When I was ten or eleven an elderly neighbor, an Italian man who had been drafted and then captured in North Africa, explained the roots of the word "Fascist" to the kids on my block. He would have appreciated this video (as I did), Johnny. Nicely done!
Also can say nicely done too and for this video that's also something people hardly ever thought or take notice on and also the Ancient Romans may have died but I assure you their influence still lives on as you shown in this video and really can't wait what you may do next.
@Xman-Flavor Both Hitler and Mussolini ordered the trade unions to consolidate into state run organizations, both of which were granted immense power over the running of their nation’s economy.
In Greek we say "φασίνα" (fascina) when we clean. This word comes from the old wooden brooms which had several sticks attached! For some people Greek or Italian, I don't know, the brooms looked similar to the fasces so they created this word for cleaning! I wonder if Italians too use similar word inspired from brooms!
I always thought it as just being a symbolization of strength through unity, but interesting to think it was an Estruscan representation of the city-states.
Not uncommon for retroactive meanings to be ascribed to things that originally meant something completely different. E.g. pagan religious customs like celebrating the Winter Solstice being adopted into Christianity as a celebration of Jesus’s birth even though there is little evidence he was born at that time of year.
If you start digging more into Roman history, you find that they were quite fond of borrowing things from different cultures to work in their own. Especially how their own military and its arms evolved. They weren't too proud of seeing something work so well from someone else, and adopting it for themselves.
I remember seeing these in "Rome" and trying to search various words to find it. "Rome tiny head axe" and stuff like that lol. I remember I was also looking for that skin scraper thing. It's that one scene where Antony is giga-chading it up getting scraped down fully nude, in front of his men as a show of dominance
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq that s2 ending "About Your Father" was so masterful. I had a huge smile on my face as it ended. If it had three more seasons of similar quality, I believe it would be on everyone's "greatest tv dramas" lists
@@ThommyofThennTiberius and Germanicus also used them in "I, Claudius." That was the subtle virus that eventually led me to "Rome," much to my delight.
i remember also trying to look up the skin scraper thing. it had a name i cant remember and they apparently used it to scrape sand and maybe dead skin with less water. to me it always seemed like a waste to forge a piece of metal instead of just using cloth or just your hands, like maybe if you mine coal or something you'd want the metal thingy. then again the romans actually bathed and kept clean so maybe it makes sense in dusty mediterannean or it could be symbolic
The skin scraper, used after you're been rubbed all over with olive oil, is called a strigil. It also wasn't something the Romans were shy and non-public about.
I was almost disappointed since I thought we only got two puns at the end. The *"feel free to axe any questions"* cheered me back up. Thanks for another fun and interesting video Johnny.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I had to replay it...I missed the "stick with me" one the first time but got the other two. Well done! Oh, and thanks for the Life of Brian quote. :D
Also can say interesting video too and not a whole lot of people realize the influence of Ancient Greeks and Romans on things like as you shown currency and Government Buildings.
Thanks JJ and who knows what other videos you can do next maybe talk about the Korean War Jets, B-52 bombers or that Skycrane helicopter are only a few ideas among who knows what others out there.
In Italian, "fascio" literally means bundle. I honestly never heard it or use it as "league/union". Maybe it was an alternative pre-war meaning that is not used anymore. Great video though!
Another excellent video Johnny. I knew about fascist being linked to a Roman word for “bundle of wood” but never made the symbolic connection. This explains a lot, thanks!
That really is so true and for any other videos of JJ who knows what the future can hold though I can suggest parts as future candidates like the B-52 Bomber, machine guns on top of the wings on WWI fighter planes, the WWII Swordfish biplane that took on the Nazi Battleship Bismarck and won even though it was straight out of WWI and well a whole lot of others like the MIG Jets and way too many to count.
I have always found these to be a fascinating statement and symbol (or distinct symbols, with or without the axe). In a time when you were who you appeared to be. I.e. before modern identification. They made so much sense in a pragmatic way. By extension then comes their use as symbols right up till today. It is thus interesting to me, to look at what they were and what they meant to so many people across so many years. addendum: My personal favorite use is in the Lincoln Memorial on Lincoln's Statue. edit: *Never* be sorry for your puns.
Mussolini was ABOUT that stuff. Dude had people drill through a mountain and had some of ancient Rome's most sophisticated pleasure boats RAISED out of the bottom of a lake. He did this simply because he loved Italy Roman origins and wanted to associate himself with that former glory as much as possible. Sadly the astonishingly high tech boats were burned during ww2 and the Germans burned stuff down during their retreat (edit: there is actually debate concerning who destroyed them. Some believe it was allied bombing that caused the fires responsible for burning them)
@@ThommyofThennOh, yeah, the uber-giant lake boats. Interesting ships, those, and I think even certain fiction like Girls und Panzer referenced them a bit (via carrier-size schoolships).
@@michaelandreipalon359 They're some of the most remarkable masterpieces of the ancient world. I'm glad they were able to document it fairly well before their truly tragic destruction. I know many great works were lost/stolen or destroyed during the war and each of those losses hurts. However, those ships just hit different, due to their complexity. And I've not seen that anime myself but I love seeing clips from it featuring some of the greatest tank designs
3:23 Mussolini was 17 years old in the last year of the 19th century. The fact that he'd got the complete etymology of a silly napkin-sketch idea he only had decades later all figured out at that early age is a chad move.
