would die before being able to reach any help, so Indians who were caught trying to steal them were routinely killed, with or without trial. This kind of thing has led to mutual animosity that persists to this day.
I can’t understand who are the 23 who give you an thumbs down 👎 ?? I’m 57 and in this past year I’ve learned more about history than ever before because of you !!
Thanks H.G. I'm 2nd generation Greek and this speaks to me. I didn't know, but have always wanted to know more about the country of my ancestors and the birthplace of democracy. You do a great service to the important subject of history and its implications on the future and our lives. Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to you and Ms. HG 👍🇺🇸
Second generation Greek here too, laughing because *of course* your name is George. I have 13 in my family lol And I'm betting your brother (if you have one) is a Chris!
I too have a Degree in History and enjoy your videos very much. The attention to detail and presentation make an entertaining few minutes. A reminder of how much we do not know of History. Keep up the Great Work!
When I was young, I read a novel by Mary Renault, called 'The Last Drops of Wine.' It takes place during these excact events, with Alcibiades, Socrates, Plato, Critias and many other contemporary characters in the background. It was and still is a fantastic read and I was completely captivated by the characters and the events. Not least Alcibiades. 'The linedancing acrobat, forever balancing on disaster', as one of the main characters describes him. Thanks for this, great stuff!
Great video as always. Thank you for making history interesting again. It’s something lost in youth and as I get older I really started to grow my interest. But it still fades from time to time. Thank you sir I appreciate your channel! Ps what did you move in the background? I believe you moved at least one thing from in front of the radiation warning sign. Lol
I sense the personal idiosyncrasies of Alcibiades have a colorful backstory. I would really like to explore this guy further. He appeared to have the correct level of audacity to become a leader, yet had the attention span of a used car salesman. His antics would have later modeled an understanding and use of a chaos theory for future megalomaniacs. Great job history guy. You really packed it in. I will have to review this a couple more times, and gladly.
I suggested this six months or a year ago. Most definitely wasn't the only one suggesting alcibiades I imagine, but it's cool to see you doing it. Keep up the good content
Thanks, Love your videos. I have a favorite quote from Plato which describes the bad-assness of Socrates through the eyes of Alcibiades at the battle of Delium.... “Furthermore, men, it was worthwhile to behold Socrates when the army retreated in flight from Delium; for I happened to be there on horseback and he was a hoplite. The soldiers were then in rout, and while he and Laches were retreating together, I came upon them by chance. And as soon as I saw them, I at once urged the two of them to take heart, and I said I would not leave them behind. I had an even finer opportunity to observe Socrates there than I had had at Potidaea, for I was less in fear because I was on horseback. First of all, how much more sensible he was than Laches; and secondly, it was my opinion, Aristophanes (and this point is yours); that walking there just as he does here in Athens, 'stalking like a pelican, his eyes darting from side to side,' quietly on the lookout for friends and foes, he made it plain to everyone even at a great distance that if one touches this real man, he will defend himself vigorously. Consequently, he went away safely, both he and his comrade; for when you behave in war as he did, then they just about do not even touch you; instead they pursue those who turn in headlong flight.
Moral: The more things change, the more they remain the same. Though I always get a kick out of the scene in "Patton" where Scott/Patton explains Alcibiades understood how to conquer Syracuse;-)
I haven't seen a video on Aliciades yet! He is hardly ever spoken about, where really the only time I heard of him was in my political theory class! Thank you for this, his legacy is a remarkable one and Im glad to see you covered him!
My classics teacher, Freddie Payne, was passionate about this. Unfortunately, unlike THG, he had no facility for staying on topic. A failing that we fourth formers took full advantage of. Thank you THG. Happy new year to Mr. &Ms. THG and all viewers.
Alcibiades has fascinated me for some time and I think that his place in history is well documented and remembered....but, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed the video. In what had to be a difficult transition, while in Sparta Alcibiades lived as true a Spartan....then he screwed the queen. Alcibiades is surely one of history's the most charismatic men..
Alcibiades was one of the most treacherous men to have ever lived. Thanks for telling his story. I know it was 20 minutes long, but I feel that it could have been even longer. He was that evil.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel If you ever get the urge to go long-form, I'd cheerfully sit still for a solid hour of the History Guy, especially on Thucydides.
Hello HG......here's an idea: a bio of Owsley Stanley, genius, chemist, sound engineer, icon of free thought, and the person that made the Sixties go boom.
It's not a process. 'Sueing for peace' is just a phrase, meaning to ask the other side for an end to hostilities. It is done by many different processes in many times, depending on the diplomatic channels available.
Thanks so much for this episode on Alcibiades. It appears that politics back then was more ruthless than of ancient Rome or of even in its mildest form of today!!!! My knowledge of the interlocking politics of the Greek city states is certainly lacking. Although I've taken courses that went in depth on Greek contributions to philosophy, architecture, mathematics, of playwrights and poetry, etc; those courses barely touched on the civil clashes until the rise of Macedonia. You've certainly got my interest inspired. This could be developed into a theses or dissertation paper. I'm not kidding.
