Neutured is for domesticated animals. He was castrated. Maybe it's a language thing but in english, neutering/gelding is for pets/livestock, castration is the specific terminology for bilateral orchioectomy in human males.
Really feel very bad for Emperor Otho, to be honest. Nero, despite being his friend, forced him to divorce his beloved wife and then he definitely lost her when the Emperor brutally murdered her by kicking her to death, even though she was pregnant, not to mention that Nero also publicly humiliated Otho on several occasions, like when he punched him in the face for calling him Lucius Domitius (the name Nero had before his mother married Claudius). Despite everything he suffered, Otho went on with his life, being even able to become Emperor and humiliate the memory of the deceased Nero. Unfortunately, Destiny wanted the fat degenerate of Vitellius to rebel against him, and in the end, Otho preferred to kill himself instead of sacrificing his men's lives. Despite only being Emperor for two months, Otho proved to be an infinitely more honorable Emperor than Nero. Both the mini-series "A.D." and Anthony Burgess's book "The Kingdom of the Wicked" recount part of Otho's life, if you are interested
100% agree. While I do think much of the writings about Vitellius are propoganda (though he WAS a glutton), Otho's decision to capitulate and commit suicide, rather than retreating, bunkering down in a fortified city, and wasting Roman lives in a desperate claw at power, reads very honorably.
@@davidhoward4715 Galba was not precisely a wonderful person. He killed a lot of romans of all social positions during his inept reign in order to consolidate his power, being that the reason why he lasted only 6 months
The guy at 3:18 Andronikos I (aka Andronikos the Terrible) wasn't torn apart by the mob Mussolini style. It was reportedly worse. Mercenaries hung him upside from the Imperial box overlooking the Hippodrome - where the chariot races were held - as they took turns to see who could impale him most deeply. They had a bet. I am writing a novel about this period. Nice to see you mention him toldinstone. He is almost unknown.
@@irishjet2687 According to Niketas Choniates (the main chronicler of the era): "A certain ungodly man (my main character) dipped his long sword into his (Andronikos') entrails by by way of the pharynx." ("O City of Byzantium" p.193) Through the throat and into the intestines. Guessing he won. 50 gold hyperpyrion was the prize money. History does not mention his name.
@@t.wcharles2171 Yes. Thank you for asking. Since the only thing I had to go on was that he was "ungodly" and a "Latin mercenary" - I chose Pons. It is a short form of Pontius (as in Pontius Pilate) which was rare, but not unheard of in the middle ages. It was considered ill omened or bad luck. Like naming your kid Judas or Cain.
I literally laughed out loud with the graph having lightning in it. I dunno if it was supposed to be funny, but it was hilarious. Also, I loved the video. They're always so interesting and answer questions I never thought to ask but love to know about.
Regarding Valentinian II's suicide, I don't think there's much reason to suspect foul play. Arbogast, the Frankish general who had been his regent while he was a child, had become untouchable, and was on good terms with the senior emperor, Theodosius. Arbogast had all the power he could want, while he had everything to lose from Valentinian dying and a replacement emperor coming in. Meanwhile, Valentinian, technically emperor from the age of 4, and now 21, was quickly realizing he had no power, and no hope of being anything more than a puppet. His guards looked to Arbogast for approval before they followed his orders. Arbogast (and other officials) disrespected and mocked him in public, and when Valentinian tried to fire Arbogast, now that he no longer needed a regent, Arbogast just laughed, ripped up the "pink slip" parchment, and said that since Theodosius had put him in place, Valentinian II had no authority to get rid of him. All of Valentinian's letters to Theodosius were ignored, and it was apparent he had no control over his own life. It is easy to see the young man despairing, and exerting the little bit of control he DID have to hang himself. Plus, Arbogast's reaction to the suicide does not at all seem like the response of someone who just murdered an emperor so he could seize more power for himself.
Thanks for this insightful comment; as you say, there's a good case to be made for Valentinian's death as a genuine suicide. I still suspect, however, that Arbogast may have just wanted him out of the way.
I think it is well know that Theodosius may also have been involved in the murder because he wanted to put his son Honorius on the throne. Theodosius did the same with Gratian when his friend Magnus Maximus from Britain rebelled and was essentially blessed by Theodosius to do so.
