They also famously had no walls for their city either. When an Athenian mocked a Spartan for not having city walls, he pointed to his fellow Spartan soldiers and said “they are our walls”.
Eh, he skips over a few massive things between the Spartans' height and their fall to the Macedonians. Primarily, he skipped right over the Peloponnesian War which terminally weakened both Sparta and Athens. Neither were anything close to what they had been at their height. That's one reason the Macedonians succeeded. Plus, from other videos, you can tell he's got a soft spot for the Companions.
@angusmcculloch6653 yes, because history is massive and the video time is limited. He is talking about a select area of Sparta and not the whole history. Though I would love to sit through a 2 hr lecture on this subject from him. Cambridge is only a couple of hrs away, maybe I should see if he does lectures that I can sit on and watch. To see him in person would be good...
@@lukesearle1302 True, but the Peloponnesian War is worth a mention when you're talking about Spartan military power. In fact, the effects of the war are still felt today. Plus, it could even help his point that the Spartans weren't quite what invincible warriors they sometimes get presented as, since Athens beat the Spartans fairly decisively. But, then you see the dark side of Athens, as Athenian democracy is directly responsible for Athens launching one of the greatest blunders in military history when it launched its expedition against Syracuse, a debacle so bad that it led to Athens losing the war, its democracy for a time, and its empire, and bringing about the end of the height of Athenian culture.
That is part of the entertainment value of the channel. The purpose of these videos is to scratch that debunking itch. We should all take content from History Hit with a grain of salt. Dan Snow himself presents as a history educator and historian in his own right. However, he has been criticised at times for his pop-history and lack of care for detail and fact when it is at odds with entertainment. With this in mind, at times the historians they have on the channel are trustworthy and legitimate, but as a whole the platform is history-entertainment. Just because people say things such as "the historical record" when stating a fact it doesn't mean it hasn't been subject to interpretation. I'm not saying this video or this historian is wrong about anything, just that these videos are not citing their information. Saying the name of a historical figure and putting a picture of a greco-roman bust is not the same as providing and citing evidence for your statement. Again, this is not the fault of the historian (I'm sure he is doing his best to communicate unbiased and well researched history to us) but the fault of the production. They will be actively selecting for questions that cause the historian to chuckle and say "well ACTUALLY" because that's what we all want to hear.
@@saschamayer4050 Roel did a video analyzing the battle strategy in major movies and tv shows (like Game of Thrones) and his main criticism was that they should build ditches. th-cam.com/video/5ng24ML6Xbs/w-d-xo.html
@@robcanisto8635 Indeed. And it's the same people who like to quote the "If" response to Philip II of Macedon, not realizing that he proceeded to march to Laconia and rip them several new assholes
@@cleverusername9369 This is unusually well done, though. Roel Konijnendijk is an exceptional speaker. Most of History Hit isn't as good. There's a reason why all the commentators are enthusing about the "Ditch Guy."
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
I gasped out loud when I saw the thumbnail in my feed LOL. And now they've made a couple more videos with him! Yesssss! I'm going to go dig a ditch to celebrate.
What you're referring to is molon labe in Roman. It means come and take them. Referring to what Leonidas the 1st said to xerxes when he was told to lay down his weapons. It's more of a stance of defiance. BTW I also hate the ram 2500 bros though.
Roel was my fave lecturer at uni- only had him for a year but he was a legend. Taught me my favourite ancient greek word: pentakosiomedimnoi! Sending love from your Warwick contigent ❤
Maybe a bit of a silly question, but given that I see quite a few people in the comments respond in a similar way, Is there some sort of meme about Spartans digging ditches? Could you tell me?
@@martrietman Check out his episodes in Insider, Ancient Warfare Expert rates Battle tactics in Movies and TV. It's a blast. Also, Ditches, ditches, you need more ditches. You made one, dig another ditch.
@@martrietmani think why he got most famous is for commenting on game of thrones night king at winterfell episode where he was criticising the military tactics and one of his main points was not using the ditch properly and should have dug more ditches
I love when he reads an incredibly dumb questions, laughs and takes a second to think how to make it into an interesting answer. He is so good at this.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
RIGHT! If he had a hair stylist get in the game, he'd be History Hits' new heartthrob (I like his hair, btw, but to be extra swoony I guess he needs volume, or something).
I honestly thought this was a Robert Pattinson interview when I clicked it because I wasn’t looking very closely and thought for that split second what did he do to his hair? But then I stayed for the history.
Talking about the Spartans as people of leisure somehow makes me think of them as regency-era, Jane Austen nobility. Pride and Prejudice and 300... the most ambitious crossover in history?
