back in the 80's this is how we learned history in school, a minimalist slide presentation and a lecture. most of my classmates were bored to sleep, but i loved this style learning and still do.
I think it's probably the best way for people who genuinely want to learn the material. The History Channel style of sprinkling in boobs and reality-show music to keep an audience engaged makes them pay attention but really only dilutes the material and doesn't aid in retention. Having a passionate teacher helps too; I never would have gotten into history without my American History teacher in high-school. She was just so enthralled and passionate in the material that I couldn't help but be engaged.
The basilica of Maxentius and Constantine was absolutely huge. I was on the spot, standing bellow arches, incredible height. And it is not the full height of the building. It is an interesting point about how complex skills (like the architecture ) are lost if there are not cities or governments with enough funds to make large public projects. And when the generation of artists and specialist dies out, we truly have dark ages of lost skills and knowledge.
@@777jones - America is absolutely on the decline. 🤷🏻♀️😕 We'll be seeing its collapse if not in OUR lifetimes... for sure, by our kids' or grandkids'. And the country will have done it to itself. All of these "wealthy" nations that only became wealthy by stealing from poor & indigenous peoples, will fall.
I am from Split and very glad you included the palace into your presentation. However, that what you call “catacombs” are actually cellars that were used to store grains and mostly wine during Diocletian’s time. We still refer to them as such. For example, we say: “I am in the cellars right now.” There’s always constant cool temperature there, even if 40C outside. It feels like that there’s air conditioning but there’s none, of course. Cellars are vast in size and a small part of it is a free public space that serves as a kind of underground street. There’s a labyrinth-like larger part, accessible with ticket admission. When I was child there’s was annual flower art fair that took place in the cellars, that we loved to visit and get lost there, to our parents’ horror, but I’m not sure if it still takes place there since I don’t live in Split anymore. Anyway, if you say “the cellars” in Split, you’ll be generally understood, contrary to if you say “catacombs “. P.S. In my parents’ time, the cellars served as - a night club, a very popular place with live music where young people gathered to dance and mingle with local celebrities. By the time I grow up that was unfortunately gone. Incredible how many purposes the cellars served in the stretch of 1700 years!
Kristina that’s so cool I’ve been to Rome in 2018 and toured all over Italy the sights were awesome also the food and people were so nice to us. Is amazing the history there we just don’t have that in America. I live in Arizona and the only history we have here before the 1800’s is Native American. I will definitely travel back to Italy.
It's amazing that the Old St Peter's Basilica was 1000 years old when it was demolished to make way for the new one. Wonder if there was any resistance from Preservationists at the time!
I could very well be wrong but perhaps the Basilica was so run down that it was simply easier and far less expensive to just tear it down and start again. Another history puzzle to look into.
It had never occurred to me how vulnerable the aqueducts must have been ..... the manpower required to defend them against sabotage must have been expensive.....
Thank you! This timely upload just helped me win an argument with a not so much history educated friend. He thought that the "Vikings" were the ones to collapse the Roman Empire. Had to tell him that the myriad of causes aside, they weren't Vikings.....they were just Germanic
In a way your friend was right if we regard the Frankish empire of Charlemagne and his descendants as heirs of the Roman empire -afterall the pope crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman emperor in 800 AD and it was the subsequent dividing up of this great empire with Louis the Pious and his 3 sons that led to the decline with Viking attacks plus Arab and Magyar ones leading to the decline.Your friend probably watched the TV series Vikings and he probably thought that the west Frankish defenders of Paris in the great Viking sieges of Paris were Romans.
Even if it were scandinavians they wouldn't have been "vikings" anyways so your friend is dumb. Not gonna even touch on the fact that calling scandinavians Vikings is dumb in and of itself
@@kaloarepo288 the holy Roman empire didn't fall until the 19nth century and charlemagne's empire never really fell it was just split between his sons. That split still last till this day. Hence why we have france and Germany. France and germany have never ceased being top powers in Europe so idk what you mean exactly by decline. If you count it not being ruled by his family maybe.
@@annatarlordofgifts2442 Charlemagne's empire didn't fall but it was certainly split up and declined -so much so that the kingdoms inherited by his successors couldn't withstand outside attacks by Vikings,Arabs and Magyars etc.In the western kingdom (France)the Carolingians were supplanted by the Capetians -largely because they were ineffective in repulsing Viking attacks etc.In 962 the Saxon monarch Otto the First(The Great)was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope -after he had defeated rebellions by his own son and of the Carolingian rulers of Italy(Berengar the Second)It was this state that was really the Holy Roman Empire as we know it,not the much larger one of Charlemagne,that lasted until Napoleon abolished it in the early 19th century.
@@SLRok Compare a WW2 vet to a 1960s Hippy. The Hippies were handed the most egalitarian economy where you could work at a gas station and afford a house. The vet offered his life for his country, the hippy burned his draft card. I blame the hippies. It just got worse from the 70s on.
I appreciate you publicly posting your Roman Empire lectures on TH-cam. When I took the class last year, they were videos that were only available to access for that semester on a school website.
Rasp Berry any emperor who would have reformed the empire in a meaningful way, that may have prolonged its life, was often killed for the simple reason that they threatened those with money and power behind the scenes.
@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva umm no he wasn’t. He was a fully grown man baby and turned a blind eye to the suffering around him and so he could be comfortable with his chickens.
@@Sumzja he wasn’t a warrior, he was a palace prince who let whoever impressed him at the time do what they want and ignored the needs of his people. He was a pathetic coward
In the end slavery destroyed the Roman empire. I read that during the decline of the empire, the city of Rome had 3 million inhabitants, yet 85 percent of which are SLAVES.
@@dudsulugulugan7639 percentage of slaves varied drastically throughout the republic and empire. Compared to disease, plague, economic collapse and civil wars this not a giant player
I wondered if things would have turned out differently had Rome relied on Byzantine-style themes instead of standing armies for border or provincial defense. The distant provincial legions/troops were at the center of probably every troublemaking adventure that led to the collapse of the Western empire. Also, Byzantium did pretty well while the themes were intact, and the abolition of those themes was followed by an irreversible decline. Edit: That last sentence was not necessarily causation, but I think it does show the themes wouldn't have hurt, either. Landholding, after all, was the foundation of the growth of early Rome.
They didn't just have standing armies (the comitantese, meaning companions of generals) they also had regional troops (limitanti, literally limiters of invaders and brigands.) the limitanti were not massively different to themes.
The limitanti were less tied to the local land and local rulers, but is arguably a better system from the perspectives of civil war. Limitanti were less likely to develop regional loyalties above imperial loyalties.
The western empire could not stand on its own and was slowly extinguished under the constant barbarian invasions. The wealth was in the Eastern empire in the late stages, the west was starved of funds so it withered away slowly over a solid hundred years. It never just fell, more like a light slowly growing dimmer due to financial pressures brought on by invasions.
55:00 Diocletian's personality - after he retired to his newly built palace, one of his pastimes was raising cabbages. Sometimes retirement is to enjoy other things besides managing people.
