This is one of the most fascinating types of archaeology because it really shows what our ancestors were truly like (not that different from us, it seems).
One of the most memorable epitaphs was made for a legionary named Marcus Caelius by his brother. He went to the Teutoburg forest and like thousands of his cohorts were never seen again. This is a well timed upload and subject, just hours before All Hallows' Eve.
I love Roman funerary monuments and words especially for soldiers and spouses. Roman epitaphs for their dogs and pets hit especially hard. Great topic and video!
Some of these epitaphs can cause your emotional fortitude to sway a bit, but if you want to be brought to tears I recommend a video by the channel Invicta called "How They Did It - Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome" The latter half of the video features epitaphs left by grieving owners for their cherished canine friends. Something about the way these people phrased their expressions of grief is so timeless that you feel you know them better for that than the thousand videos you watched about battlefield tactics.
This summer I went to the National museum in Rome for like the 6th time in my life and finally spent a lot of time in the lower levels where many of these old funerary inscriptions are kept. But this time I also came with ChatGPT and used it to translate any old Latin inscriptions I found everywhere as well as simply research as I checked out places and things I've seen on previous trips. What a difference it made. Which was nice, you know, because you always have so many questions about these things when you're traveling around Italy, but rarely have a way to get an answer. With AI you can get most things answered. Even translating the inscriptions on the tombs around Pompeii worked pretty well. What I found interesting was how mundane most inscriptions you come across are, usually a memorial or dedication to something or someone, and the scale of which wasn't even that big of a deal. But they survived to tell the story, which I find fascinating.
I’m sure you’ve scouted just about every collection of Roman artifacts on the Eastern Seaboard and beyond but you may not know that the Rhode Island School of Design’s museum has a small but surprisingly robust artifact collection. Check it out if you’re ever in Providence.
You are one of my favorite channels, and I was so elated to see this video since I work at a cemetery!!! This video reminds me about why I prefer more traditional memorials, but it seems they're going out of style while using bronze now...
6:40 either he was genuinely out of the greatest athletes of all time, or he was in an insufferable braggard and his heirs thought it funny to write that on his tombstone.
During my history studies in Strasbourg i've done a whole year course on latin epigraphy, it was one of my favorite classes to attend since we get to practise on our local museum, and we had a better look on the roman society 😊 great to see you making a video on this topic!
2 years ago I've spend the better part of a beautiful afternoon in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, just reading epitaphs in the basement level; annoying my gf. You're right at 8:34, the grief defenitely reached me there.
Cicero's letters to Atticus following the death of his daughter is also very touching. You see both the grief of the father, and the tenderness of the friend ( although it's a shame that translations tend to be in stilted-sounding Victorian English rather than modern prose)
Ever thought of doing a video about the paintings you use for illustrations? I've always wondered who was cranking out all those lavish pictures of ancient Roman life, like the one at 6:50. There seems to be quite a lot of them.
This is wonderful presentation, one of my favorite places to look at Roman Tombstones was in Verona across Roman bridge that spanned the Adige River to an area that would eventually become a museum.
Funnily enough, epitaphs haven’t changed much when it comes to describing how someone died. My personal favorite is one in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. It belongs to a Private George A. Schanck and reads as follows: “Erected by the Crew of the Ship _Patrick Henry_ C.S.N. In memory of George A. Schanck, a native of Philadelphia who was killed by lightning June 15th, 1862. Aged 21 years.”
Roman tombstones and epitaphs offer rare glimpses into the lives, relationships, and beliefs of people from all walks of life. From soldiers to merchants, these stones preserve personal details that bring history to life.
By far my favorite was the *I was not. I was. I am not. I care not* as it embraces an underlying reality that humans have never accepted. For good reasons. I vague recall one that Mary Beard cited, written by a wife about her husband. While it acknowledged the eternal nature of death, she nonetheless expressed her hope that he would come to her in spirit, softly and soon. But that can't be right as it resisted my every effort to Google it, alas.
