Third Century Crisis of the Roman Empire is definitely my favorite event in antiquity. The Tetrachy reforms of emperor Diocletian would culminate a stability of the empire against impossible odds. Therefore it eliminated the autonomous power of the Legates and extending the imperium time-line of Ancient Rome, awesome video guys 👍👍
PLEASE DO A VIDEO ABOUT THE MERCENARY PROFFESIONALS KNOWN AS THE CONDOTTIERI IN ITALY IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES, THEY PLAYED A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE COUNTRY'S HISTORY!
I have a questions why the fuck north Africa's history is not covered in history channels RUclips do videos about how the Romans conquered the Amazighs in north Africa
I feel bad for watching so many of these videos without leaving a comment. As a history teacher and enthusiast, I find these videos to be among the best on RUclips.
@@HaraKiriMaxir I agree, but not all are deceptive. The Total war games, for instance. Also, I imagine making these high quality full-length documentaries can't be cheap. Someone has to eat.
Two points. 1. Roman recruiters may have preferred agricultural workers because service in the legions involved ALOT of digging 2. Owing to the extreme debasement of the currency payment of soldiers in this period increasingly took the form of annona (rations) rather than coins. Really enjoyed the video.
Michael Grant provides a good summary account of the development of the military annona in his, Climax of Rome, a (mainly) cultural history of the middle Empire.
Basically they weren't paid and expected to die for people that couldn't care less about them. No wonder the soldiers became loyal to individual generals rather than the state.
Debasement & inflation occur way later in Diocletian's reign. It would be irresponsible to suggest this for the third century or even the crisis of the third century. Were there suggestions that debasement was the cause and NOT the massive oversupply of money during Gallienus' reign as cause for hyperinflation later for Diocletian? The focus should be on Gallienus' policies rather than 'debasement'.
@@qimingzhang3940 Oh indeed! You should read Grant's account. Debasement of the coinage had begun as early as the reign of Trajan and the military annona existed under Hadrian though it first became systematic during the Severan period.
I just wanted to state here how much I love Lucius Verus, simply because he took so many ridiculous and unearned cognomen victory titles. This list is not all of them, only those I can remember off the top of my head. I think his name went something like Lucius Verus Parthicus Maximus Armeniacus Medicus Germanicus Gothicus. I know there were more too, but damn Verus, you were really going for it weren't you!!!
I second this, most of the people tend to not really consider the Eastern Roman Empire to be the "real" Roman Empire. I am so glad that Kings and Generals do them justice.
@@tylerb9877 Isn't an amphibian a transition between a fish and reptile/mammal because they can both breath air and underwater? And there are numerous examples of flightless feathered burds that could be transitions between actual flighted birds and mammals/reptiles. Also seriously this is such a random comment thread to post your anti-evolution theory in
Well hero in the sense that he lasted so long but yeah I imagine as an actual soldier he was the everyman and wasn't first over the top or didn't do anything too crazy.
Trajan started as a tribune, that's not the same as starting as a velites in my book. Don't misunderstand me, the man was great, I just finished a book series by Santiago Posteguillo on his life. But there's a difference between starting as velites and as an already high ranked offficer. In any age, in any army.
@Publius Vorenus Sextus it was a comparison not necessarily comparing two people on the same era but the way to start a career. As I stated Trajan began as a tribune, not at the lower ranks of an infantry unit.
A very overlooked era of the Roman Military. When you say Roman Legionary people imagine the classic Segmentata with Gladius & Scutum. There isn't much shows/movies with the Late Empire.
@@cypher4783 pretty much except the only really good timeframe for that sort of drama would be the Year of the Four Emperors starting with Neros exile. I'd watch the shit out of that.
Eh... They likely became weaker. The brittle and centralized nature of the late roman society meant the Emperor had to act and be seen as God. At least on the West everything went to shit.
@@LuizAlexPhoenix It was just for symbolism. The Dominus Era was just a way Diocletian thought to make so the empire wouldn't be dependent from S-Tier Emperors like Aurelian
Medieval European style warfare probably started from this period: 1.spear and rounded shield are the king of the battlefield for the western/middle eastern world 2. heavy cavalry/shock cavalry play a much more important role than before 3. gladius and rectangular shields are out while spatha sword became popular as backup weapons 4. New helmet designs such as burgh castle helmets, Imperial Italic helmets(a heavier upgraded gallic helmet) and Niederbeiber Helmets are also saw widespread usage throughout this era. 5. Roman style warfare are not viable anymore as spearmen and shock cavalry rules the battlefield 6. Long sleeves shirts and long trousers are standard issue combat uniforms 7. More and more Germanic peoples served in the Roman armies and eventually some of them became Romanised. After the 3rd century crisis, Diocletian institute reforms that will became the elements of Medieval Europe. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Spearmen and shock cavalry had ruled the battlefield since far before Rome. I think what caused the transition back to those days was the probably due to the change in military doctrine owing to lack of resources and presence of barbarians in the military during the 4th century onwards
@Amir Timur Yes. Caracalla (who ought to have known) thought the phalanx was still valuable, perhaps especially against the heavily armoured cavalry called cataphracts.
Also even though the leginary is so iconic most of the operations of the Roman army were made by auxiliary troops and even on the battlefield most of the soldiers were auxiliaries because they were specialized in tasks that the Roman leginaries couldn't do or they didn't wanted to do. The number of auxiliaries was big especially after Augustus and they were also used because if they done their service they had a chance to become Roman citizens. The difference in the late empire is that because of Emperor Caracalla who extended the citizenship to everyone who lived in the empire they had a lack of auxiliaries because the only reason they served in the army in the first place was to gain citizenship and the Romans were forced to train their own specialized troops or look for outside the borders because obviously you can't fight wars just with heavy infantry, light and medium troops are also as or even more vital than the heavy ones. Also in terms of equipment considering how ancient warfare worked the Roman army wasn't really that advanced (most of the equipment being inspired by the Celtic one) but their advantage was a more rationalized type of warfare and the economy to mass-produce that equipment and even the Roman army suffered a lot of humiliating defeats even before the 3rd century and the late empire. So in short the Roman army always used a lot of mercenaries but most people think that they used them in the late empire because they see what happened to the west which feel primarily because of lack of resources and population to back up their military and economy compared to the East. Also fun fact even though the lorica segmentata is so popular during some operations the legionaries would've switched to lorica hamata.
At 16:36, there are several errors. 1. Clothing: The Roman military already adopted barbarian long sleeve shirts and trousers since 2nd century. Ridley Scott's Gladiator film do depicted this very accurately. 2. Helmets: The Italic Helmet shown in this video is the Imperial Gallic I type, this kind of helmet was decommissioned during the 2nd century. The main helmet designs during the 2nd century were Italic D, E, G,H type helmet and Niederbeiber Helmet. It is said that the integral brass cross-braces added to the Italic D, E, G,H type helmet and Niederbeiber Helmet were influenced by the Hunnic helmet designs or developed as the response to the Dacian falx. On the other, the The Roman ridge helmet and Spangenhelm did saw service in the Roman Army since 2nd century but not saw wide spread usage until after the 3rd century. 3. Armour: Lorica Segmentata was still common but after the 3rd century crisis it was likely replaced by lamellar armour possibly introduced by the Hunnic or Sarmatian peoples. 4. Weapons: Spatha sword have more resemblance to the Han Dynasty Sword of the same era instead of the early modern rapier. There is a Han Dynasty Sword scabbard founded inside the Roman cavalry officer tomb in Bulgaria. Very likely the Roman military during 2nd century already acquired Chinese swords from the Sarmatian peoples and reverse engineered into Spatha sword.