The average lifespan of a Roman emperor was likely slightly higher than that of the average pleb, but one must factor in the relative contempt held for an emperor, as that tended to disproportionately shorten their lives. Much unlike today, where a leader or politician will seemingly legislate with more fervor and likely get re-elected the more they are hated.
Don't forget the emperor Vespasian who died with probably the best last words ever. Remembering emperors were deified after death: "Uae! Puto deus fio! " or " Oh Dear! I think i'm becoming a god!"
Yes! Coming all the way from the first video, I've finally arrived here! (But I skipped the podcasts).. appreciate the painstaking effort of searching and putting up the pictures! The videos contain many photos you must have spent so much time choosing photos!
20 years ago, I printed a safety standard at work and somehow it found it's way on Scribd, complete with my name on the footer. I asked them to remove it and they said no. Great guys.
I always enjoy how well you can paint the picture of the past which was so long ago with intricate words and descriptive dialogue. I'd imagine even the blind could follow these videos with ease.
Not possible, certain. Modern "poverty" is a better standard of living than even imperial royalty 2 centuries ago. And this is universal, for example this is the first time in history that overeating has been a larger health concern globally than starvation.
Constans II was beat to death with a bucket while taking a bath. Imagine being the assassin and having the option to use literally anything, a dagger, a sword, just anything more efficient, and deciding instead to use a bucket to assassinate the Roman Emperor. Why do we not know who this man is, and why is there not a statue erected to honor his legendary regicide with a bucket.
The idea of being beaten to death with a bucket in a sauna made me actually laugh out loud when I heard it. The image in my mind’s eye is pricelessly funny 😂
If the average emperor lived as long as the average Roman who dodged childhood maladies and 40% of them were assassinated that means the life expectancy of a Roman emperor was much higher than that of the average Roman if that emperor wasn’t assassinated. This makes sense as the Roman emperors were some of the wealthiest people on earth. I think it’s kind of funny that all that wealth and power got averaged out by revenge and intrigue.
I'd like to inform you that I am simply not getting any notifications about your uploads. I already noticed this like 2 months ago and desubbed and subbed again with activated bell just to realize that im still not getting any of your videos recommended.
Emperor Claudius's advisor: "It's over. He just died of a heart attack in his sleep..." Burrus: "I see...Well, may the gods welcome him to the Olympus. As head of the Praetorian Guard, I guarantee the absolute loyalty of the army to the new Caesar Britannicus" Emperor Claudius's advisor: "Britannicus?" Burrus: "Is there any problem?" Emperor Claudius's advisor: "I'm afraid that...Britannicus is not going to be the new Emperor. There has been a recent change in the imperial will" Burrus: "Wait. If Britannicus isn't going to be the next Caesar, then who...?" Voice of a young man playing the lyre: 🎵 "The Emperor is going to marry my mother, although there is a prohibition against it. Claudius the Fool stutters no more... and now all Rome shall burn at the end of my song..."🎵 Burrus: 😐
Thanks for another fascinating, informative and fun video. I thoroughly enjoy your well-researched and well-presented excursions into Roman history. When can we expect a follow up to your first book? Looking forward to it!
if only edward gorey could have illustrated the various deaths 😀that'd be a fun coffee table book (which a movie could be made by having it go back in time to ancient rome)
but what if we removed the very short reigned usurper "Emperors" from the equation? How much does the data change then? Having things like the year of the six emperors surely skews the numbers...
Nero at the end of his reign: "Did this humble artist play well his part in this tragedy called Life?" Slaves: "Better than anyone could have ever dreamed, Caesar..." Nero: "Then applaud me..." *Prepares the knife while the slaves around him clap their hands*
@@TetsuShima So you just make up a fanfiction about history? No I think it applies to Augustus since he said it. I doubt nero had the humanity and reflection needed to have such words.
Somebody has to be at the top, and as a "job" it is somewhat surreal. I am reminded of the 'Derek and Clive" query: "What's the worst job you've ever had? which can be seen and mostly heard on TH-cam by the open-minded (beware of foul language which includes cod latin).
Literally being torn apart by an angry mob, choking to death on molten gold (or being flayed alive and having your skin preserved and stuffed as a trophy), having your skull turned into a cup. Makes you incredibly thankful to be born in todays time rather than the constant hell that was only hundreds (to thousands) of years ago.
