The British Museum Said The Roman Army Was INFAMOUS!?
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- Опубликовано: 19 ноя 2024
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• The life of an (extra)...
The Roman Empire stands as one of the most influential and enduring civilizations in world history. From its humble beginnings as a small city-state to its zenith as a vast empire spanning three continents, Rome's legacy continues to shape the modern world in countless ways.
Rome's history is traditionally divided into three main periods: the Kingdom, the Republic, and the Empire. The Kingdom period, spanning from the legendary founding of Rome in 753 BC to 509 BC, was a time of monarchical rule. During this era, Rome was governed by kings and began to establish itself as a significant power in the Italian peninsula. The period ended with the overthrow of the last king, Tarquinius Superbus, and the establishment of the Roman Republic.
The Republican era, lasting from 509 BC to 27 BC, saw Rome evolve into a complex political entity governed by a system of checks and balances. Power was distributed among various institutions, including the Senate, consuls, and tribunes. This period witnessed Rome's expansion beyond the Italian peninsula, conquering territories across the Mediterranean. The Republic faced numerous challenges, including social unrest, slave rebellions, and civil wars, ultimately leading to its transformation into an empire.
The Imperial period, beginning in 27 BC with the reign of Augustus, marked Rome's transition to rule by emperors. This era saw the greatest territorial extent of Roman power, encompassing vast swathes of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. The Empire reached its peak during the Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and prosperity lasting about two centuries. However, internal strife, economic difficulties, and external pressures eventually led to the Empire's division and gradual decline, with the Western Roman Empire falling in AD 476.
Throughout these periods, Rome's military played a crucial role in its rise, maintenance of power, and eventual fall. The Roman army was one of the most effective fighting forces in ancient history, known for its discipline, organization, and adaptability.
In its early days, the Roman military consisted of citizen-soldiers who served seasonally. As Rome expanded, it developed a more professional standing army. The basic unit of the Roman legion, the cohort, typically consisted of 480 men divided into six centuries. Legions were supported by auxiliary units, often composed of non-Roman citizens who brought specialized skills such as archery or cavalry.
Roman military success was built on several factors. First, their tactics and formations, such as the famous testudo (tortoise) formation, were highly effective. Second, Roman engineering skills allowed them to construct roads, bridges, and siege engines that gave them significant advantages in warfare. Third, their ability to adapt and incorporate useful elements from conquered peoples' military practices kept their army at the cutting edge.
The Roman navy also played a crucial role, especially in securing control over the Mediterranean Sea. This naval dominance was essential for maintaining supply lines and projecting power across the empire.
Roman military prowess was not limited to battlefield tactics. They excelled in logistics, maintaining supply lines across vast distances, and in siege warfare, developing advanced techniques and machinery for taking fortified positions.
The Roman military was also a vehicle for social mobility and cultural assimilation. Soldiers from across the empire served together, spreading Roman culture and values. Veterans were often rewarded with land in newly conquered territories, helping to Romanize these areas.
However, as the empire expanded, it became increasingly reliant on foreign mercenaries and faced challenges in maintaining loyalty and discipline among its troops. This, combined with external pressures from Germanic tribes and other forces, contributed to the eventual decline of Roman military power.
In conclusion, the Roman Empire's journey through the Kingdom, Republic, and Imperial periods represents a remarkable arc of political and social evolution. Its military, a cornerstone of Roman power and expansion, reflects the innovation, adaptability, and organizational prowess that characterized Roman civilization.
#metatron #ancientrome #britishmuseum
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Maybe he said infamous, because he meant they were feared?
@@Marinanor yeah maybe ,but still he has to analyze what they Say not what they mean ,and a Roman soldiers would not think of the roman army as infamous.
@@feliceabbondante5183 A Roman soldier could. No one said a Roman soldier would.
Other comments suggest it was a nod to a gag from a play/film/show. or perhaps a bit of that as well as a touch of personal commentary.
Either way, it makes a good entry point for the discussion of this program.
A Roman height of 5 foot 10 inches in Roman metrics would be roughly equal to a modern height of 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches. 172 cm is equal to 5.64 feet (close to 5 foot 7ish).