Three points: First, the last Western Roman Emperor recognized by his co-emperor in Constantinople was Julius Nepos whose practical jurisdiction was limited to the region of Dalmatia on the Adriatic. Odoacer in 476 did indeed send the official Western Roman Imperial regalia back to Constantinople when he deposed Romulus "Augustulus" in 476 with the message that there was no longer an Emperor in the West. But the Emperor in Constantinople (Eastern Roman Empire) still recognized Julius Nepos as official Western Roman Emperor until he was assassinated in 480. Second point: In the Western Roman Empire, only port cities like Carthage and Syracuse were economic producers in their own right. Most other Western Roman cities, especially in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, were chiefly administrative/religious centers that sometimes housed barracks for the military, but whose economic production, such as it was, was overwhelmingly for the local metropolitan economy, and also for whatever Imperial facilities happened to be present (e.g., Trier, Milan/Ravenna, and Sirmium on the Danube were regional Imperial capitals and so had thriving urban economies). Such Western Roman cities did indeed decline rapidly as local landowners ceased patronizing the cities with new construction, games, etc. Also, especially in the Western Roman Empire, urban producers increasingly fled to local "latifundia" or "massae" (gigantic agricultural estates) whose landowners had the means to protect them from Imperial tax collectors and military conscription. Third point: After Christianity was made the Roman state religion in 394 CE (391?), the resident Christian bishop replaced local landowners as the chief economic patron of each Western Roman city, especially in Italy and Roman Africa, at a very reduced level. The Christian church in each city derived the bulk of its revenue from local agricultural estates donated by Christian lay owners in exchange for remission of sins (the Bishopric of Rome was gifted considerable estates in Sicily, administered by the Bishop of Rome). Most of such revenue went to pay for stipends for clergy and for physical maintenance of churches/monasteries. What was left available was sometimes used to maintain secular urban infrastructure, especially in the City of Rome from the 5th century CE onwards.
It was an interesting shift when the landowners abandoned their old role as civic benefactors to the bishops (who of course were often members of landowning families). Was this a consequence of Diocletian's reforms or did the reforms merely accelerate a process already under way?
@@alanpennie8013 "Was this a consequence ..." -- Hard to say. Over the 4th century in West, large landowners bought out smaller freeholders and used buccellarii (sp?) to drive off tax Imperial tax collectors and conscription press gangs, and became nearly-autonomous local lords who withdrew from civic participation, so could be consequence of reforms which financially ruined smaller freeholders who were responsible for the urban curiae (and for tax collection).
It's worth mentioning that Odoacer may have sent this Roman emperor regalia to the eastern Roman empire because he wanted to mock the Romans not for any other reason.
This sounds extremly similar to the United States and the current problem its face. Our infrastructure is in bad shape and in some cases obsolete. Many blame corruption and over spending on the military as reason why. We are over spending on the military every years while putting little to know money in our infeatructure
I might get booed for this but learning about how impressive the Roman empire was happened to me when I read the Bible. I learned about how great it was to be a Roman citizen and how much respect such a position gave you especially if there was a legal dispute. Unfortunately the Bible doesn't cover this part of the empire. The only thing you learn in Daniel's prophecy was the empire that would come after Rome.
I find late Roman history such as this very fascinating and underrated; sure it's a bit depressing but it's quite gothic in a way (pun only slightly intended)
truee. i imagine the late eastern roman empire to be like that as well, except stretched out over a thousand years instead. slowly losing as they fight to keep a capital everyone wants
Our evidence is patchy but it does appear that the Visigoths maintained much of the Diocletianic system (coloni, curiales, cursus, hereditary guilds) into the seventh century.
@39:20 the "local ruler" who destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the Fatimid Shia caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah who himself ordered the complete destruction of that church as part of a campaign against native Christian places of worship in Palestine and Egypt then under his control.
You're claiming that American cities were better off during the economic stagflation of the 70s? NYC in the 70s was near bankruptcy in the 70s. Since the 70s we have seen poverty and crime plummet look at the statistics
This just isn't true. American cities are in decline because most people would rather live in the suburbs, as middle income and wealthy people leave cities it leaves a lot of them in decay. But in the last 20 years this trend has been reversing, it's called gentrification.
I see absolutely no parallels to our modern world in this. Remember, all empires inevitably collapse, except for the current one which will last forever and ever.
I picked up a few things: Consistant foreign invasions caused culture declines. "These chiefs became to self-identify as Roman Generals" "Increacing dependance on foreign tribes. Hiring them as chiefs" Is immigration. I didnt finish the video but those were the ones I noticed. it is really scary how simmilar they are.
The capitol suffered an attack by Brennus (Trump) a few years ago, America has started to stabilise a bit and it's at a Camillus stage rather than Caesar or Late Antiquity
thr best part of history is watching people tell you what happened 20 decadillion centuries ago who cant even tell you what has been happening the time they actually lived in.
Love listening to this guy. He reminds me of a contemporary literature professor I had. Love this style of explanation and teaching. Some just got it... Subbed. Watched it all...
Well, this is because we're all working from home and taking Amazon deliveries. Western society hasn't tipped over into absolute decline, but it has lost its earlier vitality. In the UK, it takes a decade to open a new rail line, or to undertake any large building projects. Meanwhile, in China they can build a hospital in a month.
@U WinTV People are leaving there doors open in San Francisco in order to prevent their Windows from being smashed. Philadelphia has crime through the roof. I live in South Philly and it’s common now for people to be robbed at gun point. What are you talking about?
@U WinTV open your eyes or look at the news. Liberal city’s are in major decline. Police are retiring and quitting in droves. Liberal ass clown prosecutors won’t prosecute violent crime In these city’s much less property crimes. Your on your own now. I’m a retired cop 33 years on the streets of a major city in and you know what I’m glad. It’s time people pulled their heads out and decide what they want. Woke bullshit or the laws of this country enforced. You can’t have both. My department went from 3600 cops to 1900!! And the numbers are still declining.
@U WinTV U need to pull your head out win TV. Prob should watch more TV ass clown. Your statistics are BS lies. I was there I was on the street as a Cop not some liberal idiot in their moms basement. It’s common knowledge violent crime and property crimes are way up. Only a stupid liberal that’s been drinking the Woke coo-laid would believe otherwise.
Diocletian actually began the Middle Ages-his tax code froze people into fixed professions, and his wage and price controls ended any kind of innovation or efficiency. This set the stage for the former free citizens to become serfs on a manor. The hyperinflation that his price fixing was supposed to solve finished the Western Empire.
@@craigthescott5074 no dick head. Any person from any class has the opportunity for lateral change. Rich become poor everyday in the USA. Fixed income, classes, skillsets. Sounds a lot more like socialist policy. Look at the USSR.
@@JamesKelly-rt3ul I would agree the Biden administration is going down the same socialist road. Our country will collapse like Rome because of the cancellation of capitalism. This is what happens when you have a senile retard running the country with two idiot women.
This is totally wrong. Every major specialist on Rome, from Gibbon and Guizot to historians today agree that Diocletian's reforms saved the Roman Empire and extended it's lifespan by another hundred years. Rome was in its worst crisis probably since its founding when Diocletian came to power and the decades of strife and instability would probably have led to a collapse far sooner. But don't let facts get in the way of libertarian revisionism trying to blame socialist policies for the fall of the Roman Empire.
you just casually explained the origin of churches and basilicas architecture lol. would have never thought they were built after administrative buildings. thank you
We can use our current times as a marker because we are going through something ver similar. A start of a new religion( the religion of woke and the government as the savior) the feminization of men and political corruption and mass immigration.
"The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was destroyed by a "local ruler" in 1009"? That would be the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, aka the "mad Caliph". His son Caliph Ali az-Zahir, permitted it's reconstruction but that huge expense was borne not by him but entirely by the Byzantine Empire. One thing I dislike about this channel is the historian's seeming inability to criticize most any action of the Islamic world vis a' vis to Christian Europe. There is plenty of shameful actions on both sides.
If everytime ppl claimed the fall of New York, the city would be gone every 3-5 years since its birth. Even with Covid the city is better off than most of the eras ppl romanticize.
@@kgrimes4934 I've lived here my entire life, and grew up in the projects bro, brooklyn to queens, lol. I think it's more the policies than covid. If you're an outsider, then of course! The terrible crusty subway system has it's charm. Taking cabs and sight seeing. But not when you live here and need it to make it to your dead end job, barely making any money getting robbed and shown off in world star clips lmaooo. Not romanticizing other places, but Im also not going to act like NYC isn't getting worse. And I started with the worst of NYC lol.