The guy at 3:18 Andronikos I (aka Andronikos the Terrible) wasn't torn apart by the mob Mussolini style. It was reportedly worse. Mercenaries hung him upside from the Imperial box overlooking the Hippodrome - where the chariot races were held - as they took turn too see who could impale him most deeply. They had a bet. I am writing a novel about this period. It is nice to see toldinstone mention him as he is almost unknown.
Vitellius was torn apart by a mob, as was Petronius Maximus when the mob caught him fleeing Rome during the Vandal sack. Co-emperors Pupienus and Balbinus were tortured, dragged naked through the streets and finally murdered by the Guard.
Pretorian guard when it hasn't killed an emperor in a while : I don't need to I don't need to definitely don't need to I don't need to I NEED TOO Kills the emperor in cold blood
You might already have a video on your journey in history but a video about preconceived notions about the Romans before you went to Italy since you first seen the Rome 1 video to where your at now and what advice you can give to someone considering traveling to Italy, Europe to continue their education.
It's worth noting that Antoninus Pius was over 70 years old when he died. The video somewhat implies that natural causes were not a factor, and he could well have just been an old man who died.
The bathhouse assassinations were the most interesting to me, maybe because it's one of the most "cinematic", and it got me wondering whether there's any list of good ancient roman movie/tv adaptation that doesnt rely on too many modern-day stereotypes 🤔
On the last point of life expectancy, I've heard the general rule of thumb for life expectancy in sedentary, pre-industrial populations: Half of new borns died before their 5th birthday Half of those who survived that died before turning 20 Half of those who survived that died before turning 50, Half of those who survived that died before turning 65 And then there are too few people to generalise much after that. In other words, the odds of reaching modern retirement age was about 6-7%. Childhood mortality was very high, but even adolescence and middle-aged mortality was much higher than now (which in developed countries is negligible until ~60).
this doesn't seem quite right, especially the 50% mortality from 5 to 20. Sources I've seen imply closer to a 20% mortality rate in that age range, far lower than 50%. I think the rest are closer to the mark. Overall your table would imply a life expectancy at birth to be about 22.5 years (depending on how things shake out after 65), which is basically on the very lower end of the accepted range of values, probably because you're overestimating the mortality rate from 5 to 20. Once you reach adulthood (about 20), your life expectancy then becomes about 40 more years (i.e. 60 years old at death), with the median person dying around 50 years old, which seems about right. for modern context, life table for a developed nation would be something like: >99% survive to their 5th birthday 99% of those survive to 20 90% of those survive to 55 90% of those survive to 65 80% of those survive to 75 50% of those survive to 85 85+ is where is starts to fall off rapidly, with the median male dying around 80 and the median female around 85. Overall about 80% to 85% make it to retirement age of ~65. And since almost everyone survives childhood, the median/average ages at death hardly change when comparing at-birth to 20 year olds.
@@amvin234 I'll have to check my sources, I might have misremembered. It was also a very generic ballpark kind of figure: it would vary a bit from republic Rome to Tudor England. What exactly are your figures describing and where are they from? Anyway a life expectancy in the early 20s doesn't sound too far off? Thinking about it again, you are right that I have the mortality in the 5-20 age range a little high. But then again I have the 0-5 mortality pretty low considering that dying in the first few days/weeks was rather common. So common that births were not even announced immediately. Maybe it's more accurate to say a 50% mortality between 0 and 2, and another 50% mortality in the 2-20 age range. I guess it depends if you count deaths from exposure in babies. It's also worth noting that between 16-25 there would be a fair few deaths from war for men, and from maternity for women.
What! not a single emperor died from being struck by a falling tortoise -this is supposed to have killed the author Aeschylus -there is a type of eagle that grabs tortoises and flies up with them then drops them to split open the carapace and this is what happened to poor old Aeschylus who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.Also a favorite was the supposed death of the duke of Clarence in 1478 -for treason against his brother king Edward IV -Clarence was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine -his own choice of execution-someone has joked that he got out of the butt twice -to go to the toilet!
If you count only the emperors that reign in Rome before Constantine, almost all of them died violently. Somehow the monarchy style of the Byzantine provided a more peaceful end to their emperors.
