Listening to Mary Beard talk about Ancient Rome is a tonic to my brain. I have severe anxiety and listening to her calms me down. She makes history interesting and engaging. I’ve turned my mom, niece and nephew on to her series too. They now listen to all her documentaries now. More please!! PLEASE!!
Dr. Beard has many fans and a few critics. One critic recently posted that “she was too ugly to be on television”. She isn’t a fashionista (except for her phenomenal choice of shoes), doesn’t wear make-up or style her hair, and travels by bicycle most of the time. So, why do we like her? She is genuine, honest, and brilliant. She has opened the history of Rome like no other academician by the thorough presentation of facts and information. We like her because she tells it like it is (or was). She makes us think. Bravo, Dr. Beard, and thank you for helping us learn about ancient Rome, its peoples, and customs.
Pity she hasn’t had her lips filled with Botox, then she could look like the brainless fungi called ‘celebrities’ who’ve never done anything more than stuck their own mug in front of a camera and pouted. Thanks Mary, for doing something useful by educating the rest of us.
If a person’s main critic of a historian is “they’re not pretty enough to be on TV”then i doubt they have an idea of what a historian actually does. XD
If you love finding out about what a modern Lefty thinks about all the peoples of the past from her perch as a representation of our Very Moral Present, then sure, she’s your favorite. If you actually want to understand the past and the peoples who navigated their OWN times….not so much.
Love Mary Beard talking about Rome, Joann Fletcher is equally as enthusiastic in her Egyptian documentaries if anyone is interested. Well worth a watch
I've got both Mary Beard and Joanne Fletcher mixed in with episodes of Time Team. Add in my daily fix of brown bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai, Alaska and I have no time left for politics or the fear-mongering national news!
I love how casually she just reads Latin. I know very intelligent people who have studied classics (and hence Latin) at uni and they say that almost all graduates really struggle to just read Latin without having to decipher it
Mary you are a world treasure. You have a way of giving a highly visible imprint in ones mind when you explain past civilizations . Almost like you were their. Your brilliant.
Mary Beard, Joann Fletcher (Miss Frizzle of Egyptologists!) And Suzana Lipscomb are my fave female historians Mary Beard brings you right into the story she's telling you and is so passionate about what she's teaching you.
IMO one important feature was the Roman mindset. They just never gave up. Best shown in the Punic wars. A fleet was destroyed by a storm? Well, they build another fleet. An army was crushed by Hannibal? They raised a second one. The second army was crushed? They raised an even bigger one. The biggest army in known history until then was destroyed again at Cannae? Well, Rome adjusted - but never gave up. How many cities / empires would have been able to survive such horrendous defeats? And not a single one, but several in short order? The last one on a scale unimaginable, with a death toll and a death ratio rarely - if ever - seen before? Another tale - I am not sure if this is an anecdote that is true or if this really happened - was a siege of a city by a roman general. The city boasted that it had supplies for 10 years. The general said: I'll take the city in 11 years then. The city surrendered, because it knew that this was exactly what the romans would do. Like I said, not sure if this is true or just a tale. Possible elaborated, but the core is definitly plausible. The Romans were determined and stubborn, they just kept going until finally the enemy would crumble. They never doubted that they would be victorious in the end. No matter if you call this stupidity, courage, bravery, determination or insanity - IMO it was what made Rome (a small and insignificant town for a long time) to the most powerful and longest enduring empire in human history. And one that worked very well for most of its inhabitants. Technological advancement, material wealth, security - everything increased through Rome. So overall it was an empire that was very beneficial for those they conquered. Which is the only way an empire can exist for this long.
No, it’s just the _illusion_ of learning….the only way to truly learn about anything is to _READ ABOUT IT._ Do you really think that, when Dame Mary mentions a few sentences of Caesar’s book, that it’s as good as actually reading them yourself?!? Do you have any idea how many books _she_ has read-in the original Latin and Greek-to be able to expound so easily about her subject?? Having watched this one video, are you now able to sit down with her and have a discussion about Rome’s development? “Easier learning”!! You’re really not learning anything at all! And you don’t know it!
Yeah but most don't because they see what they want to see from history. That is how Caesar and Napoleon have rockstar status among history enthusiasmists they never account the human suffering they cause.