In the Aula Palatina of today only a few walls are from the original structure. The rest was rebuilt by Prussians because the original structure had basically been merged into the bishop's palace. A fascinating place :) Also, Augusta Treverorum is the birthplace of Karl Marx and you can visit his house. The Chinese government has donated a huge statue of him that the local city council didn't want but also didn't want to refuse because there are many many many Chinese tourists that visit Trier and it's good for business. So they put him just outside the old city gate (another magnificent roman structure that was restored by Napoleon). Anyway, I love Trier. And they have good German wines there.
Maybe this has already been covered, but I would really like to know how Roman structures were used and repurposed following the fall of the Empire. I’m sure many of them were still useful long after.
I don't know much about all this but did they do the same as other places like egypt where they stripped buildings to use the building material elsewhere? Clearly a lot has still been left undestroyed totally but. Idk, good question
Hi . .I've been interested in the subject of Roman 'spolia' as well . . I found a YT channel, Toldinstone that reveals some re-purposed Roman ruins but haven't found much else that specifically tracks down the re-use of Roman bldgs - evidently many Renaissance palaces and monasteries have Roman columns and stone work
I have always wanted to see a compromise where at least one of each was fully restored. To see the pyramids of Egypt is stunning but why not restore one so we can see what the ancient Egyptians saw? Now, that would be an historic moment!
The Roman Empire "fell" for many reasons, but perhaps the most important or influential reason was something that afflicts us today: extreme and increasing inequality. As the elite continued to concentrate their power and wealth, they became increasingly detached from the 99%. When foreigners or barbarians conquered an area or province, if they deposed the local elite, there was nobody to take over, because the impoverished masses were there, but they had no training, experience, or tradition regarding running a country or managing an economy. The greater the concentration of wealth of the elite, the more vulnerable the empire, or portions of it, were to decapitation and replacement. The upshot? Better learn to speak Chinese.
I won't neccesary disagree with you, but what you are diagnosing is symptom rather than cause itself. What's more likely to be cause that led to inequality and all other was lost of monolithic roman culture, tradition and values. Which in turn led to soulles bureaucrats and people exploiting the system and system not caring about any individual, in turn not caring about everyone.
I don’t think this was the major reason. Rome fell because of the exhaustion of the elites, or rather their corruption. When elites no longer believe in the principles of the society and instead simply seek power and wealth, the society fails. You can see this parallel in the US today. Two generations ago, elites were willing to put themselves at risk to preserve their society. Today, they are not on,y unwilling to do that, they active,y seek only to tear down all previous beliefs while becoming wealthier. The end of every society or culture is a result of the corruption of the elites or conquering armies from outside.
@@777jones Small business employs far more people than large. Bur what is the relative output of each? Especially considering the huge amount of infrastructure involved with the large -- airplanes, steel mills, oil drilling rigs tankers and and and? But a personal growing-up-in economy dominated by small business -- the independent grocery stores, hardware stores, bakeries, clothing shops etc. that we no longer have -- may be required to produce the kind of workers and managers that turn big businesses into world-beaters..
An interesting thing left out about the mosaic with Justinian in Ravenna is the evidence that it replaced a prior mosaic with Theodoric, evidenced by the hands on the columns despite the dark spaces next to the columns in the mosaic. I’d also seen in another video the argument that Theodoric’s tomb was designed to look similar to a yurt, perhaps calling back to a nomadic part, though that seems like more of a stretch.
28:27 yeah i really wish we could go back in time and tell him that in the future an american tv show with british actors used his palace as a filming location
Nothing is sadder than learning how the architecture and statues of Ancient Rome became mortar in lime kilns. But the palace on the palatine hill was simply moved to the Vatican hill.
so many of these Roman monuments remind me of famous spots we have today - like U.S. capital buildings and especially the Arch of Constantine to Paris' "Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile" I'm guessing these Roman architectures were influenced by the Greeks? Astounding either way.
If Empires are not growing, they're dying. When the Empire stopped growing in the Third Century, no new resources and slaves came into the empire, leading to stagnation. With no new gold reserves or territories, the military couldn't be placated, or for that matter, increased in size. Hence Rome relied more and more on Proxy armies whose loyalties were questionable.. As climate change led to vast movements of people across Northern Europe and Asia, the Roman military struggled to plug the gaps in the Empire's vast defenses. With less wealth and more poverty, urban crime and violence probably increased, meaning the elites took refuge in their country estates. Pandemics also meant, the disease ridden cities emptied out of the wealthy, and the supply and demand they brought, leading to social and civic decay. The adoption of Christianity also made the Roman empire more conservative, less able to absorb migrants and different religions and cultures. More sectarian and less liberal, late Rome was in essence the beginning of the dark ages.
Love your videos. One thing that nags me is when you say Diocletian reunited the empire. Unless I’m mistaken it was Aurelian who defeated Palmyra and Gaul, not Diocletian. Diocletian inherited an in tact empire. Edit: I see you mentioned Aurelian. The sentence “Diocletian reunited the empire is VERY misleading”. A person who didn’t know any better would think Diocletian actually militarily made the empire one again.
I mean, saying Aurelian reunited the empire is misleading. He died almost immediately afterwords and it basically went back to the same crap. Plus thats just part of the 3rd century. Other people "reunited" the empire as well at different points. Not trying to take anything from Restitutor Orbis Invictus but briefly succeding doesn't count in my opinion. He was cut short. Hands down Aurelian would've been probably romes most legendary emperor had he lived. Also keep in mind he did all that in FOUR YEARS. FOUR YEARS!!
Every time I hear a discussion of the tetrarchy, there's a claim that it was genius, but I can't figure out why since it didn't last long at all for very obvious reasons, and was a failure at its intended purpose. Those don't seem like hallmarks of genius.
@@casualyoutubeviewer9198 Rome did not care about notion of "social justice" and it certainly did not have threat of civil war above its head every election, which has became the US norm in the past two decades.
@@OkurkaBinLadin Thats because (Imperial Rome) never had elections for main office. In the republic there was numerous plots of coups and civil war on more than one occation looming over the political climate, for example Sulla v Marius. The two brother Gracchus got assasinated because they had too much influence and popularity with the people, thus unsettling the balance within the established order. During the Imperial age there was even more civil wars due to ambitious generals and incompetance amongst emperors, hence a crisis in the third century which destabilised the roman world almost beyond repair. I’d say the norm in Rome was never peace, rather unrest and civil-war constantly looming for most of its long history. Now, you could say Rome wasn’t a continious state (I use state rather loosely here), when changing from kingdom to republic to empire to late empire (tetriarchy and further on) and certainly theres a good point to be made about the byzantines not being Roman (however certainly a continuation of the roman state, thus adding 1000 years to its survival). Now who is to say that the current political order of the united states is the one that has to rule for the next 1000 years? That is the way the US may hold on for as long, however I do agree it’s rather unlikely. Then again Rome survived the 3rd century so it would not be shocking if the US also survives. As for social justice they had some issues with that due to their massive slave population, especially during Augustus’s reign. He reformed the law to ensure better treatment of slaves as to not make them rebellious, so in a way that could be considered some form of social justice being prioritized. Edit: Also the constant social injustice between the plebians and patricians during the early, mid and late republic was a constant battle. This even lead to offices such as the tribune of the plebs to be created to make sure the interests of the lower classes were represented in some way. Sorry for any misspellings, wrote this on my iPad.
Now that is a truly funny snippet from history. That last Roman Emperor of the Ancient Rome burst into tears hearing that Rome had died. Thinking it was his pet chicken named Rome, and when he found out it was the ancient capitol which had died and not his beloved bird he felt a massive relief and carried on as if it was just another day in the collapse of the empire.
@@august8696 Ahh. Well I know of that one story of when Italy was sacked by Visigoths and Vandals that the Emperor or whomever was leader at the time was forced to run himself through with a sword.. I cannot quote this because I am just running off of short term memory atm.. I take a lot of these videos with a grain of salt.. I did notice a lot of 'odd' snippets from this video myself. But 'The Holy Roman Empire' did last until well after Medieval Era. So if we are counting 'Holy Roman Emperors' in this then yeah.. I only need to agree with you and do some reading.