It was suicide, wasn't it?" "In an involuntary sort of way," said Vorob'yev. "These Cetagandan political suicides can get awfully messy, when the principal won't cooperate." "Thirty-two stab wounds in the back, worst case of suicide they ever saw?" murmured Ivan, clearly fascinated by the gossip. "Exactly, my lord. -Bujold, Cetaganda
Suetonius is normally reliable - as a source for contemporary court gossip. I think it very unlikely that Livia poisoned Augustus, not least because she already had what she wanted: her son Tiberius as Augustus' acknowledged heir.
@@toldinstone Cool. Lol. Then what do you think about someone like Robert Graves and his two novels? And would you say that Caligula's sexual deviations were simply gossip too, along with Tiberius' hair raising antics on Capri? I'm asking this because you're pretty much *the* only scholar I have access to. And all I've ever done was to read those classics in translation (good ol Penguin; good ol Loeb).
It’s a real shame this tradition isn’t still honoured today. I particularly like the idea of flaying but some people would probably find it distasteful these days
@@why3011 your right, I’m not hearing of any leaders being flayed… maybe I’m reading the wrong journalists! (I’m joking, I wouldn’t wish that sort of horror on anyone)
Seeing an emperor penguin in a chart of average life expectancy of Roman emperors is now my favorite told in stone moment
Super fitting considering Penguin Classics too lol
The Norwegian king - Magnus the Blind - was, not only blinded, but was also neutered and had a leg cut off... Still returned to the crown.
He was also known as "Magnus the Angry". Nobody knows why.
@@Thomas_Name oh, they were just very thorough in their mutilations..
Neutured is for domesticated animals. He was castrated. Maybe it's a language thing but in english, neutering/gelding is for pets/livestock, castration is the specific terminology for bilateral orchioectomy in human males.
@@tobystewart4403 is that a Ghostbusters reference? Lol
@@SebastianDingleswitch surely, a man might use different words for the slightest of comedic effects?
"Claudius Gothicus was carried off by a mysterious pestilence" is the beginning of a truly epic poem.
Really feel very bad for Emperor Otho, to be honest. Nero, despite being his friend, forced him to divorce his beloved wife and then he definitely lost her when the Emperor brutally murdered her by kicking her to death, even though she was pregnant, not to mention that Nero also publicly humiliated Otho on several occasions, like when he punched him in the face for calling him Lucius Domitius (the name Nero had before his mother married Claudius). Despite everything he suffered, Otho went on with his life, being even able to become Emperor and humiliate the memory of the deceased Nero. Unfortunately, Destiny wanted the fat degenerate of Vitellius to rebel against him, and in the end, Otho preferred to kill himself instead of sacrificing his men's lives. Despite only being Emperor for two months, Otho proved to be an infinitely more honorable Emperor than Nero. Both the mini-series "A.D." and Anthony Burgess's book "The Kingdom of the Wicked" recount part of Otho's life, if you are interested
100% agree. While I do think much of the writings about Vitellius are propoganda (though he WAS a glutton), Otho's decision to capitulate and commit suicide, rather than retreating, bunkering down in a fortified city, and wasting Roman lives in a desperate claw at power, reads very honorably.
Let's not forget that Otho arranged the assassination of his immediate predecessor, Galba.
@@davidhoward4715 Galba was not precisely a wonderful person. He killed a lot of romans of all social positions during his inept reign in order to consolidate his power, being that the reason why he lasted only 6 months
I'd recommend Suetonius before Anthony Burgess lol
@@davidhoward4715 ...but he died nobly.
The guy at 3:18 Andronikos I (aka Andronikos the Terrible) wasn't torn apart by the mob Mussolini style. It was reportedly worse. Mercenaries hung him upside from the Imperial box overlooking the Hippodrome - where the chariot races were held - as they took turns to see who could impale him most deeply. They had a bet.
I am writing a novel about this period.
Nice to see you mention him toldinstone. He is almost unknown.
So, how did they determine who won?
@@irishjet2687 According to Niketas Choniates (the main chronicler of the era): "A certain ungodly man (my main character) dipped his long sword into his (Andronikos') entrails by by way of the pharynx." ("O City of Byzantium" p.193) Through the throat and into the intestines. Guessing he won. 50 gold hyperpyrion was the prize money. History does not mention his name.
@@brucefreadrich1188 have you given him a name.