Roman soldier in letter home: Father, thank you for the socks, trousers and tunic. I reported for duty with the leather bracers you sent me and was humiliated by my superiors for being too Hollywood.
Good one 😂
too Silva Ilicis
😂The equivalent of sending your son a teddy bear while he's in boot camp!
There is an old army trick to avoid blisters on your feet. Wear silk socks and put on your regular socks on over them. I am sure blisters were a problem for the Roman soldiers and I wonder if they knew that trick.
@@tomjackson4374with all the marching I m sure they had their own solutions. They had to march more than any military nowadays
Famous or infamous depends very much on which side of the sword you are; the deliver or the receiver.
Any way, who better to pontificate about infamy than the British Museum, one of the prime examples of looting and getting away with it.
@@manos7958you think we're the experts on it, as keen pilferers. Infamous it is.
@@mandowarrior123 I was pretty clear I believe, no problem with the conclusion just the hypocrisy of the lecturer.
Indeed. That historian sounded Scots (Pict), so, yeah.
Yes, like all the propaganda that they were the good guys in the last war. @@manos7958
My ex-wife's family lives in Northern England. On one of our trips over we went up to the Vindolanda excavations and recreations. After asking around some locals pointed us to the edge of a farmer's field and I got to take my son for a walk along the remnants of Hadrian's wall while we watched RAF pilots fly drill formations. Truly awesome memory.
The juxtaposition of military past and present is cool.
Vindolanda is amazing. We visited in August.
Awesome! I'd love to visit there some day.
@@zxyatiywariii8 It's amazing to me that such a historic landmark isn't crawling with tourist stuff. I can't speak for the entire span, but for most of it there's literally just ancient, dark stones cresting ridges. The only things around were our family and some sheep in the distance.
Because of the region's nature as a historic place of border conflict between england and scotland, the whole area is devoid of any large population centers.
“But sir, I’m left handed.”
“You’re gonna be right handed with a sword, recruit!!!”
"yeah yeah we are all left-handed. It's where the shield goes " 😂
😄🤣😂
Yes, please make a video about being left-handed through history! I'm personally invested in the topic.
I wonder how often left-handed people became right-handed for specific tasks? For instance, I'm right-handed but I learned to use a mouse from a left-handed person, and now I'm much more adept with a mouse with my left hand than with my right hand. It's the only thing I can do best left-handed, though.
"Infamy, Infamy...!!!"
"They've all got it
in for me..!!!" 😂
Old joke I know, but still funny 😊
I'm guessing he never saw the source. (like me, but I'm hideously uncultured and terminally out of the loop)
@@Grandwigg carry on Cleo 👍.
@andybailey6836 - Forget Elizabeth Taylor; Amanda Barrie is _my_ permanent image of Cleopatra.
Calling the Romans infamous isn't 100% serious, it should raise a smile in any Brit of that guy's generation. It's a longstanding schoolboy joke/reference to Kenneth Williams as Caesar: "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me"
Carry on Cleo.
Yeah I thought that was a very odd choice for the title.
They did nail people to crosses, they conducted blood sport games in the arena, they had slaves!
@@thomaskalbfus2005 So in other words they were like every other ancient civilization. They weren't the only people in the ancient world to crucify people or have blood sports and nearly every civilization in history had slavery.
@@artm1973 Were the Ancient Romans Fascists though? How is Mussolini's Italy similar to the Roman Empire and how was it different? How would you compare the Roman Empire to Putin's Russia? Both the Romans and the Russians were interested in expanding their empire. Empires and peaceful coexistence between nations don't really go together.
"It's not small; it's average."
-Metatron
That's what he said!
@@Neferkariusz31 It is LITERALLY what he said, even if it wasn't in those exact words. lol
Average for the time- 😉
@@atimidbirb People WERE shorter in the past...
@@abradolflincler726Ikr, it's fascinating to see how much shorter beds used to be.
Metatron back at it again with the bangers
when you see that the metatron's video is 36 minutes long but the video he's reacting to is only 18, you know there's boutta be a yap session
Metatron, a video about left handedness across the ages sounds super interesting. I'm left handed and have learned how to use do various skills that are predominantly right handed and have always wondered how this influenced people throughout history.