@@connor3284 Rome ruled by fear say no to the Senate or emperor and the legions come and kill EVERYTHING!!! Dogs and cats livestock Man woman and child except the lucky ones who were chosen to be a slave for life. Yeah that perspective.
@@isitme5669 historians was very bias they only tell u the good never the evil which is why America a nation that fought an king is an evil empire of today. U have to talk about unpleasant side of great men too. Yes they do great things also evil things as well.
“This is the nature of war, whose stake is at once the game and the authority and the justification. Seen so, war is the truest form of divination. It is the testing of one's will and the will of another within that larger will which because it binds them is therefore forced to select. War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence.War is god.” -Cormac McCarthy
Sadly true. The founder of Rome was allegedly the son of Mars, who killed his brother in a tiff over property rights - a portent of things to come. With all the bloodletting and the crazy rulers Rome managed to survive for centuries. Not a bad track record. The interesting and informed responses whenever the subject of Rome is discussed tells me that it remains an endlessly fascinating topic. I have or will be reading "Dynasty" by Tom Holland, "Memoirs of Hadrian" by Marguerite Yourcenar. I have on order "SPQR" by the current lecturer. That's my addiction, I guess.
There are incredibly beautiful videos by Schwerpunkt talking about these topics in detail. I've always had the impression that even the most "popular" scholars often talk by bending to a generalistic audience and not getting the actual deal of traditional history for how they saw it really like
Thank you for giving the name of Schwerpunkt!! Amazing videos indeed on subjects also rarely treated on line!! Thank you again! I will enjoy many hours of history!!😊
“….by bending to a generalistic [not a word, by the way] audience _and not getting the actual deal of traditional history for how they saw it really like”_ Did they also teach you to write?!?
@@Nighthawk799 There isn’t a documentary series on earth which can take the place of books. They make you _feel_ educated, but you’re not. Unless, of course, this channel or whatever it is can simultaneously show different interpretation of events, different points of view, so that the person watching can get enough of a grasp of the subject matter to discern the weaknesses and strengths inherent in the presentations. In other words, history-or any other subject-via documentaries is the laziest “learning” there is.
@@voraciousreader3341 oh! Absolutely!! No documentary can take the place of a good book! However I often ended up reading a book after watching videos or listening to a conference on the subject .
I love two Roman historians above all others, Mary Beard and Adrian Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is the master of all antiquity--Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Punic and Persian. They are both great speakers and just plain solid people.
Remeber folks, despite the great astetics, Odyssey is just infotainment. Closer to fiction than fact. Odyssey is to documentary as the History Channel is to history.
What, you wanted professors who took you to the places studied and to give you personal tours? Come on! You dropped out bc you couldn’t be bothered, and now blame it on your teachers! They apparently didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to _entertain_ their students, to spoon feed them bc the students simply weren’t interested. Mary Beard in her tutorials follows the same pattern, so it wouldn’t have made much difference, bc you’d still have had to master Latin and Greek. When you go to university, you’re on your own, it’s the first test of adulthood.…..you either take advantage of everything it has to offer scholastically, or you squander your precious opportunity.
Does the convention of placing a blank space between words go back to the very beginning of Latin writing? The epitaph of Scipio Barbatus follows this convention. How much further into the past can this practice be traced?
God always works even bad behaviors into good deeds ... and new migrations. 2 more years in Mommyville... then I rise as myself. So inspired ... thank you!
Well! You certainly put Dame Mary Beard in her place! The point you apparently missed is the particularly _Roman_ type of brutality, which was far more successful to any other empire of that or previous ages.
24:51 _”Whoever wore this helmet must’ve had a bigger head than me. Or else there must’ve been a lot of padding in it.”_ Well, DUH. If you were wearing that helmet without the leather supports, one crack of a sword, and you’d suffer a concussion. 🗡️🧠
There is something so fundamentally unnatural and irrational for a father to kill his young, in order to maintain his own power and wealth, rather than to pass them on as a legacy, given that we are mortal, and our only real legacy is our descendants.
I have alway great admiration for academics speaking in a normal way. The whole Rome circus is for non Latinists difficult to explore. The question is if the Rome from ancient times is so much different of the today's politics. Maybe a little bit less violent, but nontheless without any respect for anyone. So bringing us close to what possibly moved the Romans is no bad issue at all.
