Julius Caesar: The Legacy Of Ancient Rome's Greatest Dictator | Caesar Revealed With Mary Beard

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  • Опубліковано 14 чер 2021
  • Mary Beard is on a mission to uncover the real Caesar, and to challenge public perception. She seeks the answers to some big questions. How did he become a one-man ruler of Rome? How did he use spin and PR on his way to the top? Why was he killed? And she asks some equally intriguing little questions. How did he conceal his bald patch? Did he really die, as William Shakespeare put it, with the words Et tu, Brute on his lips? Above all, Mary explores his surprising legacy right up to the present day. Like it or not, Caesar is still present in our everyday lives, our language, and our politics. Many dictators since, not to mention some other less autocratic leaders, have learned the tricks of their trade from Julius Caesar.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,2 тис.

  • @johane4764
    @johane4764 3 роки тому +575

    She and Egyptologist, Dr Joann Fletcher are my two favourite people; their genuine enthusiasm and storytelling are simply captivating.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 3 роки тому +15

      Yes you can feel their passion !!

    • @LSUrugby8
      @LSUrugby8 3 роки тому +5

      TBH, I'd probably hate to have her as a history professor in uni. She seems like she would be terrifying to study under

    • @relazar
      @relazar 3 роки тому +12

      Lucy Worsley is pretty great as well.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 3 роки тому +8

      And yes Lucy Worsley is also one of my favorites. Also Dan Jones, he has a way of making history come alive too

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 3 роки тому +16

      @@LSUrugby8 Why? I feel like I would love showing up to her class!

  • @glenn-younger
    @glenn-younger 2 роки тому +85

    She made a brilliant observation when she observed that even though they killed him, they didn't have a forward plan and so ended up with the very thing they didn't want: Rule under one person. Thank you for sharing this.

    • @thrallion
      @thrallion 2 роки тому +6

      Hmm no offence to her but I wouldn’t call that a “brilliant observation” lol… it’s literally the main takeaway of the whole saga… probably the single most common observation anyone makes when learning about Caesar’s assassination. Sorry not trying to be rude, just thought that was kind of funny

    • @glenn-younger
      @glenn-younger 2 роки тому +10

      ​@@thrallion Hmmm. For someone "not trying to be rude", you've managed to come across as a little snotty. I won't take it personally, though. Perhaps you're just having a bad day or a lonely one? Actually, when I made the comment, I was thinking of how politics can make people dense. Fast forward to more current days when a group of Americans stormed the White House with obviously no forward plan beyond the actual moment of doing the deed. People might know history, but it doesn't mean they learn from it.

    • @charlesincharge3404
      @charlesincharge3404 2 роки тому

      @@glenn-younger "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to PEACEFULLY AND PATRIOTICALLY make your voices heard"...that what Trump clearly stated to those people who you say stormed the Capitol. In fact, they were ushered in by the Capitol police and government agents like Ray Epps and the scaffold commander directing the crowd via a bull horn. And we have video of every bit of it. In fact, there's an additional 40K hours of video that Pelosi refuses to release showing more of the disgraceful actions of the Capitol police on that fateful day. That video by the way belongs to the taxpayers, not the corrupt lefty politicians. And that's the same Pelosi who declined Trump's suggestion to bring in national guard troops. Dereliction of duty on steroids. Not a single person who entered the Capitol on Jan 6 was armed...so an unarmed insurrection took place that day? How is that suppose to work?...explain prey tell. What a sham...shame on you for falling for it. 2000 Mules...watch it!!!

    • @glenn-younger
      @glenn-younger 2 роки тому +2

      @@charlesincharge3404 Sigh. There are dirty dealings all around. I do wish people on the ground had posted videos showing that. Without real proof… 🤷🏻‍♀️It’s becoming increasingly harder to separate fact from individual agendas. At any rate, thank you you for sharing your perspective. Maybe next time can you do it without the name calling? All of us need to learn to communicate with each other with respect. Otherwise we’ll never get through this mess and find a common meeting ground. Wishing you well…

    • @charlesincharge3404
      @charlesincharge3404 2 роки тому

      @@glenn-younger First & foremost, there ABSOLUTELY IS video of Ray Epps and the scaffold commander urging & pleading with people to force their way into the Capitol. And there's also video of the Capitol police ushering them in. There's also evidence of Ashley Babbitt being gunned down in cold blood by employee of Pelosi while presenting no threat of violence whatsoever. I've seen it all, in all its disgusting glory. But I'm not not shocked in the least to hear that you haven't seen any of it because the media sources you get your fake news from won't show it to you. I challenge you to take the time to search for it...you'll find it. You won't, however, because it goes counter to your agenda. And as far as your condescending accusations are concerned, take it somewhere else. Just like millions upon millions of likeminded patriots who happen to love their country, I'm fed up and no longer interested in trying having so-called respectful conversations with globalist lefty types who have no issue with all of the destruction being caused by the dangerous politicians and activist groups your type supports. 2000 Mules...watch it and learn something.

  • @sabthie5836
    @sabthie5836 2 роки тому +143

    I love Mary Beard, she has such a lovely way to present to us the old Rome, Pompeji, Caesar etc. She is unique, smart, full of humor and great knowledge. A wonderful presenter, a wonderful woman!

    • @amyRMA
      @amyRMA 2 роки тому +8

      You can tell she loves history and makes it fun! I would LOVE to take a class or listen to lectures by her!

    • @charlesmcelravyjr.2129
      @charlesmcelravyjr.2129 2 роки тому +2

      Yeah she's legit.

    • @taroman7100
      @taroman7100 Рік тому +1

      I wish I wasnt so vain.

  • @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739
    @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739 2 роки тому +51

    I love this lady. Her passion for ancient Rome is second to none. I'd love to spend a semester in her classroom.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon 2 роки тому

      "None" = a LOT of historians.