21:50 - I heard that as "kind of like throwing up is a process, not an event" the first time. But then my hearing sucks on a good day. Good video, dude.
Edit: re-watching this video months later they are only 4 ads. Not sure if this was you or just corrected itself but thank you it was much more enjoyable this time call
I don't think the times we are living in now are as analogous to late Rome as to the Bronze Age collapse. In the late Bronze Age, human Society was hit by a crisis of climate, migration, natural disaster, war, disease and famine. This all took place in a globalized codependent Economy
Lack of unity and cohesion of belief systems. Bottom line is that the Society ended up feeling when there was too many competing cultures. Multiculturalism also includes the cultures and traditions of each one of those competing cultures. Eventually when your founding civilization gets overrun by the ideology and the belief systems of the others then this is the result.! Is there anyone who can deny this.? 😅😅 It's true. In order to grow and Thrive as a society you need to have core belief systems and a national sense of self. So inevitably there is too much turmoil and things rapidly deteriorate all aspects of the original civilization and culture. Having a multiple race or ethnic state is not the problem. The problem is that with most people having different core belief systems and wanting the different things for the outcome of the future it becomes more difficult to govern and grow a productive and thriving Society. America, wake up. 👌🏻
Is the story that Constantine III left behind heirs in Britain who would go on to become the figures of Arthurian legend purely aprocryphal? I've always thought that mainstream 'wikipedia History' is biased towards the particular interests of the Roman elite in their villas and has ignored the possibility that oral traditions in the Isles might actually be preserving something true.
the falls of the Roman & British empires did not mean the END of their existence...don't know why people think the fall the of the US empire will be so catastrophic
Love your content... but please would you consider more diverse colours for your maps such as @2:30. I'm a colourblind person and I cannot distinguish between the Gallic and Roman Empire
A bit more of a talk about the decline of the Roman state than the Roman city, at least in the West, but the two certainly went hand in hand. I liked particularly the bit on the evolution of the basilica and the change (decline?) in artistic styles and the trend of using more stuff from old buildings and monuments to build new ones showing a likely change in economic activity and perhaps growing shortage or expense of some materials like marble and porphyry exemplified by Constantine's obsession to build on the scale of the Flavians to glorify his new style of regime. It's often forgotten Mediolanum served as a Western capital city before settling on more defensible Ravenna, an important bit covered. The Third Century Crisis as we call it really was more like a Long Emergency as you pointed out, after a while a "crisis" is no longer a crisis when it lasts for decades, it's a norm. I'd say the real crisis moment was the breakup of the empire into several competing states. I wonder what most people of the day actually called it if anything?
Dude I could listen to you teach alllll day! If you are not a college professor please be one. You remind me of my very best professors in school and also law school. Some were so Into their topic that they were amazingly engaging.
Nope, the Roman basilica in Trier, Germany is Catholic though in this ecumenical age, if non-Catholics wanted to use this worship center for their services I'm quite sure that wouldn't be a problem. I've seen the inside of this magnificent building and I'm a new subscriber!
Didn't Rome build a basilica in Londinium as well, the capital of the province of Britannia? What happened to it, did it just fall into ruins with the abandonment of the city in the 5th-6th centuries or was it demolished before then, presumably to reuse the stone for something more useful?
They also did not provide great WiFi to the populace. The barbarians used proven fiber optic and thus the populace gradually shifted away from the empire to outside providers. The outer areas became autonomous zones where there was little protection from the Sardukar.. Later a great plague swept the region and many of the populate did not want to get vaccinated, which caused a further division for the empire. order had broken down finally with a division of BOTH the empire and people philosophically due to dietary habits shifting from traditional Saltimbocca or vegan, neither of which had to go options cause many of the delivery people of the day having not charging options for the hybrid chariots.
As you know, Aurelian and Probus restored the empire together not Diocletian. He just won the civil war against the real emperor Carinus. But I love your channel. Its great
Why do you blame Gratian for Honorius and Arcadius? Gratian's pick of Theodosius was a good one as far as it went, and Gratian was not responsible for a selection someone else made after he was dead.
back in the 80's this is how we learned history in school, a minimalist slide presentation and a lecture. most of my classmates were bored to sleep, but i loved this style learning and still do.
History is racist, thus, useless. Abolish the history.
@@Theydas Of course Comrade.
@@Theydas lmao
I think it's probably the best way for people who genuinely want to learn the material. The History Channel style of sprinkling in boobs and reality-show music to keep an audience engaged makes them pay attention but really only dilutes the material and doesn't aid in retention. Having a passionate teacher helps too; I never would have gotten into history without my American History teacher in high-school. She was just so enthralled and passionate in the material that I couldn't help but be engaged.
@@Theydas Nazi detected
The basilica of Maxentius and Constantine was absolutely huge. I was on the spot, standing bellow arches, incredible height. And it is not the full height of the building. It is an interesting point about how complex skills (like the architecture ) are lost if there are not cities or governments with enough funds to make large public projects. And when the generation of artists and specialist dies out, we truly have dark ages of lost skills and knowledge.
I can’t help but think major parts of the US are seeing this right now.
@@777jones - America is absolutely on the decline. 🤷🏻♀️😕 We'll be seeing its collapse if not in OUR lifetimes... for sure, by our kids' or grandkids'. And the country will have done it to itself. All of these "wealthy" nations that only became wealthy by stealing from poor & indigenous peoples, will fall.
@@KabbalahSherry I'm guessing you're either a jew or someone that's into kabbalah Jewish black magic
@@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505
Yes and he is verry stupid.
US is next I won’t see it but my grandkids definitely will so sad 😞
I am from Split and very glad you included the palace into your presentation. However, that what you call “catacombs” are actually cellars that were used to store grains and mostly wine during Diocletian’s time. We still refer to them as such. For example, we say: “I am in the cellars right now.” There’s always constant cool temperature there, even if 40C outside. It feels like that there’s air conditioning but there’s none, of course. Cellars are vast in size and a small part of it is a free public space that serves as a kind of underground street. There’s a labyrinth-like larger part, accessible with ticket admission. When I was child there’s was annual flower art fair that took place in the cellars, that we loved to visit and get lost there, to our parents’ horror, but I’m not sure if it still takes place there since I don’t live in Split anymore. Anyway, if you say “the cellars” in Split, you’ll be generally understood, contrary to if you say “catacombs “.
P.S. In my parents’ time, the cellars served as - a night club, a very popular place with live music where young people gathered to dance and mingle with local celebrities. By the time I grow up that was unfortunately gone. Incredible how many purposes the cellars served in the stretch of 1700 years!
Kristina that’s so cool I’ve been to Rome in 2018 and toured all over Italy the sights were awesome also the food and people were so nice to us. Is amazing the history there we just don’t have that in America. I live in Arizona and the only history we have here before the 1800’s is Native American. I will definitely travel back to Italy.
Nadam da si sretna gdje god jesi !
ima li happening tamo, u labirintu? Rave ili nesto slicno? Salim se... Split je prva liga, blago tebi, uzivaj! poz
It's amazing that the Old St Peter's Basilica was 1000 years old when it was demolished to make way for the new one. Wonder if there was any resistance from Preservationists at the time!
I could very well be wrong but perhaps the Basilica was so run down that it was simply easier and far less expensive to just tear it down and start again. Another history puzzle to look into.
It had never occurred to me how vulnerable the aqueducts must have been ..... the manpower required to defend them against sabotage must have been expensive.....
@U WinTV I will always appreciate taking a dump indoors from now on
Thank you! This timely upload just helped me win an argument with a not so much history educated friend. He thought that the "Vikings" were the ones to collapse the Roman Empire. Had to tell him that the myriad of causes aside, they weren't Vikings.....they were just Germanic
The Vikings??😯 Scary how much ignorance exist out there.