Left-handed people are quite sinister.
I agree, I'd love to see that too! I can use a mouse best with my left hand because that's how I learned, even though I'm predominantly right-handed.
Re: pay in the Roman forces. I have watched a few videos on this topic, cant recall the specific creator atm, but, he covered how the pay system worked for recruits, officers and nco's as well as the spoils system, worked in a very comprehensive way. He even covered how the legion had a 'bank' where soldiers could safety store there pay, how some soldiers were good at saving their pay for retirement, and others.......not so much. The logistics of how Roman soldiers were paid, their expenses and how they saved the pay (some of them), is really quite fascinating topic in of itself.
So the roman brought the sandal with socks trend up. Interesting 😂😂😂
It’s what the guy meant by “infamous” 😂😂
We all know that only the most cultured men wear sandals with socks.
Whaaaat?! Poles weren't first?!
@@Neferkariusz31 nah a little bit to late how it looks. At least in inteoducing this trend to germany🥲
@@Neferkariusz31
We were just copying Romans, it turns out.
Admit it, you love to say "Lorica Segmentata".
Yes please do a video on left handed soldiers through the ages.
I will thanks!
@@metatronyt Oh goodness, as a Southpaw myself, that is something I would love soo much! C:
Wouldn't be a Metatron video without LORICA SEGMENTATA!! 😁
I used to be a bouncer in a nightclub in Manhattan (80s-90s). Bikers were not allowed to bring their helmets into that club because of how good a weapon a helmet can be.
My cousin, a biker, once told me of a time when he a came across an angry driver who wanted to get out of his car to start a fight. The driver was pulled back into the car by his buddy who noticed my cousin was wearing all his bike gear. As a rule of thumb, don't start fights with bikers on the street, especially if they are wearing gear.
For anyone unaware, aside from the helmet, imagine also getting punched by gloves with hard knuckle protections and similarly for the knees. While the jacket has protections that should help you survive crashes at high speeds (while they won't stop punches, someone will hurt themselves more than they'd hurt the biker if they hit the plates underneath).
@@totallynuts7595Excellent point!
I own a near complete set of Roman legionary sword belt fittings from the 3rd century AD.
It sits in a glass case on my desk, and sometimes I just look at it and contemplate.
Contemplating that it costs too much or that you could've gotten a better deal.
@@grandmufftwerkin9037 Dumb.
@@genovayork2468
Jealous? 😉
@@grandmufftwerkin9037 No. I don't buy useless things.
@@genovayork2468
Ah, just Doritos and lube then?
The fact that historians found so much about a single man must have been so exciting
Nice to see more letters. I live near Vindolanda and go there often. The letters are my favourite part of the exhibition, just how little we have changed always blows me away.
People are pretty much, people and needs and wants are basically the same no matter when you lived.
I like these daily uploads! Just going over different stuff related to history! Keep it up brotha.
I will! See you tomorrow same time!
"It's not a short sword, is a perfectly normal length sword! Long, even!"
About the segmentata at 2.25: it's not a Corbridge type A, it's the new Kalkriese type found in the Teutoburg Forest in Germany in 2018, at the site of the Varian disaster: a model that is a lot older (9 A.D. instead of Corbridge 2nd century) and shows some very interesting differences with the Corbridge types!
2:25
34:28 A dice tower has multiple diagonal plates that are quite close together, so the die will flip two or three (or more) times before rolling out of the bottom.
A weighted die has too little room to correct itself in between the plates.
Assuming dice towers haven't changed in the meantime.
To watch your terrific enthusiasm is a joy by itself, Raff! (It was a special one-off exhibition at the British Museum, I believe; lots of stuff was there on loan, just for the limited duration of the exhibition.) Infamous? "Infamy! Infamy! they've all got it in for me!!"
I visited vindolana at the beginning of summer the amount of artifacts they have dug up over the years is unbelievable
Just realised the dragon banner in Mount and Blade 2 is based on that draco standard almost exactly. Cool to see that
Had the privilege of visiting Vindolanda many times - a wonderful place. The tablets recording daily life are truly astounding; they are a window into a past filled with characters - something we tend to forget as historians reading ancient accounts.