This doesn't seem totally ridiculous, to some degree. The 19th century was basically the peak of British imperial progress, led by a large number of privileged upper class or at least "gentlemanly" men seeking their fortune and fulfilling their national/cultural expectations through military service, many of whom didn't have any particular training in the field before being handed leadership or being put into combat. Obviously a big difference in scale, both in the size of the nation and that only a portion of this gentleman class actually participated, whereas in Sparta military service was (I think) universal amongst male citizens. But still, a lot of leisure class rich people running around with weapons enforcing their will and extracting wealth from everyone else
@@imperator9343 You're right--the British army in the 19th century was also heavily manned (or at least officered) by the British aristocracy. If you had enough money, you could buy a commission in the British army.
@@Unknown-jt1jo In that case I say, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a ditch."
I think the closest comparison in recent history is the genteel class of the antebellum south. Wealthy landowners with a slave-based economy who valued a relatively specific set of physical abilities and highly restrictive cultural values. Consider an ideal southern gentleman, he’d have to be fit, good at horseriding and hunting, ability to control his slaves, and dueling. Strong sense of social structures and obligations.
@@asmodiusjones9563I came to this comment section to say just this. They'd be different from 19th century English nobility because of the nature of an agrarian society and their reliance on slaves, and as soon as he said that I thought of the planter class of the Antebellum South. Also I'm from the south and I love the idea of Spartans being basically those guys but also with military service.
The fact that I know most of the answers to these questions just by being Greek and paying attention at school, while someone studied hard for years and deticated themselves to learning more about my culture and heritage, makes me rather happy :))
@@hamzaferoz6162 They built their myth for sure. But we all know that myths have their bases on reality. They won major conflicts for many years and expanded to build their legacy. That is certain. Also their society was not accessible for the rest of Greece , so that helped too to perpetuate that idea. And this helped Sparta avoid conflict too sometimes , even when they where at their lows. So they kept the myth going even when they had not so big army at times. Like a safety net. If that makes sense.
@@hamzaferoz6162 Someone already answered your question but no, they did not. Were they to be under attack, then they would organising an army to defend themselves. And sure, when they wanted to carry out an expedition against an enemy they had plans but rarely did they do that. In most of the cases it was others that carried out the attacks. That is why in a battle against Thebes, who had an organised army and marched against them, they lost and the Thebans ruled over Greek land. Until the Macedonians come of course. Hope this helps.
@hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmh Yeah, but I do think you're more going from the other extreme. While yes, Sparta wasn't an army of Teminators as often shown. I don't think we will ever know how good they actually were. Even in the battle you mentioned, the Spartans had a greater force by a thousand or so, but only like 700 were actual Spartan hoplites. Even by that time, Sparta didn't have the numbers it did in the past. For many reasons, I cannot count battles helot revolts politics etc. When the strong side of the Spartans failed, most of the Allies, or, for a closer look at the truth, forced participants gave up, ran away, or what have you. Examples like Xanthippus show that Spartans could command and be great leaders at times in diverse situations. In my opinion, the failure of Sparta was mainly due to the governance and not solely to the abilities of their hoplites. And unlike my example above of Xanthippus, the leaders usually chose to stick to a more traditional fighting style. It didn't seem like they were much for adapting, even though they tried to teach it to the young, which is kind of odd, but leadership sometimes goes down the wrong path, even if some insights from it were good. Battle of Mantinea just for example had atleast by what was written 3000 Spartan hoplites and veterans. And I do like the commentator, but when he says they never won any real battles against Macedonia or Rome, I'm just lost for words because the context of those eras is completely different from the city state that once opposed Athens. And I guess they didn't have a standing army in the modern sense, but I feel like that is an argument over strict wording and not the fact of the matter. Herodotus: Herodotus, in his work "Histories," discusses the militaristic nature of Spartan society: "They live in the open, always in arms. For the most part, they wear the same clothes on campaigns and at home, seldom taking them off. When they do take them off, they wash them. They wear tunics and cloaks which are thick and not much different in winter or summer." (Herodotus, Histories, Book 7, Chapter 206) Thucydides: Thucydides, in his "History of the Peloponnesian War," provides insights into Spartan military culture and societal norms: "The Spartans are willing to do as their state bids, and to obey the law. Their ambition is directed to one object, that no one in the state, either man or woman, should ever be self-dependent." (Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 1, Chapter 84) Xenophon: Xenophon, in his "Constitution of the Lacedaemonians," discusses the Spartans' focus on military training and readiness: "And in this their whole manner of life is ordered with a view to war; and all those who are not in the field spend most of their time in military exercises, hunting, or looking on at the exercises and hunts of others." (Xenophon, Constitution of the Lacedaemonians, Chapter 2) And this clearly wasn't the only time Thebes faced Sparta. Battle of Coronea Agesilaus decided to oppose them by putting his phalanx directly in their path instead of taking them in the rear or flank, a decision that may have been influenced by his longstanding animosity towards Thebes. What followed was evidently one of the worst blood baths in the history of hoplite battles. As Xenophon described it, “So shield pressed upon shield they struggled, killed and were killed in turn.” In the end, a few Thebans broke through to Mount Helicon but, in the words of Xenophon, “many others were killed on their way there.