In a way your friend was right if we regard the Frankish empire of Charlemagne and his descendants as heirs of the Roman empire -afterall the pope crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman emperor in 800 AD and it was the subsequent dividing up of this great empire with Louis the Pious and his 3 sons that led to the decline with Viking attacks plus Arab and Magyar ones leading to the decline.Your friend probably watched the TV series Vikings and he probably thought that the west Frankish defenders of Paris in the great Viking sieges of Paris were Romans.
Even if it were scandinavians they wouldn't have been "vikings" anyways so your friend is dumb. Not gonna even touch on the fact that calling scandinavians Vikings is dumb in and of itself
@@kaloarepo288 the holy Roman empire didn't fall until the 19nth century and charlemagne's empire never really fell it was just split between his sons. That split still last till this day. Hence why we have france and Germany. France and germany have never ceased being top powers in Europe so idk what you mean exactly by decline. If you count it not being ruled by his family maybe.
@@annatarlordofgifts2442 Charlemagne's empire didn't fall but it was certainly split up and declined -so much so that the kingdoms inherited by his successors couldn't withstand outside attacks by Vikings,Arabs and Magyars etc.In the western kingdom (France)the Carolingians were supplanted by the Capetians -largely because they were ineffective in repulsing Viking attacks etc.In 962 the Saxon monarch Otto the First(The Great)was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope -after he had defeated rebellions by his own son and of the Carolingian rulers of Italy(Berengar the Second)It was this state that was really the Holy Roman Empire as we know it,not the much larger one of Charlemagne,that lasted until Napoleon abolished it in the early 19th century.
The more you read on the Late Roman Empire the more in common you see with modern times.
I am just here to see the commonalities with Todays decline of the American empire
@@freedomlandcanada230 what do you see as the causes of americas decline?
@@SLRok weak leadership
@@SLRok Compare a WW2 vet to a 1960s Hippy. The Hippies were handed the most egalitarian economy where you could work at a gas station and afford a house. The vet offered his life for his country, the hippy burned his draft card. I blame the hippies.
It just got worse from the 70s on.
@@georgyhot1 “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”
Happening in America at this time. The decline of the cities and government.
Yeah doesn't help that America is a HUGE superpower with influence spread across the globe but that fact tends to be the downfall of most superpowers.
I appreciate you publicly posting your Roman Empire lectures on TH-cam.
When I took the class last year, they were videos that were only available to access for that semester on a school website.
Aurelian is a very underrated emperor.
it's sad that they killed so many emperors with potential
Rasp Berry any emperor who would have reformed the empire in a meaningful way, that may have prolonged its life, was often killed for the simple reason that they threatened those with money and power behind the scenes.
Majorian too.
I agree
@@christostheocharides4689 Yes Majorian almost saved the western parte of the Empire
Your distaste for Honorius leaves me 100% in agreement. His failure to think anything through or take action for his people is unforgivable.
@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva umm no he wasn’t. He was a fully grown man baby and turned a blind eye to the suffering around him and so he could be comfortable with his chickens.
His name is perfect, warriors consumed with honor seeking can't think through complex situations.
@@Sumzja he wasn’t a warrior, he was a palace prince who let whoever impressed him at the time do what they want and ignored the needs of his people. He was a pathetic coward
In the end slavery destroyed the Roman empire. I read that during the decline of the empire, the city of Rome had 3 million inhabitants, yet 85 percent of which are SLAVES.
@@dudsulugulugan7639 percentage of slaves varied drastically throughout the republic and empire. Compared to disease, plague, economic collapse and civil wars this not a giant player
In 407 CE (April 7), the Roman Emperor Honorius banned pants in the city of Rome.
Pog
The only emperor actually trying to protect roman culture! Pants are for barbarians! True romans wear toga! True clothing for true romans >:D
@@Stormvermin-bx1lh Attempted Heavy Handed Cultural Change Resistance that came too little too late.
Pants were, are and will ever be barbarian, ask the Scottish.
Slitter What do you mean by :D?
I wondered if things would have turned out differently had Rome relied on Byzantine-style themes instead of standing armies for border or provincial defense. The distant provincial legions/troops were at the center of probably every troublemaking adventure that led to the collapse of the Western empire. Also, Byzantium did pretty well while the themes were intact, and the abolition of those themes was followed by an irreversible decline.
Edit: That last sentence was not necessarily causation, but I think it does show the themes wouldn't have hurt, either. Landholding, after all, was the foundation of the growth of early Rome.
They didn't just have standing armies (the comitantese, meaning companions of generals)
they also had regional troops (limitanti, literally limiters of invaders and brigands.) the limitanti were not massively different to themes.
The limitanti were less tied to the local land and local rulers, but is arguably a better system from the perspectives of civil war. Limitanti were less likely to develop regional loyalties above imperial loyalties.
The western empire could not stand on its own and was slowly extinguished under the constant barbarian invasions. The wealth was in the Eastern empire in the late stages, the west was starved of funds so it withered away slowly over a solid hundred years. It never just fell, more like a light slowly growing dimmer due to financial pressures brought on by invasions.
55:00 Diocletian's personality - after he retired to his newly built palace, one of his pastimes was raising cabbages. Sometimes retirement is to enjoy other things besides managing people.
Three points: First, the last Western Roman Emperor recognized by his co-emperor in Constantinople was Julius Nepos whose practical jurisdiction was limited to the region of Dalmatia on the Adriatic. Odoacer in 476 did indeed send the official Western Roman Imperial regalia back to Constantinople when he deposed Romulus "Augustulus" in 476 with the message that there was no longer an Emperor in the West. But the Emperor in Constantinople (Eastern Roman Empire) still recognized Julius Nepos as official Western Roman Emperor until he was assassinated in 480.
Second point: In the Western Roman Empire, only port cities like Carthage and Syracuse were economic producers in their own right. Most other Western Roman cities, especially in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, were chiefly administrative/religious centers that sometimes housed barracks for the military, but whose economic production, such as it was, was overwhelmingly for the local metropolitan economy, and also for whatever Imperial facilities happened to be present (e.g., Trier, Milan/Ravenna, and Sirmium on the Danube were regional Imperial capitals and so had thriving urban economies). Such Western Roman cities did indeed decline rapidly as local landowners ceased patronizing the cities with new construction, games, etc. Also, especially in the Western Roman Empire, urban producers increasingly fled to local "latifundia" or "massae" (gigantic agricultural estates) whose landowners had the means to protect them from Imperial tax collectors and military conscription.
Third point: After Christianity was made the Roman state religion in 394 CE (391?), the resident Christian bishop replaced local landowners as the chief economic patron of each Western Roman city, especially in Italy and Roman Africa, at a very reduced level. The Christian church in each city derived the bulk of its revenue from local agricultural estates donated by Christian lay owners in exchange for remission of sins (the Bishopric of Rome was gifted considerable estates in Sicily, administered by the Bishop of Rome). Most of such revenue went to pay for stipends for clergy and for physical maintenance of churches/monasteries. What was left available was sometimes used to maintain secular urban infrastructure, especially in the City of Rome from the 5th century CE onwards.
It was an interesting shift when the landowners abandoned their old role as civic benefactors to the bishops (who of course were often members of landowning families).
Was this a consequence of Diocletian's reforms or did the reforms merely accelerate a process already under way?
@@alanpennie8013 "Was this a consequence ..." -- Hard to say. Over the 4th century in West, large landowners bought out smaller freeholders and used buccellarii (sp?) to drive off tax Imperial tax collectors and conscription press gangs, and became nearly-autonomous local lords who withdrew from civic participation, so could be consequence of reforms which financially ruined smaller freeholders who were responsible for the urban curiae (and for tax collection).
@@pompeiusmagnus2276
Usually spelled bucellari, meaning biscuit - eater it appears.
It's worth mentioning that Odoacer may have sent this Roman emperor regalia to the eastern Roman empire because he wanted to mock the Romans not for any other reason.