@@henripentant1120 Considering it was in essence, a revisioned "Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) the plot was identical to the original and had no bearing on reality. I very much do enjoy both though but simply as entertainment.
As a Severan dynasty/Crisis of the Third Century reenactor, may you be blessed by Sol and Mithras for this wonderful content. The Middle Empire is in my opinion the most fascinating era of Ancient Rome.
@@ryandunham1047 I'm consistently drunk right now (I rarely drink alcohol but decided to honor Bacchus tonight)... But "hear me, Rome, for we are in crisis!" [Ryan, I want you to start listening to either the song "Wings of Gabriel" or "Un Passage Silencieux (Part I)" from the band Arcana while you read me.] 193-284 AD aka the Middle Imperial period, from the death of Commodus to Diocletian's reforms, which encompasses the Severan dynasty and the Crisis of the Third Century, is the crossroad of Classical and Late Antiquity. The Roman Empire is more cosmopolitan than ever, powerful and haughty. It is a Philhellene and orientalized Rome, with emperors often from Syrian/Punic backgrounds, and later Balkanic. It is "Roma Universalis" since Caracalla passed his edict, the Constitutio Antoniniana, in 212 AD, which grants Roman citizenship to all free men of the Imperivm, from the rainy plains of Britannia to the rocky deserts of Eastern Syria and Osrhoene. A Rome seduced by Eastern mysticism and mystery cults; a Rome who increasingly worships the Anatolian goddess Cybele the Magna Mater with its orgies and eunuchs priests who castrate themselves in public, the Egyptian Isis or the Persian solar god Mithras, whose cult is mainly restricted to soldiers and veterans who meet in obscure mithraea, hidden from the masses. It is the Rome of renewed Hellenic philosophies and cultural syncretism. It is the Rome of Severan baroque architecture, with its leafy intertwinings and refined mosaics. It is the apex of Roman military equipment with its pompous shields decorated with esoteric symbolism such as those found in Dura Europos at the sandy edge of the Empire, heavy enclosed "Niederbieber" and "Heddernheim" helmets, "Küzing" greaves and extended use of manicae; at an increasingly financial cost. Training and gear distinctions between auxiliaries and legionaries have been nullified by Caracalla's edict. It is also a Rome of currency debasement, political turmoil and civil wars that makes Game of Thrones looks quite tepid; where legions and the Praetorian Guard choose emperors and often eliminate them soon after; where the provincial equestrian class rises as the senators see their influence decreasing... It is the Rome of the depraved and eccentric Elagabalus, worshipping the Black Stone of Emesa; the bloody but strong tyrant Caracalla and its dreams of becoming the new Alexander the Great; the wise and refined Alexander Severus, fond of contemplation and philosophical studies; the giant Maximinus Thrax measuring almost 8 feet (much greater than Gregor Clegane!); the solar "Restitvtor Orbis" Aurelianus, savior of the Imperial unity, Emperor of the Unconquered Sun, Sol Invictus. I'm mesmerized by this period as much as Septimius Severus was when he saw Julia Domna dancing naked for the Sun in the Golden Temple of Emesa, the Elagabalium. I love it just like a woman should be loved: entirely, for its burning light as much as for its shadows.
When he first addressed his soldiers as sole emperor, having assassinated his brother Geta Caracalla said to them "it is because of you alone that I care to live, in order that I may confer upon you many favours", he was an autocratic ogre but he took his dad's dying advice to heart, maybe a bit too much
Big Daddy The most bone dense part of the human body is the hand. This is because the hand performs many intricate functions and needs much more motor control than the arm or the skull. The next highest bone count is in the foot. Now that's odd. The foot doesn't build or grab anything. It's supposed to be just a solid base for us to stand on, ideally something like an ostrich. All the intricacy down there is actually harmful, because it's more prone to damage. Now evolution states this is because our evolutionary ancestors resembled modern apes. They used their feet to climb trees and swing from vines, both of which required grabbing ability. The human foot is a transition from secondary hands to proper feet. I'd be immensely interested to hear your explanation for our terrible feet. (Our feet are one of those transitional pieces you claim don't exist, by the way.)
Early Roman Armies were for fighting Italian Tribes, then for fighting Greek or imitative forces, then for dismembering Celtic & Germanic Warbands (Their most successful period), until they were finally required to meet more fluid and mobile enemies That didn't mean they were screwed if they fought something else, just that was what they did best against primary opponents at the time It took a commander of true incompetence to piss away a Roman Army, or appalling bad luck like Hadrianopolis Their list of Catastrophic defeats (ok, lets ignore Hannibal, he was some mutant genius) over such a length of time is astonishingly small Arrian's Array against the Alans shows how an army may adapt to dealing with a non typical enemy, Romans showed flexibility that few other armies ever repeatedly displayed
This is a morale raiser for me lmao as I'm trying to finish my own DEI campaign on Rome. Another great documentary, this channel never disappoints on any release ever.
Luke Ferrer this statement is so wrong when talking about Rome ... Augustus died in 14CE the empire lived on for centuries (some would say millennia) ...
I like how throughout history there is this back and forth change between close order and loose order formation from the close phalanx, to loose triplex acci, back to close legions, now to loose vexillationes. it seems to be as new tactics are introduced, they start of as close order then become looser as experience is gained. we see that in close order musket formations the later on loose order light infantry rifle formations. Even a few decades ago a modern division fought strickly along the lines of its regiments/battalions, but later on they started to served as command/control elements of taskforce/battlegroups/kampfgruppes.
Maekar I Targaryen a period of the Roman Empire that deserves more attention. Seriously. The period of a near medieval Europe or Rome would’ve been interesting
@@elperrodelautumo7511 luckily for the empire, and us fans of its history, we got the amazing Aurelian, Restitutor Orbis (and Gothicus before him who really set up Aurelian). Those Illyrians do not even get a fraction of a fraction of the praise they deserve. Although Diocletian is the one who takes most of (and mostly earned) credit amongst that group. Though I must also say for as important as he was, Diocletian is farther down the totem pole of "best emperors" than he should be, I could list several who get far more love. Aurelian have that much in common. And yes, I decided to ramble on this post!!
The bit about the Vexilationes is quite interesting because we're starting to see the same trend in modern militaries as well. I was reading somewhere that apparently in recent years, the U.S. Military has begun moving away from a military structure based where the division is the base element of the military to a structure that now favors smaller, more maneuverable brigades. A change that has been brought on by a shift towards small scale counterinsurgency operations instead of the large pitched battles that were expected during the Cold War or World War II.
because its more risky to use big numbers in modern days and using smaller brigades makes it more flexible and its better for concealment purposes.Its harder to track small numbers of men after all. If you used huge numbers of soldiers and a bormbardment started raining upon your army your looses would definetly be catashrophic
Been subscribed for a while now and working through your videos. Your narration voice is captivating, I started watching a video from a couple of years ago with someone different narrating and had to turn it off haha. Anyway, you provide accurate and interesting content. Kudos to you.
@Jon Dillon you bored? I'm proud of them, not myself. They've earned every one of those subs and I'm glad to see them get the attention they deserve. I've been subscribed to them since they were a relatively small channel, and I'm happy to see them expand so much. Next time you're bored, go eat a sandwich or something, instead of picking comments to attack on the internet.