I absolutely LOVE every interview and video he's been in. So knowledgeable and full of information based on scientific and known facts from the past and he always has resources to back up his words, and he's very literal when he doesn't exactly know how to answer a question and will tell you that there hasn't been proof or any kind of knowledge to answers we're looking for. He wants to know everything we want to know and that's passion. I can sense the passion in the way that he talks that he sees questions and wants to know even more on the reality of the subject of knowing the ancient world just as much as the audience does.
I so much appreciate his lack of filter when it comes to explaining things factually! Please, everyone should have more of this! Just say it like it is. I also think he's quite charismatic. 🙂
The Spartans could also throw rocks and hit people with them. It was great!! I always love seeing videos with Roel. He doesn't sugar coat anything and tells it like it is, or how we know it was.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
300 made them seem worth knowing about. After discovering the truth, there's really no reason to research their civilization. They're ordinary guys who were wiped out by slightly less worse guys.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
It also sounds vaguely implausible. History (and pretty much anyone with a penis) knows that only ends in three ways: you relieve yourself in private and not tell anyone ("Oh yeah yeah, sure I never jacked off, no, never, I swear, Zeus strike me down" *eyeroll), you explode as soon as the woman so much as starts looking at you on the wedding night (so, no hard rabbit-fucking), or you start sticking it in anything and anyone that comes near out of sheer frustration. The last one would seem most likely, but if it was really common you'd think others would've noticed it enough to note it down. The Greco-Roman historians were infamously prone to bias and salacious stereotyping; if the Spartan men were a bunch of crazed rapists and livestock-fuckers driven to depravity by sexual repression, we'd have certainly heard about it. Heck, if it happened just once, you can bet Plutarch or Herodotus or Suetonius or whoever would've jumped on it. As it is, this "blue balls to create stronger children" thing already sounds like the sort of rumours and misunderstood science the ancient chroniclers loved to trade in, with subsequent centuries of historians projecting their own values onto it.
This was just the thing people who tend to overhype sparta and spartans needed. Can‘t stand it anymore to read „but the spartans bla bla bla best warriors ever bla bla bla“. Thank you for the insight!
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
I was always very excited about history, and this gentleman takes me back to my younger years at school just learning history and being in a classroom, although with a really great teacher. Every time it is a pleasure tk hear him speak.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
The thing that I always found amusing is the whole "throwing babies off a cliff" thing of the Spartans is...we know where that cliff is. You'd think we'd find a bunch of remains of babies at the bottom of it if that happened. But archeologists didn't, they just found a handful of adults. So it's far more likely several adults were executed by being thrown off the cliff, but throwing "bad babies" off almost certainly didn't happen.
Me gotten Aladdin's lamp: first wish: "i want another video with the ditch king" second wish: "i want another video with the ditch king" third wish: "i want another video with the ditch king"
Something that's understated in this video is that spartiates were in the single digits percentage wise in terms of population of the polis. It was an exclusive society of very few priviliged even for the standard of the classic mediterranean.
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE TRENCH DIGGING LEGEND HIMSELF!! “Beyond hype” is an understatement in explaining my excitement when seeing this video pop up. Edit: To say it’s an absolute shame I cannot find Dr Roel Konijnendijk’s name anywhere on the video text? I mean we all know the legends but i think his name should be displayed in the description at least.
You know when he's reacting to a question like it's absolute bogus and then "Did Spartans hunt slaves?" comes up and you expect him to laugh it off but he doesn't? 😐
Excellent video! Despite university education touching on ancient Greece, I did not know some of these at all, or only had partially outdated knowledge.
Spartans didn’t dig ditches. I’m thoroughly disappointed.
They did against Pyrrhus.
Their slaves did.
They also famously had no walls for their city either. When an Athenian mocked a Spartan for not having city walls, he pointed to his fellow Spartan soldiers and said “they are our walls”.
@@ErikDayne after that it was downhill for the Spartans from then on.
Well that's what slaves are for..
I will never get tired of Roel Ko.. Konij.. Konejen... Ditch man.
Hahaha, call him Bunny (Konijnen) dike (dijk - from the waterdike)
The name Rabbitsdyke must be respected!
@@SterfGoogle Don't make fun of someone's speech impediment, please.
@@Rattenhoofd Typing impediment, rather.
Dutch Ditch man
"But they were, briefly, a little better then other greeks at least"
thats the harsh realism that we love this guy for!
Turns out being barely better than the other Greeks during just the right era is all you need to be cemented into history forever.
@jasonreid9267 that and a very good publisher. I mean history is written by the victors...