@@aiyeaiye1371 thats likely untrue seeing as he was very thoughly Romanized and treated the romans under his control well
We are seeing the West and more specifically America, fall the exact same way
This sounds extremly similar to the United States and the current problem its face. Our infrastructure is in bad shape and in some cases obsolete. Many blame corruption and over spending on the military as reason why. We are over spending on the military every years while putting little to know money in our infeatructure
I might get booed for this but learning about how impressive the Roman empire was happened to me when I read the Bible. I learned about how great it was to be a Roman citizen and how much respect such a position gave you especially if there was a legal dispute. Unfortunately the Bible doesn't cover this part of the empire. The only thing you learn in Daniel's prophecy was the empire that would come after Rome.
I find late Roman history such as this very fascinating and underrated; sure it's a bit depressing but it's quite gothic in a way (pun only slightly intended)
truee. i imagine the late eastern roman empire to be like that as well, except stretched out over a thousand years instead. slowly losing as they fight to keep a capital everyone wants
I think we can learn more about humans with the fall of the empire. It’s a good warning to the rest of us. Not that most pay attention.
@@mikepalmer2219 and history repeats
@Rupert Pupkin why would they nuke their own borders? 🤡
Our evidence is patchy but it does appear that the Visigoths maintained much of the Diocletianic system (coloni, curiales, cursus, hereditary guilds) into the seventh century.
The Roman Empire collapsed became it got too big for the time. The left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing.
@39:20 the "local ruler" who destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the Fatimid Shia caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah who himself ordered the complete destruction of that church as part of a campaign against native Christian places of worship in Palestine and Egypt then under his control.
Americas city’s have been in decline for 50 years now.
You're claiming that American cities were better off during the economic stagflation of the 70s? NYC in the 70s was near bankruptcy in the 70s. Since the 70s we have seen poverty and crime plummet look at the statistics
This just isn't true. American cities are in decline because most people would rather live in the suburbs, as middle income and wealthy people leave cities it leaves a lot of them in decay. But in the last 20 years this trend has been reversing, it's called gentrification.
I see absolutely no parallels to our modern world in this. Remember, all empires inevitably collapse, except for the current one which will last forever and ever.
th-cam.com/video/K_vAcaSqWVk/w-d-xo.html.
American Hegemony will always exist 😉
I picked up a few things:
Consistant foreign invasions caused culture declines. "These chiefs became to self-identify as Roman Generals"
"Increacing dependance on foreign tribes. Hiring them as chiefs" Is immigration.
I didnt finish the video but those were the ones I noticed. it is really scary how simmilar they are.
@@oscarstrokosz2986 "Roma will never fall", said the Romans
The capitol suffered an attack by Brennus (Trump) a few years ago, America has started to stabilise a bit and it's at a Camillus stage rather than Caesar or Late Antiquity
I think the use of lead pipes played a huge role in the decline. Lead contamination will cause significant cognitive impairment
Definitely. Some used lead bowls/dishes too.
thr best part of history is watching people tell you what happened 20 decadillion centuries ago who cant even tell you what has been happening the time they actually lived in.
Then the idiot who praises, with enthusiastic tone
All centuries but this, and every country but his own;
Love listening to this guy. He reminds me of a contemporary literature professor I had. Love this style of explanation and teaching. Some just got it... Subbed. Watched it all...
I see New York City declining. Along with Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Philadelphia, etc.
Yep exactly history repeats itself we are the next Rome.
Well, this is because we're all working from home and taking Amazon deliveries.
Western society hasn't tipped over into absolute decline, but it has lost its earlier vitality. In the UK, it takes a decade to open a new rail line, or to undertake any large building projects.
Meanwhile, in China they can build a hospital in a month.
@U WinTV People are leaving there doors open in San Francisco in order to prevent their Windows from being smashed. Philadelphia has crime through the roof. I live in South Philly and it’s common now for people to be robbed at gun point.
What are you talking about?
@U WinTV open your eyes or look at the news. Liberal city’s are in major decline. Police are retiring and quitting in droves. Liberal ass clown prosecutors won’t prosecute violent crime In these city’s much less property crimes. Your on your own now. I’m a retired cop 33 years on the streets of a major city in and you know what I’m glad. It’s time people pulled their heads out and decide what they want. Woke bullshit or the laws of this country enforced. You can’t have both. My department went from 3600 cops to 1900!! And the numbers are still declining.
@U WinTV U need to pull your head out win TV. Prob should watch more TV ass clown. Your statistics are BS lies. I was there I was on the street as a Cop not some liberal idiot in their moms basement. It’s common knowledge violent crime and property crimes are way up. Only a stupid liberal that’s been drinking the Woke coo-laid would believe otherwise.
Diocletian actually began the Middle Ages-his tax code froze people into fixed professions, and his wage and price controls ended any kind of innovation or efficiency. This set the stage for the former free citizens to become serfs on a manor. The hyperinflation that his price fixing was supposed to solve finished the Western Empire.
Fuck, what’s worse than collapse is stagnation.
Wow kinda sounds like the United States today. That old saying that history repeats itself applies here.
@@craigthescott5074 no dick head. Any person from any class has the opportunity for lateral change. Rich become poor everyday in the USA. Fixed income, classes, skillsets. Sounds a lot more like socialist policy. Look at the USSR.
@@JamesKelly-rt3ul I would agree the Biden administration is going down the same socialist road. Our country will collapse like Rome because of the cancellation of capitalism. This is what happens when you have a senile retard running the country with two idiot women.
This is totally wrong. Every major specialist on Rome, from Gibbon and Guizot to historians today agree that Diocletian's reforms saved the Roman Empire and extended it's lifespan by another hundred years. Rome was in its worst crisis probably since its founding when Diocletian came to power and the decades of strife and instability would probably have led to a collapse far sooner. But don't let facts get in the way of libertarian revisionism trying to blame socialist policies for the fall of the Roman Empire.
Rome is our great inspiration and eternal warning.
It’s happening now in America
Thank you for this documentary on the US
Much of the same is happening right now in the US.
@@ianeugenechapman7975 he is another nimrod that thinks America had a stronger economy 50 years ago i.e. the the 70s. 😂
finally one complete explanation from beginning till the end.. all stages very well detailed explained
Great content, so glad I discovered your channel. Thank you so much for uploading on TH-cam! Subscribed.
The Caesar also was pitching a build back better plan
Great material, shocked you don't have more subscribers. You can add at least one! Will be reviewing the archive in short order!
Aurelian reunified the empire. Not Diocletian.
you just casually explained the origin of churches and basilicas architecture lol.
would have never thought they were built after administrative buildings.
thank you
Actually, Trier is right at the border to Luxembourg, not so much to France.
We can use our current times as a marker because we are going through something ver similar. A start of a new religion( the religion of woke and the government as the savior) the feminization of men and political corruption and mass immigration.
th-cam.com/video/K_vAcaSqWVk/w-d-xo.html
The picture shows Honorius feeding his chickens, including "Roma," in August 410 as Alaric besieged Rome.
"The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was destroyed by a "local ruler" in 1009"? That would be the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, aka the "mad Caliph". His son Caliph Ali az-Zahir, permitted it's reconstruction but that huge expense was borne not by him but entirely by the Byzantine Empire. One thing I dislike about this channel is the historian's seeming inability to criticize most any action of the Islamic world vis a' vis to Christian Europe. There is plenty of shameful actions on both sides.
Freemasons like this guy love islam and hate christians
@@AbuHajarAlBugatti freemasons? lol way to make a sweeping generalization that has no actual value or validity whatsoever 👏
Like the decline of cities in the US currently, increased crime and poor infrastructure renewal.
Crime has plummeted since the 70s. We have seen growth since the 70s
Wow, really love the insight on the fall of New Yor- I mean Rome! Yeah, Rome. Great job’
Haha, Now take your jab, put on your mask, and show me your vax passport! - DeBlaaaaahsio.
If everytime ppl claimed the fall of New York, the city would be gone every 3-5 years since its birth. Even with Covid the city is better off than most of the eras ppl romanticize.
@@majorgear1021 He isn't even the mayor anymore. You're gone to have to find a boogeyman.