Some serious errors: 1. Ridge helmets are NOT composed of single piece bowls. The Deurne/Berkasovo-type has three variants according to the Miks classification, Variant 1 is of bipartite construction, and Variants 2 and 3 of Quadripartite (Technically Sextapartite) construction. The helmets you're referring to are often called "Niederbieber-type" but are a development out of the Weisenau (Gallic/Italic helmets) style. The most famous example is probably the Robinson Auxiliary E, also called the Heddernheim helmet, but the Buch, Rainau, and Niederbieber examples date to the 3rd century while Heddernheim is mid to late 2nd century. Oh and finally, ridge helmets were NOT of poorer quality. The fact that all of them are gilded or silvered, including the lowest-grade soldiers' helmets from finds like Intercisa or Burgh Castle (Limitanei infantry fortresses), says enough about that. 2. Ridge helmets were NOT replaced by Spangenhelmets until the late 5th century, not the mid 4th century. The Deir El Medinah and Leiden/Novae-type Spangenhelms both date to the late 6th century. And these helmets are only debatably of Sassanian origin - they could have been Hunnic, but it depends on the nature of their predecessors from the Tarasovsky 1784 burial mound and the Ukraine. And technically, ridge helmets continued in use, we just don't have evidence from the archaeological record until their successors from Praga-Stromovka and other finds in the late 9th-10th centuries. But we see them in art such as on the Vinicko Kale Teracotta and in the Bawit cave murals in the late 6th-early 7th centuries, as well as a few illuminated manuscript depictions. The common infantry helmet seemed to shift to the Narona-type Bandhelm and/or the Leiden/Novae-type Spangenhelm, while officers and high-grade infantry wore Baldenheims. But this is very much a D3 development (c. 455 to 480) at the absolute earliest. 3. The Dura Europos armor, which you're probably referring to, is an exposed lacing leather lamellar import from Sogdia, it's not of Roman manufacture, and it wasn't a set of thigh guards. They were most likely used for a Horse's neck according to the work of Dawson, citing an earlier 2007 paper I can't remember the name of. Thigh armor did exist, found at the Roshava Dragana burial mound which dates to the mid-2nd century AD, but we don't have enough fragments and the pieces aren't in the right configuration in-situ in order to effectively reconstruct it. 4. Roman swords from this era were nothing like Rapiers. There's a few Vimose/Illerup Spathae that are similar in shape to the Oakshotte Type XIV, but they're not like Rapiers. There's several types that were in use during the B2/C1 (also called C1a) and the C1b periods, but the Roman ones tend to be Lauriacum-Hromovka type. In the C2 period Nydam-Kragehul, also called Illerup-Whyl, become dominant, and in the D2-E1 Periods (420-510 although it really starts in the late phase D1) the ridiculously wide but wonderful Osterburken-Vrasselt aka Osterburken-Kemathen become dominant. This is a useful resource: www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/illustr/sb_3_1.html
I don't think it would've changed much. The empire fell because a lot of different factors. Climate change, civil war, Parthian, Hun and Gothic invasions (all from east of the Elbe). None of those factors would've been much different because of another buffer province.
@@falkjanen5050 It might have affected medieval history. If Germany had become more Roman the later Romano - Germanic synthesis would have been altered.
Third Century Roman Army is pretty much the basis of modern army logistics. Deploy a regiment at a FOB and then split them into squadrons for other duties.
Great video again!!! I have a project in my university of history and archaeology about Aurelian and the worship of Sol Invictus and the relationship between the emperor and Palmyra and i would be really grateful if you help me find more information about Sol Invictus except Historia Augusta. Keep up the good work!!!
KoG, you made a mistake: the main helmet of the Middle Empire period is the Niederbieber helmet (and sometimes a type of camail/aventail used most likely in the Eastern provinces, as seen in the Battle of Eben-Ezer's fresco in the synagogue of Dura Europos). The Berkasovo's type only appears around the 280s (probably due to the Diocletian reforms).
I absolutely love these videos. Thank you so much for educating me in ancient warfare I can talk about it all day but I have no one to talk to it about with haha
Examples of lorica segmentata was find even in late 2nd early 3rd century, a legion in Spain under Constantine used it sometime according to archeologists. But it was very rare by now, and only a few units had it. And probably after Constantine no one used it no more. Until the late 3rd century also the niederbieber helmets was used, imperial cavalry helmets by the infantry. Until at least aurelian period they were used massively, then they was replaced with intercisa and spangenhelm and berkasovo and other types slowly in a few decades but even 100 years later in 4th century some officer preserved old style helmets.
So the legionary equipment became more cumbersome. That would explain why in his treatise "De Re Militarii", Vegetius complained about soldiers not wearing all the armor pieces, as they were really heavy. Also, I thought late roman legions didn't use swords anymore but spears...maybe this happened later?
Vegetius is also incredibly problematic, since he was basically an armchair military buff making claims about both the early imperial army and the one that was contemporary with him that are discounted by written, artistic, and archaeological evidence from both periods.
@@paprskomet Actually when the Romans switched from pila to plumbatta (which were smaller), they were able to use melee spears again. Since spears have a number of strong advantages over swords, it's not surprising that they were readopted when they had the chance.
I really enjoy the discussion on the changes and developments in the Roman Army over time. Many RUclips videos discuss the Roman army as one homogeneous stagnant force, never changing.
Early Roman Armies were for fighting Italian Tribes, then for fighting Greek or imitative forces, then for dismembering Celtic & Germanic Warbands (Their most successful period), until they were finally required to meet more fluid and mobile enemies That didn't mean they were screwed if they fought something else, just that was what they did best against primary opponents at the time Arrian's Array against the Alans shows how they could adapt to dealing with a non typical enemy, flexibility that few other armies ever repeatedly displayed
You should go much deeper into Alexander the Great's military tactics, logistics, discipline, etc. He was a foundational character in all of human history, I believe it's worth educating people on.
Excellent video once again. And I have to say, your work is so commendable, because you are preserving History and our collective memory as humankind, in a time when History is either overlooked, ignored, or twisted and distorted... As an historian myself, I love your videos, and particularly the series concerning Ancient and Medieval History (my areas of research), but the Ottoman and 30 Years' War series are of course also top material. If one day you're interested on doing the Hundred Years War and its proxy conflicts in the Iberian Peninsula, I gladly write down a script. Keep up the excellent job!
Excellent content, in particular, the changes of the equipment of the soldiers; that way we can really understand the evolution of it, we tend to have one image, one idea of how a roman soldier would look like due to movies and series.
For the pilum not changing, that's not entirely accurate. We start seeing more melee focused hybrid spears like the spiculum largely replacing them in the middle of the third century.
Had the History Channel and Discovery been kept this type of documentaries in their programms, I would still have my cable tv, but since they opted for more profound and history charged series, such as: Barn Pickers, Pawn War and the like, I turned to RUclips. Not that I'm sorry! Beside the rich content of this channel, clear and precise information (history permited), I have to confess that I love the English diction and accuracy of the narrator, similar in my opinion to Tim Piggot Smith, if anyone remembers the historic documentaries run on Discovery in mid to late 90's. Thanks.
Wonder if anyone tried tying the pay to a basic necessity like the coinage needed to by a comfortable estate after service. After a hundred years of no raises it was overdue but the further raises were more like bribes.
As I understand it, the average height of a Roman was something like 5'2" which is rather short. As such a 5'9" Roman would be tall and a 6'2" German/Gaul well they'd be a giant.
