Were there Police in Ancient Rome? DOCUMENTARY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
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Were there Police in Ancient Rome? In this history documentary we examine the law enforcement system of Ancient Rome. We begin by discussing the chief magistrates who presided over the law and order in the city of Rome. This includes the Consuls, Censors, Praetors, Aediles, and the Tresviri Capitales. At their disposal was a small group of lictors who functioned as bodyguards and musclemen of the law. While they may have been sufficient at first, the instability of the Roman Civil War necessitated an expansion of the police force in ancient Rome.
Under Augustus, this involved the founding of new police forces in Rome including the Praetorian Guard, the Urban Cohorts, and the Vigiles. We discuss each of their histories and their roles. Finally we look at the issues of corruption and the legacy of the institutions in the long run.
Credits:
Research: Chris Das Neves
Script: Chris Das Neves
Art: Beverly Johnson
Editing: Invicta
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
"Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Imperial Bodyguard" by Guy de la Bedoyere
"The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome’s Elite Special Forces" by Sandra Bingham
"Policing the Roman Empire: Soldiers, Administration, and Public Order" by Christopher Fuhrmann
"The Vigiles of Imperial Rome" by Paul Reynolds
#History
#Rome
#Documentary
This video is Part 5 in our series exploring Law & Order in Ancient Rome! Be sure to catch up on the rest of the episodes for full context: th-cam.com/play/PLkOo_Hy3liEI9UdgTyxSrJuzcKQFd9cgY.html
Invicta damn Oakley the quality of your vids has increased dramatically since I first followed you years ago!
Question did the Germanic people like the Roman empire
Are the caesar episodes going to continue or should i just give up on life
when you're still waiting on a part 2 of a certain video.
Law and order of china?
I think battles are fun and all, but these videos about “mundane” events that affect the daily lives of the Romans do far more to bring history back to life
Totally, history isn't just about war after all.
these kinds of videos are why I'm subscribed
Sadly, earlier attempts of showing life for the ordinary people have often been heavily politicised. As such what we have been told have rarely amounted to more then "the rich opressed the poor".
ABSOLUTELY!!
@@michaelpettersson4919 That's not really much different than today if you think about it.
In the Roman justice system, the Principate is represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the Vigiles who patrol the city, and the Cohorts who defend the Imperial Household. These are their stories.
Thank you for not including the totally annoying signature sound.
Dun dun......... sorry I had to.
Brilliant 👏
See...a period drama about a urban cohort team, their interactions with the Praetorians and the vigils, the bandits they have to face, corruption, family, politics...That would be a show to behold
Maybe ten years ago.
Now Rome will a African city. And your urban cohort will be a sassy black woman, a jew, and a fat chick
@@lemonvariable72
Well if its a ROMAN city settle in Egypt that wouldnt be far off...
lemonvariable72 I always see these kind of comments from people, I’m just curious on what basis do you think this would be the case
@@Hugh_Morris Tbf, they made Achiles into a black fella in that Netflix show.
@@dirtyjack6300 Thats because they people behind are hipocrates. If they really care about diversity they'll adapt a myth from Nigeria or an historical adaptation of the kingdoms of Etyopia
You've outdone yourself with these little windows into everyday Roman life. It's incredible to think of something as essential to our quality of life as the use of police officers and firemen, things we take for granted today but must've been a great leap in security back then. Augustus seems to have really improved Rome, apart from his ubiquitous propaganda. Keep on with the great content! Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷
Glad you enjoyed. We have a whole playlist of these in our "How They Did It" series
Augustus was a benevolent dictator
@@Hugh_Morris X to doubt.
12:28 - Local girl: So what do you do?
Me: I shoot balista bolts at flaming buildings to save lives
That's a panty dropper for sure
@@SomeBody-rm6hf Subligaculum dropper indeed
That’s fuckin metal as fuck dude
Imagine doing night patrols in ancient Rome. Much of the city was filled with dark, tight, winding corridors. That sounds like a nightmare.
Corridors are internal to buildings. You mean alleys.
Yeah, their minds were probably playing tricks on them a lot during their first few patrols, or during large-scale unrest.
they used dogs i'm sure
Invicta: One of the major duties of the armed guards is...
Me: Oh boy, there comes something new.
Invicta: Guard People
Don't know what you expected. XD
@@SwissSareth butt stuff
Sareth I don’t know. Something amazing, I guess
@@bobby_greene lol no. I was wondering some interesting admistrative stuff 🤣
@@kadijahamad9862 I was wondering some wesome detective stuff. 🤣🤣
Last time I was this early, Rome was still a republic.
Rip
😢
@Underdog yikes
Ted Hubert Pagnanawon Crusio can you ask him to give me one to?
@Underdog damn tinfoil hats, son
Who noticed the "gifted woman" sitting in the arena?