Yes, the cavalry had higher status than the infantry but, what is not mentioned is that, very commonly, the cavalry were foreign auxiliaries and therefore not so highly esteemed!
loaded dice is like making one side heavier by adding f.e. leadpowder to the numbering dots.
You'd have to weigh the pips to make fair dice since you drill out some material to recess the pips.
In an opposite move to the romans, when I was in the army I discovered I am left eye dominant. That meant that even though I am right handed, I was forced to learn to shoot left handed and continue to do so to this day.
You know, as much as we, your audience, love to see you just get righteously irritated with a video of bad history, it’s also fun to watch you just geek out over a video that presents good history.
Absolute banger. Thank you for sharing this with us and giving your commentary on it.
Disgusting video.
Metatron:
"It's not short, it's regular in size"
I must congratulate the British Museum for getting the Metatron's Seal of Approval - that doesn't often happen!
Why should anyone care about his seal of approval?😂
@@genovayork2468
Because he is smarter than the average youtuber.
@@esmeraldagreen1992 the average youtuber is a child bruh
Maybe he was fooled by the Three Amigos quote about the infamous El Guapo. What does infamous mean? It means you're MORE than famous.
Infamy is negative fame, for exemple the funny mustache man is infamous.
I know that, but the character in the movie didn't.
Would you say that I have a plethora of pinatas?...Do you know what a plethora is?
Great Video about some of the less talked about details of Roman History.
I would Love to watch a Video about being Lefthanded throughout History.
For the purposes of the game I'm developing, I don't call anything simply a 'sword', but use short sword and long sword to differentiate between weapons of a size and length that is typically suited for one handed use versus two handed. So in my system, a viking age arming sword would be categorized as a short sword, as would a gladius, though they would still have slightly different stats.
1:35 In this house the Roman Empire was a Hero!!-Anthony Metatron Soprano
Seeing the originals is always a powerful experience for me. I equate it to if i saw a replica of the colleseum vs. Going to rome and seeing the real thing. Or even aqueducts. Being connected to where we were as a civilization is amazing. Military artifacts are also amazing. History and politics are shaped by conflict. I was also in the military, so it is great to see how well I had it lol.
I'm surprised to hear you have never been to the British Museum. You certainly have to go! I went there for a whole day three days in a row and I still wasn't completely sated, it's definitely the best museum I've ever been to!
Loved the idea of a left handed themed video!
By the way, a German word for "separation" is "Scheide" (the verb "scheiden" means "to separate" and the noun "Scheidung", which derives from it means "divorce").
In today's linguistic usage "Scheide" as a general term for any kind of divergence or things that go or lie apart has become nearly obsolete but it's still in use to describe two particular things:
Just like the Latin term "vagina" it still describes both the female reproductive organ and a scabbard.
I shouldn't be at all surprised if it were related to the English term "sheath".
I have been really enjoying your daily videos.
I would like to know more about the retirement system. (I am a retired US Army member. )
I believe that Roman soldiers were separated with a piece of land and a lump sum of money. This had the advantage of allowing the Imperial government to settle them as colonists in outer provinces, so they would be a reserve in case of an uprising.
Hi, Metatron! It is interesting what you said about the translation and the original wording of the letter. If I am not mistaken and the letter shown at the beginning is the one being read, then it is written in greek. As a Greek I could make out some words including the word "επιθυμώ" meaning "I desire".
this video was much more interesting than the clickbait sounding title implied. And if you're in London you MUST go to the British Museum. I once spent an entire week going through it when I was in the UK for a few months
From my experience infamous is usually used in relation to armies, and doesnt necessarily have a negative connotation in this contex. More just infamous *to their enemies, if you will.
Today I learned that I would've been too damn short to serve in the Roman Army at 5'6". Dreams crushed.
A month or two back I started following the Brit Museum. Not every post is super exciting, but I find many are excellent.
"Infamous" seems perfectly apt to me for a land that was under Roman conquest.
I wouldn't quibble that word at all if someone said it about the Romans.