My favorite #TheHistoryGuy , of switching sides, is the Roman...Alaric. Everyone has a reason (ethics/morals/religion), for switching sides at the precipice of conflict. Sometimes (maybe most), it is for the betterment of history. Being a traitor in war, can decisively end the war quick, or prolong it. Much like politics in the USA, today. Party members of Congress, are switching sides, back-and-forth relentlessly, to be on the winning team come November 2020. Excellent video...as usual.
@Charles Yuditsky And the reason "supremacy" is a vital national interest is? Why not just stay home and be prepared to kill those other bastards if they arrive at your shores? I forget the exact words in this video, but did recognize the "we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here" syndrome when I heard it, and it made me wonder how long that line has been used to get the cannon fodder to leave their young wives and girlfriends to fight in far away places. For my generation it was Vietnam where we were supposed to stop Communism, but at the same time avowed Communists were being hired by the thousands to teach in our schools and universities and run our bureaucracies.
@Charles Yuditsky If you like to imagine alternate histories, ask yourself what would have happened if Hitler had focused solely on Germany's economic miracle climbing out of the Weimar disaster. He didn't invade anyone, and Germany built the finest products in the world that everyone was eager to buy. This scenario doesn't preclude Germany also building up a powerful military that tells all competitors, "don't even think about invading." Empire, and "supremacy" only deliver two things in the long run: bankruptcy and ruin. Any honest reading of history proves that.
Your question is absolutely valid, especially when one considers history is usually written by the winners. For serious students of history, it is well known that two people can witness the same event and tell two very different stories. So, the "truth" of history is only as accurate as the guy who tells the story. This phenomenon was well known in American history when historians tried to tell the battle of Gettysburg. They would interview several soldiers who stood side-by-side in the same line and got different stories and heated arguments about the "facts". Consider the current impeachment proceedings against President Trump as a classic example. You have two very different accounts, each claiming to have facts, one side claiming one set of facts, the other claiming the so-called facts are manufactured, both and paid for by political rivals, and the American public not really "knowing" anything in the end. So, when one reads history, this must always be kept in mind.
@@georgebeckydragan6389 I don't believe impeachment is a trial with recognized facts by an impartial jury. It's a political tribunal of cohorts, and contemporaries using banter to persuade a vote of confidence and/or recognition of competence in a coequal political body. Alcibiadese and Trump could be compared in some ways for sure though, but Trump was never groomed as an Aristocrat, he's a johnny come very lately to government office, seems to be another Puppetdent of the right wing corrupt monopoly capitalist moneyed interests. All the democratic trust laws have been trashed, ignored, and judiciared out of the way for him by Reagan which he's just riding the coat tails of. And Reagan was a johnny come lately to politics too who thought the world owed him a living by letting him keep more of his income. Playing politics in the Screen Actors Guild, and his propaganda roll in WWII were more like Alcibiadese. That kid that almost killed him must have been on some MK Ultra Acid.
The Peloponnesian War is the most thoroughly documented event in classical history thanks to the efforts of Thucydides. Hes regarded as the father of scientific history because he set out to document the war using impartiality, evidence gathering, and analysis of the events as entirely human in cause and effect without intervention from the gods.
Have you considered doing an episode on logging? I particularly find eastern American rafting really cool. They would tie together their logs and make a log cabin on top then float down the river to the mill
Which ones? The ones for Japanese Americans, or the ones for actual POWs? There were both. (And some of the stories about POW escape attempts are hilarious. For instance, one group had got hold of a local map, which showed a number of rivers. In central Arizona, this mostly means a place where water flows during and just after a rainstorm, a pretty rare event, there being few permanent rivers in the desert regions of the US South-West. The prisoners, being Germans from Europe, had no idea that that's what it meant, and had duly constructed boats in secret, thinking they could paddle downstream to Mexico and arrange to get home to Germany from there. They got to the 'river' and...)
Hey Playboy, how was your holiday? I sent you and History Gal a couple of things . I think Friday or Saturday! I hope that New Year's Eve video will make their debut!
What a classic example of a sociopath; charmingly plausible yet utterly ruthless, utterly impervious to discipline, never forgave, and in the end went to the well once too often, and fell to his enemies in dubious circumstances !
I think it was Alcibiades in the Peloponnesian War... ...415 B.C. He said, "If Syracuse falls, all Sicily falls, and then Italy." He knew that Syracuse was the jugular of the island. Old Alcibiades always went for the throat.
"Nemesis" by David Stuttard is a good book on Alcibiades. Alcibiades is one of those rogues that people love, love to hate, and love again,only to love to hate. One every two-thousand years is enough.
I enjoy your channel so much. Both you & Dr. Mark Felton are titans of information. Could you please do a story on the U.S. Navy SeaBees??? I think you would find it interesting. When they were sent into the South Pacific during WW2, they were expected to fight but were NOT allowed to have weapons.