@@t.wcharles2171 Yes. Thank you for asking. Since the only thing I had to go on was that he was "ungodly" and a "Latin mercenary" - I chose Pons. It is a short form of Pontius (as in Pontius Pilate) which was rare, but not unheard of in the middle ages. It was considered ill omened or bad luck. Like naming your kid Judas or Cain.
@@brucefreadrich1188 or Saul
"Speaking of being pulled in different directions..." Had my sides-splitting.
Incredibly smooth transition. 😅😅
Speaking of sides splitting...
I literally laughed out loud with the graph having lightning in it. I dunno if it was supposed to be funny, but it was hilarious. Also, I loved the video. They're always so interesting and answer questions I never thought to ask but love to know about.
That segue to the sponsor at 3:14 was epic, even @LinusTechTips couldn't get away with that.
Regarding Valentinian II's suicide, I don't think there's much reason to suspect foul play. Arbogast, the Frankish general who had been his regent while he was a child, had become untouchable, and was on good terms with the senior emperor, Theodosius. Arbogast had all the power he could want, while he had everything to lose from Valentinian dying and a replacement emperor coming in.
Meanwhile, Valentinian, technically emperor from the age of 4, and now 21, was quickly realizing he had no power, and no hope of being anything more than a puppet. His guards looked to Arbogast for approval before they followed his orders. Arbogast (and other officials) disrespected and mocked him in public, and when Valentinian tried to fire Arbogast, now that he no longer needed a regent, Arbogast just laughed, ripped up the "pink slip" parchment, and said that since Theodosius had put him in place, Valentinian II had no authority to get rid of him. All of Valentinian's letters to Theodosius were ignored, and it was apparent he had no control over his own life. It is easy to see the young man despairing, and exerting the little bit of control he DID have to hang himself. Plus, Arbogast's reaction to the suicide does not at all seem like the response of someone who just murdered an emperor so he could seize more power for himself.
Thanks for this insightful comment; as you say, there's a good case to be made for Valentinian's death as a genuine suicide. I still suspect, however, that Arbogast may have just wanted him out of the way.
I think it is well know that Theodosius may also have been involved in the murder because he wanted to put his son Honorius on the throne. Theodosius did the same with Gratian when his friend Magnus Maximus from Britain rebelled and was essentially blessed by Theodosius to do so.
"Speaking about being pulled in different directions" best ad transition yet.
The average lifespan of a Roman emperor was likely slightly higher than that of the average pleb, but one must factor in the relative contempt held for an emperor, as that tended to disproportionately shorten their lives. Much unlike today, where a leader or politician will seemingly legislate with more fervor and likely get re-elected the more they are hated.
weird ain’t it
The average "reign" of a (western) Roman Emperor was 4 years. The most common cause of death was the Praetorians - his own bodyguards.
Weird how they all use the same voting machines today too.
What do you mean politicians get elected more when they’re hated
@@RestIsPhilosophy people are scared of change
Don't forget the emperor Vespasian who died with probably the best last words ever. Remembering emperors were deified after death:
"Uae! Puto deus fio! " or " Oh Dear! I think i'm becoming a god!"
Yes! Coming all the way from the first video, I've finally arrived here! (But I skipped the podcasts).. appreciate the painstaking effort of searching and putting up the pictures! The videos contain many photos you must have spent so much time choosing photos!
20 years ago, I printed a safety standard at work and somehow it found it's way on Scribd, complete with my name on the footer. I asked them to remove it and they said no. Great guys.
I always enjoy how well you can paint the picture of the past which was so long ago with intricate words and descriptive dialogue. I'd imagine even the blind could follow these videos with ease.
Just bought your book Dr. Ryan and it's great!!
Wow. It's very possible that I've lived a better life than a Roman Emperor. Awesome video.
Not possible, certain. Modern "poverty" is a better standard of living than even imperial royalty 2 centuries ago. And this is universal, for example this is the first time in history that overeating has been a larger health concern globally than starvation.
Reading through your book, very interesting.
Congratz on 300k's subs! Enjoying the historical content. Thxs for the vids!
I absouletly adore your conent! Been watchnig for easely two years now and it is getting better and better!
Constans II was beat to death with a bucket while taking a bath. Imagine being the assassin and having the option to use literally anything, a dagger, a sword, just anything more efficient, and deciding instead to use a bucket to assassinate the Roman Emperor. Why do we not know who this man is, and why is there not a statue erected to honor his legendary regicide with a bucket.