Eh, he skips over a few massive things between the Spartans' height and their fall to the Macedonians. Primarily, he skipped right over the Peloponnesian War which terminally weakened both Sparta and Athens. Neither were anything close to what they had been at their height. That's one reason the Macedonians succeeded. Plus, from other videos, you can tell he's got a soft spot for the Companions.
@angusmcculloch6653 yes, because history is massive and the video time is limited. He is talking about a select area of Sparta and not the whole history. Though I would love to sit through a 2 hr lecture on this subject from him. Cambridge is only a couple of hrs away, maybe I should see if he does lectures that I can sit on and watch. To see him in person would be good...
@@lukesearle1302 True, but the Peloponnesian War is worth a mention when you're talking about Spartan military power. In fact, the effects of the war are still felt today.
Plus, it could even help his point that the Spartans weren't quite what invincible warriors they sometimes get presented as, since Athens beat the Spartans fairly decisively.
But, then you see the dark side of Athens, as Athenian democracy is directly responsible for Athens launching one of the greatest blunders in military history when it launched its expedition against Syracuse, a debacle so bad that it led to Athens losing the war, its democracy for a time, and its empire, and bringing about the end of the height of Athenian culture.
I swear, the Ditch Dutch is my favorite historian.
This guy and Oversimplified always make my day whenever their videos drop.
@@tomweiss9600 Nowadays Oversimplified makes me cringe when he drops a video 🤷
Give a try to "Premodernist" and his time machine video.
@@xabierperez Premodernist is amazing. Oversimplified is an OK starting point if you know nothing about the topic, but there are much better sources.
@@EddieHD_ Dude....not cool.
My favourite genre is “actual expert dismantling bullshit myths and getting quietly exasperated at the wilfully uncritical nature of some questions”
Eh, it's not like he was *there*
@@angusmcculloch6653He has studied the evidence of what we have though 😂
But.... IS ATHENS BETTER THAN SPARTA??????
You should get into medieval history, if you haven't already. You're gonna have a blast.
That is part of the entertainment value of the channel. The purpose of these videos is to scratch that debunking itch. We should all take content from History Hit with a grain of salt. Dan Snow himself presents as a history educator and historian in his own right. However, he has been criticised at times for his pop-history and lack of care for detail and fact when it is at odds with entertainment.
With this in mind, at times the historians they have on the channel are trustworthy and legitimate, but as a whole the platform is history-entertainment. Just because people say things such as "the historical record" when stating a fact it doesn't mean it hasn't been subject to interpretation. I'm not saying this video or this historian is wrong about anything, just that these videos are not citing their information. Saying the name of a historical figure and putting a picture of a greco-roman bust is not the same as providing and citing evidence for your statement.
Again, this is not the fault of the historian (I'm sure he is doing his best to communicate unbiased and well researched history to us) but the fault of the production. They will be actively selecting for questions that cause the historian to chuckle and say "well ACTUALLY" because that's what we all want to hear.
"If you no ditches, ya'll get stitches"
Roel Konijnendijk, probably.
ditches or stitches
not sure city counsel will like it when I started digging ditches around my house
@@JoeyP946as long as you know where all the lines are… otherwise they’ll most definitely be out on the job.
if you havin war problems i feel bad for you son. i got 99 problems but a ditch ain't one
roel konijnendijk, definitely
Also, "you stab them and it hurts."
Honey, I can't talk, nerdy historian Robert Pattinson just uploaded.
Yeah, he looks like if you took Robert Pattinson and Pewdiepie and mashed them together.
Definitely looks closer to pewdiepie than Robert Pattinson, which makes sense because I believe he’s from Sweden or a Nordic country like pewdiepie
@@winklenator He's Dutch
Never clicked so hard on a video
Looks more like the guy who plays Aemond Targaryen, without the plump lips.
You’d need 10 concentric ditches to prevent me from watching a Ditch Guy video and maybe not even then
It would take two or three rocks thrown at my head and some boiling water at least to stop me.
Please show Dr. Ditch the respective he deserves by addressing him by his earned title
What is all this about ditches?
@@saschamayer4050 Roel did a video analyzing the battle strategy in major movies and tv shows (like Game of Thrones) and his main criticism was that they should build ditches. th-cam.com/video/5ng24ML6Xbs/w-d-xo.html
Ditches may delay our viewership... but even they can't stop the inevitable. We will watch Dr. Dutch Ditch no matter what!
Man, I'm happy to see this. Sparta is so misunderstood/mythologized by modern people.
History is so misunderstood/mythologized by modern people.
The 300 movie is annoying as it made these misunderstanding, worse.
@@jaybestnz so much worse. I actually like it fine as an action film, but holy shit was it a travesty for popular history.