    • @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739
      @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739 2 роки тому

      Ok

    • @jesuscampie4099
      @jesuscampie4099 2 роки тому +1

      Come on the first ten minutes is literally covered in bs murdered in the senate house? No he wasn’t it was being repaired or renovated, they met in a theater house, the Roman republic was not a democracy, there are way better historians

    • @taroman7100
      @taroman7100 Рік тому

      I'd prefer Andrew Wallace Hadrill.

  • @robotslug
    @robotslug 3 роки тому +129

    Well, my bedtime documentary is now chosen. Thanks Odyssey.

  • @MichelleIbarraMHAEdD
    @MichelleIbarraMHAEdD 2 роки тому +58

    I adore her! She has no fear, she's animated, super intelligent, passionate about her topics, and has a wicked sense of humor 😃! And those shoes are the bomb! 💜💛💜💛

    • @jimr9499
      @jimr9499 Рік тому

      Lol her shoes are memorable in everything she's in.

  • @Wayzor_
    @Wayzor_ 3 роки тому +240

    Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this.

  • @jacklyv
    @jacklyv 2 роки тому +10

    I love this whole channel so much but Mary Beard is definitely my FAVORITE! shes so enthusiastic and relatable, she has help rekindle my love for classical history 🤗

  • @destroyer0685
    @destroyer0685 3 роки тому +30

    The real issue on why Ceasars is Caesar is that the Roman Republic had morphed and its method of government and culture could not handle the stress of governing such a large enterprise.
    The proto Caesar is his uncle Marius. Marius redesigned the Roman army and turned it from a Militia based on economic standing to a professional force. This army came to be because most of the eligible men were no longer able to campaign as they were either dead or too old. So Marius formed his army from the Capitei Censei, the Roman head count, essentially the poor. He armed them, trained them and they fought for him and Rome. Sulla did the same thing as did Pompey. Caesar did it better. The reason for this is that the army did not really swear allegiance to Rome but to their commander, who was called Imperator. By doing this, Sulla, Marius and the rest overthrew the social contract that the "metropolitan elites" as she calls them hung their hats.
    Remember Rome was not a democracy it was a Representative Republic. The United States is modeled on the Roman Republic not the Empire. Caesar, like other great personalities in the world changed society by knowing and using rules or:
    Tell Mark Antony to keep his legions intact as they make the law legal.
    Compared to the aristos or Optimates the Roman people loved him.

  • @estefaniabarrionuevo4640
    @estefaniabarrionuevo4640 2 роки тому +56

    00:00 - Introduction
    02:50 - Julius Caesar in the public mind
    07:15 - The beginning of his successful career
    14:15 - The conquest of Gaul
    22:01 - The exploration of Britain
    24:07 - The accounts of his battles as propaganda
    28:17 - Similarities between ancient and modern politicians
    30:50 - His march to Roma with the troops and the civil war
    34:50 - His designation as dictator
    37:30 - The portrait of Julius Caesar
    41:50 - His populist politics: "bread and circus"
    44:13 - Baldness, adultery and self-confidence
    47:19 - His legacy in our everyday life
    52:11 - The modern sense of the word dictator
    54:29 - His assassination in the senate house
    56:48 - Conclusions

    • @justlikeme2797
      @justlikeme2797 2 роки тому +1

      No need we watched it all without skipping even for a second. Thanks though now get tf out.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 2 роки тому

      Thanks for chaptering something that isn't yours.

    • @annjalsa3341
      @annjalsa3341 Рік тому +2

      What is both of your problems🤦🏽‍♀️

    • @lewstone5430
      @lewstone5430 Рік тому

      @Estefanía Barrionuevo, thanks!

  • @OcarinaSapphr-
    @OcarinaSapphr- 3 роки тому +38

    I like Mary Beard & her style of documentary, normally- but, I’m kind of surprised with the title of the documentary, to see she ignored so much of his earlier life - I was glad she mentioned he wasn’t of the first rate aristocratic families, *however* , he was related through his mother to some powerful people, & related by marriage to Marius- one of **the most famous** later (not late) Republican era Roman leaders.
    Caesar’s childhood/ teenage years - which could arguably be considered more formative than almost _anyone_ has previously indicated- were marred by near-continuous civil war.
    Caesar’s earlier years could be a documentary/ mini-series in its’ own right...
    He himself became a target of Marius’ erstwhile ally & later deadly foe, Sulla- due to his connection with Marius - the irony was, that this targeting by Sulla (the other big famed later Republican era leader) included stripping him of his inheritance, & depriving him of a highly constrictive (though very respected) religious office, that would have prevented his leaving Rome for extended periods - arguably, this single event was what helped make his rise possible...
    Also; No mention of his study of oratory in Greece, followed by his capture by pirates on the way home (& the terrible revenge he took on them)- his time at the court of Nicomedes- & maybe connecting to modern celebrity rumour-mongering/ scandal-mongering - it might have been interesting to understand what ancient people considered a scandal.
    I get his appearance at the tale-end of Spartacus’ revolt amounts to scarcely a footnote, but still- it links to his later relationships with Crassus & Pompey, & their political alliance... or mentioning anything else of his earlier years, other than the Alexander the Great statue incident...?
    Edit: word

    • @zeusnitch
      @zeusnitch 3 роки тому +7

      I agree. This 'documentary' was definitely lacking some context/information, like the political intrigue Caesar was exposed to early on

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 2 роки тому +2

      Agree with all your points...

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 2 роки тому +2

      Would add his influence on Octavian Augustus...

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 2 роки тому +1

      Caesar family was patrician, but whose wealth had declined because of legacies in the family estate!

    • @nycbearff
      @nycbearff 2 роки тому +3

      Documentaries are constrained by time. She filled the time completely with significant things about him - a lot more had to be left out.

  • @thewol7534
    @thewol7534 3 роки тому +140

    "Cesarean section" comes from ancient Roman law (Lex Caesarea) which mandated the cutting out from the womb of a child whose mother had died during labour. The law was originally enacted to comply with Roman ritual and religious custom, which forbade the burial of pregnant women, but the procedure was later pursued specifically in an attempt to save the child’s life. "Caesarea" comes from the Latin root "caedere " meaning "to cut".