The idea of being beaten to death with a bucket in a sauna made me actually laugh out loud when I heard it. The image in my mind’s eye is pricelessly funny 😂
The transition to the ad was flawless 😂
OMG! Love your presentation of the commercials as much as the information in your videos.
I'm sorry that ad transition was absolutely perfect lol
Yes! You read my mind and provided a pie chart.
excellent documentary
3:00 contains strong alliteration game
If the average emperor lived as long as the average Roman who dodged childhood maladies and 40% of them were assassinated that means the life expectancy of a Roman emperor was much higher than that of the average Roman if that emperor wasn’t assassinated. This makes sense as the Roman emperors were some of the wealthiest people on earth. I think it’s kind of funny that all that wealth and power got averaged out by revenge and intrigue.
Yeah, that is very interesting. Good point
Those who were murdered in the bath must have died thinking of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. What a classic way to go.
Best pivot to commercial ever!
I'd like to inform you that I am simply not getting any notifications about your uploads. I already noticed this like 2 months ago and desubbed and subbed again with activated bell just to realize that im still not getting any of your videos recommended.
Emperor Claudius's advisor: "It's over. He just died of a heart attack in his sleep..."
Burrus: "I see...Well, may the gods welcome him to the Olympus. As head of the Praetorian Guard, I guarantee the absolute loyalty of the army to the new Caesar Britannicus"
Emperor Claudius's advisor: "Britannicus?"
Burrus: "Is there any problem?"
Emperor Claudius's advisor: "I'm afraid that...Britannicus is not going to be the new Emperor. There has been a recent change in the imperial will"
Burrus: "Wait. If Britannicus isn't going to be the next Caesar, then who...?"
Voice of a young man playing the lyre: 🎵 "The Emperor is going to marry my mother, although there is a prohibition against it. Claudius the Fool stutters no more... and now all Rome shall burn at the end of my song..."🎵
Burrus: 😐
I exhaled quite vigorously through my nose when that pie chart came up with the inclusion of lightning strike.
Loved this video- keep up the great work, Garrett 👏
That was a next level ad segue
Wonderful video!
Thank you Garrett - that was a very sobering laugh.
another cool one....I learned a couple of things.
Thanks for another fascinating, informative and fun video. I thoroughly enjoy your well-researched and well-presented excursions into Roman history. When can we expect a follow up to your first book? Looking forward to it!
Thanks for the kind words! The sequel to "Naked Statues" will be published in September of next year.
I love how you stretch out a question
if only edward gorey could have illustrated the various deaths 😀that'd be a fun coffee table book (which a movie could be made by having it go back in time to ancient rome)
By this list, we can conclude that Nero had a easy death by his own hand. what a artist!
As for Claudius, it may be that they thought that the mushroom wasn't enough: see Robert Graves's essay, 'A New Light on an Old Murder'.
Epic as always
This was one of your best segues lmao
Roman emperors are like hamsters, they never die peacefully and frequently die in morbidly funny ways.
Man, some people just *_should not_* own pets.
but what if we removed the very short reigned usurper "Emperors" from the equation?
How much does the data change then?
Having things like the year of the six emperors surely skews the numbers...
If they get recognized by the Senate, they count
Wonderful coins on display here.
"The roads creaked with dust"? I think this is a rare infelicity on the part of Dt Ryan.
That segue to the sponsorship was something else...
I like you for the fact that you include Roman emperors post 476 AD
Nobody is talking about the bulgar khan and his favorite drinking cup. What a savage
nice analysis
Long Live Toldinstone!
Nero at the end of his reign: "Did this humble artist play well his part in this tragedy called Life?"
Slaves: "Better than anyone could have ever dreamed, Caesar..."
Nero: "Then applaud me..." *Prepares the knife while the slaves around him clap their hands*
Those are the last words of Augustus, not Nero
@@SonofSethoitae I know that. Anyway, I think that dialogue fits much more with Nero's personality
@@TetsuShima So you just make up a fanfiction about history? No I think it applies to Augustus since he said it. I doubt nero had the humanity and reflection needed to have such words.
That was a heck of an ad transition, but I felt drawn to it. Might have to try them for a quarter.
Somebody has to be at the top, and as a "job" it is somewhat surreal. I am reminded of the 'Derek and Clive" query: "What's the worst job you've ever had? which can be seen and mostly heard on TH-cam by the open-minded (beware of foul language which includes cod latin).