And it is ALWAYS dudes of certain political persuasion lol
@@robcanisto8635 Indeed. And it's the same people who like to quote the "If" response to Philip II of Macedon, not realizing that he proceeded to march to Laconia and rip them several new assholes
This is what youtube should be for.
I mean, if you subscribe to the right channels, that's literally exactly what it's for.
@@cleverusername9369 This is unusually well done, though. Roel Konijnendijk is an exceptional speaker. Most of History Hit isn't as good.
There's a reason why all the commentators are enthusing about the "Ditch Guy."
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
The way I was so hyped to see him in the thumbnail
I gasped out loud when I saw the thumbnail in my feed LOL. And now they've made a couple more videos with him! Yesssss! I'm going to go dig a ditch to celebrate.
Every Ram 2500 bro with a Spartan helmet sticker hates this video.
If they could read, they'd be very upset by this comment as well 😂
@@robcanisto8635😂😂😂😂😂
@@robcanisto8635 LOL
@@robcanisto8635Amen 😂
What you're referring to is molon labe in Roman. It means come and take them. Referring to what Leonidas the 1st said to xerxes when he was told to lay down his weapons. It's more of a stance of defiance. BTW I also hate the ram 2500 bros though.
I could listen to this guy talk about ancient battles and civilisations all day long
I could listen to him talk about how to make stir fry and it would be just as compelling.
Roel was my fave lecturer at uni- only had him for a year but he was a legend. Taught me my favourite ancient greek word: pentakosiomedimnoi! Sending love from your Warwick contigent ❤
THEO
That's indeed a nice word!
@@DrRoelKonijnendijk ROEL - HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?! I still owe you that pint!
What about rafanizein?
Gotta have those 500 units of grain to make Archon!
"Why didn't Sparta have walls?"
Me: "because they dug a ditch?"
Maybe a bit of a silly question, but given that I see quite a few people in the comments respond in a similar way, Is there some sort of meme about Spartans digging ditches? Could you tell me?
@@martrietman less about Spartans, and more about Roel being an extreme ditch enthusiast in depictions of warfare.
@@martrietman Check out his episodes in Insider, Ancient Warfare Expert rates Battle tactics in Movies and TV. It's a blast.
Also, Ditches, ditches, you need more ditches. You made one, dig another ditch.
Lol i bet spartans wouldnt rather commit suicide than dig a ditch themselves
@@martrietmani think why he got most famous is for commenting on game of thrones night king at winterfell episode where he was criticising the military tactics and one of his main points was not using the ditch properly and should have dug more ditches
I love when he reads an incredibly dumb questions, laughs and takes a second to think how to make it into an interesting answer. He is so good at this.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
As soon as I saw him in the thumbnail, I shouted, "Dig a ditch!!!"
I love this man.
I hope you get this guy to host a podcast. He’s great.
YES, 30 minutes of Roel!
Hadn't noticed those eyes, those sapphires can shine a light from the bottom of a 20 meter ditch
RIGHT! If he had a hair stylist get in the game, he'd be History Hits' new heartthrob (I like his hair, btw, but to be extra swoony I guess he needs volume, or something).
@@giraffesinc.2193 😄
Facts, I used to think that "piercing blue eyes" was an exaggerated phrase but, dang
He is cute
@@giraffesinc.2193I think if he cut it short and brushed it up, it would look better.
He looks like if Robert Pattison was playing bully-Maguire.
The haircut is SO bully Maguire! :)
nailed it, brother!
I honestly thought this was a Robert Pattinson interview when I clicked it because I wasn’t looking very closely and thought for that split second what did he do to his hair? But then I stayed for the history.
He looks like the guy from The Pianist
@@darulezlulez2625 great film btw.
Talking about the Spartans as people of leisure somehow makes me think of them as regency-era, Jane Austen nobility. Pride and Prejudice and 300... the most ambitious crossover in history?
This doesn't seem totally ridiculous, to some degree. The 19th century was basically the peak of British imperial progress, led by a large number of privileged upper class or at least "gentlemanly" men seeking their fortune and fulfilling their national/cultural expectations through military service, many of whom didn't have any particular training in the field before being handed leadership or being put into combat. Obviously a big difference in scale, both in the size of the nation and that only a portion of this gentleman class actually participated, whereas in Sparta military service was (I think) universal amongst male citizens. But still, a lot of leisure class rich people running around with weapons enforcing their will and extracting wealth from everyone else
@@imperator9343 You're right--the British army in the 19th century was also heavily manned (or at least officered) by the British aristocracy. If you had enough money, you could buy a commission in the British army.
@@Unknown-jt1jo In that case I say, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a ditch."
I think the closest comparison in recent history is the genteel class of the antebellum south. Wealthy landowners with a slave-based economy who valued a relatively specific set of physical abilities and highly restrictive cultural values. Consider an ideal southern gentleman, he’d have to be fit, good at horseriding and hunting, ability to control his slaves, and dueling. Strong sense of social structures and obligations.