I was wondering if you could do one on "The Ride of Paul Revere" , not the poem but the other's who were involved but are forgotten in history such as William Dawes
Dear history guy, can you please make a video piece about the Origins, and the history of “ Delaware punch” and how it evolved into the non-carbonated soft drink punch that we have today, As a little kid I remember being able to purchase small cans of that tasty drink, and nowadays it’s very hard to find the stuff unless a person special orders the stuff from a distributor,or by chance you visit a restaurant that sells the stuff on tap; I’m really very curious about that drink, Inquiring minds want to know, Best regards and cheers 👍
A good follow-on would be the fate of the Athenians in the quarries at Syracuse, the funeral oration of Pericles and the parallel with the Gettysburg Address.
May you do a lesson on the Maine 2 Footer Railroads!? It has nothing to do with this video, but i just read a publication about it and found it interesting
The look ..like my favorite goofy history teacher. He retired and cancer. I taught him how to beat it. And ten years later he was on a citys ad for nice place to live and he was in a bicycle race. So he must have listened to my unusual advice... But you two are so much alike. Hours of endless historic dates and oddities I do so much like the oddities but when he would shake me and ask me that date that would walk me into the Harvard scholarship I would remind him I was more interested in his daughters cashmere sweater and if I knew all these dates he keeps reminding me of then he would cease to be interesting ...now wouldn't he ?
Alcibiades was the god of weather and allegiances. Changing, unpredictable, destroying fleets and armies. Looks beautiful one day, then you find your land devastated by him the next day.
You mention a couple of times that he was possessed of great powers of oratory. Interesting that he also spoke with a pronounced lisp, but people found it to be a quite charming aspect to his delivery, a feature and not a bug.
Alcibiades was the kind of man you would better off not being "in love" with. He would NEVER be faithful to you. He was very promiscuous (having many lovers of both sex) and a spendthrift.Though he was selfish, calculating, cold, narcissistic and vain; he was also an intense lover of military glory, fame and adulation. A man born with an overweening ambition and sense of self-importance. However, he was an extremely capable orator, general, politician and statement.
Alcibiades played many roles. Reminds me of what the guy said to Alexander the Great: What thou meanest by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, whilst thou who dost it with a great fleet art styled emperor.
SUBJECT FORFUTURE EPISODE of THG. "LADY BE GOOD" Please, please, please!!!!!! cover the heroic, tragic and absolutely fascinating story of the lost B24 Liberator "Lady Be Good". This story and these poor men need to be remembered. It really needs two episodes to properly cover the loss of the plane and the desperate struggle for survival of her crew and a second for the fascinating discovery of this mystery plane hidden in the Libyan desert and the search and discovery of her crew. The finding of the last crew member who was found : He made it so inconceivably far without foood or water looking for their base near the Mediterranean and with his last ounces of strength dragged himself to the topof the highest dune around expecting to see the sea and salvation only to see another sea ofsandunes stretching away into the distance. He died there on top of that dune. One can scarcely imagine the tragic sense of lonliness and hopeless desperation that filled this poor mans soul at this sight. This soul crushing story needs to be told by THG so that others can remember the " Ladies men" and the lost bomber in the Libyan desert.
Now that you've done an episode on Alcibiades, can you do something on Greek influences in the area(s) north of ancient Judah in the present states of Israel and Jordan and Syria? The Greeks that lived in those areas were referred to as "Gentiles" in biblical scripture. But with parallel stories of Hercules in ancient Greek mythology and the later writings on Samson depicted by Jewish writers; it makes one wonder of how much influence those Greeks really had. I'm sure there are many influences you can find that you probably don't already know. But whatever you come up with will be interesting.
This guy was the very first mercenary statesman. He had a preternatural instinct for geopolitics and was the first person openly willing to use those talents in service of the shifting tides. Also Socrates was highkey the Melfi to Alcibiades inner Tony.
Are there multiple sources for the story of Alcibiades and his career, written from differing points of view? I’m thinking about the adage that history is written by the victors.
so strange to remember this time past ,as i have lived each moment of them, yet not of this body, but of this mind and soul. thus i give thanks to my maker that i only remember with fondness the victory, the triumph, the love....all that comes to me in my heart at first light or the warmth of mid day sun on my skin.yet one day as times past i must fade and rise again a man among men until the GOD of all, is satisfied that man has evolved and learned the value of selfless love and the futility of pain and war. Peace and love to all
Topic suggestion: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Specifically the Siege of Plevna and the Turks use more modern weapons to hold off a much large Russian army.
Topic suggestion: The kidnapping of Nell Donnelly... How a former US Senator & a Kansas City crime boss joined forces to rescue a beloved KC millionairess!! I think you'll find it fascinating!
Any boardgamers looking to recreate these events on the tabletop should look into two games, Pericles, and The Peloponnesian War, both published by GMT Games.