@@g-rexsaurus794 well, yes and no, it would exclude the poorest who couldn't afford decent food, but a large section would still be available, since after the empire came into being the Nobility was drastically weakened and also the nobles didn't really want to serve near the end, hence the foederati or Germanic mercs.
You are bringing up outdated stuff. I have seen docus where forensic anthropologists said the average Roman in Pompeii was more or less 170 cm, so around 5'6 feet. There were also findings of several Roman human remains were the height was around 5'9- 6 feet. Of course they were Romans that were 5'2 feet, etc. However, for ages, we were taught in schools and universities that ancient Romans were 5 feet midgets poking the barbarians around. The ancient Roman legions with the height of 177-178 cm+, 5'11+, were neither giants nor midges but medium in hight and strong enough to conquer the whole world. The Germanic or Gaul warriors on average were taller than the average Roman soldier though.
@@wisedragon173 The illyro-roman recruits were most likely among the tallest, if not the tallest recruits, given that the current average height of males in the Dinaric alps is 185+ cm. The Dinaric alps served as a refugee for the illyro-romans during both the germanic and slavic incursions and thus it would be safe to assume that the modern dinaric populations are descended from that ancient population who once resided there. The tall stature of this population would also explain why illyro-romans came to comprise a majority of the roman army during the crisis and beyond.
@@SuperJml123 I know I know. Its just that that term is the most commonly used by people who are not quite knowledgeable about The Eastern Roman and I just didn't want to confuse anybody. Even the Muslims still call them "Al-Rumi" الرُّومُ in modern times and I'm a Muslim myself
new video on Monday? I very confuse because I though a new video every on Sunday and Thursday. but I like the new improved graphic design. excellent work, Kings, and Generals
I don't know if it's just me but your narration style and voice are very similar to the officiallydevin channel that I also watch. Still props to both of these channels.
Like the new helmet, the long swords were widely used by the Parthian and Sassanid heavily armored cavalry and later infantry. Such Iranian armies standards and platforms were adopted by the Roman army for the sake of its efficiency!
May you cover the battles of second punic war, at least the battle of cannae, please? As always, you make a great job. I hope I can donate as soon as I get a wage. Keep going :)
"After Septimius Severus came to power, discharge became an annual occurrence among the legionaries." Regimented chicken choking? Damn those Romans were efficient! I'm looking forward to the Eastern Roman Empire's kit and evolution explained, thanks again!
Download Battle Breakers for free here: pixly.go2cloud.org/SH1Pa
Make sure to use our creator code! kingsandgenerals
Battle Breakers the Epic Games version of RAID: Shadow Legends
Third Century Crisis of the Roman Empire is definitely my favorite event in antiquity. The Tetrachy reforms of emperor Diocletian would culminate a stability of the empire against impossible odds. Therefore it eliminated the autonomous power of the Legates and extending the imperium time-line of Ancient Rome, awesome video guys 👍👍
@@mohamedhaouchar3967
It was pretty cool when coin experts identified a new emperor (Silbannacus) thought to have reigned in 253 AD.
PLEASE DO A VIDEO ABOUT THE MERCENARY PROFFESIONALS KNOWN AS THE CONDOTTIERI IN ITALY IN THE LATE MIDDLE AGES, THEY PLAYED A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN SHAPING THE COUNTRY'S HISTORY!
I have a questions why the fuck north Africa's history is not covered in history channels RUclips do videos about how the Romans conquered the Amazighs in north Africa
I feel bad for watching so many of these videos without leaving a comment. As a history teacher and enthusiast, I find these videos to be among the best on RUclips.
@@HaraKiriMaxir I agree, but not all are deceptive. The Total war games, for instance. Also, I imagine making these high quality full-length documentaries can't be cheap. Someone has to eat.
You can donate at their patreon account, and get some merch from the store too
You should leave a comment about it.
A detention in the offing (wink)?
Yes
Two points.
1. Roman recruiters may have preferred agricultural workers because service in the legions involved ALOT of digging
2. Owing to the extreme debasement of the currency payment of soldiers in this period increasingly took the form of annona (rations) rather than coins.
Really enjoyed the video.
Michael Grant provides a good summary account of the development of the military annona in his,
Climax of Rome,
a (mainly) cultural history of the middle Empire.
Basically they weren't paid and expected to die for people that couldn't care less about them. No wonder the soldiers became loyal to individual generals rather than the state.
Debasement & inflation occur way later in Diocletian's reign. It would be irresponsible to suggest this for the third century or even the crisis of the third century. Were there suggestions that debasement was the cause and NOT the massive oversupply of money during Gallienus' reign as cause for hyperinflation later for Diocletian? The focus should be on Gallienus' policies rather than 'debasement'.
@@qimingzhang3940
Oh indeed!
You should read Grant's account.
Debasement of the coinage had begun as early as the reign of Trajan and the military annona existed under Hadrian though it first became systematic during the Severan period.
I just wanted to state here how much I love Lucius Verus, simply because he took so many ridiculous and unearned cognomen victory titles. This list is not all of them, only those I can remember off the top of my head. I think his name went something like Lucius Verus Parthicus Maximus Armeniacus Medicus Germanicus Gothicus. I know there were more too, but damn Verus, you were really going for it weren't you!!!
"....all the way up to 1453."
I love you guys.
Agreed!
I second this, most of the people tend to not really consider the Eastern Roman Empire to be the "real" Roman Empire. I am so glad that Kings and Generals do them justice.
@@tylerb9877 Isn't an amphibian a transition between a fish and reptile/mammal because they can both breath air and underwater? And there are numerous examples of flightless feathered burds that could be transitions between actual flighted birds and mammals/reptiles. Also seriously this is such a random comment thread to post your anti-evolution theory in
@@tylerb9877 bruh this is a military channel not an evolution channel go take that shit there and stop being immature
@@tylerb9877 grow up
That Legionary who served 33 years. Before modern healthcare and nutrition, what a hero...
Probably the opposite of a hero. Heroes die fast lol
Well hero in the sense that he lasted so long but yeah I imagine as an actual soldier he was the everyman and wasn't first over the top or didn't do anything too crazy.
@@victorperezurbano9504 what about Trajan
Trajan started as a tribune, that's not the same as starting as a velites in my book. Don't misunderstand me, the man was great, I just finished a book series by Santiago Posteguillo on his life. But there's a difference between starting as velites and as an already high ranked offficer. In any age, in any army.
@Publius Vorenus Sextus it was a comparison not necessarily comparing two people on the same era but the way to start a career. As I stated Trajan began as a tribune, not at the lower ranks of an infantry unit.
"Give us an emperor from humble beginnings. Gives us AURELIAN!"
"Rome hear me, for we are in CRISIS!"
Hail Aurelian, Restitutor Orbis, Restorer of the World
In the name of Sol Invictus, go forth and restore our world!
THE SUPREME PATRIARCH!
All hail to Illyrians
Decius , Claudius , Aurelian , Maximian , Diocletian , Constantine , Valentinian , Anastasius and Justinian
A very overlooked era of the Roman Military. When you say Roman Legionary people imagine the classic Segmentata with Gladius & Scutum. There isn't much shows/movies with the Late Empire.
Can you blame them for not making those movies? Most of it was civil wars caused by total political shitshows. Then again...
@@pokoy0633 so, game of thrones.
It's like watching someone you admire start to die.
@@cypher4783 pretty much except the only really good timeframe for that sort of drama would be the Year of the Four Emperors starting with Neros exile. I'd watch the shit out of that.