I think the British and French accents are the most beautiful sounds known to man. But why are their no twangy, raspy, profane Americans making documentarys like this any more? There are significant differences in cultural views.
I would suggest a title for a program for everyones lives: "How I came to life causing so much physical pain to my own mother". As if pain and adversity were not part of life 🤣🤣🤣...
Marys has a lucky husband lol. I wish my wife loved to talk about Rome and Julius Ceasar and everything about ancient times. I would marry her in a second lol.
"Improvisation, good luck, greed, ambition" where is adaptation? She makes it sound like they were just half assing it and getting lucky for centuries, as if they weren't doing anything better.
I love this, but I wish she wouldn't talk about democracy in the context of the Roman Republic, even before the plebeian secession and the establishment of the Tribunate. It really wasn't ever democratic in any meaningful sense.
Listening to Mary Beard talk about Ancient Rome is a tonic to my brain. I have severe anxiety and listening to her calms me down. She makes history interesting and engaging. I’ve turned my mom, niece and nephew on to her series too. They now listen to all her documentaries now. More please!! PLEASE!!
Dr. Beard has many fans and a few critics. One critic recently posted that “she was too ugly to be on television”. She isn’t a fashionista (except for her phenomenal choice of shoes), doesn’t wear make-up or style her hair, and travels by bicycle most of the time. So, why do we like her? She is genuine, honest, and brilliant. She has opened the history of Rome like no other academician by the thorough presentation of facts and information. We like her because she tells it like it is (or was). She makes us think. Bravo, Dr. Beard, and thank you for helping us learn about ancient Rome, its peoples, and customs.
I’m a glam girl lol, doesn’t mean my fav historian needs to be one. Love Mary Beard👏🏻
Pity she hasn’t had her lips filled with Botox, then she could look like the brainless fungi called ‘celebrities’ who’ve never done anything more than stuck their own mug in front of a camera and pouted. Thanks Mary, for doing something useful by educating the rest of us.
Mary Beard is far more knowledgeable, accomplished and radiant than the person who made those dispicable comment could ever dare to aspire to.
If a person’s main critic of a historian is “they’re not pretty enough to be on TV”then i doubt they have an idea of what a historian actually does. XD
If you love finding out about what a modern Lefty thinks about all the peoples of the past from her perch as a representation of our Very Moral Present, then sure, she’s your favorite. If you actually want to understand the past and the peoples who navigated their OWN times….not so much.
Love Mary Beard talking about Rome, Joann Fletcher is equally as enthusiastic in her Egyptian documentaries if anyone is interested. Well worth a watch
I second that. I hadn't seen Mary Beard before, but she seems pretty good. I've watched lots of videos with Joann Fletcher and she always delivers.
Thanks. I’m going to check her out too
Do I detect a crush?
I've got both Mary Beard and Joanne Fletcher mixed in with episodes of Time Team. Add in my daily fix of brown bears catching salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai, Alaska and I have no time left for politics or the fear-mongering national news!
she's a silly brit liberal
More of this series please. Mary Beard is bloody brilliant, fantastic, engaging, and I love watching her.
Mary aligns a lot and draws one into each part of each video. Captivating diction and punctuating on character studies. She is truly admirable.
Mary Beard is an absolute Legend!
I love how casually she just reads Latin. I know very intelligent people who have studied classics (and hence Latin) at uni and they say that almost all graduates really struggle to just read Latin without having to decipher it
Rosetta Stone has a class ;)
Interesting! Thanks for making me feel smart with my schoolgirl GCSE Latin!
Mary you are a world treasure. You have a way of giving a highly visible imprint in ones mind when you explain past civilizations . Almost like you were their. Your brilliant.
Omg awesome narration.....love your voice and the way you explain everything..love it love it love it
Mary Beard, Joann Fletcher (Miss Frizzle of Egyptologists!) And Suzana Lipscomb are my fave female historians
Mary Beard brings you right into the story she's telling you and is so passionate about what she's teaching you.
Alright down boy!
@@flashgordon6670 well I'm a woman but i admit I was a little excited .....about history 😁
@@ereynoldful3974 Haha excellent
So very, very true!!!!!!!