    • @JC-vg5gl
      @JC-vg5gl 3 роки тому +7

      ya i read somewhere that if caesar was in fact "cut out," his mother would never have survived, and she was found in later texts.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 3 роки тому +7

      Somehow I had never heard that explanation of a cesarean. I knew Caesar couldn't have been born that way. His mother was still alive when he became pontiff

    • @BuckleBunny
      @BuckleBunny 2 роки тому +1

      He wanted people to think he was great, that’s the name he chose. I don’t think his real birth name was ever revealed in history. Remember she said he told this tail to be part of his greatness even though he had a meager life.
      I do wish she gave more of the actual definition though before skipping into his real childhood.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 2 роки тому +1

      @@BuckleBunny who are you talking about?

    • @JayM409
      @JayM409 2 роки тому +7

      @@BuckleBunny - He was named after his father, also named Gaius Julius Caesar.

  • @petersclafani4370
    @petersclafani4370 3 роки тому +65

    The senate feared him because of his legions were loyal to him. He has 12 legions well trained veterans, disciplined

    • @pexxajohannes1506
      @pexxajohannes1506 3 роки тому +3

      Anybody who carried out genocide in Gaul carried also aura of real fear. JC was not a pleasant or easy man. He had his way easy, hard or deadly way. Not fearing Julius Caesar was usually quick way to death...

    • @petersclafani4370
      @petersclafani4370 3 роки тому +8

      @@pexxajohannes1506 hatred of the gauls goes back to early rome when it was invaded. Second the gauls fought with Hannibal in the 2nd panic war. Caesar did what he had to do with power tribes was to send a msg. To other tribes.

    • @westoncampbell1268
      @westoncampbell1268 3 роки тому

      @Roger Clemens Close it's sillius soddus

    • @donnieboughton1730
      @donnieboughton1730 3 роки тому

      @@pexxajohannes1506 what?

    • @pexxajohannes1506
      @pexxajohannes1506 3 роки тому +3

      @@donnieboughton1730 if you manage to inspire a civilwar, you are feared person. There are lot of folks who like Caesar and there is nothing wrong with that. But reality is that Caesar was also a wolf and a political predator and rightfully feared. He boasted with killing enormous number of gauls. Gauls who had trade and client links with Rome and romans. If needed, he would starve women and children dead. Only if you read and believe all imperial propaganda of divine Julius Caesar, you stop seeing Caesar also as a man, politician and deadly and not at all nice warrior.

  • @captainnemo1402
    @captainnemo1402 2 роки тому +22

    Thanks to the producers for this interesting documentary. Also maybe interesting to know in Persian mythical stories it was Rostam who was such a big baby to be born by a Cesarean section on Roudabeh (mother) by Simorgh (mythical intelligent bird). So some call it Rostamineh here in Iran!

  • @alexanderfaust4192
    @alexanderfaust4192 3 роки тому +115

    Caesar was not assassinated in the senate house believe it or not. He was assassinated in a theater dedicated to Pompeii Magnus (whom he defeated in Greece) where the senate was meeting for that day. The senate house was being repaired at the time and it was not unusual for the senate to move it's sessions around to different parts of Rome. He died at the foot of a statue of his rival. The gods had a clever sense of humor.

    • @brasschick4214
      @brasschick4214 3 роки тому +14

      I call it not the gods having humour but the Senators giving serious shade. It payback par excellence.

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta 3 роки тому +17

      How the hell does Mary Beard not KNOW that? Now I can't trust anything she says.

    • @alexanderfaust4192
      @alexanderfaust4192 3 роки тому +12

      @@Ken_Scaletta funny enough I read that in her own book: SPQR

    • @LeontiusInvictus
      @LeontiusInvictus 3 роки тому +4

      That's where she was standing

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta 3 роки тому +9

      @@LeontiusInvictus The Curia of Pompey doesn't exist any more. The site of the assassination is underground and inaccessible. Plus she SAID it was the Senate House.

  • @DASDmiser
    @DASDmiser 3 роки тому +28

    4:19. An exquisite example of the aphorism "it is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt".

    • @ivanaradojevic7015
      @ivanaradojevic7015 3 місяці тому +2

      Give them a break. These people were on holiday/a leasurely stroll when a tv crew came up and asked
      them a history question 😂

  • @dragonfox2.058
    @dragonfox2.058 2 роки тому +12

    Of all the ancient Roman tales, I like Colleen McCullough's "First Man in Rome" the very best. Her research was exhaustive. Of course she never received much recognition for them which was a disgrace. That woman could WRITE! I think Julius Caesar was a universal genius

    • @lekkki1
      @lekkki1 2 роки тому +4

      He was truly an amazing man. Boundless energy and intelligence. It's laughable to hear him described as brutal and ruthless in accordance with current thought; in his day he was a bit of a lightweight in the "political treachery" milieu. If you want a monster; look to Sulla, who preceded Ceaser by multiple years.

  • @lindaduncan2723
    @lindaduncan2723 3 роки тому +17

    Thank you Mary. I just love watching and learning with you! Your my favorite!
    Have a blessed day!

  • @davidstewart5811
    @davidstewart5811 3 роки тому +61

    Absolutely terrible that so many folks have little if any information about one of the most important people in history. Sad.

    • @RavenStillBeguiling
      @RavenStillBeguiling 3 роки тому +14

      You have to think about what the producers choose to show. Many probably did know about Caesar but it was cut.

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 3 роки тому +1

      And we know even less about Alexander!

    • @daniel3231995
      @daniel3231995 3 роки тому +4

      its a repeating phenomenon. forget the greats so new ones (populists) prop up so they seem an entirely new thing. ONLY thing is TRUMP WILL COME BACK GREATER! MAGA2

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon 2 роки тому +1

      If you choose to enumerate the areas of public ignorance, you have set yourself a mighty task.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 2 роки тому

      Why don't you cry about it?