Forgot about the crisis of the 3rd centuy im dumb
“Became stronger out of necessity.”
History in a shellnut.
Eh... They likely became weaker. The brittle and centralized nature of the late roman society meant the Emperor had to act and be seen as God. At least on the West everything went to shit.
Also describes adolescence
@@LuizAlexPhoenix It was just for symbolism. The Dominus Era was just a way Diocletian thought to make so the empire wouldn't be dependent from S-Tier Emperors like Aurelian
Medieval European style warfare probably started from this period:
1.spear and rounded shield are the king of the battlefield for the western/middle eastern world
2. heavy cavalry/shock cavalry play a much more important role than before
3. gladius and rectangular shields are out while spatha sword became popular as backup weapons
4. New helmet designs such as burgh castle helmets, Imperial Italic helmets(a heavier upgraded gallic helmet) and Niederbeiber Helmets are also saw widespread usage throughout this era.
5. Roman style warfare are not viable anymore as spearmen and shock cavalry rules the battlefield
6. Long sleeves shirts and long trousers are standard issue combat uniforms
7. More and more Germanic peoples served in the Roman armies and eventually some of them became Romanised.
After the 3rd century crisis, Diocletian institute reforms that will became the elements of Medieval Europe.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Think you're right.
Correct me if I'm long*
Spearmen and shock cavalry had ruled the battlefield since far before Rome. I think what caused the transition back to those days was the probably due to the change in military doctrine owing to lack of resources and presence of barbarians in the military during the 4th century onwards
@Amir Timur
Yes. Caracalla (who ought to have known) thought the phalanx was still valuable, perhaps especially against the heavily armoured cavalry called cataphracts.
Also even though the leginary is so iconic most of the operations of the Roman army were made by auxiliary troops and even on the battlefield most of the soldiers were auxiliaries because they were specialized in tasks that the Roman leginaries couldn't do or they didn't wanted to do. The number of auxiliaries was big especially after Augustus and they were also used because if they done their service they had a chance to become Roman citizens. The difference in the late empire is that because of Emperor Caracalla who extended the citizenship to everyone who lived in the empire they had a lack of auxiliaries because the only reason they served in the army in the first place was to gain citizenship and the Romans were forced to train their own specialized troops or look for outside the borders because obviously you can't fight wars just with heavy infantry, light and medium troops are also as or even more vital than the heavy ones. Also in terms of equipment considering how ancient warfare worked the Roman army wasn't really that advanced (most of the equipment being inspired by the Celtic one) but their advantage was a more rationalized type of warfare and the economy to mass-produce that equipment and even the Roman army suffered a lot of humiliating defeats even before the 3rd century and the late empire. So in short the Roman army always used a lot of mercenaries but most people think that they used them in the late empire because they see what happened to the west which feel primarily because of lack of resources and population to back up their military and economy compared to the East. Also fun fact even though the lorica segmentata is so popular during some operations the legionaries would've switched to lorica hamata.
At 16:36, there are several errors.
1. Clothing: The Roman military already adopted barbarian long sleeve shirts and trousers since 2nd century. Ridley Scott's Gladiator film do depicted this very accurately.
2. Helmets: The Italic Helmet shown in this video is the Imperial Gallic I type, this kind of helmet was decommissioned during the 2nd century. The main helmet designs during the 2nd century were Italic D, E, G,H type helmet and Niederbeiber Helmet. It is said that the integral brass cross-braces added to the Italic D, E, G,H type helmet and Niederbeiber Helmet were influenced by the Hunnic helmet designs or developed as the response to the Dacian falx. On the other, the The Roman ridge helmet and Spangenhelm did saw service in the Roman Army since 2nd century but not saw wide spread usage until after the 3rd century.
3. Armour: Lorica Segmentata was still common but after the 3rd century crisis it was likely replaced by lamellar armour possibly introduced by the Hunnic or Sarmatian peoples.
4. Weapons: Spatha sword have more resemblance to the Han Dynasty Sword of the same era instead of the early modern rapier. There is a Han Dynasty Sword scabbard founded inside the Roman cavalry officer tomb in Bulgaria. Very likely the Roman military during 2nd century already acquired Chinese swords from the Sarmatian peoples and reverse engineered into Spatha sword.
Gladiator was a pretty good movie as far as attention to detail except the biggest thing the main plot
@@henripentant1120 Considering it was in essence, a revisioned "Fall of the Roman Empire" (1964) the plot was identical to the original and had no bearing on reality. I very much do enjoy both though but simply as entertainment.
As a Severan dynasty/Crisis of the Third Century reenactor, may you be blessed by Sol and Mithras for this wonderful content.
The Middle Empire is in my opinion the most fascinating era of Ancient Rome.
Why, if I may ask? I find it fascinating too, don't get me wrong, it's just we don't know too much about it.
@@ryandunham1047 I'm consistently drunk right now (I rarely drink alcohol but decided to honor Bacchus tonight)...
But "hear me, Rome, for we are in crisis!"
[Ryan, I want you to start listening to either the song "Wings of Gabriel" or "Un Passage Silencieux (Part I)" from the band Arcana while you read me.]
193-284 AD aka the Middle Imperial period, from the death of Commodus to Diocletian's reforms, which encompasses the Severan dynasty and the Crisis of the Third Century, is the crossroad of Classical and Late Antiquity.
The Roman Empire is more cosmopolitan than ever, powerful and haughty.
It is a Philhellene and orientalized Rome, with emperors often from Syrian/Punic backgrounds, and later Balkanic.
It is "Roma Universalis" since Caracalla passed his edict, the Constitutio Antoniniana, in 212 AD, which grants Roman citizenship to all free men of the Imperivm, from the rainy plains of Britannia to the rocky deserts of Eastern Syria and Osrhoene.
A Rome seduced by Eastern mysticism and mystery cults; a Rome who increasingly worships the Anatolian goddess Cybele the Magna Mater with its orgies and eunuchs priests who castrate themselves in public, the Egyptian Isis or the Persian solar god Mithras, whose cult is mainly restricted to soldiers and veterans who meet in obscure mithraea, hidden from the masses.
It is the Rome of renewed Hellenic philosophies and cultural syncretism.
It is the Rome of Severan baroque architecture, with its leafy intertwinings and refined mosaics.
It is the apex of Roman military equipment with its pompous shields decorated with esoteric symbolism such as those found in Dura Europos at the sandy edge of the Empire, heavy enclosed "Niederbieber" and "Heddernheim" helmets, "Küzing" greaves and extended use of manicae; at an increasingly financial cost. Training and gear distinctions between auxiliaries and legionaries have been nullified by Caracalla's edict.
It is also a Rome of currency debasement, political turmoil and civil wars that makes Game of Thrones looks quite tepid; where legions and the Praetorian Guard choose emperors and often eliminate them soon after; where the provincial equestrian class rises as the senators see their influence decreasing...
It is the Rome of the depraved and eccentric Elagabalus, worshipping the Black Stone of Emesa; the bloody but strong tyrant Caracalla and its dreams of becoming the new Alexander the Great; the wise and refined Alexander Severus, fond of contemplation and philosophical studies; the giant Maximinus Thrax measuring almost 8 feet (much greater than Gregor Clegane!); the solar "Restitvtor Orbis" Aurelianus, savior of the Imperial unity, Emperor of the Unconquered Sun, Sol Invictus.
I'm mesmerized by this period as much as Septimius Severus was when he saw Julia Domna dancing naked for the Sun in the Golden Temple of Emesa, the Elagabalium.