The fascis is really similar to the spanish falangist simbol of a bunch of arrows together. It was originally used by the catholic queen Isabel. It served to show the union of Castilla and Aragon too cause the arrows (Flecha in spanish) is the starting letter of the kings name (Fernando) and the Yugo( an instrument use to drive cattle and symbol of Fernando) started with "Y" like "Ysabel" (as it was writed at the time).
Thanks for educating us on how Fasces has made some significant impact on the world and what it core values truely represent. Its a shame how modern society has turned its term into a taboo without the proper understanding of its origins. Mostly also because of how history was shaped after WW2.
@@gcash8892 Its only a taboo when referring to the NAZI govt, as many continue ignorantly saying H*tler was a 'Fascist', he was NOT a "fascist' he was a Socialist. Too many continue in ignorance over this subject, so that is why its construed as a 'Taboo' thing.
@@Rink03 I understand the symbolism, but do you really think it applies to Ancient Rome? When such words come out of a Roman Senator's or Noble's mouth, do you think they really refer to the common rabble across the wider Republic/Empire?
Very interesting. Always wondered what these were, seeing them in so many seals. One note: Mussolini’s Italy wasn’t the 19th century. It was the 20th century. The 19th century were the 1800s
Because i prefer to work smarter, not harder, if it were to me, the highest seniority would have the least amount of sticks. But that is just me. Johnny, this was extremely informative. I cant wait to blow people's minds at holiday parties with this trivia about how facism became facism. Lol. Great job as always.
Always fascinating how ancient symbolism can be re-interpreted and used, or even abused like in Mussolini's case. I always think of how Hitler used Norse runes for his symbolism, which was later taken over by neo-nazis. Quite sad how someone who might be Scandinavian might not wear clothing with runes or have tattoos of them, for fear of being associated with the wrong ideology. Same story with the nazi appropriation of the Swastika of course. Anyway, great video. I had no idea the fasces was being re-interpreted in the modern era before Mussolini did so. You always teach me something new! PS tiny mistake: Mussolini was of course around in the 20th century, not the 19th
Just like the Roman Salute, which was popular in artistic depictions of the Romans in Western Europe and the US adopted it as the Bellamy Salute. But after Italian Fascists and the Nazis did the same, it's sadly nowadays synonymous with them and Neo groups. PS I think he was meant to say 19th Century political organisations began using the symbol due to its etymology, but most famously by Mussolini's National Fascist Party.
Those runes were Aryan however not the Arians that Hitler had assumed. The west always misinterpreted things in it's own favour. The real Aryans came from Asia, and are the modern day eastern orthodox Slavs. But you can find the most of those signs in Buddhism many thousand years BC, and you can tell that "Germans" were never Aryans in the first place. They were the antipodes of it.
I don't even think Mussolini exploited historical iconography as much as Himmler did with various ancient Germanic logos (which was from the pan-Germanic revival movement (Völkisch) which was already rising in popularity with the German people as a source of newfound pride, Mussolini on the other hand wanted to have a neo-Imperial Rome in terms of aesthetics rather than anything with race). It's always interesting people put them both together but both their brands of fascism was wildly different from one another but then again they were still ideological allies.
Fasces had indeed been taken over by the Facists. But that also applies to the Ave Ceasar greeting. That became Heil Mussolini in 1919. And from 1921 the Hitler salute.
Back when I started to play "Rome Total War" in the mid-2000s, I got real big into Roman history. Knew about the fasces, it's meaning and all that already. It's still amusing to see it presented and how it's been used.
Fascinating stuff...Kevin McKidd in Rome was good..a far cry from Father Ted...maybe the Last Kingdom might be in the pipeline...? ...I live on the fringe of the site of the great battle of Brunanburh/Bromborough 937AD...Bernard Cornwell was even presented with a dagger retrieved from the site by Wirral Archeologists...just a thoght...? ..great post...E...😊😊😊😊
HBO's Rome may very well be the top show I regret having not seen yet. Edit: I forgot to mention because it goes without saying, but yet another interesting video Johnny!
@GKOYG_and_KAAF_is_epic You are very wrong because you can't have a safe to eat sandwich without UNITING the healthy good ingredients into society. The weirdos and deviants of diversity make sh*t sandwiches they should not force society to eat. Be diverse on yourself and eat of it all you want.
@GKOYG_and_KAAF_is_epic By my logic the good ingredients united make a great sandwhich. By your logic the rotten ones are put into the bread for the sake of inclusivity.
I need to rewatch 'Rome' as i didn't catch those Fasceseses (Fascii?) in those scenes. Also wonder who coined the term 'Fascist' after Mussolini to mean his and Hitler's movements? Those last jokes were like unbundled sticks in the wind. =)
I'm pretty sure Mussolini coined the term himself. And I also learnt that fasces is a plurale tantum so you don't have to change the word for singular or plural kind of like scissors.
From what I known the association of the Italian Fascist Party and of the German National Socialist Party to the term "Nazi-Fascism" gets it's roots from Allied propaganda, which often called the two Parties with those terms, and sometimes just referred to both as fascist.
Idk why people think Hitler was a fascist. National Socialism shares some common roots with fascism, but it also diverges signifigantly. Also, Mussolini was not a very big fan of Hitler. It's arguable whether that ever changed. Mussolini was well known to be incredibly jealous of Hitler. It's why he did weird stuff like invading Greece.
@@gratefulguy4130Yeah, Mussolini and Hitler did not get along very well, they were allies out of necessity and common enemies, much like Stalin and the west.