  • @Temujin1991
    @Temujin1991 2 роки тому +11

    This woman is the reason I want to get a degree in classical history, I owe her so much.

  • @benjaminrobinson5552
    @benjaminrobinson5552 3 роки тому +38

    Any salad can be a caeser salad, you just gotta stab it a couple times.

  • @jmace2424
    @jmace2424 3 роки тому +96

    Caesar was not the one who turned Rome into a dictatorship. If you read Livy it seems like there were dictators every couple of years. Marius and Sulla were the ones who made it normal.

    • @lekkki1
      @lekkki1 3 роки тому +11

      exactly

    • @jeffweskamp3685
      @jeffweskamp3685 3 роки тому +19

      Someone in that time was gonna knock the Republic off its perch. It could have been Marius or Sulla, or it could have been Pompey, Crassus, or Catalina. Caesar just happened to be the one who managed to pull it off.

    • @scotto7047
      @scotto7047 3 роки тому +12

      Yeah, for a classicist, I am a bit surprised at some of the factual errors in this and her somewhat disdainful approach to this topic. Even the issue of the coins. It is by no means certain that Caesar put his face on the coins or if this occurred after his death. It seems that prior to his death, he used the likeness of Venus on the coinage.
      Also the Persians had been putting rulers faces on coins for 500 plus years before Caesar.

    • @Ycjedi
      @Ycjedi 3 роки тому +9

      @@scotto7047 And also sanctimoniously applying the agreed upon "moralities" of today to an archaic society 2100 years ago.

    • @TVaz7777
      @TVaz7777 3 роки тому +11

      These dictators were legal ones because the "lex romana" authorised the senate to grant full power to a dictator for six months in order to solve an urgent problem.
      Caeser wasn't like that. He went into civil war and waged war against his own people to obtain full power. He killed Romans and turned the Senate into an useless elderly house.

  • @farmag
    @farmag 3 роки тому +25

    lol 3:59 mark "I know [Caesar] came over here for a reason, he wasn't meant to cross the river" -The erudite tourist

  • @bonniedawson6999
    @bonniedawson6999 3 роки тому +36

    Mary Beard is great. I love the way she explains everything and is down-to-earth :)

  • @lesilluminations1
    @lesilluminations1 Рік тому +5

    I have been studying Latin and reading about the Romans for years. But no one brings it to life like Mary does. What's more, it isn't just passion she brings. There is a nuance to her interpretation so that a complex picture is left in the reader's mind. She is truly a gift to the world.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Рік тому

      She's extremely subjective.
      Also these shows wind up being more about her than the subject. I guess that's what average tele viewers might want.
      He was brutal - as was warfare in those days - but he did NOT COMMIT GENOCIDE of/in Gaul.

    • @lesilluminations1
      @lesilluminations1 Рік тому +2

      @@stutzbearcat5624 Yes, the word genocide is overused these days. So much so that the word is in danger of losing it's meaning. So I would agree that she exagerates here. Her point seems to be that Caesar killed a lot more people in Gaul than one would imagine from reading his commentaries. But the many Gauls who lived successful lives during and after Caesar's conquest are evidence that genocide is not the word to describe what happened.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Рік тому

      @@lesilluminations1
      I'd suggest he was not shy talking about how many people were slaughtered in his writings.

    • @lesilluminations1
      @lesilluminations1 Рік тому

      @@stutzbearcat5624 He was indeed quite proud of the killing. And it is likely that more died from the collateral damage resulting from the destruction of forests and villages than even he could calculate.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Рік тому +1

      @@lesilluminations1
      Yes BUT - (I'm not a Julius Caesar expert but have read a few books) Caeser would happily extend a hand for those who went along - but if you effed with his troops - lookthefukkout!
      In Zela the king Pharnaces had been castrating all Romans after he broke away from the empire - so Caeser let his troops have their way with the city after the victory. It's where he said, “Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came I saw etc).

  • @marjolewis9405
    @marjolewis9405 2 роки тому +15

    Mary fails to mention two occasions, I believe that helped fueled Caesar's ambition. He spent a lot of time in the court of King Nicomedes iv in Bithynia, modern day Turkey. His time at court surely sowed the seeds of a supreme rule in Caesar's heart. Also, his capture by Sicilian pirates surely help fuel his egotism.

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 2 роки тому +1

      Caesar was like any ambitious Roman aristocrat, but no less and no more, since all had to complete the cursus honorum in hopes of becoming consul !

    • @jmitterii2
      @jmitterii2 2 роки тому +3

      His ambitions were even prior to be captured by pirates... if accounts of his capture was true... is arrogance is absurdly goofy.
      And accounts he cried at a statue of Alexander the "great". And lamenting about his own older age, that Alexander had already had conquest most of the known world; of course one can only do that if they are crowned princes and kings.
      Family traditions of nobility, the myth of the family was that the family dynasty came from Venus herself, that they were of divinity. Similar to later Christian nobility would claim divine by right and anointed by the those with divine right.
      Mysticism, what a way to enlarge an already bloated ego to then place mysticism and magic and lore of god powers.
      We don't even have that today, and many of the plutocrats are already insufferable pathetic psychopaths/sociopaths.
      I can hear Dr. Evil Jeff Besos explaining how he was visited by his father Mercury and ordained him with the business acumen to take over the world in retail vertical and horizontal monopoly, and his rocketry idiocy was to visit his daddy in the sky.
      Or Musk claiming he's a bastardization of Zeus and Prometheus... that there is dispute between whether his true sky daddy is Zeus or Prometheus... I would go for Prometheus, and not in the enlightenment view... but the trickster side. Con jobber.

    • @nycbearff
      @nycbearff 2 роки тому +2

      It's a short TV show. She didn't have time to cover all the significant events in his life.

  • @johnmooers5594
    @johnmooers5594 2 роки тому +12

    Hard to believe a classicist as accomplished as Ms Beard didn’t specify Caesar was killed in the portico of the Theater of Pompey rather than the “Senate House.”