I love it just like a woman should be loved: entirely, for its burning light as much as for its shadows.
@@huguesdiceva i think that alexander severus can avoid all this, and made empire more stable, if he choose to attack Germany tribes
These kind of videos are the best, talking about the armies structure, logistics, tactics,...etc.
Plz keep it up
We will!
When he first addressed his soldiers as sole emperor, having assassinated his brother Geta Caracalla said to them "it is because of you alone that I care to live, in order that I may confer upon you many favours", he was an autocratic ogre but he took his dad's dying advice to heart, maybe a bit too much
6:08 You thought it was a Roman senator, but it was I, Dio!
@@LucidFL and the earth is flat flying on a giant turtle.
@@LucidFL Big brain time, dummy!
@@LucidFL Yeah that's cute I guess. But that still does not explain the sudden, alluringly attractive, menacing appearance of Dio!
Big Daddy The most bone dense part of the human body is the hand. This is because the hand performs many intricate functions and needs much more motor control than the arm or the skull. The next highest bone count is in the foot. Now that's odd. The foot doesn't build or grab anything. It's supposed to be just a solid base for us to stand on, ideally something like an ostrich. All the intricacy down there is actually harmful, because it's more prone to damage.
Now evolution states this is because our evolutionary ancestors resembled modern apes. They used their feet to climb trees and swing from vines, both of which required grabbing ability. The human foot is a transition from secondary hands to proper feet.
I'd be immensely interested to hear your explanation for our terrible feet. (Our feet are one of those transitional pieces you claim don't exist, by the way.)
@@SerKnightGuy SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH YOUR FACTS AND SCIENCE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Early Roman Armies were for fighting Italian Tribes, then for fighting Greek or imitative forces, then for dismembering Celtic & Germanic Warbands (Their most successful period), until they were finally required to meet more fluid and mobile enemies
That didn't mean they were screwed if they fought something else, just that was what they did best against primary opponents at the time
It took a commander of true incompetence to piss away a Roman Army, or appalling bad luck like Hadrianopolis Their list of Catastrophic defeats (ok, lets ignore Hannibal, he was some mutant genius) over such a length of time is astonishingly small
Arrian's Array against the Alans shows how an army may adapt to dealing with a non typical enemy, Romans showed flexibility that few other armies ever repeatedly displayed
This is a morale raiser for me lmao as I'm trying to finish my own DEI campaign on Rome. Another great documentary, this channel never disappoints on any release ever.
Here’s an idea for a new episode: the fall of Assyria.
meaturama ah, an uneducated being has been found.
I’d prefer the fall of Boobyria.
One of the absolute best RUclips channels out there.
A Good Emperor dies.
literally every empire in world history: I'm about to end my whole career.
Luke Ferrer this statement is so wrong when talking about Rome ... Augustus died in 14CE the empire lived on for centuries (some would say millennia) ...
You say that but we don't have any other intelligent species to compare ourselves to.
@@erichiatt328 😐
@@erichiatt328 So we should praise instead of rule? Or you're saying that the whole concept of "Empire" is delaying the developing of our species?
Any Emperor: *dies*
Empire: I guess I'll just die.
I like how throughout history there is this back and forth change between close order and loose order formation
from the close phalanx, to loose triplex acci, back to close legions, now to loose vexillationes. it seems to be as new tactics are introduced, they start of as close order then become looser as experience is gained. we see that in close order musket formations the later on loose order light infantry rifle formations. Even a few decades ago a modern division fought strickly along the lines of its regiments/battalions, but later on they started to served as command/control elements of taskforce/battlegroups/kampfgruppes.
good observation
Glad you're covering the third century, perhaps my favorite period of the Roman empire!
Maekar I Targaryen a period of the Roman Empire that deserves more attention. Seriously. The period of a near medieval Europe or Rome would’ve been interesting
@@elperrodelautumo7511 luckily for the empire, and us fans of its history, we got the amazing Aurelian, Restitutor Orbis (and Gothicus before him who really set up Aurelian). Those Illyrians do not even get a fraction of a fraction of the praise they deserve. Although Diocletian is the one who takes most of (and mostly earned) credit amongst that group. Though I must also say for as important as he was, Diocletian is farther down the totem pole of "best emperors" than he should be, I could list several who get far more love. Aurelian have that much in common. And yes, I decided to ramble on this post!!
@@Jon.A.Scholt
Particularly Probus.
Obscure even by Illyrian standards
Maybe if alexander severus choose to attack germania tribe third century Chrisis can be avoided, and secured severian dynasty
Thank you for this great work
Azul Salam from Algeria 👍
The bit about the Vexilationes is quite interesting because we're starting to see the same trend in modern militaries as well. I was reading somewhere that apparently in recent years, the U.S. Military has begun moving away from a military structure based where the division is the base element of the military to a structure that now favors smaller, more maneuverable brigades. A change that has been brought on by a shift towards small scale counterinsurgency operations instead of the large pitched battles that were expected during the Cold War or World War II.
because its more risky to use big numbers in modern days and using smaller brigades makes it more flexible and its better for concealment purposes.Its harder to track small numbers of men after all. If you used huge numbers of soldiers and a bormbardment started raining upon your army your looses would definetly be catashrophic
@Joseph Sosa
That's it. Most engagements were small scale ones against raiders on the frontiers.
Only wars against Persia required large armies.
Modern militaries are now more productive (or destructive, rather) that they can provide more firepower. Hence the change.
1453?
Ah, I see you're men of culture as well.
I don't think there were any more legions after the reign of Heraclitus though, which is sad.
better if up to 1461
@@LucidFL
Go away.
@@LucidFL You should look Tyke Morris on Quora, maybe his idea of evolution interest you more.
@@LucidFL you are a lie. lying and misleading. heretic
Crisis of the 3rd Century: *happens*
Roman Empire: *"[chuckles] I'm in danger."*
Crisis of the 21st Century: knocks
America: [Chuckles]I'm in Danger
Aurelian: not on my watch
This video finally explained to me the inspiration behind Sucessor Chapters in 40k
Liked before even watching it... love all of this Roman time period videos!!!
I almost watched the video before liking it first, silly me.
Been subscribed for a while now and working through your videos.
Your narration voice is captivating, I started watching a video from a couple of years ago with someone different narrating and had to turn it off haha.
Anyway, you provide accurate and interesting content. Kudos to you.
Thank you!
I've been here since 48k subs! I'm so proud to see this history channel almost at 1m!
@Jon Dillon you bored? I'm proud of them, not myself. They've earned every one of those subs and I'm glad to see them get the attention they deserve. I've been subscribed to them since they were a relatively small channel, and I'm happy to see them expand so much. Next time you're bored, go eat a sandwich or something, instead of picking comments to attack on the internet.
Some serious errors:
1. Ridge helmets are NOT composed of single piece bowls. The Deurne/Berkasovo-type has three variants according to the Miks classification, Variant 1 is of bipartite construction, and Variants 2 and 3 of Quadripartite (Technically Sextapartite) construction. The helmets you're referring to are often called "Niederbieber-type" but are a development out of the Weisenau (Gallic/Italic helmets) style. The most famous example is probably the Robinson Auxiliary E, also called the Heddernheim helmet, but the Buch, Rainau, and Niederbieber examples date to the 3rd century while Heddernheim is mid to late 2nd century. Oh and finally, ridge helmets were NOT of poorer quality. The fact that all of them are gilded or silvered, including the lowest-grade soldiers' helmets from finds like Intercisa or Burgh Castle (Limitanei infantry fortresses), says enough about that.