@gratefulguy4130 Taking your second point first, it's easy to appreciate why Mussolini didn't like Hitler. Mussolini wanted a modern empire for Italy centred on the Mediterranean, which is reasonable by the standards of the British and French Empires which spanned most of the world. But Hitler wanted to invade the Soviet Union, killing all its inhabitants if they got in the way, and to commit genocide of the Jewish people. Mussolini would have thought "Hitler's going to get me killed". Not a difficult prediction! As for your first point, Marx's conception of Communism was totally different from its reality under Lenin and Stalin. It's obvious Hitler adapted many of Mussolini's policies to suit what he wanted to do in Germany. Many people fail to realise that because Fascism is an extreme form of Nationalism, it can vary a lot between countries. Hitler robbed elements of socialism to kill the threat from the German Left, but he ticks all the important boxes under fascism. Mussolini and Hitler were race supremacists, charismatic authoritarian leaders, warmongers, imperialists, and traditionalists. Their main legacy is the anti-democratic hard right wing politics which sits under the broad umbrella of fascism.
The bundle of rods was also carried by the legionaires on the march. If every soldier carried a bunch each, you can mass them and use them for various purpouses, like filling up a ditch so a wagon can pass over it, improve a muddy part of the road, erect temporary fortifications or use them simply as firewood if it turns out to be an extra cold night. It is a cheap, disposable mult-purpouse equipment, especially if you have thousands of those bundles ready to go at any time. Every soldier who had used up his fascene could quickly gather a new one without much delay. Some armies issued fascene-knives to artillerymen and engineers, as late as the 1800's. It is a short, heavy sword or cutlass, almost like a machete. More a tool than a weapon, and as the nsme suggests, used to gather wood for faschenes.
2:18 "and found on various coins" go look on the back of old US dimes. we quietly changed it to a torch after WWII, when it was decided america's origin story was to be altered.
I was going to make a retaliatory stick pun comment but I was reminded of the definition of a gentleman that is “someone who knows how to play the bagpipes, but chooses not to”
The fasci is also symbolic of the preparation of fire. The sticks are cut down by the axe and bundled up with a leather strap in order to prepare a camp fire for warmth and cooking food , which might not seem like much these days but back then knowing how to efficiently prepare for & start a fire meant the difference between life and death especially for a Roman Legionnaire marching into hostile & unforgiving foreign lands.
Did the Fasces have anything to do with the Pomerium in Rome? The idea that you could not bring arms into the city so the Fasces acted as an alternative display of arms for unarmored soldiers (despite the axehead)
Yes they did, but not in that way. The axes in the faces were removed when a Roman official entered the Pomerium both because they were concidered weapons and because they were a symbol of military power. Both of those things were not allowed inside the Pomerium. The sole exception was the lictors of a Dictator. The Dictator could wield military power where ever he saw fit so his lictors would keep the axes in their faces. It was a rather jarring thing for the inhabitants of Rome to see.
@@mattislindehag3065 thank you. I remember a while back I did an essay on the decline of the late roman republic and I related it to the breakdown of the Pomerium, in retrospect I would do it again but perhaps get a broader picture of what was actually going on. But it’s definitely really interesting to learn about and I’m surprised to the symbol used in France and the US given how Mussolini brushed it with the paintwork of fascism. I’m waffling now anyway, thank you for the answer
I read somewhere it was symbolic of the state; one stick easily chopped by the axe, symbolizing the power of the state over the individual, but the axe unable to chop the bundle, symbolic of the power of the people over the state.
Facts: It's an original weapon for fishing spears. But later the future it changed the logging axe where chopping the trees and other wood into materials.
In War Thunder the symbol is censored/altered on Italian Aircraft. I never understood why, now learning that theyre used by france and the US too it makes even less sense.
3:20 not a historian or history expert, the Royal Carriage in the UK (the golden one) has two very similar looking things being held by sea gods, the biggest difference is a trident instead of an axe.
I knew it! Before I was halfway-through I was wondering...Is he gonna do it? And, much to MY-pleasure, it was indeed, Monty Python to the rescue, LOL!!! Thank You so much, for this boost to an otherwise gruelingly-monotony of a day....!💯
In ancient Rome the Littori, bodyguards of the Praetor (the real name of the Consul, wich means only colleague) had 12 sticks, the Dictator 24. The axe was allowed outside the pomerium, the holy space of Rome and that one outside the walls used for market. Later it expanded a lot. The axe was the symbol of " imperium" , the maximum of power. Outside Rome the Consul could behead (imperium), inside no (potestas) and usually it was forbidden to wear weapons. Also Dictators had limits until the first century b.C., time (6 months) and after that he could have been sued. Don't think Emperors used Littori, first of all because the romans had different ideas of "Emperor", usually for military questions. Augustus was " Prince", that is "first citizen". In Italy, when we study emperors history, we learn that historians divide that time in a first period called Principato and a second one called Dominato that begins with Diocleziano. They used the Praetorians, usually not romans, who were soldiers. Augustus had to put them outside the city and did it very carefully. Caesar was dictator for life, not Emperor, and was killed.