Literally being torn apart by an angry mob, choking to death on molten gold (or being flayed alive and having your skin preserved and stuffed as a trophy), having your skull turned into a cup. Makes you incredibly thankful to be born in todays time rather than the constant hell that was only hundreds (to thousands) of years ago.
The guy at 3:18 Andronikos I (aka Andronikos the Terrible) wasn't torn apart by the mob Mussolini style. It was reportedly worse. Mercenaries hung him upside from the Imperial box overlooking the Hippodrome - where the chariot races were held - as they took turn too see who could impale him most deeply. They had a bet.
I am writing a novel about this period.
It is nice to see toldinstone mention him as he is almost unknown.
How incredibly barbaric we were and are.
Vitellius was torn apart by a mob, as was Petronius Maximus when the mob caught him fleeing Rome during the Vandal sack. Co-emperors Pupienus and Balbinus were tortured, dragged naked through the streets and finally murdered by the Guard.
I see he hasn't found the cartel videos yet.
@@Breadmaker332 or the FBI crime statistics...
“By all means let Cato in life be greater than Caesar;
In death, was he greater than Otho?”
Wonderful video. Very witty. I wonder if George Martin the author was inspired by emperor valerian.
Yes, Carus was struck by the lightning bolt of Diocletian's dagger.
Pretorian guard when it hasn't killed an emperor in a while :
I don't need to I don't need to definitely don't need to I don't need to
I NEED TOO
Kills the emperor in cold blood
Tough business that emperor gig.
Them dudes got those sweet swimming caps for emperor drowning. Righteous
I think Emperor "Michael the Drunkard" is underrated.
They came in bloody and went out, bloody kinda of poetic in a savage way
Nothing about Elagabalus?
And Alexander severus
"...talking about being pulled in different directions" LMAOOOO
I can't believe Valentinius I literally died of a bruh moment
I love the natural causes, suicide, assassinated, and LIGHTNING as causes of death. Lightning doesn't fit any of the other categories. Lol.
0:50
Went out like a G
You might already have a video on your journey in history but a video about preconceived notions about the Romans before you went to Italy since you first seen the Rome 1 video to where your at now and what advice you can give to someone considering traveling to Italy, Europe to continue their education.
Jesus Christ, that advert transition had precisely zero chill. 😂
I’m just glad my reign was long.
Hey, was wondering if you've considered general sam for the podcast? I know he's an idiot but you bring out the best in him
Who else thought there was a Roman Emperor named Suspicius at 7:37 ?
Thank you for this Very Interesting video! You really did your research! I have a B.A. in Ancient History so I know a bit about that!
1:28 or was it…murder??!?!!?!?!
This video reminds me of the Gashlycrumb Tinies. "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs"
It's worth noting that Antoninus Pius was over 70 years old when he died. The video somewhat implies that natural causes were not a factor, and he could well have just been an old man who died.
I've always wondered how many riding and hunting accidents were anything but accidental
The bathhouse assassinations were the most interesting to me, maybe because it's one of the most "cinematic", and it got me wondering whether there's any list of good ancient roman movie/tv adaptation that doesnt rely on too many modern-day stereotypes 🤔
HBO's Rome is pretty good. Not perfect, but enjoyable.
@@SonofSethoitae that is just softcore smut with a Roman theme
@@joriankell1983 You obviously haven't seen it
@@SonofSethoitae It describes HBO in general.
@@joriankell1983 So you haven't seen it. Only idiots judge what they haven't seen.
..it would have been hard to underwrite a life insurance policy on any esp. in the 3rd century
On the last point of life expectancy, I've heard the general rule of thumb for life expectancy in sedentary, pre-industrial populations:
Half of new borns died before their 5th birthday
Half of those who survived that died before turning 20
Half of those who survived that died before turning 50,
Half of those who survived that died before turning 65
And then there are too few people to generalise much after that. In other words, the odds of reaching modern retirement age was about 6-7%. Childhood mortality was very high, but even adolescence and middle-aged mortality was much higher than now (which in developed countries is negligible until ~60).