@@ereynoldful3974 a lezza eh?
Yes! Thanks to Mary Beard and Joann Fletcher for making history so acessable to all and relevant to our present time. Much appreacated!
The boat rams in the sea were incredible, what an amazing experience.
Thank you Prof. Beard for a great series.
The opening 3 minutes offers so much. You must include the whole series! It’s too much of a tease if you don’t.
IMO one important feature was the Roman mindset. They just never gave up.
Best shown in the Punic wars.
A fleet was destroyed by a storm? Well, they build another fleet.
An army was crushed by Hannibal? They raised a second one.
The second army was crushed? They raised an even bigger one.
The biggest army in known history until then was destroyed again at Cannae? Well, Rome adjusted - but never gave up.
How many cities / empires would have been able to survive such horrendous defeats? And not a single one, but several in short order?
The last one on a scale unimaginable, with a death toll and a death ratio rarely - if ever - seen before?
Another tale - I am not sure if this is an anecdote that is true or if this really happened - was a siege of a city by a roman general.
The city boasted that it had supplies for 10 years.
The general said: I'll take the city in 11 years then.
The city surrendered, because it knew that this was exactly what the romans would do.
Like I said, not sure if this is true or just a tale. Possible elaborated, but the core is definitly plausible.
The Romans were determined and stubborn, they just kept going until finally the enemy would crumble.
They never doubted that they would be victorious in the end.
No matter if you call this stupidity, courage, bravery, determination or insanity - IMO it was what made Rome (a small and insignificant town for a long time) to the most powerful and longest enduring empire in human history.
And one that worked very well for most of its inhabitants. Technological advancement, material wealth, security - everything increased through Rome.
So overall it was an empire that was very beneficial for those they conquered. Which is the only way an empire can exist for this long.
Very, very interesting. Mary Beard is the best at telling these stories.
Mary, you rock! Can’t get enough of your documentaries!!!!❤
Love Mary Beard.....Her Presentation Keeps My Attention...Leads To Easier Learning.
No, it’s just the _illusion_ of learning….the only way to truly learn about anything is to _READ ABOUT IT._ Do you really think that, when Dame Mary mentions a few sentences of Caesar’s book, that it’s as good as actually reading them yourself?!? Do you have any idea how many books _she_ has read-in the original Latin and Greek-to be able to expound so easily about her subject?? Having watched this one video, are you now able to sit down with her and have a discussion about Rome’s development? “Easier learning”!! You’re really not learning anything at all! And you don’t know it!
These programs are incredible, thoughtful and well produced and researched. Thank you!
Great documentary, grateful it wasn't put behind a paywall!
You can have an interest in Rome without admiring or excusing their wrongdoings.
Yeah but most don't because they see what they want to see from history. That is how Caesar and Napoleon have rockstar status among history enthusiasmists they never account the human suffering they cause.
Wrongdoings from what perspective? Are you even religious? Do you even have an eternal, objective basis for judging human moral behavior?
@@connor3284 Rome ruled by fear say no to the Senate or emperor and the legions come and kill EVERYTHING!!! Dogs and cats livestock Man woman and child except the lucky ones who were chosen to be a slave for life. Yeah that perspective.
What did Rome do wrong? I came I saw I conqueded
Might is right.
@@isitme5669 historians was very bias they only tell u the good never the evil which is why America a nation that fought an king is an evil empire of today. U have to talk about unpleasant side of great men too. Yes they do great things also evil things as well.
Best history teller of all time
Mary Beard is wonderful ❤
It was an informative and thrilled historical coverage video ...thank you for sharing
All civilizations are built on foundations with blood as mortar.
“This is the nature of war, whose stake is at once the game and the authority and the justification. Seen so, war is the truest form of divination. It is the testing of one's will and the will of another within that larger will which because it binds them is therefore forced to select. War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence.War is god.”
-Cormac McCarthy
Sadly true.
The founder of Rome was allegedly the son of Mars, who killed his brother in a tiff over property rights - a portent of things to come.
With all the bloodletting and the crazy rulers Rome managed to survive for centuries. Not a bad track record.
The interesting and informed responses whenever the subject of Rome is discussed tells me that it remains an endlessly fascinating topic.