The Faces also appears on the crest of the knights of Columbus which is a Roman Catholic fraternity who helps the community and fellow parishioners and and helps the church over all I happen to be a member of the order
Wrong. It's a simple symbol of unity as a whole, and the lector was the one who spoke the magistrates' ordinances. He may have carried the Fasci, but he did not ever USE the Facsi or Fasces for anything other than its physical symbology. It is the same as the pyramid on the one dollar bill, which symbolizes, "out of many, one." Aka... E PLURIBUS UNUM. Literally straight from the Roman doctrine of Facsi Et Unum Pluribis, or "the Unity of All." When talking about things like this, it is good to have a foundation at least, in Latin, and Italian history. And, well... I was born to a Cherokee and Polish man, and a Mediterranean and European woman. Italy is in my blood, and its history is written on my family's ledger. So, I have a personal investment in it, and therfore a fuckton of research on the subject.
@@JohnnysWarStories I mix it up all the time myself. Btw, you know the slur that's also used to describe cigarettes in the UK and also a type of meatball? I believe the etymology comes from this. Ya know, a cigarette is a stick, the meatballs have a casing (or are bundled)
the fasces axe came from the ancient egyptian ntr/neter axe pronounced as nidar in somali meaning god of punishment but nidar also means promise or vow
Its no accident, that USA is sometimes unoficialy described as 3-third or 4-forth Rome. Surely, there been a people who been fascinated even obsesed with old simbols. BTW, Washington is builded on 7 hills, like Rome, Jeruzalem, Sheffield, Istanbul /Constantinopol/, Sheffield, Lisbon, Providence and the Massachusetts cities of Worcester, Somerville, and Newton. In The Book of Revelation, is mentioned Town builded on 7 hills.
There are some things consider... Fasces are indeed a lousy weapon, and the lictors were only armed with this symbolic weapon which in reality was more of an hindrance than an actual weapon. (You could loosen the leather straps, throw the bundle of twigs away, and voila, maybe you have the chance to stand a fight.)
I always understood the symbolism, but what I want to know is if they were ever actually used as weapons. Like, did the lictors ever strike people with them? They look a bit cumbersome.
When I was ten or eleven an elderly neighbor, an Italian man who had been drafted and then captured in North Africa, explained the roots of the word "Fascist" to the kids on my block.
He would have appreciated this video (as I did), Johnny. Nicely done!
Political ideology is named after "trade unions" in italian.
Also can say nicely done too and for this video that's also something people hardly ever thought or take notice on and also the Ancient Romans may have died but I assure you their influence still lives on as you shown in this video and really can't wait what you may do next.
@@Xman-Flavor judging by your comment you are a libtard. Watch the video till the last part where it's explained.
@Xman-Flavor Both Hitler and Mussolini ordered the trade unions to consolidate into state run organizations, both of which were granted immense power over the running of their nation’s economy.
@@Xman-FlavorOh cool so you have a way of encountering reality without acknowledging immutable characteristics?
Yep. Putting those axes in there was a real statement about how serious they were. Basically it's
_"We're serious enough about this to kill you."_
.
In Greek we say "φασίνα" (fascina) when we clean. This word comes from the old wooden brooms which had several sticks attached! For some people Greek or Italian, I don't know, the brooms looked similar to the fasces so they created this word for cleaning! I wonder if Italians too use similar word inspired from brooms!
That's...
...fascinating.
(I think you may be describing something similar to the English "besom" broom - the stereotypical witches' broom.)
@@hoilst265 Exactly, I didn't know the word "besom"!
@@hoilst265 besom sound simmilar to besen, german for broom so i guess that besom is old english
in italian we also say fascina
The true origin of fasces is actually Greek. See Aesop's Fable of the Bundle of Sticks
Individually we are weak like a single rod, but as a bundle we form a mighty fasces!
That single rod seems can still brake my bone.
“Ape together strong”
@@theluftwaffle1 return to monke 🗿
Sounds like a Simpson's quote....
I always thought it as just being a symbolization of strength through unity, but interesting to think it was an Estruscan representation of the city-states.
Not uncommon for retroactive meanings to be ascribed to things that originally meant something completely different. E.g. pagan religious customs like celebrating the Winter Solstice being adopted into Christianity as a celebration of Jesus’s birth even though there is little evidence he was born at that time of year.
If you start digging more into Roman history, you find that they were quite fond of borrowing things from different cultures to work in their own. Especially how their own military and its arms evolved. They weren't too proud of seeing something work so well from someone else, and adopting it for themselves.
@@Warmaker01 yeah
The true origin of fasces is actually Greek. See Aesop's Fable of the Bundle of Sticks
@fredbrandon1645 Okay Granpa, let's get you back to bed.
Nice to see you branching out of the usual subjects!
One slight nitpick, Johnny- Fascism is from the 20th century, not the 19th. Maybe you meant to say “…during the 1900’s…”
Love your work. Keep it up!
I remember seeing these in "Rome" and trying to search various words to find it. "Rome tiny head axe" and stuff like that lol. I remember I was also looking for that skin scraper thing. It's that one scene where Antony is giga-chading it up getting scraped down fully nude, in front of his men as a show of dominance
One of the best shows that deserved so many more seasons.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq that s2 ending "About Your Father" was so masterful. I had a huge smile on my face as it ended. If it had three more seasons of similar quality, I believe it would be on everyone's "greatest tv dramas" lists
@@ThommyofThennTiberius and Germanicus also used them in "I, Claudius." That was the subtle virus that eventually led me to "Rome," much to my delight.
i remember also trying to look up the skin scraper thing. it had a name i cant remember and they apparently used it to scrape sand and maybe dead skin with less water.
to me it always seemed like a waste to forge a piece of metal instead of just using cloth or just your hands, like maybe if you mine coal or something you'd want the metal thingy.
then again the romans actually bathed and kept clean so maybe it makes sense in dusty mediterannean or it could be symbolic
The skin scraper, used after you're been rubbed all over with olive oil, is called a strigil. It also wasn't something the Romans were shy and non-public about.