2. Ridge helmets were NOT replaced by Spangenhelmets until the late 5th century, not the mid 4th century. The Deir El Medinah and Leiden/Novae-type Spangenhelms both date to the late 6th century. And these helmets are only debatably of Sassanian origin - they could have been Hunnic, but it depends on the nature of their predecessors from the Tarasovsky 1784 burial mound and the Ukraine. And technically, ridge helmets continued in use, we just don't have evidence from the archaeological record until their successors from Praga-Stromovka and other finds in the late 9th-10th centuries. But we see them in art such as on the Vinicko Kale Teracotta and in the Bawit cave murals in the late 6th-early 7th centuries, as well as a few illuminated manuscript depictions. The common infantry helmet seemed to shift to the Narona-type Bandhelm and/or the Leiden/Novae-type Spangenhelm, while officers and high-grade infantry wore Baldenheims. But this is very much a D3 development (c. 455 to 480) at the absolute earliest.
3. The Dura Europos armor, which you're probably referring to, is an exposed lacing leather lamellar import from Sogdia, it's not of Roman manufacture, and it wasn't a set of thigh guards. They were most likely used for a Horse's neck according to the work of Dawson, citing an earlier 2007 paper I can't remember the name of. Thigh armor did exist, found at the Roshava Dragana burial mound which dates to the mid-2nd century AD, but we don't have enough fragments and the pieces aren't in the right configuration in-situ in order to effectively reconstruct it.
4. Roman swords from this era were nothing like Rapiers. There's a few Vimose/Illerup Spathae that are similar in shape to the Oakshotte Type XIV, but they're not like Rapiers. There's several types that were in use during the B2/C1 (also called C1a) and the C1b periods, but the Roman ones tend to be Lauriacum-Hromovka type. In the C2 period Nydam-Kragehul, also called Illerup-Whyl, become dominant, and in the D2-E1 Periods (420-510 although it really starts in the late phase D1) the ridiculously wide but wonderful Osterburken-Vrasselt aka Osterburken-Kemathen become dominant. This is a useful resource: www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_b/illustr/sb_3_1.html
"All the way till 1453"... My homies. good stuff
Thanks! :-)
12:41 my hometown Solin (Salona)
Wow I am so happy that they mentioned it :)
You guys have really churned them out in the last week 😍😍
If Rome kept it's border at the Elbe river, how do you think that would have affected its long-term stability?
I don't think it would've changed much. The empire fell because a lot of different factors. Climate change, civil war, Parthian, Hun and Gothic invasions (all from east of the Elbe). None of those factors would've been much different because of another buffer province.
@@falkjanen5050
It might have affected medieval history. If Germany had become more Roman the later Romano - Germanic synthesis would have been altered.
@@LucidFL And your theory relate to the roman empire in what way?
@@Rockgamen
God knows!
I suppose we will never eliminate loonies from You Tube Comment sections.
@Big Daddy
Clearly you did not read Evolution of the Species. In that book there are all the answer you need about Darwinism.
Third Century Roman Army is pretty much the basis of modern army logistics. Deploy a regiment at a FOB and then split them into squadrons for other duties.
Modern command and control makes it possible to direct and command individual fire squads. You couldn't do that in ancient times.
Vexillum principle reminds Napoleons infantry. He also splitted his army in small detatchments
YES.
Please never stop making videos on ancient Rome. Never, ever stop. I love you guys.
Please do a similar video about the Sassanid Persian army. Thanks!
And always remember: Carthago delenda est
Remove Punic, Roma Stronk.
The salt is palpable
I’m really loving this series. You guys are great!
I like how the volume on your mic is turned up when you’re trying to sell me something, then right after the ad I can barely hear you
You like? I don't
I can hardly hear a difference. Sorry not everyone is a billionaire.
How much did you pay for his hard work? Get a hearing aid.
Dude all he does is speak a little faster during the ads.
I dont even hear a difference xD
11:14 Lower Danube disappears. It disappears.
I wrote a comment about that too. My theory is that the romans diverted the water to a gigantic water park.
My favorite Roman Army Period . Best Helmet,Armor period
Great video again!!! I have a project in my university of history and archaeology about Aurelian and the worship of Sol Invictus and the relationship between the emperor and Palmyra and i would be really grateful if you help me find more information about Sol Invictus except Historia Augusta. Keep up the good work!!!
Start with Wikipedia.
They have a pretty good article about this deity and his relationship to Mithraism and the old Roman Pantheon.
@@alanpennie8013 yeah i thought about that but wikipedia its not really trustworthy.
Nice...now that I finished watching I think it's another great video.
It probably didn't help Alexander Severus that he tried lowering the soldiers' pay while fumbling both the Sassanids and the Germans.
This channel is like modern day tv documentary, great work
Except that it's actually good and engaging
Dude don't insult this channel, modern day tv documentary are shit lul.
KoG, you made a mistake: the main helmet of the Middle Empire period is the Niederbieber helmet (and sometimes a type of camail/aventail used most likely in the Eastern provinces, as seen in the Battle of Eben-Ezer's fresco in the synagogue of Dura Europos).
The Berkasovo's type only appears around the 280s (probably due to the Diocletian reforms).
Roman cavalry also wore the Heddernheim helmet.
Your content is old history channel level of good, even better. Thanks for the effort, keep it up
I absolutely love these videos. Thank you so much for educating me in ancient warfare I can talk about it all day but I have no one to talk to it about with haha
More on the way!
Kings and Generals notifications on! Can’t wait for next video !!
Interesting, informative and very listenable! ⭐
"Pescennius Ni-" *arrested for hate speech*
Examples of lorica segmentata was find even in late 2nd early 3rd century, a legion in Spain under Constantine used it sometime according to archeologists. But it was very rare by now, and only a few units had it. And probably after Constantine no one used it no more. Until the late 3rd century also the niederbieber helmets was used, imperial cavalry helmets by the infantry. Until at least aurelian period they were used massively, then they was replaced with intercisa and spangenhelm and berkasovo and other types slowly in a few decades but even 100 years later in 4th century some officer preserved old style helmets.
So the legionary equipment became more cumbersome. That would explain why in his treatise "De Re Militarii", Vegetius complained about soldiers not wearing all the armor pieces, as they were really heavy.
Also, I thought late roman legions didn't use swords anymore but spears...maybe this happened later?
Probably for cost reasons since the economy was collapsing due to currency debasement.
I believe the shift to primarily spear armed legionaries was a Late Empire thing, so outside the scope of this video.
Late antiquity Legions used swords completely normally and not anyhow less than before .
Vegetius is also incredibly problematic, since he was basically an armchair military buff making claims about both the early imperial army and the one that was contemporary with him that are discounted by written, artistic, and archaeological evidence from both periods.
@@paprskomet Actually when the Romans switched from pila to plumbatta (which were smaller), they were able to use melee spears again. Since spears have a number of strong advantages over swords, it's not surprising that they were readopted when they had the chance.
I really enjoy the discussion on the changes and developments in the Roman Army over time.
Many RUclips videos discuss the Roman army as one homogeneous stagnant force, never changing.
Early Roman Armies were for fighting Italian Tribes, then for fighting Greek or imitative forces, then for dismembering Celtic & Germanic Warbands (Their most successful period), until they were finally required to meet more fluid and mobile enemies
That didn't mean they were screwed if they fought something else, just that was what they did best against primary opponents at the time
Arrian's Array against the Alans shows how they could adapt to dealing with a non typical enemy, flexibility that few other armies ever repeatedly displayed
You should go much deeper into Alexander the Great's military tactics, logistics, discipline, etc. He was a foundational character in all of human history, I believe it's worth educating people on.