I have or will be reading "Dynasty" by Tom Holland, "Memoirs of Hadrian" by Marguerite Yourcenar.
I have on order "SPQR" by the current lecturer.
That's my addiction, I guess.
Brilliant doc! ❤❤❤
This is so good!
I love this woman’s documentaries. She’s a great storyteller
Why was this uploaded again?? It’s been on Timeline for years!
Really enjoyed your talk with Richard herring in Colchester - thank you for the book signing
Yet what we all know but fail to learn is . . . empires fall.
There are incredibly beautiful videos by Schwerpunkt talking about these topics in detail. I've always had the impression that even the most "popular" scholars often talk by bending to a generalistic audience and not getting the actual deal of traditional history for how they saw it really like
Thank you for giving the name of Schwerpunkt!! Amazing videos indeed on subjects also rarely treated on line!! Thank you again! I will enjoy many hours of history!!😊
“….by bending to a generalistic [not a word, by the way] audience _and not getting the actual deal of traditional history for how they saw it really like”_ Did they also teach you to write?!?
@@Nighthawk799 There isn’t a documentary series on earth which can take the place of books. They make you _feel_ educated, but you’re not. Unless, of course, this channel or whatever it is can simultaneously show different interpretation of events, different points of view, so that the person watching can get enough of a grasp of the subject matter to discern the weaknesses and strengths inherent in the presentations. In other words, history-or any other subject-via documentaries is the laziest “learning” there is.
@@voraciousreader3341 oh! Absolutely!! No documentary can take the place of a good book! However I often ended up reading a book after watching videos or listening to a conference on the subject .
Romulus and Remus is similar to the Cain and Abel story.
I love two Roman historians above all others, Mary Beard and Adrian Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy is the master of all antiquity--Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Punic and Persian. They are both great speakers and just plain solid people.
Thanks!
Gotta love me some concrete, straight roads, aqueducts and low crime!
List of empires not based on brutality is very, very small.
Invisible if you don't count the biscuits.
That’s not the point of this tiny slice of history….her knowledge of her subject is so vast that she can distill it endlessly for general consumption.
Excellent documentary!
Funny thing: every time Dr Beard says "Romans" it reminds me of The Life of Brian 🤭🥰
Roman and British history are bloody and brutal. Well done!
Great documentary by Mary Beard very easy to watch I loved it. Leo BC Canada
As ALL Empires...
It is impossible to build an Empire WITHOUT abusing and humiliating other Peoples...
It's often impossible to have a family that doesn't humiliate and abuse one another 😅
Fratricide means killing your brother/sister
Empires are never voluntary
Do you always see the negative sides in things?
Remeber folks, despite the great astetics, Odyssey is just infotainment. Closer to fiction than fact. Odyssey is to documentary as the History Channel is to history.
Brilliant series.
Love anything to do with Rome fascinating part of history
If I had had professors like this wonderful lady I probably would’ve graduated college. Instead of leaving because I was bored out of my mind!
I would have larked about anyway.
What, you wanted professors who took you to the places studied and to give you personal tours? Come on! You dropped out bc you couldn’t be bothered, and now blame it on your teachers! They apparently didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to _entertain_ their students, to spoon feed them bc the students simply weren’t interested. Mary Beard in her tutorials follows the same pattern, so it wouldn’t have made much difference, bc you’d still have had to master Latin and Greek. When you go to university, you’re on your own, it’s the first test of adulthood.…..you either take advantage of everything it has to offer scholastically, or you squander your precious opportunity.
what street is that piece of wall at 14:33 ?
No one does Rome like Beard .
Rome worked for centuries. It was a great and succesful empire.
"Brother killing brother" sounds a lot like Cain and Abel.
Really informative
Great show.
I love your style, Grand Lady !
Mary comes in Constantine Algeria searching one of those Roman Empire 👤 it's lovely to read
Mary, Mary, Mary, Oh Dear Mary...
The empire west did not stop at Spain, it went all the way to Portugal..
Please me Dear, stop leaving us out..
The Irish were a very clever people. They had an Empire all over the world and were clever enough to let the British think they were running it!
True! The Irish diaspora is an empire of a much beloved people!