1. What's your name? 2. Where are you? 3. What are you going to do here? 4. Where are you going? 5. What are you going to do there? The five questions asked to Peace Corps volunteer fisheries trainees to get them (us) focused on training during the first day of training. Always thought these questions made good tombstone material.
"This monument will not pass to my heirs". It sounds very much like if, when the end was near, and dad or granddad had a particularly fancy monument, folks had a habit of turfing out the old occupant to claim prime postmortem real estate for themselves, and some people were trying to forestall such action by their descendants.
If you give personal tours as a historian in Europe, please provide a link. I would really like a vacation with your knowledge. If not just curious and that is fine. And, please don't forget a video maybe in the future about why no Roman Eagles have never been recovered from a Roman Legion. I am not a Rome was the Greatest Civilization guy. Just think if one was found intact and where it was found would be incredible for histories sake...
Next year, I'll be leading tours in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. To be notified when the trips go live, you can add your email to my list on this page: trovatrip.com/host/profiles/garrett-796zo
I remember seeing somewhere of an Anatolian horseman in the Roman army had his tomb in a German forest. Wonderingbif anyonenelse knows what I am talking about.
4:46 “Professional Fanatics”. Civilization surely has declined since. Quidnam magis testimentum saevitiae ( immo vero barbaritatis Latine) nostrae sit aetatis quam id quod vivimus orbe terrarum non talibus hominibus praedita. Tempora moresque nostros certe barbaricos esse dicarent Romani, et recte quidem mea opinione , si hodie adissent vidissentque nostras civitates hodiernas.
“…. I wish I still could” still hits hard 2,000 years later
May the earth lie lightly upon her.
8:27 "I used to die on stage -- but never like this!"
Lo that the Seinfeld stinger had not been invented yet.
I came to the comment section to laugh about this one. It took me a dumb second and then "whoah pause the video, that was funny!"
The Centurion Petronius that served for 50 years in many different legions, what an interesting life he must have lived!
So many interesting stories, interesting lives, that we’ll never know in detail
This is one of the most fascinating types of archaeology because it really shows what our ancestors were truly like (not that different from us, it seems).
There is a museum in Ferrara dedicated only to these tombstones, very cool.
Thank you!
Garrett can you follow up with a part 2? These epitaphs are fascinating.
One of the most memorable epitaphs was made for a legionary named Marcus Caelius by his brother. He went to the Teutoburg forest and like thousands of his cohorts were never seen again. This is a well timed upload and subject, just hours before All Hallows' Eve.
I love Roman funerary monuments and words especially for soldiers and spouses. Roman epitaphs for their dogs and pets hit especially hard. Great topic and video!
Some of these epitaphs can cause your emotional fortitude to sway a bit, but if you want to be brought to tears I recommend a video by the channel Invicta called "How They Did It - Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome"
The latter half of the video features epitaphs left by grieving owners for their cherished canine friends. Something about the way these people phrased their expressions of grief is so timeless that you feel you know them better for that than the thousand videos you watched about battlefield tactics.
This summer I went to the National museum in Rome for like the 6th time in my life and finally spent a lot of time in the lower levels where many of these old funerary inscriptions are kept. But this time I also came with ChatGPT and used it to translate any old Latin inscriptions I found everywhere as well as simply research as I checked out places and things I've seen on previous trips. What a difference it made. Which was nice, you know, because you always have so many questions about these things when you're traveling around Italy, but rarely have a way to get an answer. With AI you can get most things answered. Even translating the inscriptions on the tombs around Pompeii worked pretty well. What I found interesting was how mundane most inscriptions you come across are, usually a memorial or dedication to something or someone, and the scale of which wasn't even that big of a deal. But they survived to tell the story, which I find fascinating.