My favourite video by you guys
Thanks :-)
Excellent video once again. And I have to say, your work is so commendable, because you are preserving History and our collective memory as humankind, in a time when History is either overlooked, ignored, or twisted and distorted... As an historian myself, I love your videos, and particularly the series concerning Ancient and Medieval History (my areas of research), but the Ottoman and 30 Years' War series are of course also top material. If one day you're interested on doing the Hundred Years War and its proxy conflicts in the Iberian Peninsula, I gladly write down a script. Keep up the excellent job!
another great upload about ancient roman army ,many thanks K and G
Very interesting video, I enjoy the more technical videos a lot as well. Thank you for the hard work!!
I've been waiting for a video on this!! Great for my revision cheers guys
a video i have been waiting since i was a child... thanks lads
i can't wait for the Bannerlord 🙏
Incredible video! I can't wait for you guys to make a video on the Late Roman army!
I would really be interested in a video about the armies of the Han Chinese and how it compares to the Roman Legions.
Excellent content, in particular, the changes of the equipment of the soldiers; that way we can really understand the evolution of it, we tend to have one image, one idea of how a roman soldier would look like due to movies and series.
Please do a video about the individual legions and their fame they gained.
I wonder if the Vexilationes were the inspiration for the “Chapters” of Space Marines in Warhammer 40k being split off from “legions.”
Cringe
top quality as always. Another great video.
Great video. It's always nice seeing the evolution of a certain military machine. My thanks for those who made this video a reality.
Thank you Kings and Generals for this topic.
What a wonderful Monday and what a wonderful video! Waited for this for so long. Can you do more videos about campaigns against Parthian empire?
Your upload was just in time :) we are going through late Roman Empire in school
Thanks for a fascinating introduction to a period of Roman military history I know little about.
☝️😎
Would be good to see a video about the Roman army when the Western Roman Empire was collapsing (Fall of the Western Roman Empire 395 to 476).
I imagine that could be next. Of course by that point much of the "Roman" army was just Germanic warriors with Roman titles.
For the pilum not changing, that's not entirely accurate. We start seeing more melee focused hybrid spears like the spiculum largely replacing them in the middle of the third century.
Had the History Channel and Discovery been kept this type of documentaries in their programms, I would still have my cable tv, but since they opted for more profound and history charged series, such as: Barn Pickers, Pawn War and the like, I turned to RUclips. Not that I'm sorry! Beside the rich content of this channel, clear and precise information (history permited), I have to confess that I love the English diction and accuracy of the narrator, similar in my opinion to Tim Piggot Smith, if anyone remembers the historic documentaries run on Discovery in mid to late 90's. Thanks.
BEEEN WAITING FOR THISSSSS
This is similar to the modern US Amy Brigade Combat Team, funny how it comes full circle.
Informative and beautifully done as as usual...a great and most interesting century!👍
Amazing Video, more videos like that especially about the late Roman Empire.
Please do the military campaigns of Contantine the V. The 700s-900s are slept on.
videos are coming back to back yeah
Wonder if anyone tried tying the pay to a basic necessity like the coinage needed to by a comfortable estate after service. After a hundred years of no raises it was overdue but the further raises were more like bribes.
I love the Late Roman Empire, keep it coming!
As I understand it, the average height of a Roman was something like 5'2" which is rather short. As such a 5'9" Roman would be tall and a 6'2" German/Gaul well they'd be a giant.
@@g-rexsaurus794 well, yes and no, it would exclude the poorest who couldn't afford decent food, but a large section would still be available, since after the empire came into being the Nobility was drastically weakened and also the nobles didn't really want to serve near the end, hence the foederati or Germanic mercs.
@@g-rexsaurus794 I got that data from a historian, if they're wrong well, it wasn't my fault.
You are bringing up outdated stuff. I have seen docus where forensic anthropologists said the average Roman in Pompeii was more or less 170 cm, so around 5'6 feet. There were also findings of several Roman human remains were the height was around 5'9- 6 feet. Of course they were Romans that were 5'2 feet, etc. However, for ages, we were taught in schools and universities that ancient Romans were 5 feet midgets poking the barbarians around. The ancient Roman legions with the height of 177-178 cm+, 5'11+, were neither giants nor midges but medium in hight and strong enough to conquer the whole world. The Germanic or Gaul warriors on average were taller than the average Roman soldier though.
@@wisedragon173 The illyro-roman recruits were most likely among the tallest, if not the tallest recruits, given that the current average height of males in the Dinaric alps is 185+ cm. The Dinaric alps served as a refugee for the illyro-romans during both the germanic and slavic incursions and thus it would be safe to assume that the modern dinaric populations are descended from that ancient population who once resided there. The tall stature of this population would also explain why illyro-romans came to comprise a majority of the roman army during the crisis and beyond.
Can't wait when you guys finally talk about the Byzantine Empire. I'm a bit of a Byzantinophile so I'm really excited.
If you were real Byzantinophole you wouldn't call Empire Byzantine. Name invented by barbarians centuries after Empires demise :)
@@SuperJml123 I know I know. Its just that that term is the most commonly used by people who are not quite knowledgeable about The Eastern Roman and I just didn't want to confuse anybody. Even the Muslims still call them "Al-Rumi" الرُّومُ in modern times and I'm a Muslim myself
We will reconquer Constantinople by 2050.
Turkey is declining and Greeks will attack from west , isreal from South and russian from north .
Deus vult
@Tigrane II Roi d'Arménie fuck turkey .
@@sirlordhenrymortimer6620 lol to be honest how greece is today.... ill rather have Constantinople as a city state!
It's interesting to follow the progression of the Roman army, and see how a lot of minor changes became signifigant in feudal europe
new video on Monday? I very confuse because I though a new video every on Sunday and Thursday. but I like the new improved graphic design. excellent work, Kings, and Generals
I don't know if it's just me but your narration style and voice are very similar to the officiallydevin channel that I also watch. Still props to both of these channels.
Like the new helmet, the long swords were widely used by the Parthian and Sassanid heavily armored cavalry and later infantry. Such Iranian armies standards and platforms were adopted by the Roman army for the sake of its efficiency!
The late Roman empires regular soldiers, were no longer called legionaires, but "comitatenses"
still middle thou. sounds reasonable
Yo I’m literally the perfect legionary size 7:00
Rage Raptor same! We should gather an army!
Albiliuss yes
Im 5'7" can I join up with you guys?!?!
JERRYREXMMIII REG the more the better man
Thank goodness I'm only 5'6 no need to draft me!
May you cover the battles of second punic war, at least the battle of cannae, please?
As always, you make a great job. I hope I can donate as soon as I get a wage. Keep going :)
I think they've been covered already
@@bloodlessbeast2661 still not by KNG ;) :) :)
otherwise, if you have got a link, please paste it here
Thank you. Great video
"After Septimius Severus came to power, discharge became an annual occurrence among the legionaries." Regimented chicken choking? Damn those Romans were efficient!
I'm looking forward to the Eastern Roman Empire's kit and evolution explained, thanks again!
Your new artist is very skilled 👍
When I get the notification, i got to give it a watch immediately thanks for the content as always 👍👌
I just enjoy their content , fast forward the sponsors 👍
All the way to Trebizond??? Oh be still my heart.