    • @stanlygirl5951
      @stanlygirl5951 2 роки тому

      Yes, it was where the Senate was meeting at the time, but it was *not* the "Senate House."

    • @Consrignrant
      @Consrignrant Рік тому +4

      Wherever the Senate met was a Senate House.

  • @CH-zc8qx
    @CH-zc8qx 2 роки тому +4

    I don't think the campaign in Gaul classifies as genocide. Did he kill a lot of Gallic people? Yes, but the aim wasn't to eliminate Gaul as a people or a culture. He came to Gaul first to settle disputes between Gallic allies of Rome but never stopped there, and in the end, it turned into a full blow conquest under thinly veiled excuses with debatable legitimacy. The goals were money, territory expansion, propaganda, military power, etc. but it was never meant to be a genocide. And the first conquest was rather tame in comparison. It wasn't until Gaul united under Vercingetorix and rebelled did Caesar come back and put them down ruthlessly and severely. The sheer brutality might look like genocide, but truly it was a conquest.

  • @wizzardofpaws2420
    @wizzardofpaws2420 3 роки тому +30

    Nobody can make you love history like Mary Beard

  • @ryanwessell4279
    @ryanwessell4279 Рік тому +18

    To those people who are critical of this documentary, about what Mary didn't cover: this is a 1 hr program. She couldn't possibly cover everything that one of the most influential Romans did as a child. She's a world-renowned Roman historian and she gets to decide what she feels is important to include in a documentary on Julius Caesar.

  • @gingersnaptrack9337
    @gingersnaptrack9337 2 роки тому +5

    I love this channel with Mary Beard making history fun and interesting.

  • @Ubique2927
    @Ubique2927 3 роки тому +9

    Wasn’t he killed in the theatre of Pompey? Wasn’t the Senate building closed?

  • @benw9949
    @benw9949 3 роки тому +11

    I had a very typical American public education and a typical American history survey course in college. I had an English lit survey course which whizzed by way too fast to really appreciate much, and a French lit course which was a bit better. (Two semesters each.) However, in high school, we hardly covered any world history or European history, as mostly, each year was focused on more modern times. I wish American students got a fuller understanding of world history and European history, a better understanding of the Ancient world and leading into modern times, not just Europe, but everywhere. I know way less about the ancient world and the medieval world and the rise to the Renaissance and Enlightenment than Id like. It would give people a much better understanding if they could be excited by history and really learn from it, not just to memorize a bunch. of names and dates for an exam, but to know the stories, the things that drove events, the people and their concerns. I liked most of my history classes and I had some good teachers and professors. Some really made it great. But I know we also missed out in middle and high school on learning much about older history or world history, and then by college, everyone is focused on a degree and a jo and then on grinding through real life.

    • @marjolewis9405
      @marjolewis9405 2 роки тому +1

      Unfortunately I didn't receive much of an education, I only finished the 8th grade. I made damn sure to educate myself, and History is my favorite subject. Btw I absolutely know where Africa is on the map.

  • @giffica
    @giffica 3 роки тому +26

    MARY BEARD!!!! YES!!!! Always more, her passion for the subject is second to NONE!

    • @godfreecharlie
      @godfreecharlie 3 роки тому +1

      Perhaps a little less of her close up face shots, dental structure, scrunched up smile? Try that pose on a 52" and you will see what I mean.

  • @Bethany_Marie
    @Bethany_Marie Місяць тому

    Mary Beard needs her own show, she's just amazing. I have just found her and am looking everywhere for all her shows.

  • @LateNightHam
    @LateNightHam 2 роки тому +6

    I wanna point out that she said that only a dictator can change time when she's talking about the calendar at 49.30 but ceaser was Pontifex maximus and it's the Pontifex maximus's job to adjust the calendar, and it's doubly true because the seasons where out of sync I think by 4-6 months when we were gifted our modern calendar year.

  • @wanderalmeida9584
    @wanderalmeida9584 3 роки тому +3

    I love Mary Beard´s books. Great video. Thanks from Brazil.

  • @archer1949
    @archer1949 3 роки тому +38

    I don’t know. It seems to me that the Roman Republic had been dying decades before Caesar came along. Marius and Sulla, the murders of the Gracchi and the Social Wars. Caesar was just the final nail in the coffin. At any rate, I shed no tears for the assshole Patricians and the Optimates.

    • @larson0014
      @larson0014 3 роки тому +7

      Augustus was the nail in the coffin, Caesar was the hammer

    • @NodnarbRS
      @NodnarbRS 3 роки тому +2

      It was rotting under the surface for centuries it seems.

  • @commendatore2516
    @commendatore2516 2 роки тому +1

    thank you a thousand times for this superb documentary! i was searching it for months now!

  • @yisroelackerman
    @yisroelackerman 2 роки тому +4

    I thought Caesar died in the Temple of Pompey - not the Senate - because the Senate was being renovated that day.

  • @galas455
    @galas455 3 роки тому +24

    I do enjoy your stories Mary, thank you.

  • @PtolemyXVII
    @PtolemyXVII 3 роки тому +21

    52:55 "Civilio Caesari dict perpetuo" means "Caesar speaks forever" implying that his voice was timeless. Dictator forever is "Dictator in perpetuum" completely different!
    As much as I like Mary Beard, I imagine she has never studied Latin

    • @putraappm
      @putraappm 3 роки тому

    • @panchopuskas1
      @panchopuskas1 3 роки тому

      ...don’t be daft.....

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 3 роки тому +6

      True. Her pronunciation of "Veni, Vidi, Vici" caught me offguard and I could tell she hasn't studied a lick of Latin...

    • @Beery1962
      @Beery1962 3 роки тому +6

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 Every time I try to watch anything with Mary Beard in it, her Latin pronunciation ruins it for me. I mean, I suppose she could have learned to read Latin without learning the proper pronunciation, but to me it screams "I'm not a Latin scholar - I just play one on TV". Maybe I'm just prejudiced.

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 3 роки тому +5

      @@Beery1962 Naaah man. Think about this. I started learning Latin on my own in my tiny hostel room last year in college and I can still read a considerable amount of Latin. Hers is just a case of pure negligence rather than pretence.