I was almost disappointed since I thought we only got two puns at the end. The *"feel free to axe any questions"* cheered me back up.
Thanks for another fun and interesting video Johnny.
Hat-trick pun ending! lol
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I had to replay it...I missed the "stick with me" one the first time but got the other two. Well done!
Oh, and thanks for the Life of Brian quote. :D
Also can say interesting video too and not a whole lot of people realize the influence of Ancient Greeks and Romans on things like as you shown currency and Government Buildings.
Thanks JJ and who knows what other videos you can do next maybe talk about the Korean War Jets, B-52 bombers or that Skycrane helicopter are only a few ideas among who knows what others out there.
The idea of Rome was abused by many. Including the Italian nationalism.
Rome is above narrow headed nationalists.
In Italian, "fascio" literally means bundle. I honestly never heard it or use it as "league/union". Maybe it was an alternative pre-war meaning that is not used anymore.
Great video though!
As a faction.
Another excellent video Johnny. I knew about fascist being linked to a Roman word for “bundle of wood” but never made the symbolic connection. This explains a lot, thanks!
Wait till you find out how British call a bundle of sticks.
A cigarette?
Any symbol can be corrupted or misinterpreted.
That really is so true and for any other videos of JJ who knows what the future can hold though I can suggest parts as future candidates like the B-52 Bomber, machine guns on top of the wings on WWI fighter planes, the WWII Swordfish biplane that took on the Nazi Battleship Bismarck and won even though it was straight out of WWI and well a whole lot of others like the MIG Jets and way too many to count.
Same as the Swastikas. It was the symbol of fortune and prosperity in Buddhism and Hinduism. Howevee, the Nazis took it.
I have always found these to be a fascinating statement and symbol (or distinct symbols, with or without the axe).
In a time when you were who you appeared to be. I.e. before modern identification. They made so much sense in a pragmatic way. By extension then comes their use as symbols right up till today. It is thus interesting to me, to look at what they were and what they meant to so many people across so many years.
addendum: My personal favorite use is in the Lincoln Memorial on Lincoln's Statue.
edit: *Never* be sorry for your puns.
Interesting and I had no idea the Italian WW2 logo for planes etc related back to the Roman empire 😊
Mussolini was ABOUT that stuff. Dude had people drill through a mountain and had some of ancient Rome's most sophisticated pleasure boats RAISED out of the bottom of a lake. He did this simply because he loved Italy Roman origins and wanted to associate himself with that former glory as much as possible. Sadly the astonishingly high tech boats were burned during ww2 and the Germans burned stuff down during their retreat (edit: there is actually debate concerning who destroyed them. Some believe it was allied bombing that caused the fires responsible for burning them)
Please search "Nemi ships" for further reading
@@ThommyofThennOh, yeah, the uber-giant lake boats. Interesting ships, those, and I think even certain fiction like Girls und Panzer referenced them a bit (via carrier-size schoolships).
@@michaelandreipalon359 They're some of the most remarkable masterpieces of the ancient world. I'm glad they were able to document it fairly well before their truly tragic destruction. I know many great works were lost/stolen or destroyed during the war and each of those losses hurts. However, those ships just hit different, due to their complexity. And I've not seen that anime myself but I love seeing clips from it featuring some of the greatest tank designs
Bussolini was the first romaboo
I just watched Rome for the first time and noticed these. Glad to know what they are now. Great video as always!
You rule Johnny, love learning interesting stuff from you
I had only recently found out what this was when I googled the origin of the word "fascist"
3:23 Mussolini was 17 years old in the last year of the 19th century. The fact that he'd got the complete etymology of a silly napkin-sketch idea he only had decades later all figured out at that early age is a chad move.
The fascis is really similar to the spanish falangist simbol of a bunch of arrows together. It was originally used by the catholic queen Isabel. It served to show the union of Castilla and Aragon too cause the arrows (Flecha in spanish) is the starting letter of the kings name (Fernando) and the Yugo( an instrument use to drive cattle and symbol of Fernando) started with "Y" like "Ysabel" (as it was writed at the time).
I find the symbolism of that thing deeply moving. The individual is weak, but united "he" is unbreakable and wields the power of judgement
I'm recently binge-watching "Rome". I never really noticed these. Thank you for this video. Very interesting.
Thanks for educating us on how Fasces has made some significant impact on the world and what it core values truely represent. Its a shame how modern society has turned its term into a taboo without the proper understanding of its origins. Mostly also because of how history was shaped after WW2.
The fasces is still the symbol of France, the USA, and other countries. Not really taboo by itself
Very little has actually changed. Unity for the elites and diversity for the masses, that's the name of the game. So it was then and so it is now.
@@gcash8892 Its only a taboo when referring to the NAZI govt, as many continue ignorantly saying H*tler was a 'Fascist', he was NOT a "fascist' he was a Socialist.
Too many continue in ignorance over this subject, so that is why its construed as a 'Taboo' thing.
@@romaliop No, it means a unified people of a nation, not the way you erroneously described.
@@Rink03 I understand the symbolism, but do you really think it applies to Ancient Rome? When such words come out of a Roman Senator's or Noble's mouth, do you think they really refer to the common rabble across the wider Republic/Empire?