Who?
yeah.. that was pretty funny
Clue: 9:45, 2nd row. 2nd to the rightmost.
lol i saw and looked for a comment about it
Thirst Alert!
5:19 I love how the "bodyguard" is basically a "bandit" who you cleaned up and gave a uniform😆
. . . . . .honestly, that's what they were. A cleaned up bandit won't hesitate to do what ever you order him, so long as you pay well. Truth is the line in ancient times between "Bandits" and " Mercenaries" was often pretty blurred
@@Strider91 wasn't too blurry though! Like you said, the line was were you paying them enough or not! 😄
You catch criminals with criminals 😂
*clicks on spear infantry*
*spear infantry:* VI-GI-LES!
TOWN WATCH!
Total war!!!!
Normal People: Who watches History at 3:00 AM?
Me: Oh boy! 3:00 AM!
Dark Raven 510 - I would be doing the same, except it’s only 2:00 AM where I’m at. 🙂 You must be on the East Coast. Gotta love insomnia.
I am a night bird and a geek. I did classical studies, Latin and civilization. But i can't translate Cicero anymore :)
Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?
5:00 A.M. casuals.
3:00 AM? Time for a krabby patty!
th-cam.com/video/cTafloAkpCE/w-d-xo.html
I'm a cop watching this video while sitting in my car at work.
Were there Police in Ancient Rome?
Me: Imagine Ancient Roman version of "COPS" tv show.
@@dennisthemenace3695 Heh, I was actually thinking Skyrim's 'COPS' series, with the guards crack down drug users, chase thieves, dealing murder cases and fighting bandits. :)
What about a version of Reno 911?
Live PD: Roman Style.
I love so much that you have a bibliography for each of your videos. Loads people upload really great content but then don’t credit their sources anywhere. It’s so annoying when I want to do further reading. But you always provide proper sources for research an it makes me so happy
9:36 Saw Gladiator couple times, never noticed those magnificent tatas.
Tittus Maximus
That's not gladiators. It's a screenshot from the Spartacus Blood and Sand series
@@OldBaas Oh, that makes sence. Its that series that outporned Game of Thrones, isn't it?
@@tomaszskowronski1406 Yep it is
Bodacious Maximus
The Praetor’s symbol, the fasces (axe and rod bundle) is still seen today in the US Army’s military police crest.
It's also on the French passport. A lot of western countries took inspiration from the Roman symbolism
Its also from an Aesops fable, the bundle of sticks. One stick is easily broken, a bundle is not.
having visuals to go along with these historical text is great. Thank you Invicta team for your work.
9:41 the best part of the video
Those fasces that the lictors carried were again used as symbols of power by the fascists in 20th century Italy, mainly under Mussolini. This is where the term fascism originated from.
Fun fact: Fasces is the root for the word "faggot". It's still the term for a bundle of rods/sticks among other unsavory meanings.
The implication was one stick was simple to break. But a bundle was impossible or at least very difficult. Thus it was and is a symbol of strength in unity
Damn I never knew that. Not surprising since Mussolini had fantasies of reviving the Roman Empire
Obviously biatch
I was wondering that...I’d heard about there being some sort of bundle of sticks tied together, but had never actually seen what that looked like or where it originally came from until now.
When "vigilance" committees formed in US in late 1800s, they took their name from the Roman groups. To this day, Montana state police motto is based on 1800s vigilantes, who would give suspected wrong doer's a notice of 7-7-77, which gave them 7 days, 7 hours, 77 minutes to leave territory before being lynched.
Unfathomably based fr
Actually the job of modern police is to defend and preserve the Rule of Law. They are not there to defend the individual.
The role of the police is to protect the wealth of the rich from the rage of the poor.
Piotr Działak simp
Piotr Działak SIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMP
@@PiotrDzialak Looks like we have another anti-police mfer in here
I'm so early that Invicta's video on Evolution of the Roman Legions: Part 1 just got released.
-Part 2 when-
I'm so early the channel was still called THFE Production
yes, according to THFE, Romans still fight as phalanx ... I think ?
I'm so early that THFE is still doing Total War faction guides.
We got the siege of Jerusalem. Someday we will get part 2.
Part 3 on the other hand....
At this point I think he's just fucking with us.
I thought I had just learned that the rods stood for strength in unity: that one rod can be broken but when all the rods are bound together they are stronger and unbreakable.
The name "fascism" is based on the same logic, it comes from Italian "fascio" which means a bunch of sticks.
This is so fascinating. It's so different, yet it set out modern groundwork
its beyond me why we don't have an open-world RPG in Rome a la elder scrolls
That would be glorious
If you've ever played Mount and Blade: Warband there's a pretty cool mod for it called Bellum Imperii, start as a nobody during the time of good ol' Marcus Aurelius and slowly build up your army, pillage and conquer your way to the top. Bonus points if you use Parthian cataphracts alongside veteran legionnaires.