@@asmodiusjones9563I came to this comment section to say just this. They'd be different from 19th century English nobility because of the nature of an agrarian society and their reliance on slaves, and as soon as he said that I thought of the planter class of the Antebellum South. Also I'm from the south and I love the idea of Spartans being basically those guys but also with military service.
The fact that I know most of the answers to these questions just by being Greek and paying attention at school, while someone studied hard for years and deticated themselves to learning more about my culture and heritage, makes me rather happy :))
Question
Spartans were truly not the professional army they were hyped to be?
@@hamzaferoz6162 They built their myth for sure. But we all know that myths have their bases on reality. They won major conflicts for many years and expanded to build their legacy. That is certain. Also their society was not accessible for the rest of Greece , so that helped too to perpetuate that idea. And this helped Sparta avoid conflict too sometimes , even when they where at their lows. So they kept the myth going even when they had not so big army at times. Like a safety net. If that makes sense.
@@hamzaferoz6162 Someone already answered your question but no, they did not. Were they to be under attack, then they would organising an army to defend themselves. And sure, when they wanted to carry out an expedition against an enemy they had plans but rarely did they do that. In most of the cases it was others that carried out the attacks. That is why in a battle against Thebes, who had an organised army and marched against them, they lost and the Thebans ruled over Greek land. Until the Macedonians come of course. Hope this helps.
@hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmh Yeah, but I do think you're more going from the other extreme.
While yes, Sparta wasn't an army of Teminators as often shown.
I don't think we will ever know how good they actually were. Even in the battle you mentioned, the Spartans had a greater force by a thousand or so, but only like 700 were actual Spartan hoplites. Even by that time, Sparta didn't have the numbers it did in the past. For many reasons, I cannot count battles helot revolts politics etc.
When the strong side of the Spartans failed, most of the Allies, or, for a closer look at the truth, forced participants gave up, ran away, or what have you.
Examples like Xanthippus show that Spartans could command and be great leaders at times in diverse situations.
In my opinion, the failure of Sparta was mainly due to the governance and not solely to the abilities of their hoplites.
And unlike my example above of Xanthippus, the leaders usually chose to stick to a more traditional fighting style. It didn't seem like they were much for adapting, even though they tried to teach it to the young, which is kind of odd, but leadership sometimes goes down the wrong path, even if some insights from it were good.
Battle of Mantinea just for example had atleast by what was written 3000 Spartan hoplites and veterans.
And I do like the commentator, but when he says they never won any real battles against Macedonia or Rome, I'm just lost for words because the context of those eras is completely different from the city state that once opposed Athens.
And I guess they didn't have a standing army in the modern sense, but I feel like that is an argument over strict wording and not the fact of the matter.
Herodotus:
Herodotus, in his work "Histories," discusses the militaristic nature of Spartan society:
"They live in the open, always in arms. For the most part, they wear the same clothes on campaigns and at home, seldom taking them off. When they do take them off, they wash them. They wear tunics and cloaks which are thick and not much different in winter or summer." (Herodotus, Histories, Book 7, Chapter 206)
Thucydides:
Thucydides, in his "History of the Peloponnesian War," provides insights into Spartan military culture and societal norms:
"The Spartans are willing to do as their state bids, and to obey the law. Their ambition is directed to one object, that no one in the state, either man or woman, should ever be self-dependent." (Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 1, Chapter 84)
Xenophon:
Xenophon, in his "Constitution of the Lacedaemonians," discusses the Spartans' focus on military training and readiness:
"And in this their whole manner of life is ordered with a view to war; and all those who are not in the field spend most of their time in military exercises, hunting, or looking on at the exercises and hunts of others." (Xenophon, Constitution of the Lacedaemonians, Chapter 2)
And this clearly wasn't the only time Thebes faced Sparta.
Battle of Coronea
Agesilaus decided to oppose them by putting his phalanx directly in their path instead of taking them in the rear or flank, a decision that may have been influenced by his longstanding animosity towards Thebes. What followed was evidently one of the worst blood baths in the history of hoplite battles. As Xenophon described it, “So shield pressed upon shield they struggled, killed and were killed in turn.” In the end, a few Thebans broke through to Mount Helicon but, in the words of Xenophon, “many others were killed on their way there.
You ain't that special , nobody cares
I'm confused. On the one hand, I just learned a helluvalot. On the other hand, my man didn't tell me to dig not one ditch.
kinda disappointed ngl
I dug a ditch anyway. It's conditioning at this point 😂
I absolutely LOVE every interview and video he's been in. So knowledgeable and full of information based on scientific and known facts from the past and he always has resources to back up his words, and he's very literal when he doesn't exactly know how to answer a question and will tell you that there hasn't been proof or any kind of knowledge to answers we're looking for. He wants to know everything we want to know and that's passion. I can sense the passion in the way that he talks that he sees questions and wants to know even more on the reality of the subject of knowing the ancient world just as much as the audience does.