I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
Sure I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
@@metatronyt From the perspective of the time of most other countries Rome was infamous. Learn basic history before embarrassing yourself.
@genovayork2468 Actually, it's a bit more complicated. Some countries had seen the Romans as liberators.For example, the Greek city-states had asked the Romans to come in because the reign of Macedonia was so tyrannical.
@@sanjivjhangiani3243 Do you know what "most" means?
A metal dice tower, 'ey; so it's confirmed... even the ancient Romans played Dungeons And Dragons LOL.
i love ur insights brother :) keep it up
Thanks I will!
Please create for us a lecture on the history and challenges of left-handed people throughout history, especially in antiquity.
I was lucky and am ambidextrous, equally capable with either hand no matter the task. My younger brother, however, is left-handed. We all grew up in the seventies and eighties. My younger brother, being "devil-handed," was a target for ridicule and beatings from both the priests, sisters, and school bullies. I fought often and hard throughout our childhood, protecting him from the beatings.
Thank you for all you do for the world.
Edited for grammar and salutations.
They were infamous. Just ask the Germanic tribes, or the Carthagenians, or the Greeks, or.... well the list is actually rather long, hence the term infamous.
yeah, ask the german "holy roman empire" they hated them so much that they named themselves after it
Sure I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
@@metatronyt indeed. From the perspective of a Roman it makes no sense at all, particularly one who was upset he couldn't get into the legions. It doesn't make sense in a Roman centric video essay either. Perhaps he used the word because it has more bite than "famous", it's less common and therfore more meaningful. I didn't get the sense he was using it in its moral connotations, though perhaps it was a slip of the tongue allowing the ugly face of modern acedimia to peak through.
@@UnbeltedSundew All Rome's enemies... Don't you think those were at least, very biased sources?
Expecially Carthagenians: they were direct rivals of Rome for the dominion over the Mediterranean Sea.
@@ark1567 Don't you think Rome was the bad guy for making so many enemies?
I'll bet the shield boss being metal would survive destruction of the wooden shield itself and be saved and reused, that's why he mentions the shield is a spare because if you're shields broken you could just rip off the boss of your old shield and slap it on your new one pretty easily.
Kinda genius and makes a lot of sense. I bet viking did the same
I Went to this exhibition, was excellent. Was there for over 2 hours. Unfortunately it was only a temporary exhibition :(
Long time ago I visited the British Museum. Was a good and worthwhile experience. Glad they put some exhibits online; even though that doesn't compare to seeing for real.
I would love to see a video about being left handed in history, and the different beliefs that were connected to that. very interesting video!
Hello Metatron! Random, but I was wondering if you would consider a video about the story of Harry Martindale and the ghosts of the Roman soldiers? It’s my favorite ghost story and it connects really well with the rich history (Roman included 😊) of York.
Yes there were at least 3 examples of those cavalry parade helmets. Great exhibition, it was good to tour it again with the Metatron
Wonderful!!! Have been to several museums in the UK, British Museum is an absolute must go in!!! Great work Meratron and kudos for your appreciation for the hard work the absolute experts put in!!!
Nice subtle Dr Pepper ad Metatron 🤣
The left handed video sounds very interesting.
i don't think there's anything wrong with the Infamous descriptor. for the average joe, they'd probably conflate famous and infamous and for most casual purposes it works perfectly fine. obviously there's way more depth than that.
Sure I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
The Roman Army: "Sorry guys, the human sacrifices will have to stop"
British tankie: "The Roman Army was infamous"
The veracity of druids doing human sacrifices is in fact debated
Given that the sources saying that they did are roman, and they certainly weren't above propaganda to justify their invasions of neighbouring states
@@manubour Well jokes aside, human sacrifices are a documented thing among the ancient Celts. Certainly during the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age. But there are instances from later period from more remote areas than Gaul (Ireland, Central Europe, Hispania, Lusitania...).
On top of the Roman sources, we have archeological evidence, and some of which dating from the period where Romans and Gauls were interacting extensively so these written sources' claims are actually pretty well backed up...
Now these were probably very rare things, only occuring in very dire situations as sort of a last resort ritual, to be fair.