@@kgrimes4934 I've lived here my entire life, and grew up in the projects bro, brooklyn to queens, lol. I think it's more the policies than covid. If you're an outsider, then of course! The terrible crusty subway system has it's charm. Taking cabs and sight seeing. But not when you live here and need it to make it to your dead end job, barely making any money getting robbed and shown off in world star clips lmaooo. Not romanticizing other places, but Im also not going to act like NYC isn't getting worse. And I started with the worst of NYC lol.
In the Aula Palatina of today only a few walls are from the original structure. The rest was rebuilt by Prussians because the original structure had basically been merged into the bishop's palace. A fascinating place :)
Also, Augusta Treverorum is the birthplace of Karl Marx and you can visit his house. The Chinese government has donated a huge statue of him that the local city council didn't want but also didn't want to refuse because there are many many many Chinese tourists that visit Trier and it's good for business. So they put him just outside the old city gate (another magnificent roman structure that was restored by Napoleon).
Anyway, I love Trier. And they have good German wines there.
Maybe this has already been covered, but I would really like to know how Roman structures were used and repurposed following the fall of the Empire. I’m sure many of them were still useful long after.
I don't know much about all this but did they do the same as other places like egypt where they stripped buildings to use the building material elsewhere? Clearly a lot has still been left undestroyed totally but. Idk, good question
You do hear about villas becoming cowsheds, especially along the former frontier
maybe monasteries, schools or hospitals?
Hi . .I've been interested in the subject of Roman 'spolia' as well . . I found a YT channel, Toldinstone that reveals some re-purposed Roman ruins but haven't found much else that specifically tracks down the re-use of Roman bldgs - evidently many Renaissance palaces and monasteries have Roman columns and stone work
Many Roman Structures and buildings where repurposed, used as a base for new constructions or mined for materials.
It pains me deeply to see these structures in disrepair. I wish they were fixed up and put back into use. Such a waste to leave them in ruins IMO.
I know why they are left in ruins but the reasons arent good enough IMO
I have always wanted to see a compromise where at least one of each was fully restored. To see the pyramids of Egypt is stunning but why not restore one so we can see what the ancient Egyptians saw? Now, that would be an historic moment!
I have been absolutely binging this channel from the day I found it.
That's one of my favorite three PowerPoint themes. It's such a pleasant purple.
The Roman Empire "fell" for many reasons, but perhaps the most important or influential reason was something that afflicts us today: extreme and increasing inequality. As the elite continued to concentrate their power and wealth, they became increasingly detached from the 99%. When foreigners or barbarians conquered an area or province, if they deposed the local elite, there was nobody to take over, because the impoverished masses were there, but they had no training, experience, or tradition regarding running a country or managing an economy. The greater the concentration of wealth of the elite, the more vulnerable the empire, or portions of it, were to decapitation and replacement. The upshot? Better learn to speak Chinese.
I won't neccesary disagree with you, but what you are diagnosing is symptom rather than cause itself. What's more likely to be cause that led to inequality and all other was lost of monolithic roman culture, tradition and values. Which in turn led to soulles bureaucrats and people exploiting the system and system not caring about any individual, in turn not caring about everyone.
I don’t think this was the major reason. Rome fell because of the exhaustion of the elites, or rather their corruption. When elites no longer believe in the principles of the society and instead simply seek power and wealth, the society fails. You can see this parallel in the US today. Two generations ago, elites were willing to put themselves at risk to preserve their society. Today, they are not on,y unwilling to do that, they active,y seek only to tear down all previous beliefs while becoming wealthier.
The end of every society or culture is a result of the corruption of the elites or conquering armies from outside.
@@stephenlight647 and in reference to the elites not believing in the values of their societies, note the extraneous "e" in BC!
Small business is more important than big business. Yet our tax code treats it the other way.
@@777jones Small business employs far more people than large. Bur what is the relative output of each? Especially considering the huge amount of infrastructure involved with the large -- airplanes, steel mills, oil drilling rigs tankers and and and? But a personal growing-up-in economy dominated by small business -- the independent grocery stores, hardware stores, bakeries, clothing shops etc. that we no longer have -- may be required to produce the kind of workers and managers that turn big businesses into world-beaters..
An interesting thing left out about the mosaic with Justinian in Ravenna is the evidence that it replaced a prior mosaic with Theodoric, evidenced by the hands on the columns despite the dark spaces next to the columns in the mosaic. I’d also seen in another video the argument that Theodoric’s tomb was designed to look similar to a yurt, perhaps calling back to a nomadic part, though that seems like more of a stretch.
An informative lecture. Thank you.
Really good video - appreciate your insights.
You had me until the Nate Silver / 538 reference.
That's the name of Nate Silver's podcast. 538 is the number of electors in the US Electoral College.
The primary cause was inflation.
28:27 yeah i really wish we could go back in time and tell him that in the future an american tv show with british actors used his palace as a filming location
There’s many great scenes from Croatia in GOT! Beautiful place with a diverse history making it perfect for filming.
Nothing is sadder than learning how the architecture and statues of Ancient Rome became mortar in lime kilns. But the palace on the palatine hill was simply moved to the Vatican hill.
Modern Portland, Oregon is a good example of how this happens.
so many of these Roman monuments remind me of famous spots we have today - like U.S. capital buildings and especially the Arch of Constantine to Paris' "Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile"
I'm guessing these Roman architectures were influenced by the Greeks? Astounding either way.
Great video, Bro. Loved it.
I genuinely thought Danaerys’ throne room was the Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright
Introduction of Christianity that was end of Rome ...
If Empires are not growing, they're dying. When the Empire stopped growing in the Third Century, no new resources and slaves came into the empire, leading to stagnation. With no new gold reserves or territories, the military couldn't be placated, or for that matter, increased in size. Hence Rome relied more and more on Proxy armies whose loyalties were questionable..
As climate change led to vast movements of people across Northern Europe and Asia, the Roman military struggled to plug the gaps in the Empire's vast defenses.
With less wealth and more poverty, urban crime and violence probably increased, meaning the elites took refuge in their country estates. Pandemics also meant, the disease ridden cities emptied out of the wealthy, and the supply and demand they brought, leading to social and civic decay.
The adoption of Christianity also made the Roman empire more conservative, less able to absorb migrants and different religions and cultures. More sectarian and less liberal, late Rome was in essence the beginning of the dark ages.
Love your videos. One thing that nags me is when you say Diocletian reunited the empire. Unless I’m mistaken it was Aurelian who defeated Palmyra and Gaul, not Diocletian. Diocletian inherited an in tact empire.
Edit: I see you mentioned Aurelian. The sentence “Diocletian reunited the empire is VERY misleading”. A person who didn’t know any better would think Diocletian actually militarily made the empire one again.
I mean, saying Aurelian reunited the empire is misleading. He died almost immediately afterwords and it basically went back to the same crap. Plus thats just part of the 3rd century. Other people "reunited" the empire as well at different points. Not trying to take anything from Restitutor Orbis Invictus but briefly succeding doesn't count in my opinion. He was cut short. Hands down Aurelian would've been probably romes most legendary emperor had he lived. Also keep in mind he did all that in FOUR YEARS. FOUR YEARS!!
Diocletian did use military to reunite, mind you the empire broke immediately following Aurelian's death.
Every time I hear a discussion of the tetrarchy, there's a claim that it was genius, but I can't figure out why since it didn't last long at all for very obvious reasons, and was a failure at its intended purpose. Those don't seem like hallmarks of genius.
The barbarians never topped that master stroke of infiltration
I would argue that the fatal mistake was accepting an empire in the first place.
Diversity... kills everything it touches.
Just subbed, great stuff. Any recommendations on what books on the Roman empire to get ? Love ancient Rome
Tom Holland. Dynasty and Rubicon.
Obligatory pseudo-philosopical AmErIcA iS JuSt LiKe RoMe comment
The difference between America and Rome is that Rome lasted 1000 years.