@@rutabagasteu have you seen the original statue of liberty ? You'll be surprised ! It's not one we have now the original one was rejected by the U.S. government.
![The Last Viking - The Campaigns of Harald Hardrada [FULL DOCUMENTARY]](/img/1.gif)
In my Greek History class Alcibiades became a meme. We always answered question with his name and such. It was amazing.
Lol we did the same thing with "The Mongols" in my AP history class, in reference to a crash course video
I love listening to you, History Guy! You remind me of my favorite college professors. You have the same kind of enthusiasm when you talk about history, and you feed my passion for the subject. Please, do more videos about the ancient world, and keep up the great work!
So, Alcibiades was essentially a pirate, a person without state and given to shifting loyalties. And all good stories involve pirates.
Aaaaarrrrrrrrr!!!!
He also impregnated the Spartan kings daughter on the low, dude was messy
@@ericabutts2906 Undoubtedly, messy.
I think he was a confused boy.
thanks for touching on the ancients HG...well done. by the way, Nicias was a good man, a true son of the Greeks that tried his best to thwart danger and follow sane practices, and came to a horrible end in Sicily, thank you again for this video, im sure you know about Nicias, and the subject of the Peloponnesian war is so vast i imagine your love for the subject would have to be a 10 part mini series, so well done for a short snippet on such a vast subject....hope you had a merry christmas and happy new year.
“Hi, I’m Alcibiades, I’m gorgeous. You’re going to do what I say because, I mean, look at me. I’m beautiful.”
Getting a bit overly sarcastic, are we?
😂😂
I leanred more from a few weeks of watching this channel than 2 semesters of AP US History.
That boy was different. As ancient history, he's fascinating, but I suspect he'd have been too much to actually know.
Fleets of fighting ships were built, lost, and built again. (This in addition to all heating, cooking, smelting, etc, being done with wood) This is how formerly heavily forested lands of magnificent ancient trees were reduced to the rocky grasslands we see today in Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Crete, and Sicily, because after 3 or 4 "rotations" (clearcutting and regrowth) the soil is so exhausted that the forest refuses to regrow another time. This is history worth remembering, because we're doing it again in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Most of the forest cover they removed was regrowth from being lumbered out during the of the neolithic and Mycenaean periods. The region last had old growth forests some 3000 years ago.
Yep, before civilization
....... before all the woods were cut down for cooking, home and shipbuilding, and land cleared for farming, etc; it's been determined that a squirrel could jump tree-to-tree from present Spain around the Black Sea to the eastern side of present Turkey without ever touching the ground. What a shame.
Plus there is the effects of erosion once the tree cover is gone.
The American timber industry plants more trees than it cuts. There are more trees in the Continental US today than there were when Columbus discovered the West Indies.
@Forrest Trump Its Fact.
How about a history of horse thievery? The earliest recorded horse theft, the most well-known horse thief, the consequences both way back then and now, etc.
I'd also be interested. My great Grandfather fled Scotland due to a charge of horse theft, and changed his name from Hamilton to Edwards. I don't know why he picked a Welsh name, as far as I know we have no Welsh blood, but Wales is where I've ended up living.
My dads father and gramps brother would steal cattle in North Dakota and drive them into Canada .
Then they would sell some and some were butchered and sold over the counter in their butcher shop in Saskatchewan .
They were never caught but the North Dakota “Rangers” really would have like to speak to them .
There were a couple of interesting horse thieves in the American west, but given how long horse thieving has been going on, (since the dawn of domestication) there must have been some interesting horse thieves in European history.
If you want the first horse thief, who stole for riding rather than eating, I think you have to start in Mongolia. :):)
Cultural differences in the perception of horse thieving and cattle rustling have had some horrendous results. Many Plains Indians groups viewed stealing a horse from a rival group to be an act of prestige and heroism, and sometimes used it as a right of passage to adulthood for a young man. Settlers in the region tended to view it as a very serious offense as horses were very valuable and it was quite possible that a man who lost his horse out on the open plains would die before being able to reach any help, so Indians who were caught trying to steal them were routinely killed, with or without trial. This kind of thing has led to mutual animosity that persists to this day.
We Cleavers where butchers in Ireland and Grandpa claimed we had a run in with the British army over horse theft...
I can’t understand who are the 23 who give you an thumbs down 👎 ?? I’m 57 and in this past year I’ve learned more about history than ever before because of you !!
Thanks H.G.
I'm 2nd generation Greek and this speaks to me. I didn't know, but have always wanted to know more about the country of my ancestors and the birthplace of democracy. You do a great service to the important subject of history and its implications on the future and our lives. Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to you and Ms. HG
👍🇺🇸
Second generation Greek here too, laughing because *of course* your name is George. I have 13 in my family lol
And I'm betting your brother (if you have one) is a Chris!