I’m sure you’ve scouted just about every collection of Roman artifacts on the Eastern Seaboard and beyond but you may not know that the Rhode Island School of Design’s museum has a small but surprisingly robust artifact collection. Check it out if you’re ever in Providence.
The inscriptions left by husbands for their wives are some of my favorites.
"I used to die on stage -- but never like this!"- Did not know Rodney Dangerfield was a time traveler
You are one of my favorite channels, and I was so elated to see this video since I work at a cemetery!!! This video reminds me about why I prefer more traditional memorials, but it seems they're going out of style while using bronze now...
I love knowing about Roman culture more than the architecture tbh
6:40 either he was genuinely out of the greatest athletes of all time, or he was in an insufferable braggard and his heirs thought it funny to write that on his tombstone.
During my history studies in Strasbourg i've done a whole year course on latin epigraphy, it was one of my favorite classes to attend since we get to practise on our local museum, and we had a better look on the roman society 😊 great to see you making a video on this topic!
OH MY........ Thank you for translating these far-reaching mists of time to our own thresholds!
I can remember a time when your subscriber count was under 30K and now... my, how you've grown! And, it's well deserved.
That was extremely interesting. A fascinating insight into Roman life, and death!
Incredibly moving, your finest work yet.
The Actor’s final words on his Tombstone got a chuckle out of me. Hope I can think of something that clever when I go😂
Couldn't be better timed! My wife and I just went to the Fiesole archeological site and museum. This is super helpful!
5:40 - That fact about ancient civilizations is wild! 🗿 I had no idea. Your research is amazing!
This is gold. Thanks!
2 years ago I've spend the better part of a beautiful afternoon in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, just reading epitaphs in the basement level; annoying my gf. You're right at 8:34, the grief defenitely reached me there.
Cicero's letters to Atticus following the death of his daughter is also very touching. You see both the grief of the father, and the tenderness of the friend ( although it's a shame that translations tend to be in stilted-sounding Victorian English rather than modern prose)
Same.
Ever thought of doing a video about the paintings you use for illustrations? I've always wondered who was cranking out all those lavish pictures of ancient Roman life, like the one at 6:50. There seems to be quite a lot of them.
Alma-Tadema
This is wonderful presentation, one of my favorite places to look at Roman Tombstones was in Verona across Roman bridge that spanned the Adige River to an area that would eventually become a museum.
Funnily enough, epitaphs haven’t changed much when it comes to describing how someone died.
My personal favorite is one in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. It belongs to a Private George A. Schanck and reads as follows:
“Erected by the Crew of the Ship _Patrick Henry_ C.S.N. In memory of George A. Schanck, a native of Philadelphia who was killed by lightning June 15th, 1862. Aged 21 years.”
if my tombstones isnt as nice im not even dying tbh
Same for me :)
Agree, I'm dying to get a nice tombstone.
GLWT
Snickering circles the room.@@ilikethiskindatube
get this poncho a stonemason because I don’t want them to have the curse of everlasting life
I used to die on stage, but never like this. Proof that humans have not changed at all in 2000 years
Great channel, I love these videos
"Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite" / "I told you I was ill" ~ Spike Milligan (comedian)
Great work, thanks! 🙏
Thank you for your hard work and share your interesting videos.
Love your videos!
I am so glad you did this. I have always wanted to know what all these Roman headstones say.
Great video.
Some years ago I visited Rome and saw many tombstones and their epitaths. I found the children's very touching and beautiful.
Very informative. Thank you Doc.
Love it! So little has changed in 2000 years.
Roman tombstones and epitaphs offer rare glimpses into the lives, relationships, and beliefs of people from all walks of life. From soldiers to merchants, these stones preserve personal details that bring history to life.
Excellent and informative.
Man these are extremely humanizing
Great video!