She’s just like one of the family, she’s an absolute treasure 😊
Does the convention of placing a blank space between words go back to the very beginning of Latin writing? The epitaph of Scipio Barbatus follows this convention. How much further into the past can this practice be traced?
"Honey, one of those history buffs if filming another documentary around our home again dear"
"Ugh, they will go away soon"
Ooh. that was a good one
I think Rome expended during the Republic, the Empire did not gain much but managed to keep the unity while limping for another 500 years.
They used the roads for the armies to travel on . So they could conquer through brutality
You don't conquer anything by being a wimp.
Why is Caesar always maligned ? Pompey was the one that broke most of the ( unwritten ) rules
Субтитри на български език, моля!
📍34:30
Mary Beard is the Steve Irwin of ancient and classical history and archaeology.
Mary is the absolute best
God always works even bad behaviors into good deeds ... and new migrations. 2 more years in Mommyville... then I rise as myself. So inspired ... thank you!
Mary Beard is the greatest!
How did the British set the standard for dramatic documentary hosts? 😆
Oh yeah? Who does it better, then? Nobody.
Tio timeline por favor puedes poner subtitulos en español
Roman Empire was build on brutality...
WELL DUH!!!
Heck, what Empire hasn't?
Well! You certainly put Dame Mary Beard in her place! The point you apparently missed is the particularly _Roman_ type of brutality, which was far more successful to any other empire of that or previous ages.
So Romulus was some kind of David Koresh??
You say that like it's a bad thing. Seems like a pretty solid basis for a realtionship.😂🤣
Yeah, all the guys on the ship that found it tried that helmet on
excellent but spoilt by very intrusive elevator music
24:51 _”Whoever wore this helmet must’ve had a bigger head than me. Or else there must’ve been a lot of padding in it.”_
Well, DUH. If you were wearing that helmet without the leather supports, one crack of a sword, and you’d suffer a concussion. 🗡️🧠
And now we're still dealing with these romans brutality in america.
If only we were crucifying criminals along major highways!
Mary Beard is my aunt!
That was cool
Rome❤Mary Beard!
Ancient Romans, instead of dancin' they shoud have been fishing, brother Brutus, long live Brutus., Thanx aunt Mary.
Cain and Abel weren’t twins but…
Why the need for combining a documentary with a loud symphony?
I though the lacus curtius memorial represented roman heroism not the sabines? all confused :)
OK, sorry for this question, but was she the same person that drank with James May on Top Gear?
There is something so fundamentally unnatural and irrational for a father to kill his young, in order to maintain his own power and wealth, rather than to pass them on as a legacy, given that we are mortal, and our only real legacy is our descendants.
Never listen to anyone who uses BCE instead of BC!
1 st river then town city how 2 boys grow that slow? back then most never see outside the shire....aged 30-45
I have alway great admiration for academics speaking in a normal way. The whole Rome circus is for non Latinists difficult to explore.
The question is if the Rome from ancient times is so much different of the today's politics. Maybe a little bit less violent, but nontheless without any respect for anyone. So bringing us close to what possibly moved the Romans is no bad issue at all.
I had to click on this video once I realized who the historian was!
it was a highway stranger coming in the current n some made impact u write about
Why is this story of boy in the river repeating everywhere!?
I think the British and French accents are the most beautiful sounds known to man. But why are their no twangy, raspy, profane Americans making documentarys like this any more? There are significant differences in cultural views.
I would suggest a title for a program for everyones lives: "How I came to life causing so much physical pain to my own mother". As if pain and adversity were not part of life 🤣🤣🤣...
Marys has a lucky husband lol. I wish my wife loved to talk about Rome and Julius Ceasar and everything about ancient times. I would marry her in a second lol.
Abel and Caim have the same backward as the foundation of Rome
"Improvisation, good luck, greed, ambition" where is adaptation? She makes it sound like they were just half assing it and getting lucky for centuries, as if they weren't doing anything better.
I love this, but I wish she wouldn't talk about democracy in the context of the Roman Republic, even before the plebeian secession and the establishment of the Tribunate. It really wasn't ever democratic in any meaningful sense.
island tree forest ueurope marsh not much in cold climate
Roman empire ddnt fall,.it become church who still ruled all the nations around the world!!