Very interesting. Always wondered what these were, seeing them in so many seals. One note: Mussolini’s Italy wasn’t the 19th century. It was the 20th century. The 19th century were the 1800s
Because i prefer to work smarter, not harder, if it were to me, the highest seniority would have the least amount of sticks. But that is just me.
Johnny, this was extremely informative. I cant wait to blow people's minds at holiday parties with this trivia about how facism became facism. Lol. Great job as always.
Always fascinating how ancient symbolism can be re-interpreted and used, or even abused like in Mussolini's case. I always think of how Hitler used Norse runes for his symbolism, which was later taken over by neo-nazis. Quite sad how someone who might be Scandinavian might not wear clothing with runes or have tattoos of them, for fear of being associated with the wrong ideology. Same story with the nazi appropriation of the Swastika of course.
Anyway, great video. I had no idea the fasces was being re-interpreted in the modern era before Mussolini did so. You always teach me something new!
PS tiny mistake: Mussolini was of course around in the 20th century, not the 19th
I had to rewind the video to make sure he had said 19th Century. I assume it was just a slip of the tongue.
Just like the Roman Salute, which was popular in artistic depictions of the Romans in Western Europe and the US adopted it as the Bellamy Salute. But after Italian Fascists and the Nazis did the same, it's sadly nowadays synonymous with them and Neo groups.
PS I think he was meant to say 19th Century political organisations began using the symbol due to its etymology, but most famously by Mussolini's National Fascist Party.
People who wish to destroy the modern world will corrupt our image of the past to do so.
Those runes were Aryan however not the Arians that Hitler had assumed. The west always misinterpreted things in it's own favour. The real Aryans came from Asia, and are the modern day eastern orthodox Slavs. But you can find the most of those signs in Buddhism many thousand years BC, and you can tell that "Germans" were never Aryans in the first place. They were the antipodes of it.
I don't even think Mussolini exploited historical iconography as much as Himmler did with various ancient Germanic logos (which was from the pan-Germanic revival movement (Völkisch) which was already rising in popularity with the German people as a source of newfound pride, Mussolini on the other hand wanted to have a neo-Imperial Rome in terms of aesthetics rather than anything with race). It's always interesting people put them both together but both their brands of fascism was wildly different from one another but then again they were still ideological allies.
Fun fact. Stoke on Trent town hall is decorated by many dozen inside the meeting rooms and doorways
Everyone revering the worlds worst race.
Babe wake up. Johnny uploaded
I always wondered what that was and even wanted to see guards use it in films but thanks for informing me on it and keep up the awesome videos!
Fasces had indeed been taken over by the Facists. But that also applies to the Ave Ceasar greeting. That became Heil Mussolini in 1919. And from 1921 the Hitler salute.
Back when I started to play "Rome Total War" in the mid-2000s, I got real big into Roman history. Knew about the fasces, it's meaning and all that already. It's still amusing to see it presented and how it's been used.
Fascinating stuff...Kevin McKidd in Rome was good..a far cry from Father Ted...maybe the Last Kingdom might be in the pipeline...? ...I live on the fringe of the site of the great battle of Brunanburh/Bromborough 937AD...Bernard Cornwell was even presented with a dagger retrieved from the site by Wirral Archeologists...just a thoght...? ..great post...E...😊😊😊😊
Can’t wait for more historical content!
HBO's Rome may very well be the top show I regret having not seen yet.
Edit: I forgot to mention because it goes without saying, but yet another interesting video Johnny!
Unity makes the people strong.
Diversity makes the people weak
And what prevents diverse people from being united?
@@jarskil8862Tribalism, genetics
@GKOYG_and_KAAF_is_epic You are very wrong because you can't have a safe to eat sandwich without UNITING the healthy good ingredients into society. The weirdos and deviants of diversity make sh*t sandwiches they should not force society to eat. Be diverse on yourself and eat of it all you want.
@@jarskil8862 divisive wokism prevents a diverse nation from being united
@GKOYG_and_KAAF_is_epic By my logic the good ingredients united make a great sandwhich. By your logic the rotten ones are put into the bread for the sake of inclusivity.
I need to rewatch 'Rome' as i didn't catch those Fasceseses (Fascii?) in those scenes.
Also wonder who coined the term 'Fascist' after Mussolini to mean his and Hitler's movements?
Those last jokes were like unbundled sticks in the wind. =)
I'm pretty sure Mussolini coined the term himself. And I also learnt that fasces is a plurale tantum so you don't have to change the word for singular or plural kind of like scissors.
From what I known the association of the Italian Fascist Party and of the German National Socialist Party to the term "Nazi-Fascism" gets it's roots from Allied propaganda, which often called the two Parties with those terms, and sometimes just referred to both as fascist.
Idk why people think Hitler was a fascist. National Socialism shares some common roots with fascism, but it also diverges signifigantly.
Also, Mussolini was not a very big fan of Hitler. It's arguable whether that ever changed. Mussolini was well known to be incredibly jealous of Hitler. It's why he did weird stuff like invading Greece.
@@gratefulguy4130Yeah, Mussolini and Hitler did not get along very well, they were allies out of necessity and common enemies, much like Stalin and the west.
@gratefulguy4130 Taking your second point first, it's easy to appreciate why Mussolini didn't like Hitler. Mussolini wanted a modern empire for Italy centred on the Mediterranean, which is reasonable by the standards of the British and French Empires which spanned most of the world. But Hitler wanted to invade the Soviet Union, killing all its inhabitants if they got in the way, and to commit genocide of the Jewish people. Mussolini would have thought "Hitler's going to get me killed". Not a difficult prediction!