I too have a Degree in History and enjoy your videos very much. The attention to detail and presentation make an entertaining few minutes. A reminder of how much we do not know of History. Keep up the Great Work!
Have you ever seen Weird History, he's just as good as this guy
When I was young, I read a novel by Mary Renault, called 'The Last Drops of Wine.' It takes place during these excact events, with Alcibiades, Socrates, Plato, Critias and many other contemporary characters in the background. It was and still is a fantastic read and I was completely captivated by the characters and the events. Not least Alcibiades. 'The linedancing acrobat, forever balancing on disaster', as one of the main characters describes him. Thanks for this, great stuff!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_the_Wine
@@brentwegher2014 thank you!
Hard core history for the holidays. Thanks HG.
Great video as always. Thank you for making history interesting again. It’s something lost in youth and as I get older I really started to grow my interest. But it still fades from time to time. Thank you sir I appreciate your channel!
Ps what did you move in the background? I believe you moved at least one thing from in front of the radiation warning sign. Lol
I sense the personal idiosyncrasies of Alcibiades have a colorful backstory. I would really like to explore this guy further.
He appeared to have the correct level of audacity to become a leader, yet had the attention span of a used car salesman.
His antics would have later modeled an understanding and use of a chaos theory for future megalomaniacs.
Great job history guy. You really packed it in. I will have to review this a couple more times, and gladly.
I suggested this six months or a year ago. Most definitely wasn't the only one suggesting alcibiades I imagine, but it's cool to see you doing it. Keep up the good content
This was one of your best to date. Well done sir and sir’s wife. 😉
All I saw was Alcibiades and whoosh
Here I am
the lisp that somehow ended up with Hermes emasculated
also man i think this is the first time i heard the dudes name pronounced
Wham bam thank you mam . . in in a nut shell those scraps . . although they were gentlemen I'm sure
Thanks, Love your videos. I have a favorite quote from Plato which describes the bad-assness of Socrates through the eyes of Alcibiades at the battle of Delium.... “Furthermore, men, it was worthwhile to behold Socrates when the army retreated in flight from Delium; for I happened to be there on horseback and he was a hoplite. The soldiers were then in rout, and while he and Laches were retreating together, I came upon them by chance. And as soon as I saw them, I at once urged the two of them to take heart, and I said I would not leave them behind. I had an even finer opportunity to observe Socrates there than I had had at Potidaea, for I was less in fear because I was on horseback. First of all, how much more sensible he was than Laches; and secondly, it was my opinion, Aristophanes (and this point is yours); that walking there just as he does here in Athens, 'stalking like a pelican, his eyes darting from side to side,' quietly on the lookout for friends and foes, he made it plain to everyone even at a great distance that if one touches this real man, he will defend himself vigorously. Consequently, he went away safely, both he and his comrade; for when you behave in war as he did, then they just about do not even touch you; instead they pursue those who turn in headlong flight.
The only advantage to an early morning shift, I dont have to wait to see the latest video.
Early morning... "shift"? I see what you did there! XD
Moral: The more things change, the more they remain the same. Though I always get a kick out of the scene in "Patton" where Scott/Patton explains Alcibiades understood how to conquer Syracuse;-)
Yeah and not the city in NY
Definitely one of the better videos on this channel.
Need a PERT chart to keep up with his changing allegiances!
A most wonderful story to remember.
I haven't seen a video on Aliciades yet! He is hardly ever spoken about, where really the only time I heard of him was in my political theory class! Thank you for this, his legacy is a remarkable one and Im glad to see you covered him!
My hats off to history guy, you make history fun, wish my history class was this fun.
Loving these longer histories.
Awesome and clear history lecture
My classics teacher, Freddie Payne, was passionate about this. Unfortunately, unlike THG, he had no facility for staying on topic. A failing that we fourth formers took full advantage of.
Thank you THG.
Happy new year to Mr. &Ms. THG and all viewers.
Really love this channel
Alcibiades has fascinated me for some time and I think that his place in history is well documented and remembered....but, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed the video. In what had to be a difficult transition, while in Sparta Alcibiades lived as true a Spartan....then he screwed the queen. Alcibiades is surely one of history's the most charismatic men..
So many people and so many allies and enemies as to boggle the mind, yet you managed to make it seem simple and straightforward.
History's most legendary bro dude. I honestly kinda despise Alcibiades. He's gotta be one of the most self centered people to have ever lived.
I see that the rhetoric for interventionism goes all the way back.
Thanks for making this!
Thank you for yet another great video.
great video! Overly Sarcastically Productions does history vids too (among other things) and has a hilarious take on this subject.
Alcibiades was one of the most treacherous men to have ever lived. Thanks for telling his story. I know it was 20 minutes long, but I feel that it could have been even longer. He was that evil.
LOL you should have seen the script before the cuts... He is such an interesting fellow, it was painful to have to leave things out.
The only thing he serves in history is a bad example and how NOT to be one.