  • @reginahigginbotham2777
    @reginahigginbotham2777 2 роки тому +2

    Brilliantly documented! I love her style of telling the stories

  • @wizzardofpaws2420
    @wizzardofpaws2420 Рік тому +1

    I am absolutely DELIGHTED AND HAPPY to see a new Mary Beard video!

    • @Drewbalicious
      @Drewbalicious 3 місяці тому

      How could this video have been new to you when you wrote this? You left a comment here from a year before.

  • @antoniomartellini3443
    @antoniomartellini3443 3 роки тому +10

    I have always been convinced that the English historians on Ancient Rome are among the best ever. Only one thing I can't stand, their telling the History of Rome as if the battles had taken place last week so we bring Julius Caesar to the Hague Court of Justice for crimes against humanity. It would be enough a bit of intellectual honesty true prof. Mary Beard and tell that at that time ALL PEOPLES behaved in that way, even the Britons and perhaps even worse among themselves. The Romans were first invaded by the Gauls of Brenno and for this reason in his time they decided that it was better to win them than to lose the wars and acted accordingly.

    • @sailenkatel3436
      @sailenkatel3436 2 роки тому +4

      @Antonio. Quite so. Caesar was more merciful than almost any leader in history towards his defeated enemies. To call his conquest of Gaul a genocide is to dilute the meaning of the word.

  • @jeremiahcastro9700
    @jeremiahcastro9700 3 роки тому +13

    Why do these historians keep lying about Rome being a democracy? The histories of the Romans clearly state that after Romulus built Rome, they were ruled by kings *244 Years* before deciding to overthrow them for their corruption in order to found the Roman Republic. This Roman Republic lasted for *464 Years* before Augustus became the first emperor of Rome.

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 2 роки тому

      The Roman republic has nothing to compare with our modern regimes. It was rather an olgarchy where the rich held all the power, the elections being a sham! The society was ranked according to the wealth of the citizens.

    • @stanlygirl5951
      @stanlygirl5951 2 роки тому +2

      I don't know if she was merely trying (unhelpfully) to simplify things for the masses or what. Many people have trouble differentiating between a republic and a democracy.

    • @JC-zo9xy
      @JC-zo9xy Рік тому

      It's intentional.

  • @neilwinchester9187
    @neilwinchester9187 2 роки тому

    I'm very glad I've discovered these programs. Just excellent!

  • @marc-andrebrunet5386
    @marc-andrebrunet5386 3 роки тому +8

    🤝I really love documentaries produced in England..
    English is my second language and because of the narration quality I understand very easily everything they talk about.
    Thank you very much from Montreal Canada 🍻

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 3 роки тому +2

      Québec?

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 3 роки тому +1

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 yes Sir 🍻

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 3 роки тому +2

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 you Native? From.. ?
      I'm a friend of native citizens of Canada

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 3 роки тому +1

      @@marc-andrebrunet5386 Je viene de Kenya

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 3 роки тому +2

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 bonjour a tous les Kényans 🤝😎✌️ je connais un peu l'Afrique, le Kenya est un pays unique au monde..
      J'espère que votre peuple et culture existe pour toujours.
      Salut mon frère

  • @carpediem6842
    @carpediem6842 3 роки тому +32

    “You can kill him, but you can’t get rid of him.”

  • @joannamallory2823
    @joannamallory2823 3 роки тому +10

    Another amazing program with Mary Beard. Love them.

  • @lightbeingform
    @lightbeingform 8 місяців тому

    Beard has such vigor, such presence: Punctuating lessons with chuckles; Conducting lessons with a spray can in a subway tunnel; Touching things with a lightness, yet with due seriousness. Let this spirit dwell in every striving intellect! Whee!

  • @francescapatti2934
    @francescapatti2934 2 роки тому +2

    Imagine you're just walking around, doing your thing and suddenly there is this group of people in the middle of the square yelling "HAIL CAESAR!"
    would make my day

  • @emilysigmund1255
    @emilysigmund1255 3 роки тому +8

    A very interesting piece of history that holds a fair bit of information about how the future could play out.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 2 роки тому

      Ya too bad modern day senators are even bigger panty lines than back then.

  • @petersclafani4370
    @petersclafani4370 3 роки тому +26

    Caesar became dictator because of the senate. The senate manipulated pompey vs caesar. When he won the contest he knew the senate had to much power and he had to squash it and declared himself dictator.

  • @carolelorikeet6002
    @carolelorikeet6002 2 роки тому +1

    mary beard really makes you feel like your in ancient rome, she is so natural, love her work

  • @NoraBiehle
    @NoraBiehle 2 місяці тому

    Fabulous! Well done! Loved the well thought out and thorough fill in on such a Heroic Tragic figure. A dramatic portrait. What an ending, bravo. Coins tossed. Love your delivery style as well. Come rain or shine.

  • @path1024
    @path1024 2 роки тому +4

    It would be the best day of my life if some TV show came up and asked me if I knew anything about Caesar. I could tell them about nearly every battle he fought from Britain to North Africa. They'd have to turn off my mic.

    • @path1024
      @path1024 2 роки тому

      @@fio123 Not much point given I can Google the answer, and if I can't then does anyone know it?

    • @path1024
      @path1024 2 роки тому +3

      @@fio123 She didn't fund Cassius. She sent reinforcements to Dolabella, but they defected to Cassius. She also didn't give Cassius part of her navy. Her sister Arsinoe was in charge of Cyprus and gave him the ships. She was likely plotting against Cleopatra.

    • @path1024
      @path1024 2 роки тому

      @@fio123 Sorry?

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 2 роки тому

      🤗👏👏

  • @williamcaton8432
    @williamcaton8432 3 роки тому +6

    It was Demetrius I Poliocretes of Macedon 294-288BC that was the first ruler to put his own face on coins, not Caesar. Just one of many things she gets wrong about Caesar.