As for your first point, Marx's conception of Communism was totally different from its reality under Lenin and Stalin. It's obvious Hitler adapted many of Mussolini's policies to suit what he wanted to do in Germany. Many people fail to realise that because Fascism is an extreme form of Nationalism, it can vary a lot between countries.
Hitler robbed elements of socialism to kill the threat from the German Left, but he ticks all the important boxes under fascism. Mussolini and Hitler were race supremacists, charismatic authoritarian leaders, warmongers, imperialists, and traditionalists. Their main legacy is the anti-democratic hard right wing politics which sits under the broad umbrella of fascism.
The bundle of rods was also carried by the legionaires on the march. If every soldier carried a bunch each, you can mass them and use them for various purpouses, like filling up a ditch so a wagon can pass over it, improve a muddy part of the road, erect temporary fortifications or use them simply as firewood if it turns out to be an extra cold night. It is a cheap, disposable mult-purpouse equipment, especially if you have thousands of those bundles ready to go at any time.
Every soldier who had used up his fascene could quickly gather a new one without much delay.
Some armies issued fascene-knives to artillerymen and engineers, as late as the 1800's.
It is a short, heavy sword or cutlass, almost like a machete. More a tool than a weapon, and as the nsme suggests, used to gather wood for faschenes.
Very good video. Thank you sir.
2:18 "and found on various coins"
go look on the back of old US dimes. we quietly changed it to a torch after WWII, when it was decided america's origin story was to be altered.
I was going to make a retaliatory stick pun comment but I was reminded of the definition of a gentleman that is “someone who knows how to play the bagpipes, but chooses not to”
The fasci is also symbolic of the preparation of fire. The sticks are cut down by the axe and bundled up with a leather strap in order to prepare a camp fire for warmth and cooking food , which might not seem like much these days but back then knowing how to efficiently prepare for & start a fire meant the difference between life and death especially for a Roman Legionnaire marching into hostile & unforgiving foreign lands.
Fantastic content ,never get the insignia on WW2 Italian aircraft ,kudos Sir again you have wowed me with your info ,keep up the great work Buddy.
Good explanation many thanks
Those Romans had so much style that people started to imitate it in the 20th century.
Or the Axe could be used to cut down the rods if needed, but at most times was apart of the assembly.
I came here expecting a video on decimation in the legion. This was good too, though.
Thanks!
"...a Roman citizen did not have to fear immediate execution..."
Sulla: Your mileage may vary.
Did the Fasces have anything to do with the Pomerium in Rome? The idea that you could not bring arms into the city so the Fasces acted as an alternative display of arms for unarmored soldiers (despite the axehead)
Yes they did, but not in that way. The axes in the faces were removed when a Roman official entered the Pomerium both because they were concidered weapons and because they were a symbol of military power. Both of those things were not allowed inside the Pomerium. The sole exception was the lictors of a Dictator. The Dictator could wield military power where ever he saw fit so his lictors would keep the axes in their faces. It was a rather jarring thing for the inhabitants of Rome to see.
@@mattislindehag3065 thank you. I remember a while back I did an essay on the decline of the late roman republic and I related it to the breakdown of the Pomerium, in retrospect I would do it again but perhaps get a broader picture of what was actually going on. But it’s definitely really interesting to learn about and I’m surprised to the symbol used in France and the US given how Mussolini brushed it with the paintwork of fascism. I’m waffling now anyway, thank you for the answer
Great info! 👍🏼
Hey Johnny keep up the good work
Thanks for Pontius Pilate scene from Life of Brian.
Very interesting. Learning something every day! 😊
Another fascinating video Johnny... Huzzah!! 😊
Don't let the door hit ya. Ha! Thanks, Johnny, see ya on the next one.
"Bundle of sticks" has another synonym hehe
Also seen in the Capitol in the USA. Nowadays.
Same root word as facist
I read somewhere it was symbolic of the state; one stick easily chopped by the axe, symbolizing the power of the state over the individual, but the axe unable to chop the bundle, symbolic of the power of the people over the state.
Johnny really got all the puns out at the end
Funny , didnt saw this one in New Vegas lol , also , love your jokes at the end , keep it up
I've seen these bundle rods carved on both sides of the benches flanking the ww1 monument at memorial park Calgary Alberta Canada. Thanks for sharing
Not the usual subject, but a good one if you wanted to include footage from "Life of Brian."
I am actually a bit surprised you haven't made a video on the Italian Carro Veloce tankette
I really should
Weaksauce in real life WW2, memetically awesome because of a certain schoolgirl sports anime, those adorable war machines.
Very interesting stuff as always but I`m gonna be honest I`m here for the dad jokes at the end.
Facts: It's an original weapon for fishing spears.
But later the future it changed the logging axe where chopping the trees and other wood into materials.
In War Thunder the symbol is censored/altered on Italian Aircraft. I never understood why, now learning that theyre used by france and the US too it makes even less sense.
If you think about it, in that context it's equivalent to the german swastika.
Although, none of this makes any sense.
Very Interesting & Excellent dad jokes!😊
The US Army MP Corps, regimental insignia also features a Fasces
Love you sneakily throwing in a Life of Brian clip.
3:20 not a historian or history expert, the Royal Carriage in the UK (the golden one) has two very similar looking things being held by sea gods, the biggest difference is a trident instead of an axe.