@@MR-nl8xr the problem I have observed is that while some people are viewed as the "don't be like that guy" others see them as people to be praised.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel If you ever get the urge to go long-form, I'd cheerfully sit still for a solid hour of the History Guy, especially on Thucydides.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered Could you put the full length on Patreon?
Hello HG......here's an idea: a bio of Owsley Stanley, genius, chemist, sound engineer, icon of free thought, and the person that made the Sixties go boom.
I have a Russian friend who is a sound engineer, and a Czech one too .... and a Czech one too
Good stuff - thanx for sharing!
I read Thucydides "Peloponnesian War" many years ago and was fascinated by Alcibiades's exploits. I always thought he was the smartest one of all.
The book is the first book of required reading of attendee's of the US's Westpoint military academy
The Greek Littlefinger, a perfect portrayal
Can you do a video covering the whole "Sue for Peace" process? I hear it a lot and understand the basic meaning but not how process was done. Thanks
It's not a process. 'Sueing for peace' is just a phrase, meaning to ask the other side for an end to hostilities. It is done by many different processes in many times, depending on the diplomatic channels available.
A good suggestion.
Thanks so much for this episode on Alcibiades. It appears that politics back then was more ruthless than of ancient Rome or of even in its mildest form of today!!!!
My knowledge of the interlocking politics of the Greek city states is certainly lacking. Although I've taken courses that went in depth on Greek contributions to philosophy, architecture, mathematics, of playwrights and poetry, etc; those courses barely touched on the civil clashes until the rise of Macedonia.
You've certainly got my interest inspired. This could be developed into a theses or dissertation paper. I'm not kidding.
My favorite #TheHistoryGuy , of switching sides, is the Roman...Alaric. Everyone has a reason (ethics/morals/religion), for switching sides at the precipice of conflict. Sometimes (maybe most), it is for the betterment of history. Being a traitor in war, can decisively end the war quick, or prolong it. Much like politics in the USA, today. Party members of Congress, are switching sides, back-and-forth relentlessly, to be on the winning team come November 2020.
Excellent video...as usual.
Always enjoy your videos.
When you're asked to fight a war over nothing, it is best to choose the side that is going to win.
When you're asked to fight a war over nothing, it's best to get rid of the psychopaths who are pushing for war.
@Charles Yuditsky And the reason "supremacy" is a vital national interest is? Why not just stay home and be prepared to kill those other bastards if they arrive at your shores? I forget the exact words in this video, but did recognize the "we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here" syndrome when I heard it, and it made me wonder how long that line has been used to get the cannon fodder to leave their young wives and girlfriends to fight in far away places. For my generation it was Vietnam where we were supposed to stop Communism, but at the same time avowed Communists were being hired by the thousands to teach in our schools and universities and run our bureaucracies.
@Charles Yuditsky If you like to imagine alternate histories, ask yourself what would have happened if Hitler had focused solely on Germany's economic miracle climbing out of the Weimar disaster. He didn't invade anyone, and Germany built the finest products in the world that everyone was eager to buy. This scenario doesn't preclude Germany also building up a powerful military that tells all competitors, "don't even think about invading." Empire, and "supremacy" only deliver two things in the long run: bankruptcy and ruin. Any honest reading of history proves that.
@@hshs5756
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the extremists" Oh, wait...
Is this Sparta? I mean, is this really Sparta?
I really enjoy your presentations. Thank you.. ☺
In classical history how does one really know the truth from myth and legend,? At any rate a great tour of New York State? Thank you, Sir.
It's hidden in the misspellings that change the rhetoric and rederick.
Your question is absolutely valid, especially when one considers history is usually written by the winners. For serious students of history, it is well known that two people can witness the same event and tell two very different stories. So, the "truth" of history is only as accurate as the guy who tells the story. This phenomenon was well known in American history when historians tried to tell the battle of Gettysburg. They would interview several soldiers who stood side-by-side in the same line and got different stories and heated arguments about the "facts". Consider the current impeachment proceedings against President Trump as a classic example. You have two very different accounts, each claiming to have facts, one side claiming one set of facts, the other claiming the so-called facts are manufactured, both and paid for by political rivals, and the American public not really "knowing" anything in the end. So, when one reads history, this must always be kept in mind.
@@georgebeckydragan6389 I don't believe impeachment is a trial with recognized facts by an impartial jury. It's a political tribunal of cohorts, and contemporaries using banter to persuade a vote of confidence and/or recognition of competence in a coequal political body. Alcibiadese and Trump could be compared in some ways for sure though, but Trump was never groomed as an Aristocrat, he's a johnny come very lately to government office, seems to be another Puppetdent of the right wing corrupt monopoly capitalist moneyed interests. All the democratic trust laws have been trashed, ignored, and judiciared out of the way for him by Reagan which he's just riding the coat tails of. And Reagan was a johnny come lately to politics too who thought the world owed him a living by letting him keep more of his income. Playing politics in the Screen Actors Guild, and his propaganda roll in WWII were more like Alcibiadese. That kid that almost killed him must have been on some MK Ultra Acid.