Yeah, I like him too.
I so much appreciate his lack of filter when it comes to explaining things factually! Please, everyone should have more of this! Just say it like it is. I also think he's quite charismatic. 🙂
Roel was also a part-time comedian in his college years which answers alot of questions🤣🤣🤣
Some of his standup is still on TH-cam!
wait is he really?!
Holy shit, it's true
You don't have to boil oil, you can just boil water water and pour it down. It hurts. It's awesome 😂
@@DizzyBusy EAXCTLY! He has this comedic way of describing the absurdity of film tropes we take for granted
The Spartans could also throw rocks and hit people with them. It was great!!
I always love seeing videos with Roel. He doesn't sugar coat anything and tells it like it is, or how we know it was.
The Spartan Aimnestos killed the Persian general Mardonios with a rock at the battle of Plataia (479 BC) which decided the battle
😂😂 Thanks for the reply
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
If your entire perception of Spartans is from the movie 300, it's like all you know about ancient Egypt is from The Mummy
300 made them seem worth knowing about. After discovering the truth, there's really no reason to research their civilization. They're ordinary guys who were wiped out by slightly less worse guys.
And only the ones without Rachel Weiß
Also my knowledge of marine life comes from Jaws.
@@DaddyWarlocksmy knowledge of marine life is from Finding Nemo
@@dri1811ya that's basically a nature documentary, ya nerd.
HES BACK!!! LOVE THIS GUY!!!
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
Favorite historian to talk about anything. "Where is your ditch?"
You pulled in my Dutch Ditch King ❤, instantly becomes a legendary video
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
Every time Roel Konijnendijk is in some kind of video, my day is made!
How in the name of ditches did you spell his name correctly?
@@Blaze54845 Trust me, you could dig even 2 diches before you write it down correctly, so i use a forbidden spell called Ctrl+C :(
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
Eugenics via the power of *blue balls.* It's not everyday you hear about that...
It also sounds vaguely implausible. History (and pretty much anyone with a penis) knows that only ends in three ways: you relieve yourself in private and not tell anyone ("Oh yeah yeah, sure I never jacked off, no, never, I swear, Zeus strike me down" *eyeroll), you explode as soon as the woman so much as starts looking at you on the wedding night (so, no hard rabbit-fucking), or you start sticking it in anything and anyone that comes near out of sheer frustration. The last one would seem most likely, but if it was really common you'd think others would've noticed it enough to note it down.
The Greco-Roman historians were infamously prone to bias and salacious stereotyping; if the Spartan men were a bunch of crazed rapists and livestock-fuckers driven to depravity by sexual repression, we'd have certainly heard about it. Heck, if it happened just once, you can bet Plutarch or Herodotus or Suetonius or whoever would've jumped on it. As it is, this "blue balls to create stronger children" thing already sounds like the sort of rumours and misunderstood science the ancient chroniclers loved to trade in, with subsequent centuries of historians projecting their own values onto it.
This was just the thing people who tend to overhype sparta and spartans needed. Can‘t stand it anymore to read „but the spartans bla bla bla best warriors ever bla bla bla“. Thank you for the insight!
DIG A DIIIIITCH! The legend is back!!
Ditch boy is best boy.
I'll say it again. Death, taxes, and me clicking on a video with the ditch guy.
This historian is absolutely engaging! Thank you for the greatly informative content!
Hell yeah, I've loved roel since the original ditch episode. He could host every video, he's very charismatic
Is there any particular reason why he is talking about Sparta and 300 so much lately? Not complaining, I love listening to this guy.
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
"Some of them may have been fat!" 😊
"It was a meat show!" 😮
Give this man a regular series! He is endlessly interesting and knowledgeable, and we learn so much from his appearances.
The one and only I know I can fully trust when it comes to facts and history.
The ditch guy
Roel on ancient warfare - the gift that never stops giving
This is better than Christmas and all the other holidays combined!
Finally, a solid discussion of the subject I can point people to. Thanks Roel.
The legend is back! Make your own channel Roel Konijnendijk, I'd sub!
That'd be too much though. We need our ditches in small doses to keep us wanting more ditch.
He has a channel. 700 subscribers and one old video on it. Name of it is just his name.
As an Iranian, thank you for at least proving to me by making this video that there are people who tell the truth ❤
I was always very excited about history, and this gentleman takes me back to my younger years at school just learning history and being in a classroom, although with a really great teacher. Every time it is a pleasure tk hear him speak.
It just fills me with joy to see this man, it's so interesting to know this stuff and I am not even into history that much.
Iphikrates is the man, wish I could give this video 2 thumbs-up !