Another great one. Do more ancient symbol and weapons, JJ.
Nice one Johnny thanks. 👍
I knew it! Before I was halfway-through I was wondering...Is he gonna do it? And, much to MY-pleasure, it was indeed, Monty Python to the rescue, LOL!!! Thank You so much, for this boost to an otherwise gruelingly-monotony of a day....!💯
I actually think I did it already once in a former Roman history video. But I don't care. I have to!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq...Yeah...what have the Romans ever done for us...? 😅😅😅
haha I knew you'd be a fan E!
*"NO PYTHON."* (starts electrocution procedures by way of Civvie 11's prison warden bots)
Holy shit. This makes fascism even more sinister.
Your bundle of silly puns has earned you a run for my subscrip-shun. Please continue having fun!
haha my man
Puns at the end were axe-celent ;)
Ax any question, eh Johnny? Thanks for another informative video 🙏
In ancient Rome the Littori, bodyguards of the Praetor (the real name of the Consul, wich means only colleague) had 12 sticks, the Dictator 24. The axe was allowed outside the pomerium, the holy space of Rome and that one outside the walls used for market. Later it expanded a lot. The axe was the symbol of " imperium" , the maximum of power. Outside Rome the Consul could behead (imperium), inside no (potestas) and usually it was forbidden to wear weapons. Also Dictators had limits until the first century b.C., time (6 months) and after that he could have been sued. Don't think Emperors used Littori, first of all because the romans had different ideas of "Emperor", usually for military questions. Augustus was " Prince", that is "first citizen". In Italy, when we study emperors history, we learn that historians divide that time in a first period called Principato and a second one called Dominato that begins with Diocleziano. They used the Praetorians, usually not romans, who were soldiers. Augustus had to put them outside the city and did it very carefully. Caesar was dictator for life, not Emperor, and was killed.
First to see them was in film about Cleopatra 1960s.
Really thanks
can you do a video on the remington model 870?
FINALLY SOMEONE EXPANDS ON THIS SYMBOL THANK YOU
It really interesting. And "Life of Brian" with Dickus Magnus - excellent reference my lord ;)
" I'm Johnny, I'm here all week"
During the 20th century!! Not the 19th century....??! Duce was in power from 1920-1945.
Just misspoke. 🥸
No. It's ancient sound weapon. It melts stone and drops walls.🤐🍻
The Romans had been shouldering their rifles before they were even invented. Fascinating.
It's just a placeholder!
3:23 20th century, not 19th.
Ill Duce / DUX / Mussolinie / Facist leader of Italy / new Ceaser 2.o. / He was a leader with no hair on his head.
The Faces also appears on the crest of the knights of Columbus which is a Roman Catholic fraternity who helps the community and fellow parishioners and and helps the church over all I happen to be a member of the order
I did not know!! THANKS
Interesting. Cheers.
Wrong. It's a simple symbol of unity as a whole, and the lector was the one who spoke the magistrates' ordinances. He may have carried the Fasci, but he did not ever USE the Facsi or Fasces for anything other than its physical symbology.
It is the same as the pyramid on the one dollar bill, which symbolizes, "out of many, one." Aka... E PLURIBUS UNUM. Literally straight from the Roman doctrine of Facsi Et Unum Pluribis, or "the Unity of All."
When talking about things like this, it is good to have a foundation at least, in Latin, and Italian history. And, well...
I was born to a Cherokee and Polish man, and a Mediterranean and European woman. Italy is in my blood, and its history is written on my family's ledger. So, I have a personal investment in it, and therfore a fuckton of research on the subject.
Fascist Italy was during the 20th century, not 19th. The 1900s were the 20th century
Mispoke. Good catch.
@@JohnnysWarStories I mix it up all the time myself. Btw, you know the slur that's also used to describe cigarettes in the UK and also a type of meatball? I believe the etymology comes from this. Ya know, a cigarette is a stick, the meatballs have a casing (or are bundled)
lol The more you know.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq My pfp is actually a mass produced brand of those meatballs called "Mr Brain's" lol
Very informative.
There's another bundle of sticks with a similar name. But they were kindling for burning.
the fasces axe came from the ancient egyptian ntr/neter axe pronounced as nidar in somali meaning god of punishment but nidar also means promise or vow
Its no accident, that USA is sometimes unoficialy described as 3-third or 4-forth Rome. Surely, there been a people who been fascinated even obsesed with old simbols. BTW, Washington is builded on 7 hills, like Rome, Jeruzalem, Sheffield, Istanbul /Constantinopol/, Sheffield, Lisbon, Providence and the Massachusetts cities of Worcester, Somerville, and Newton. In The Book of Revelation, is mentioned Town builded on 7 hills.
There are some things consider... Fasces are indeed a lousy weapon, and the lictors were only armed with this symbolic weapon which in reality was more of an hindrance than an actual weapon. (You could loosen the leather straps, throw the bundle of twigs away, and voila, maybe you have the chance to stand a fight.)
Resembles a 16th century halberd, or perhaps it was developed from fasces..
Dear Johnny keep healthy. and I wish u merry chrismas days!
You too!
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Ty!
In Spain is still used as the coat of arms of the Guardia Civil (military national police -kinda carabinieri-)
Ill Douce!
I always understood the symbolism, but what I want to know is if they were ever actually used as weapons. Like, did the lictors ever strike people with them? They look a bit cumbersome.
Great outro!