The Peloponnesian War is the most thoroughly documented event in classical history thanks to the efforts of Thucydides. Hes regarded as the father of scientific history because he set out to document the war using impartiality, evidence gathering, and analysis of the events as entirely human in cause and effect without intervention from the gods.
Victor Davis Hanson has written an excellent book on the Peloponnesian War "A War Unlike Any Other"...
Who are the 10 people who dislike this after only 2 hours? What is there to dislike?
Have you considered doing an episode on logging? I particularly find eastern American rafting really cool. They would tie together their logs and make a log cabin on top then float down the river to the mill
do an episode on Leonard Wood MD ..( Ft Leonard Wood in Missouri...)...great stuff as always...
Please cover the Dakota war of 1862 I grew up where it was fought and it's history that deserves to be remembered.
How about a video on the building of the Empire State Building? Love your work! : )
Can you do one on the WWII interment camps that were in the southwest. Thank you love the channel
Which ones? The ones for Japanese Americans, or the ones for actual POWs? There were both. (And some of the stories about POW escape attempts are hilarious. For instance, one group had got hold of a local map, which showed a number of rivers. In central Arizona, this mostly means a place where water flows during and just after a rainstorm, a pretty rare event, there being few permanent rivers in the desert regions of the US South-West. The prisoners, being Germans from Europe, had no idea that that's what it meant, and had duly constructed boats in secret, thinking they could paddle downstream to Mexico and arrange to get home to Germany from there. They got to the 'river' and...)
David Evens wow I never knew that !!
Hey Playboy, how was your holiday? I sent you and History Gal a couple of things . I think Friday or Saturday! I hope that New Year's Eve video will make their debut!
What a classic example of a sociopath; charmingly plausible yet utterly ruthless, utterly impervious to discipline, never forgave, and in the end went to the well once too often, and fell to his enemies in dubious circumstances !
Want a good story about a regular nobody having an absolutely outsized effect on history? How about Gavrilo Princip as a subject?
I think it was Alcibiades in the Peloponnesian War... ...415 B.C. He said, "If Syracuse falls, all Sicily falls, and then Italy." He knew that Syracuse was the jugular of the island. Old Alcibiades always went for the throat.
Isn't that a quote from the movie "Patton" ?
"Nemesis" by David Stuttard is a good book on Alcibiades. Alcibiades is one of those rogues that people love, love to hate, and love again,only to love to hate. One every two-thousand years is enough.
Anyone know the image used at 2:05?
And as always, excellent work History Guy!
Amazing this guy lived so long before getting his throat cut.
The history of little Caesar’s pizza
@@85eurolaw nah....
that would be the damned Romans, not the Greeks
I enjoy your channel so much. Both you & Dr. Mark Felton are titans of information. Could you please do a story on the U.S. Navy SeaBees??? I think you would find it interesting. When they were sent into the South Pacific during WW2, they were expected to fight but were NOT allowed to have weapons.
Have you ever seen Weird History those videos are just as good as this guy
@@garycarpenter2980 Yes I have, although I wouldn't say that channel is as good.
I hope you've had a Blessed day & Happy Easter 🐰🐇🐰
@@Vampirebear13 You too
I was wondering if you could do one on "The Ride of Paul Revere" , not the poem but the other's who were involved but are forgotten in history such as William Dawes
I remember that guy from Assassins Creed Odyssey, pretty boy who played both sides.....in literally every way possible.
I knew I hated him for a reason
Sincerely the weirdest character in the game.
"I didn't lie exactly, I just withheld certain truths" -Alkibiades
Wow! What a story! Whew! Fact is FAR stranger than fiction would ever dare to be.
What an amazing story.
Dear history guy, can you please make a video piece about the Origins, and the history of “ Delaware punch” and how it evolved into the non-carbonated soft drink punch that we have today,
As a little kid I remember being able to purchase small cans of that tasty drink, and nowadays it’s very hard to find the stuff unless a person special orders the stuff from a distributor,or by chance you visit a restaurant that sells the stuff on tap;
I’m really very curious about that drink,
Inquiring minds want to know,
Best regards and cheers 👍
A good follow-on would be the fate of the Athenians in the quarries at Syracuse, the funeral oration of Pericles and the parallel with the Gettysburg Address.
thoroughly enjoy keep it up
May you do a lesson on the Maine 2 Footer Railroads!? It has nothing to do with this video, but i just read a publication about it and found it interesting
The look ..like my favorite goofy history teacher. He retired and cancer. I taught him how to beat it. And ten years later he was on a citys ad for nice place to live and he was in a bicycle race. So he must have listened to my unusual advice... But you two are so much alike. Hours of endless historic dates and oddities I do so much like the oddities but when he would shake me and ask me that date that would walk me into the Harvard scholarship I would remind him I was more interested in his daughters cashmere sweater and if I knew all these dates he keeps reminding me of then he would cease to be interesting ...now wouldn't he ?