    • @MarcPawlowsky
      @MarcPawlowsky 3 роки тому

      41:25

    • @joshuapray
      @joshuapray 2 роки тому

      Julius Caesar was indeed the first _Roman_ to have his effigy on coins. I think this was just a little misunderstanding on your part, not a signal that Mary Beard is making things up.

  • @sololobo5980
    @sololobo5980 2 роки тому +1

    Mary Beard is simply the best. If she is narrating I will watch. So good.

  • @mztre2391
    @mztre2391 2 роки тому +1

    I love Mary Beard! Her shoes in this are rockin! Thank you for making me love Rome more than I already do!

  • @rachaelrogers2104
    @rachaelrogers2104 3 роки тому +14

    Oh My!! Mary Beard new stuff! Popcorn where are you?THANK YOU MARY! I PRAY LIFE IS TREATING YOU KINDLY!!

  • @kevinderosier651
    @kevinderosier651 3 роки тому +28

    Absolutely love this woman. Bright as anyone can be.

  • @tmgarcia2002
    @tmgarcia2002 2 роки тому +1

    Whoopie! a new documentary by my fave historian. More!

  • @morenofranco9235
    @morenofranco9235 2 роки тому

    I dig Prof. Beard. So enthusiastic. Along with Prof. Anna Fletcher and Dr. Bettany Hughes. They bring History to life.

  • @dimitargiyrov3266
    @dimitargiyrov3266 3 роки тому +26

    I dream that one day that great Lady will ask me a historian question so i can show her that i watched all of her videos

  • @holgerfiallo1343
    @holgerfiallo1343 3 роки тому +4

    What people do not consider is that his choice was exile from Rome and losing his property and his family becoming poor. So you go to exile or march on Rome. If we are honest with each other, we would make the sane choice.I would march on Rome.

  • @lynnblack6493
    @lynnblack6493 2 роки тому +1

    How very informative! Thank you once again Professor.

  • @francpala
    @francpala 2 роки тому

    I just found this channel. Absolutely amazing.

  • @sawahtb
    @sawahtb 3 роки тому +7

    If he hadn’t picked Octavian as his heir he would have been forgotten imo. Octavian honored him and kept his name, passing it on and making sure his assassins were killed, plus Octavian was a very successful Emperor.

    • @Consrignrant
      @Consrignrant Рік тому

      @Sarah H Nonsense. At any rate, your "opinion" is worthless.

  • @benjaminrobinson5552
    @benjaminrobinson5552 3 роки тому +18

    When caeser was given the chance to spare those he knew, he did it, even Kato ... After taking Gaul he appointed gauls to the senate when he had the power, the people he just conquered, he gave them representation.

    • @RainbowStar94
      @RainbowStar94 3 роки тому +3

      Agreed! He was very merciful to his "enemies". He was greatly honored in the Roman Empire.

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 3 роки тому +1

      @@RainbowStar94 Except for that one time he cut off the hands of all the men in a Gaulish tribe who defied him....
      I like to look at Ceasar's clemency as a form of cunning

  • @kenc9236
    @kenc9236 3 роки тому +1

    Awesome video and crazy shoes there Mary. Good job.

  • @lindascanlan6317
    @lindascanlan6317 2 роки тому

    Professor Dame Beard is brilliant ...I'm learning so much..

  • @pavlothekozak827
    @pavlothekozak827 2 роки тому +3

    2k+ years later, Gaius Julius Caesar is still the man!

  • @sonofsocrates9899
    @sonofsocrates9899 3 роки тому +15

    The man, the legend and greatest leader of all time.

    • @liukang3545
      @liukang3545 3 роки тому

      not really, propaganda trash

    • @Dimitri88888888
      @Dimitri88888888 3 роки тому +1

      @Jean Oh well then he is the third greatest one

    • @RainbowStar94
      @RainbowStar94 3 роки тому +3

      He is the greatest general to have ever lived. These folks know nothing if they think otherwise

    • @sonofsocrates9899
      @sonofsocrates9899 3 роки тому

      @Jean Oh to each our own

    • @sonofsocrates9899
      @sonofsocrates9899 3 роки тому +1

      @@RainbowStar94 hear hear

  • @johnmain78
    @johnmain78 2 роки тому

    Good teacher her enthusiasm really drives the point home

  • @Dragon43ish
    @Dragon43ish 2 роки тому

    Outstanding Vid SPQR

  • @jakemoeller7850
    @jakemoeller7850 3 роки тому +3

    Thank you, Odyssey! Love Professor Beard. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

  • @yomommaahotoo264
    @yomommaahotoo264 3 роки тому +14

    Think I'll dice me up a Caesars salad right now.

  • @kimm7273
    @kimm7273 4 місяці тому

    Very good. I really like Mary and the way she narrates history.

  • @thesh8101
    @thesh8101 2 роки тому +3

    Mary Beard, is a wonderful historian and her love and enthusiasm show in her videos. Her choice of adding interesting information makes it more fun. For instance in 1 of her videos she shows and little day to day details like the street graffiti and then she takes it the extra step and she goes over the graffiti in a public restroom in a restraunt, which honestly reads a lot like the graphitti in a modern restroom.

  • @hangar4851
    @hangar4851 3 роки тому +14

    Caesar in latin is actually pronounced just like the german "Kaiser". Kaiser is a title derived from Caesar. Also the russian Zar is a derivate of (Cae)sar. When you would have called Gaius Julius by " Ceeesar" , he will not have felt adressed 🙄

    • @jasonkeenan4154
      @jasonkeenan4154 2 роки тому +2

      This is true, and I've been trying to train myself to pronounce it correctly, even in my head. Not going well.

    • @mobtek
      @mobtek 2 роки тому

      @@jasonkeenan4154 It helps to learn to write in latin, once you start to learn the handwriting it comes alive and it becomes natural.

  • @tah6243
    @tah6243 2 роки тому

    Amazing & educative for the ordinary person

  • @qhwlqkdrn
    @qhwlqkdrn 2 роки тому +2

    love the facts and the enthusiasm!