By far my favorite was the *I was not. I was. I am not. I care not* as it embraces an underlying reality that humans have never accepted. For good reasons. I vague recall one that Mary Beard cited, written by a wife about her husband. While it acknowledged the eternal nature of death, she nonetheless expressed her hope that he would come to her in spirit, softly and soon. But that can't be right as it resisted my every effort to Google it, alas.
Yes, Happy Halloween!!
I want mine to say " Get Off My Back!!"
Good video!
This guy is clearly a roman time traveler
1. What's your name?
2. Where are you?
3. What are you going to do here?
4. Where are you going?
5. What are you going to do there?
The five questions asked to Peace Corps volunteer fisheries trainees to get them (us) focused on training during the first day of training. Always thought these questions made good tombstone material.
You show what looks like an extended version of “Cherries” by Amos Cassioli at 00:55. Can you tell me where to find that version?
Excellent!
At 1:51 what is that a picture of? I was just looking at old 1800s drawings and wvery place thew drew looked like an apocalypse just happened
"I was not, I was, I am not, I care not" that is just punk as hell
your voice is what i imagine what romans would sound like if they spoke english
"This monument will not pass to my heirs". It sounds very much like if, when the end was near, and dad or granddad had a particularly fancy monument, folks had a habit of turfing out the old occupant to claim prime postmortem real estate for themselves, and some people were trying to forestall such action by their descendants.
If you give personal tours as a historian in Europe, please provide a link. I would really like a vacation with your knowledge. If not just curious and that is fine. And, please don't forget a video maybe in the future about why no Roman Eagles have never been recovered from a Roman Legion. I am not a Rome was the Greatest Civilization guy. Just think if one was found intact and where it was found would be incredible for histories sake...
Next year, I'll be leading tours in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. To be notified when the trips go live, you can add your email to my list on this page: trovatrip.com/host/profiles/garrett-796zo
"Juggler of glass balls in the baths" really leads the mind to wander....
Titus Primitivus, Master Chef
Specialty of the day: Fries
You should have mentioned the Seikilos epithaph
My tombstone.
"Call this a Mulligan?"
I love how witty the jokes on their tombs were
Juggling glass balls in a bath just sounds dangerous, or maybe that was the point
where was the baths of apollo?
👍
this guy hasgot some Roman features.. :)
I'm still hung up on the idea that "plus/minus" is a Roman expression and not a modern one
We are so blinded by our technologies that we forget that Romans lived incredibly similar lives as we do today.
I remember seeing somewhere of an Anatolian horseman in the Roman army had his tomb in a German forest. Wonderingbif anyonenelse knows what I am talking about.
Como funcionaba el comercio de exclavos en el imperio romano?
4:46 “Professional Fanatics”. Civilization surely has declined since.
Quidnam magis testimentum saevitiae ( immo vero barbaritatis Latine) nostrae sit aetatis quam id quod vivimus orbe terrarum non talibus hominibus praedita. Tempora moresque nostros certe barbaricos esse dicarent Romani, et recte quidem mea opinione , si hodie adissent vidissentque nostras civitates hodiernas.
Dis Manibus refers to godlike underworld spirits, not the deceased.
Is this a reupload? 🤔!?
Real Roman men today have their epitaphs posted on LinkedIn. 😆
Ok
97th
I would say I’m second but I’m first 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Love the video. But, asking genuinely, are you doin alright? You look so tired and pale. Have you been sick lately?
Take care
Professional Fanatics?! Real life professional hype man lmao.
Can anyone give me the link to a Roman epitaph that says something like...
"Cimetieries a full of people who thought themselves as indispensable" 🙏
Dude bottoms
which the people today had so much humor left 😄
I told you I was sick!
I was expecting you to mention that African woman who lived 115 years in Khemissa in Algeria.
Professional Fanatics loool
Everyone is sick 🤒
Dude, you got a face made for radio.😐
He looks like he has not been feeling well. Garrett, take care of yourself.
the new talking into the camera format is a bit jarring ngl
bro genuinely looks like a sad zombie roman
non sum
First
first