Love your content brother!
Wonderfully interesting and informative video, as always.
"When we stabbed Julius Caesar you still ran naked to hunt marmots" (cit. Corrado Guzzanti)
The Italian ethnicity didn't exist. 😂
@@genovayork2468 Weird statement, honestly.
@@ark1567 Because you have very low comprehension.
@@genovayork2468 You should explain yourself with more arguments.
@@ark1567 Insulting the British was also a weird statement, but you let that one slide for some reason.
If I'm not mistaken, "infamous" doesn't have quite the same negative connotation in British English.
I really enjoyed the video, the letters from Vindolanda are very interesting and if anyone finds themselves around Cumbria or County Durham, both Vindolanda and the Roman Army museum are well worth a visit.
Both are quite close and run by the same institution and as Vindolanda is a live archaeological site they are always adding new finds to the museums.
If you're a proper nerd you might need to plan for more than one day!
It was amazing exhibition. I was lucky to visit it during the last weeks.
socks with sandels IS timeless.
Funny how it is a stereotype for Germans now 😂
I live near Arbeia, and often go to various sites around Hadrian’s Wall. It always makes me feel in awe every time I see the clothes, writing tablets, shoes, armour, weapons, and household goods the people who lived here 2000 years ago used. One could only wish to leave such a glorious legacy.
From a recent exhibition held at the British museum. Ended a few months ago
Interesting video Metatron , perhaps your next video could be on the recruitment of other groups into the Roman army, eg., Illyrians. This would then lead into an exploration of the effect of Illyria on the empire (emperors). As someone who has this area as part of my heritage, I would love to see something about this area.
Nice stuff 😊
man is cranking out the videos
Yes! See you tomorrow with another one
@metatronyt Same time, Same channel (old batman TV series ending 😂)
@@Lostboy811in this case , same "met - time", same "met - channel ".
@@infin8ee perfect 👌 👍
Thank you for your reaction and precision on the topic. I would love to see a video, like you said, conderning pay/ranks/duties. Also to have some precision concerning the military aspect. Did they use number as we do now. fro example when a soldier introduces himself or when there is combat report (something like "i m from the 3rd legion, 2nd centuri of the 1st cohorte x) ).
My pleasure thanks!
Hello Metatron. Please do video about the left-handed people through the history. Myself being left-handed, I was always curious if that is something ancient people would respect. I think that there is common thought among people about being forced to be right-handed in Middle Ages.
I find it funny that you argued the gladius is an average sized sword (at least for its time). And truly, no gladius longer than 30cm deserves to be called a short sword, it has a very respectable length all things considered. For those unaware, I just wanted to make a phallic joke...
In England as a native English speaker, infamous is correct- known for their misdeeds, conquer, rape, crucifixion of christ, that sort of thing. If you're infamous you are famous, but have some ill repute.
Sure I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
A couple of counter points. The Romans did not engage in any of the activities you described any more than all other societies during the same time period so they can only be considered 'misdeeds' if you are judging them from a modern perspective (in which case you would have to judge all ancient societies as being just as infamous) or if they are being judged by those that the Romans perpetrated those deeds on, which again they would have happily done the same given the opportunity. The other counter point is that the Jews had christ crucified, the Romans only complied to prevent a revolt (and the crucifixion of christ is only viewed as an infamous act if you are both a christian, which I'm not so I have no emotional connection to the story, and willfully ignorant of the fact I presented about it's occurrence).
I felt that the narrator chose the word infamous because he is coming at it from a modern perspective that all the 'misdeeds' the Romans engaged in are not acceptable behaviors today but that is projecting our standards back in time and is not an honest way to study history. As I mentioned before using that standard all ancient societies should be called infamous. He should have simply used the word famous as that would have been a better descriptor seeing how almost everyone has heard of the Roman legions because their fame has lasted for centuries versus what little the average person has heard about any other military systems from history.
@@metatronyt I still think you are equating infamous to villain or evil and isn't a strong moral judgement. Infamy is anyone known for not seeking and maintaining external praise and approval. Romans had plenty of slaves and parades of defeated enemies, plays about them, every Roman knew they were infamous. It's the word you are misunderstanding not the history. Unless you are claiming the romans all believed they were great liberators and everyone loved them? I only know of some americans actually having this take and belief a few decades ago. It isn't how you'd see yourselves but how you think others see you in a self analysis.