@@theeccentrictripper3863 this is a kickass recommendation. my nuts are numb after playing this mod. thank you brother
@@LemSportsinterviews Any time man, a friend in need is a friend indeed but a friend with legions is better.
I told my fianceé I was going to bed, when she leaves me for being a liar I expect you to buy me a new one!
Everything was great and my attention was high until minute 9:49 and everything went downhill. The video is still paused at that point.
For real
I don’t get it, what’s so bad about undercover cops?
@@stoutyyyy boobies
thank you invicta for your videos, they are so informative!
I love the series of everyday life in rome, keep it up please and thank you
Talking about law n order, the HBO series Rome has a(n) episode on lawyers. Tho it is short still something to add to this series.
We actually used clips from that episode in our video on Roman courts
Amazing videos. Seeing the daily life, laws, and the general Roman perspective on how society should function is infinitely interesting.
Your videos have always a superb quality!!
these videos are so interesting!!!!!!! you're one of the channel that i like the most
3:32 PULLO!
Can we just have a moment of solidarity for our boy titus pullo
Content of all your videos is always fascinating and fantastic. You and others like you are ushering in the new wave of how education will be provided in the future. Schooling will move from the classroom to "Distance Learning" in the home via the internet and/or TV. I see this as how education will gradually evolve.
Oh boy! 2 am history!
5:00 AM boi
You guys are really doing for bit for the lockdowns, pumping out so much great content atm
Excellent video as always.
the vigiles and fire brigade stuff is really fascinating!
Fun Facts about the Fasces:
-Where the term "Fascism" comes from, since it was Mussolini, an Italian, who came up with it.
-The Fasces is still a widely used symbol today, especially in America, where you can see it everywhere. For instance on the Lincoln Memorial, or the Seal of the United States Senate.
In Norway two Fasces adorn each side of the badge of the police.
So does this mean that anarchists and anti-establishment people were right all along?
@@powerist209 No, because it's simply a symbol of authority and power, which is not inherently a bad. The Fascists appropriated the symbol same with the Swastika, how it was a symbol of peace.
Unlike the Swastika it has avoided becoming stigmatized because the symbol is used by many different Nations and Republics.
Keep making videos on similar mundane type stuff like this. Seriously stuff like this I've always wondered about but it's hard to find info because generally wars, battles, generals, etc are more exciting to talk about than this.
Everyone is gangsta until the 5 peasants who are making a road, pulls their swords and hacks down 20 of your bros
Those revolting peasants again...
Great video 👍🏻
Invicta you videos are the best
I REALLY love your art it’s super awesome to look at
Brilliant content!
Fantastic video!
Invicta, in one of the next episode can you explaing the type of troops of the Romans? (Like legioner, triarii, hastati etc)
Nice info
I love how you used images of Pullo and Timon the Jew, that Rome series was the best piece of cinema ever made. Time to watch it again:)
Very good biodeo since it explains the evolution of what the police in Rome were at that time and how it has evolved over time
great video as always,will be interesting a video on how minor handicap affect soldiers in ancient time,like myopia,
colorblindness,stutter etc etc
I love the black armour with purple cloth it’s badass
Keep up these amazing videos! One pronunciation change I might make at 11:00 is how you said aggrandizement. I said that word wrong for years but apparently it’s pronounced differently. The “correct” pronunciation sounds worse though if I’m honest.
I’m only letting you know because I think it’s nicer for someone to let you know than to not say anything.
Super interesting video, great job!
How did this look like in the rest of the empire? Did every city do its own thing?
There are two more episodes coming up that talk about just this question :)
Great videos. Age of Empires comes to mind.
I love these series!
P.S. could you please introduce reliable books on these subjects? there are so many and I am not actually the best person to choose from them.
There's a bibliography/suggested reading list in the video description :)
@@Callmecel Thanks! I didn't see that
can't believe you missed the obvious: Law and Order: SPQR
*Dum dum*
more egyptian history pleaseee great content
Want to see a buddy cop movie set in Ancient Rome.
Excellent
Who registered how old was each soldier in order to check how many years of service had a specific soldier done?
Invicta, could you make a video about how the Romans dealt with mafias and criminal large scale organizations, if there was anything like the mafias or terrorists of our time in acient Rome. Thank you!
Rome expanded and enriched itself by looting nearby cultures... One could say that they were themselves a massive criminal organization. They killed so many people.
Patrice Boivin FFS, this is really not the place for retroactive virtue signalling..
@@PatriceBoivin literally at that time every winner pillage loser. It is just we have different view of war.
tnx
Cool very interesting
I think Rome was such a cool piece of history because some aspects of Rome were lost until even the Renaissance and also how the city Rome was almost like a time machine because of how advanced the city was for it's time.