Didn't Patton make a passing comment about Alcibiades while in Sicily ? Another interesting and informative video !
If you watch the movie 🎥 he probably did
Alcibiades was the god of weather and allegiances. Changing, unpredictable, destroying fleets and armies. Looks beautiful one day, then you find your land devastated by him the next day.
You mention a couple of times that he was possessed of great powers of oratory. Interesting that he also spoke with a pronounced lisp, but people found it to be a quite charming aspect to his delivery, a feature and not a bug.
That's the benefit of being extremely attractive- your faults make people more comfortable with you instead of less.
I’m now in love with Alcibiades. It will be the name of my next cat 😻💁🏼♀️
Alcibiades was the kind of man you would better off not being "in love" with. He would NEVER be faithful to you. He was very promiscuous (having many lovers of both sex) and a spendthrift.Though he was selfish, calculating, cold, narcissistic and vain; he was also an intense lover of military glory, fame and adulation. A man born with an overweening ambition and sense of self-importance. However, he was an extremely capable orator, general, politician and statement.
@@Kanfachan the perfect cat and libertarian...
damn even after 2500 years Alcibiades still have no problems pulling in some tail.
Alcibiades was the purest expression of Chaotic Neutral in those days
A True Mad Lad
Alcibiades played many roles. Reminds me of what the guy said to Alexander the Great: What thou meanest by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, whilst thou who dost it with a great fleet art styled emperor.
SUBJECT FORFUTURE EPISODE of THG. "LADY BE GOOD" Please, please, please!!!!!! cover the heroic, tragic and absolutely fascinating story of the lost B24 Liberator "Lady Be Good". This story and these poor men need to be remembered. It really needs two episodes to properly cover the loss of the plane and the desperate struggle for survival of her crew and a second for the fascinating discovery of this mystery plane hidden in the Libyan desert and the search and discovery of her crew.
The finding of the last crew member who was found : He made it so inconceivably far without foood or water looking for their base near the Mediterranean and with his last ounces of strength dragged himself to the topof the highest dune around expecting to see the sea and salvation only to see another sea ofsandunes stretching away into the distance. He died there on top of that dune. One can scarcely imagine the tragic sense of lonliness and hopeless desperation that filled this poor mans soul at this sight. This soul crushing story needs to be told by THG so that others can remember the " Ladies men" and the lost bomber in the Libyan desert.
Now that you've done an episode on Alcibiades, can you do something on Greek influences in the area(s) north of ancient Judah in the present states of Israel and Jordan and Syria? The Greeks that lived in those areas were referred to as "Gentiles" in biblical scripture. But with parallel stories of Hercules in ancient Greek mythology and the later writings on Samson depicted by Jewish writers; it makes one wonder of how much influence those Greeks really had.
I'm sure there are many influences you can find that you probably don't already know. But whatever you come up with will be interesting.
I enjoyed this.
How about a History show on the History Guys of History
This guy was the very first mercenary statesman. He had a preternatural instinct for geopolitics and was the first person openly willing to use those talents in service of the shifting tides. Also Socrates was highkey the Melfi to Alcibiades inner Tony.
I would love to see a video on mallows bay ghost ships on the potomac River.
Are there multiple sources for the story of Alcibiades and his career, written from differing points of view? I’m thinking about the adage that history is written by the victors.
Natural storyteller.
so strange to remember this time past ,as i have lived each moment of them, yet not of this body, but of this mind and soul. thus i give thanks to my maker that i only remember with fondness the victory, the triumph, the love....all that comes to me in my heart at first light or the warmth of mid day sun on my skin.yet one day as times past i must fade and rise again a man among men until the GOD of all, is satisfied that man has evolved and learned the value of selfless love and the futility of pain and war.
Peace and love to all
Topic suggestion: The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Specifically the Siege of Plevna and the Turks use more modern weapons to hold off a much large Russian army.
The Lesser Bonapartes did an excellent podcast entitled ‘Alcibiades; Critical Douche’
thanks
Topic suggestion: The kidnapping of Nell Donnelly... How a former US Senator & a Kansas City crime boss joined forces to rescue a beloved KC millionairess!! I think you'll find it fascinating!
at college there was an acopella group called
al and the ciabiades
7:40 Who made that ?
I just came here to know how his name is pronounced. Back to my book.
Any boardgamers looking to recreate these events on the tabletop should look into two games, Pericles, and The Peloponnesian War, both published by GMT Games.
From his youth Alcibiades chose to go to war instead of having peace, that set the course of his life.
Are you familiar with the original statue of liberty ? And what country is the original in now ?
It was built in France and given to the United States.
@@rutabagasteu have you seen the original statue of liberty ? You'll be surprised ! It's not one we have now the original one was rejected by the U.S. government.
Old Alcibiades always went for the throat.
or groin!