this doesn't seem quite right, especially the 50% mortality from 5 to 20. Sources I've seen imply closer to a 20% mortality rate in that age range, far lower than 50%. I think the rest are closer to the mark. Overall your table would imply a life expectancy at birth to be about 22.5 years (depending on how things shake out after 65), which is basically on the very lower end of the accepted range of values, probably because you're overestimating the mortality rate from 5 to 20. Once you reach adulthood (about 20), your life expectancy then becomes about 40 more years (i.e. 60 years old at death), with the median person dying around 50 years old, which seems about right.
for modern context, life table for a developed nation would be something like:
>99% survive to their 5th birthday
99% of those survive to 20
90% of those survive to 55
90% of those survive to 65
80% of those survive to 75
50% of those survive to 85
85+ is where is starts to fall off rapidly, with the median male dying around 80 and the median female around 85. Overall about 80% to 85% make it to retirement age of ~65. And since almost everyone survives childhood, the median/average ages at death hardly change when comparing at-birth to 20 year olds.
@@amvin234 I'll have to check my sources, I might have misremembered. It was also a very generic ballpark kind of figure: it would vary a bit from republic Rome to Tudor England. What exactly are your figures describing and where are they from? Anyway a life expectancy in the early 20s doesn't sound too far off?
Thinking about it again, you are right that I have the mortality in the 5-20 age range a little high. But then again I have the 0-5 mortality pretty low considering that dying in the first few days/weeks was rather common. So common that births were not even announced immediately. Maybe it's more accurate to say a 50% mortality between 0 and 2, and another 50% mortality in the 2-20 age range. I guess it depends if you count deaths from exposure in babies. It's also worth noting that between 16-25 there would be a fair few deaths from war for men, and from maternity for women.
Was ever a Roman Emperors death kept a secret as happened in China at least once? Order death sentences and promotions etc.
Whoever has the most weapons and enough members has the power always
What! not a single emperor died from being struck by a falling tortoise -this is supposed to have killed the author Aeschylus -there is a type of eagle that grabs tortoises and flies up with them then drops them to split open the carapace and this is what happened to poor old Aeschylus who was at the wrong place at the wrong time.Also a favorite was the supposed death of the duke of Clarence in 1478 -for treason against his brother king Edward IV -Clarence was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine -his own choice of execution-someone has joked that he got out of the butt twice -to go to the toilet!
If you count only the emperors that reign in Rome before Constantine, almost all of them died violently.
Somehow the monarchy style of the Byzantine provided a more peaceful end to their emperors.
You really missed Aurelian? Or I was not focusing enough? :)
The Unconquered Sun shines on us all, he needn't be mentioned when he is already here.
here before the title change
I’m 57, so I would have likely been dead by now
One could say that we have not progressed as much.
It was suicide, wasn't it?"
"In an involuntary sort of way," said Vorob'yev. "These Cetagandan political suicides can get awfully messy, when the principal won't cooperate."
"Thirty-two stab wounds in the back, worst case of suicide they ever saw?" murmured Ivan, clearly fascinated by the gossip.
"Exactly, my lord.
-Bujold, Cetaganda
For the Principate!
the one who hemorrhaged from rage was my favourite
Bring back the Orc logistics guy please!
Lightning!?
Higher probability of dying by lightning as an emperor than an average person.
Do you reject Suetonius as a source? He implies Augustus was poisoned by Livia. Some historians think that's nonsense. Some don't. Your thoughts?
Suetonius is normally reliable - as a source for contemporary court gossip. I think it very unlikely that Livia poisoned Augustus, not least because she already had what she wanted: her son Tiberius as Augustus' acknowledged heir.
@@toldinstone Cool. Lol. Then what do you think about someone like Robert Graves and his two novels? And would you say that Caligula's sexual deviations were simply gossip too, along with Tiberius' hair raising antics on Capri?
I'm asking this because you're pretty much *the* only scholar I have access to. And all I've ever done was to read those classics in translation (good ol Penguin; good ol Loeb).
Isn't being struck down by lightning considered a "naturally caused" death ?
Protip get body guards, unless they will also kill you, uhh i don't power anymore :(
It’s a real shame this tradition isn’t still honoured today. I particularly like the idea of flaying but some people would probably find it distasteful these days
you're a psychopath, Ben.
Just because it's not being publicized doesn't mean it isn't happening
@@why3011 your right, I’m not hearing of any leaders being flayed… maybe I’m reading the wrong journalists! (I’m joking, I wouldn’t wish that sort of horror on anyone)