I like the fact that his answers are not long winded but to the point and understandable.
"This Isn't Sparta" by historian Brett Devereaux is a very good read that debunks many myths about the supposed badass city state.
Love Brett Devereaux's stuff! Especially his Lord of the Rings series on Gondor!
This pasty barbarian envies Greeks. The Spartans and Greeks were the most famed sought-after mercenaries in that part of the world and he says they weren’t good warriors. They beat all the mightiest empires around them-much more numerous than tiny Greece-Persia, Rome, Illyrians, Paeonians, Indians, Scythians, Carthaginians etc. he should stick to the history of his miserable depressing foggy Britain and keep the Greeks out of his envious barbarian mouth.
@Icetor01 Game of Thrones, too.
post more of this lad he is great
Big fan from Nepal 🇳🇵🇳🇵🇳🇵
I adore this guy. I’d watch him talk about anything
Always a pleasure to listen to this great Ditchman... er, Dutchman!
When digging a ditch becomes part of your military defense arguments... Every time I see Roel, it's all I think about. Great work on the shows!
Please do more with this gentleman. I'd like to hear him Talk more about ditches!
My favorite TH-cam historian!!
Yay, Dr. Roel is back!!! ❤❤❤ Finally! The only question here is now: Why is that video so damn short??!!
I would absolutely listen to an ancient history podcast with him hosting
The thing that I always found amusing is the whole "throwing babies off a cliff" thing of the Spartans is...we know where that cliff is. You'd think we'd find a bunch of remains of babies at the bottom of it if that happened. But archeologists didn't, they just found a handful of adults. So it's far more likely several adults were executed by being thrown off the cliff, but throwing "bad babies" off almost certainly didn't happen.
O they most likely just left them t0 die from the elements
Excellent video
this guy needs a yt channel of his own, brilliant
Another great video, it is always great to have Roel explain history.
Dig more ditches folks!
*Enemy Envoy:* “Where are Sparta’s walls?”.
*Spartan King:* (points at his army)
My favourite historian to see in these videos
30:17 LMAO I love this guy.
I love every video this guy does. He seems to really know his stuff and genuinely be interested in it and it really comes across.
Love this speaker, very clear and entertaining!
I like Mr. Koijnedijk, he always does his best to explain things in layman's terms and he doesn't fear to speak his mind when things are off
Great video! I studied Classical Philology many years ago and remember reading Xenophon talking about the Lacedaemonians.
Love every time Roel drops some content on us.
So basically, Spartans were elitist, snob, gymbros landlords
Yay, Roel is back!
The Flying Ditchman! A new video with him in it, a must-click.
I'll steal your soil
Give this man his own series. I’ll binge it.
Me gotten Aladdin's lamp:
first wish: "i want another video with the ditch king"
second wish: "i want another video with the ditch king"
third wish: "i want another video with the ditch king"
The ditchnman returns to bless us with his infinite knowledge. One of my favorite academicians, for sure.
Something that's understated in this video is that spartiates were in the single digits percentage wise in terms of population of the polis. It was an exclusive society of very few priviliged even for the standard of the classic mediterranean.
_The DITCH Guy!_ ❤️️ ❤️️ 😊 Great to see him commenting on other historical facts. Thanks for posting!
I made an involuntary noise when i saw this guy in the thumbnail. So interesting to listen to.
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE TRENCH DIGGING LEGEND HIMSELF!!
“Beyond hype” is an understatement in explaining my excitement when seeing this video pop up.
Edit: To say it’s an absolute shame I cannot find Dr Roel Konijnendijk’s name anywhere on the video text?
I mean we all know the legends but i think his name should be displayed in the description at least.
Did not know they ate pork everyday ... that is so interesting! Thank you!!!
I would love for this series to explore Persian history as well.
I love this man
Please do more of these! Excellent video!
You know when he's reacting to a question like it's absolute bogus and then "Did Spartans hunt slaves?" comes up and you expect him to laugh it off but he doesn't? 😐
His reaction to "were they vegetarian" is grate.
I wish there was one of these for the Etruscans.
oh!! please, yes!
Sadly, we don't know nearly as much about them. We have zero literary sources for the Etruscans (at least before they were conquered by Rome).
@@Unknown-jt1joThey were good silver smiths. That’s about all I know.
Roel has a 100% approval rating.
Madness? This Is Ditches !
we love Roel KonijDITCH, give this man a shovel and his own show!
*grabs popcorn* Aw yeah, ready for some ditches
And throw some rocks.
Big complement to this content, very imformative and the way Dr Konijnendijk talks about his craft really makes my wish he was a professor of mine.
Love to see The Flying Ditchman on my feed.
So much better than those Vanity Fair videos.
I like interviews with this guy!
Excellent video!
Despite university education touching on ancient Greece, I did not know some of these at all, or only had partially outdated knowledge.