@@ricky-sanchez What a silly comment, Rome was also once only 300 years old
Edit; And the US is still a thing, who says it can’t last a thousand?;)
@@casualyoutubeviewer9198 Rome did not care about notion of "social justice" and it certainly did not have threat of civil war above its head every election, which has became the US norm in the past two decades.
@@OkurkaBinLadin Thats because (Imperial Rome) never had elections for main office. In the republic there was numerous plots of coups and civil war on more than one occation looming over the political climate, for example Sulla v Marius. The two brother Gracchus got assasinated because they had too much influence and popularity with the people, thus unsettling the balance within the established order. During the Imperial age there was even more civil wars due to ambitious generals and incompetance amongst emperors, hence a crisis in the third century which destabilised the roman world almost beyond repair.
I’d say the norm in Rome was never peace, rather unrest and civil-war constantly looming for most of its long history. Now, you could say Rome wasn’t a continious state (I use state rather loosely here), when changing from kingdom to republic to empire to late empire (tetriarchy and further on) and certainly theres a good point to be made about the byzantines not being Roman (however certainly a continuation of the roman state, thus adding 1000 years to its survival). Now who is to say that the current political order of the united states is the one that has to rule for the next 1000 years? That is the way the US may hold on for as long, however I do agree it’s rather unlikely. Then again Rome survived the 3rd century so it would not be shocking if the US also survives.
As for social justice they had some issues with that due to their massive slave population, especially during Augustus’s reign. He reformed the law to ensure better treatment of slaves as to not make them rebellious, so in a way that could be considered some form of social justice being prioritized.
Edit: Also the constant social injustice between the plebians and patricians during the early, mid and late republic was a constant battle. This even lead to offices such as the tribune of the plebs to be created to make sure the interests of the lower classes were represented in some way.
Sorry for any misspellings, wrote this on my iPad.
Hi Aleksander.
Now that is a truly funny snippet from history. That last Roman Emperor of the Ancient Rome burst into tears hearing that Rome had died. Thinking it was his pet chicken named Rome, and when he found out it was the ancient capitol which had died and not his beloved bird he felt a massive relief and carried on as if it was just another day in the collapse of the empire.
honorius was not the last emperor
@@august8696 Ahh. Well I know of that one story of when Italy was sacked by Visigoths and Vandals that the Emperor or whomever was leader at the time was forced to run himself through with a sword.. I cannot quote this because I am just running off of short term memory atm.. I take a lot of these videos with a grain of salt.. I did notice a lot of 'odd' snippets from this video myself. But 'The Holy Roman Empire' did last until well after Medieval Era. So if we are counting 'Holy Roman Emperors' in this then yeah.. I only need to agree with you and do some reading.
21:50 - I heard that as "kind of like throwing up is a process, not an event" the first time. But then my hearing sucks on a good day. Good video, dude.
Beyond the Awesome quality and quantity of your content its sick to see a creator supporting non corp tech sites. Keep up the quality
I don’t use ad blockers to support youtubers but you are taking the piiiss mate... dial back the ads in future
Edit: re-watching this video months later they are only 4 ads. Not sure if this was you or just corrected itself but thank you it was much more enjoyable this time call
I don't think the times we are living in now are as analogous to late Rome as to the Bronze Age collapse. In the late Bronze Age, human Society was hit by a crisis of climate, migration, natural disaster, war, disease and famine. This all took place in a globalized codependent Economy
That's a good point.
Whyyyy am I watching a history class power point lecture lol
Lack of unity and cohesion of belief systems. Bottom line is that the Society ended up feeling when there was too many competing cultures. Multiculturalism also includes the cultures and traditions of each one of those competing cultures. Eventually when your founding civilization gets overrun by the ideology and the belief systems of the others then this is the result.! Is there anyone who can deny this.? 😅😅 It's true. In order to grow and Thrive as a society you need to have core belief systems and a national sense of self. So inevitably there is too much turmoil and things rapidly deteriorate all aspects of the original civilization and culture. Having a multiple race or ethnic state is not the problem. The problem is that with most people having different core belief systems and wanting the different things for the outcome of the future it becomes more difficult to govern and grow a productive and thriving Society. America, wake up. 👌🏻
Is the story that Constantine III left behind heirs in Britain who would go on to become the figures of Arthurian legend purely aprocryphal? I've always thought that mainstream 'wikipedia History' is biased towards the particular interests of the Roman elite in their villas and has ignored the possibility that oral traditions in the Isles might actually be preserving something true.
Why does the fall of Rome always make me sad?
Us both brother
The largest slave holding entity that ever existed on the planet must fail by design
Because of an over romanticized past.
the falls of the Roman & British empires did not mean the END of their existence...don't know why people think the fall the of the US empire will be so catastrophic
Sounds like the process the USA is in right now
great upload
Very good content. Keep it up.
What's with the ads? Legit had at least 8.
I got another advertisement while reading this comment, not complaining, on the telly I'd get ten times as much advertising.
Yeah. Why is this guy trying to make so much as a cent off of dozens of hours of hard work? Disgusting isnt it¿
Thank you for doing this
This was o.k.. Too many times you stated things you weren't sure about so it kind of puts the entire video into question.
Love your content... but please would you consider more diverse colours for your maps such as @2:30. I'm a colourblind person and I cannot distinguish between the Gallic and Roman Empire
Sad to see the decline during the A.D. years.
big cities always ends up in chaos and destruction....run for the hills while you can.
A bit more of a talk about the decline of the Roman state than the Roman city, at least in the West, but the two certainly went hand in hand. I liked particularly the bit on the evolution of the basilica and the change (decline?) in artistic styles and the trend of using more stuff from old buildings and monuments to build new ones showing a likely change in economic activity and perhaps growing shortage or expense of some materials like marble and porphyry exemplified by Constantine's obsession to build on the scale of the Flavians to glorify his new style of regime. It's often forgotten Mediolanum served as a Western capital city before settling on more defensible Ravenna, an important bit covered. The Third Century Crisis as we call it really was more like a Long Emergency as you pointed out, after a while a "crisis" is no longer a crisis when it lasts for decades, it's a norm. I'd say the real crisis moment was the breakup of the empire into several competing states. I wonder what most people of the day actually called it if anything?
Reminds me a bit about some particular modern events. 🤔
Dude I could listen to you teach alllll day! If you are not a college professor please be one. You remind me of my very best professors in school and also law school. Some were so Into their topic that they were amazingly engaging.
Nope, the Roman basilica in Trier, Germany is Catholic though in this ecumenical age, if non-Catholics wanted to use this worship center for their services I'm quite sure that wouldn't be a problem. I've seen the inside of this magnificent building and I'm a new subscriber!
Didn't Rome build a basilica in Londinium as well, the capital of the province of Britannia? What happened to it, did it just fall into ruins with the abandonment of the city in the 5th-6th centuries or was it demolished before then, presumably to reuse the stone for something more useful?
They also did not provide great WiFi to the populace. The barbarians used proven fiber optic and thus the populace gradually shifted away from the empire to outside providers. The outer areas became autonomous zones where there was little protection from the Sardukar.. Later a great plague swept the region and many of the populate did not want to get vaccinated, which caused a further division for the empire. order had broken down finally with a division of BOTH the empire and people philosophically due to dietary habits shifting from traditional Saltimbocca or vegan, neither of which had to go options cause many of the delivery people of the day having not charging options for the hybrid chariots.
Thank u for this great content Sir :)
I got the joke of the ostrogoths XD
CE and BCE are stupid. Use AD and BC like a normal person.
Nice overview
What does he mean that a 50 year period is not a crisis? What is the criteria for it to be considered a crisis?
As you know, Aurelian and Probus restored the empire together not Diocletian. He just won the civil war against the real emperor Carinus. But I love your channel. Its great
Why do you blame Gratian for Honorius and Arcadius? Gratian's pick of Theodosius was a good one as far as it went, and Gratian was not responsible for a selection someone else made after he was dead.