Easy to see the good and bad of each aspect
Good matter of fact video.
1:52 "oeprating" :O
Hey Invicta
Your graphics are amazing - Thank you
At 14:19 you show sculpting on buildings - Will you elaborate on that one day, please
What I miss is Roman soldiers marching or was that not done at that stage
We only see soldiers strolling with smoke and blood and war effects
Maybe the word is Parade march or parade inspection
Thank you kindly for your time
Did anybody else catch the hose in one of the bits of art around 12:00 minutes in?
All of this.
This is what we need more of in Mount and Blade 2.
Good video. I would like to learn more about how commoners were typically punished for blood crimes perpetrated against other commoners. I know that during the medieval period, levels of violence could be very high, and it was often handled informally without recourse to the manorial court. I would be interested to know if a similar situation obtained in the Roman world.
Operating is misspelled as Oeperating, I like finding mistakes in education videos, it's the same feeling when you correct your teacher :)
5:14 Was it deliberate that the bodyguard and the bandit looked like the same guy in different clothing?
"oooh the lictors guild very good. Only rally the flute players and the bakers and you can put on a festival.'
Keep it up
This was very interesting to as I've always wondered how legions weren't allowed to enter the city of Rome , how was the peace kept
The Praetorians and Urban Cohorts, as he described, could enter the city.
An interesting note on the Urban Cohorts is that they were sometimes used specifically as a counterbalance against the influence and possible corruption of the other two police units- the Praetorians in particular.
Thus, Emperors who were concerned about the power of the Praetorians would expand the numbers and training/equipment of the Urban Cohorts- whose loyalty was more reliable (they rarely turned on the Emperor the way the Praetorians often did...)
This relationship even sort of made it into games: in the original Rome Total War, the Urban Cohorts were actually armed slightly better than the Praetorians to reflect this use as a counterweight (although it might not be accurate to actual history in most periods) and had higher base morale to reflect their greater loyalty to the state/people- although they were a unit only available very late-game, unlike the Praetorians (who were available in any city with an Imperial Palace)- and thus would typically have much less combat experience than the Praetorians (and die/run from battle sooner as a result) unless there were a lot of major revolts the player had to put down with them (their best/intended use was to crush major revolts in Roman cities with dangerous rebellious legionary units- they were far too expensive and difficult to replace to be much use in actual conquests... Even Praetorians were an expensive unit best kept in reserve until the moment of decision in a hard battle, due to how expensive and slow they were to replace...)
Just to say that the urban prefect was in charge only on the Urban Cohorts while for the praetorian there was the praetorian prefects (there were 2 of theme initially then became one under Tiberius)
A clarify upon the Republica era. Rome indeed had organized "police" and Public order, they where the Magistrates that had the task of manage the cities, the "Aedili Curuli".
The Aedili Curuli gived dispositions to the "Police" on the field in the city, other lower ranked Magistrates, that was the "Nocturni" that was around the city only the night and had Police tasks.
Then there was also a "neighbor Police" a kind of Force a lot close to the population and they was the "Vicomagistri" (vico=alley/Magistri=Magistrates) that act during the day also with Police tasks.
Just finished watching the idubbz simp life video, so sad, the fall of another of the great 4 brings a tear to my eye.
Hey, could you do some videos on Baktria after alexander died?
I find it hilarious this was recommended to me beside and actual Law and Order clip. I was very confused why i was suddenly get a bunch of Law and Order videos til i looked closer
Man that would be cool if they had a cops Roman Empire edition just saying it might be a great idea for an animated series
I went to the Magellan TV link and when signing up was offered only a week of free trial, not a month.
Couls you repeat what you said through 9:43 for some reason my mind keeps fading
Got an ad for the Invicta law offices
I’ll make Cicero an offer he cannot refuse
Nice
love the thumbnail
oohhh do a video on what a roman prison was like
Imagine looking out your window and seeimg the fire brigade setting up a trebuchet to clear your house out of the way of a fire
Were the structures described in this video different in the other major cities in the Empire? Like I assume the Praetorians were mostly confined to Rome, so in somewhere like Alexandria did they have a variation on the Urban Cohorts?
Would be cool to see this venture out into other cultures' legal traditions. Persia would be an interesting one, as major contemporaries.
Yo, can we get a credit for the Paintings used in this video for example at 3:10? They are really fantastic and I would like to google them in full resolution and send them to my friends
Hope you guys talk about security in Athens too.
Very interesting, but an odd choice of whimsical music.
I get that u have a Sponsor in Magellan Tv and u need to promote that, but since u give us top of the bill documentaries for free i dont feel any need to switch!!
For me u guys ( or girls ) are " The best" go to TH-cam channel for fast indepth quality docu's, keep up the good work