For example, an english convict who knows his innocence would still not deny he was infamous. But it doesn't have to be evil either, just anything others find disagreeable. A boss that gets you to work hard.
We also use the word noteriety which you might prefer, but in truth we draw no distinction. In fact, notorious is more frequently used for 'bad' noteworthiness because you are implicitly avoiding 'famous'
Effectively famous is 'well known for good reasons (not moral)' like poetry or acting etc infamous is well known for grey reasons, eg bad luck, nickname worthy things. Say you could attract older women then you'd be infamous cougar bait. It isn't a character judgement at all. Noteworthy however is usually bad because you are well known but because famous isn't used it's often for being talented at bad things. Notorious pirate, criminal, dictator etc.
Rome is infamous in so many ways. It's large territory, short little soldiers, funny uniforms, ununsual tactics, strong rule of law, etc etc. It is silly to call rome famous, especially someone in it, but calling it infamous implies knowledge of their deeds and reputation.
I suppose the test would be your reaction to a famous/infamous/notorious hangman. Which would you want to be friends with, hang you, and want nothing to do with?
They're snog/marry/avoid. Famous is marry, infamous is snog.
@@robo5013 you still don't really get it. It isn't about moral judgement but public knowledge of your actions. It doesn't matter if you do it more or less but how known it is. You can be infamously harsh or infamously soft. You can be infamously dwarfed, tall, these aren't moral judgements. If everyone calls you 'stoop' because you are too tall for houses you are infamous. For example if you write great poetry you are a famous poet, sleep around like byron and you are an infamous poet and not because it is a negative perception but because it is morally bad but because it isn't related to your talent no matter how great it is.
May works in a kitchen. She is the best cook in the world, but only works monday, wednesday, friday. If everyone calls her 'three day may' she is infamous. Same for night shift Nellie.
'Famous' isn't applicable to a world power, and 'notorious' has negative connotations.
You seem to think it means notorious. It does not.
@@mandowarrior123 Your argument contradicts your OP, where you defined infamous (correctly) as 'known for their misdeeds.' Now in order to 'win' the debate you are not only moving the goal posts you are placing them on the opposite side of the field.
I didn't address this from your OP but you invoked the fact that you are a native speaker of English from England as if that gives you some special authority on the language. I am a native English speaker as well, and just because I'm from America that doesn't mean you know more about it than people not from your island. I can also tell by your profile picture that you are much younger than me so I have been using the English language for far longer than you have. But just to prove my point here are some definitions of the word infamous from Britain.
From Oxford Languages: well known for some bad quality or deed.
From Cambridge Dictionary: well known for something bad; notorious.
From Britannica Dictionary: well-known for being bad; known for evil acts or crimes.
From Oxford's Learners Dictionary (a dictionary for non-native English speakers): well known for being bad or evil
Also from some American Dictionaries, so you can see there is no difference in the definition just because the word is used somewhere besides on your island.
From Merriam-Webster Dictionary: having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil.
Collins Dictionary: having a very bad reputation; notorious; in disgrace or dishonor.
From Random House Unabridged Dictionary: having an extremely bad reputation.
I don't know where you got the definitions for infamous you used from but I suspect you just made them up in order to not 'lose' a debate in a YT comment. However, as you can see, your idea on what the word infamous means is entirely incorrect. It most definitely does imply a bad or even evil reputation. Again, as per my original argument, using the word infamous to describe the Roman Legions is incorrect because that is projecting modern socio-political views onto historical societies and that is not how history should be studied. The Romans behaved no differently than any other societies in the world did during the time they existed. If you are going to apply the adjective infamous to them, implying they were evil, then you must apply it to all the peoples of the ancient world.
So you see i very much do get it. Using the word infamous exactly implies a moral judgement. If it only referred to being well know the word used would be simply famous. If the words meant the same thing there wouldn't be two separate words but one.