  • @oobrocks
    @oobrocks 3 роки тому +5

    It's 6/15/21, the ides ofJune, 6:20 pm EST and this is 1 hr old: amazing!!

  • @virgilius7036
    @virgilius7036 2 роки тому +5

    A reformer who improved the life of the people, and wanted to reconstitute the citizen peasantry despoiled by the latifundiaires, because it supplied the legionaries to the army!

  • @Yury5576
    @Yury5576 2 роки тому +2

    She shows luck of understanding of who romans were and how they treated the world around them. Caesar (spelled Kaesar) was first and foremost politician. He also came from a VERY poor family, but a decently known branch, whence the name (pronounced Kaius Julius Kaesar (Kaesar meant hairy)). The fact that he was a nephew of one Kaius Marius (yes him the 7 times consul, defender of Rome, great reformer of the roman army, Conqueror of the Teutons (who annihilated 2 roman armies (one 40k the other 70k strong) and the great adversary to Dictator Sulla) shaped his life. He was the high priest of Jupiter at 16 (where apparently he bedded a Vestal Virgin), had to flee to the court of the king of Bithynia (who apparently he slept with) and made lots of money. He then joined the legions and earned his first Corona Civica (which he was very proud of , not because of the baldness). On the news of Sulla's death he went home when he was captured by pirates who demanded a sizable ransom. Kaesar got enraged and proclaimed that a great roman like him should fetch at least twice the sum. When the ransom was payed the pirate captain asked him of his future plans. Caesar replied that first he will return, kill all the pirates and recover the ransom. Pirates laughed but Caesar did as he promised. I don't think you can call that a standard roman childhood.

  • @leofernandez161
    @leofernandez161 24 дні тому

    Amo a esta profesora, la forma como cuenta la historia... Es imposible no terminar de ver el programa completo.
    Más por favor más 👏👏👏👏💪💪

  • @juancasinisterra
    @juancasinisterra 3 роки тому +5

    Mary’s sheer passion and enthusiasm are so contagious. That’s why she’s my favourite classicist ❤️

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta 3 роки тому +2

      Too bad she can't get her facts right.

  • @davidstewart5811
    @davidstewart5811 3 роки тому +28

    I had always understood that the most significant turning point in his life was when he was captured by pirates.

  • @cookeeee1962
    @cookeeee1962 2 роки тому

    Congratulations to Mum and Dad !👏
    Great stuff Proff ( brilliant vid )👏

  • @z_k_nur
    @z_k_nur 3 роки тому +1

    Great work 👏

  • @ZikoHendrix
    @ZikoHendrix 3 роки тому +3

    Any trace about Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus ? These are very important if you have to talk about Caeser Jullius.

    • @stelugud
      @stelugud 2 роки тому

      They are imp in the rome series, in real life the most imp are antoniu, octavian

  • @mikewilliams4438
    @mikewilliams4438 3 роки тому +3

    If Mary Beard had taught me history at school, I might have sat up straight and paid more attention.

  • @christobasson3745
    @christobasson3745 9 місяців тому

    I love Mary Beard and her analogies. And her modern references.

  • @Alex-qc3nn
    @Alex-qc3nn 2 роки тому +1

    I just like to mention that Julius Caesar was NOT killed and murdered at or in the senate building („Curia Cornelia“). On March 15, 44 BC, the ides of march, the senate meeting took place at the smaller Curia Pompeia which was located at the entrance of the Pompejus theatre because the wooden Curia Cornelia building burnt down some days earlier and they had to change the venue. And there, at the Curia Pompeia, at the entrance of the Pompeius theatre, he was killed. The outlines of the Pompeius theatre are still visible nowadays because the modern houses standing there today follow the outline of the ancient theatre.

  • @KoriePrince
    @KoriePrince 3 роки тому +3

    How can you not love Dame Winifred Mary Beard?!

  • @danesovic7585
    @danesovic7585 3 роки тому +3

    Based on that image at 0:18, I think that Mads Mikkelsen could do a good job playing Caesar.

  • @justlikeme2797
    @justlikeme2797 2 роки тому +1

    This lady is so energetic in her explanation. She love Roman history just like I did.

  • @ezragoggles2460
    @ezragoggles2460 2 роки тому +1

    Mary beard is so awesome. I love her hearing her ♥️

  • @daveallentown6868
    @daveallentown6868 3 роки тому +9

    Sorry, but this genocide claim doesn't fly. The status quo ante was never-ending invasions from Germania to the east that would replace one tribe with another. Death and slavery of civilians was regular. The Gallic wars killed many but brought Gaul centuries of relative safety and peace.

    • @herbthompson8937
      @herbthompson8937 3 роки тому +6

      People nowadays call any mass killing a genocide, it's super annoying. Genocide is the extermination of a people.

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta 3 роки тому

      You sound like a psychopath.

    • @daveallentown6868
      @daveallentown6868 3 роки тому +4

      @@Ken_Scaletta How easy and uninformed, but no doubt your problem is the "quick mind" your friends always said you have. Read Caesar's Gallic Wars to get that mind launched after years of neglect. You will learn from the outset (concerning the Helvitii) that I am correct. In his 8 years in Gaul, Caesar was beset from the outset with repeated requests from incoming tribes for land on which to settle. However, all the land was already occupied, or do you disrespect antiquity so much as to think there was room for the invaders? In reality, they were attempting to bribe Caesar (using Rome's might) to give them land belonging to others. Caesar made his decisions, collected a lot of bribes and revenue, killed a lot of people, and gave Rome a reasonably safe province that was far more prosperous than before. Judge whether that is good or not, but kindly do not call the facts genocide.

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta 3 роки тому

      @@daveallentown6868 Yeah, you really swallow every bit of Caesar's propaganda, don't you?

    • @daveallentown6868
      @daveallentown6868 3 роки тому

      @@Ken_Scaletta Caesar's Gallic Wars was propaganda. As is your curriculum vitae. Now the question is: who is lying?