A mystery in this story -- obviously this soldier was from a fairly well-off family, as he was both literate and could ask daddy for equipment. Interesting that he couldn't get a better placement.
One could be from a well-off family, but if that family wasn't directly from the senatorial class or affiliated with a senatorial family by being their clients, I doubt they could do much for him.
They were both famous and terrifying. You certainly didn't want them showing up on your doorstep. If anything, the Roman army was nightmare fuel. The only army I can think of that is equally or more terrifying would be the Mongols. I mean, Isreal fought with Rome, and it went in a horrific direction. Don't mess with Rome I guess.
A very evocative collection and one I'm disappointed to miss seeing in real life. I find the stories on tombstones incredibly interesting, the hints left to "flesh out" the deceased needs a real skill to decipher.
A very interesting and enjoyable video.
I don't know about the description of the Roman Legion as being "infamous" myself, but I guess it could be justified as a description of how the Roman Legion would have been viewed by most of Rome's enemies given that Rome became such a overwhelming military power among other things after the Punic Wars.
Sure I appreciate that, still in this specific case he said that while talking about the Roman who was about to become a legionary. From the perspective of the Roman it wasn’t infamous at all. If anything I’m interested in period perspective, not in judgement of the past based on modern standards. Anyone can do the latter, but only experts can do the former. You see where I am coming from?
@@metatronyt Stop spamming.
The "you can hit someone with it" remark makes me think of the episode of king of the hill where hank finds an arkeological find in his yard, an arrow making tool to straighten the shaft. Hank was insistent on his theory it was for jamming into someone's skull. "but you could just jam it in someone's skull to drain the blood out with it right?" He insists. "Well.. you could do that with just about any tool." was the response.
Loaded dice are weighted internally so that they land on a certain number.
What did you do in the navy?
Do you play destiny 2? I asked because I was playing yesterday or the day before and I saw someone with your name (METATRON) in all caps.
You or the person using that name were on Europa
Cool on the recommendation letter, I was at Vindolanda just a couple weeks ago and think I saw that letter. Amazing site & museum.
Well to be fair, they would be considered infamous to those they conquered. The Celts, Picts, Frank’s of Gaul etc wouldn’t consider them necessarily famous but rather infamous in their prowess and military strength even though the Celts/Picts were never truly conquered in the same fashion (ie so completely) as the other natural inhabitants of Britain and other areas. By modern definition they definitely are famous. But he could’ve been referencing the Infamy they had towards their subjects both conquered and dissolutioned with the Glory of Rome. My thoughts on it at any rate. Love these videos so much ❤
I did go to this exhibition when it was on - it was very good, very interesting, engaging, and not too heavy going with lots of reading and very small exhibits. One of the better exhibitions the British Museum had put on in recent times.
I would love to walk through this exhibit . Its humbling to think of the history and the lives they lived back then. I really like the letters.
That was very interesting, it seems that life in the armed forces hasn't changed much. The pay, sending equipment and clothing to loved ones, the rules and regulations. I was particularly interested in the fact that he asked his father if he could buy a woman. It makes me wonder who looked after his quarters?or wether like in most modern armies the men lived and worked along side each other.
A Roman height of 5 foot 10 inches in Roman metrics would be roughly equal to a modern height of 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 7 inches. 172 cm is equal to 5.64 feet (close to 5 foot 7ish).
Closer to 5’8. 172 cm is about 5 feet 7.72 inches
I recently visited Bucharest, Romania. Went to their military museum, which featured all the prehistory, Dacian era through the Roman era and into Medieval period ( + beyond). It was one of the best museum experiences I had. Romanians really see themselves as part of the Roman civilization and it shows.
Your talk about how cool the armor is in person has me wondering now. What percentage of urban crafts work in an ancient economy was primarily directed toward producing military goods? Armor, weapons, wagons, harnesses, tents, you name it. All the stuff an army needs. It would be a fascinating look into seeing the social burden of armies at the time. I just got thinking about it because the weapons and armor was made by the thousands but it took so so so very much labor to produce!
as long as it´s well made. I kind of think reenactment can be better. then looking at old things in a museum. after all. you can test newly made stuff.
Love u metatron!