The Best-Paying Jobs in Ancient Rome
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Some of the highest-paying jobs in the Roman world mirrored modern careers: doctor, lawyer, famous actor. Others - like charioteer and exhibition gladiator - were a bit less familiar.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:36 Laborers
1:05 Craftsmen
1:31 Soldiers
2:13 Lawyers
2:49 Doctors
3:33 Teachers
3:59 Actors
4:26 Gladiators
4:48 Charioteers
5:12 Landed Aristocrats
6:07 Conclusion
Thanks for watching!
I like that you kept referring to legionary pay so we had a solid comparison
Soldi
Bigger Army Diplomacy, you see
Well,this rich people could actualy hire armies of men and they did,not only in ancient times
I feel common soldiers' wages make good reference points because no matter the era or technological level, there's still a sort of constant on how much you need to compensate a professional who's job is to risk their life on a battlefield.
It's comforting to know that even that long ago people probably still opted to get wasted off cheap wine
I'm sure as hell not blowing my whole paycheck on only half a liter.
For over a hundred years Archeologists have suggested that the earliest utilization of the domesticated grains by Neolithic farmers, may have been for beer rather than bread.
@@stevyd I don't find that very hard to believe. Humans have liked to get wasted since before we were even human
@@game_boyd1644 Yup cavemen were getting wasted on wild shrooms
Cheap wine was consumed like water. This is because it was free of bacteria due to alcohol.
I studied Rome in college and my professor made it miserable and I couldn’t have cared any less. After your videos I’m obsessed and eager to learn more!
That’s almost a criminal offense. I remember a handful of college and high school instructors who were maddeningly incompetent.
Still feel a bit angry and cheated to this day.
Yeah, it was not a surprise the teacher that were passionate about the subjects had students get better grades and attendance.
Makes the statement true that. There are no bad students. Only bad teachers.
@@lorishiversdogmom I'd say it's both, from the people I went to school with I can certainly say there were some bad students 😅
@@startedtech That might be true... But realistically. There's way more bad teachers than bad students and the point is that bad teachers are what causes and or contributes to bad students. A good teachers will make good students. If there are any few bad students no matter what... Then that just means their lack of desire and maturity and intelligence. That's their fault.
"But the job security wasn't great" ... that gave me a chuckle 😄
I like that!
Nothing smart to comment, but I've been binging your channel and I wanted to say thanks for all your work! Not only do you have a gift for narration, you also give genuine detail and insight that goes far beyond the overgeneralised and outdated platitudes that other channels tend to regurgitate. And you do that in a way which is accessible without being condescending. And the occasional note of dry wit never fails to make me laugh. Bravo!
Yes. It's like I am watching a lecture
This comment describes perfectly this channel. Truly a gem
@QuantumHistorian you should buy his book. It’s so entertaining.
I think it's extremely informative to realize that the jobs 2000 years ago make the same kind of money as the same jobs today. In some way, it means that we value the same things as people 2000 years ago.
good point!
I wonder what a software developer made back in those days
@@letsfindsomepeace9207 like a skilled craftsman
@@letsfindsomepeace9207 he was a high income earner because he knew an in demand skill. He would be something like a blacksmith, or an artisan.
learn skills get paid, that will never change
The interesting thing is that today a sestertius is worth as much (often more) as it was worth in ancient times (the physical coin). You can buy a readable mid-low grade sestertius for about $50 today. A skilled craftsman would earn 4 sestertii per day or $200, this comes out to about $25/hr or mid $50k/year.
So if you're a mid income earner in the US they could pay you in Sestertii you'd still be compensated appropriately 😉
And people say currency can't keep its value
Yes, but it's $50 price tag comes from the fact it's a really old roman coin, not the materials used in making, so in Roman times they would've been paid equivalently less than we are today. But I'm sure you knew that tbf
Awesome analysis! I'm wondering though, what matters a lot is the purchasing power. If one sestertius would buy you two loafs of bread in Roman times, today it could buy you a lot more
@@paradoxicalpanda7954 Oh yes, the level of "true wealth" we have today is so significant compared to the Romans. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how the day to day would have been for purchasing power that the romans had.
@@MrArjanvT Totally agree. What I'd really like to know is how much discretionary money that most Romans had.. After all their 'bills' were paid, food/shelter/necessities. This would help put in perspective their purchasing power compared to today in my opinion.
The more things change, the more they stay the same: we overpay those who entertain us and underpay those who keep us safe and teach us. Another great video!
Most entertainers are paid nothing. It's only the top of the top who make a lot of money. This is because they are in high demand. It's hard to be in high demand as a farmer when any other able bodied man can more or less do your job.
@@DevinDTV Modern farmers have to be skilled & educated due the technology & science we now use to produce food. They also have to be good at business to succeed ...
for the enslaved, those who were there to "keep them safe" were in reality meant to keep them in bondage. there can be a thin line between the benefactor and the oppressor
The only thing I don't understand about the modern world is this: Teachers do a horrible job. "WE NEED MORE FUNDING!" Cops do a horrible job. "DEFUND THE POLICE!"
Uh, what??? No, defund the teachers until they get their shit together too. I won't deny teachers get paid like crap, but our education system is failing us in many ways and we just keep handing them money whenever they demand it. In what other "normal" job can you perform like crap, but have bullet-proof job security and get rewarded for demanding it enough?
It's also good to mention that handing the education system money doesn't always mean it'll go to the teachers, the people that actually matter. Tends to go "top-down."
Well yeah, they bring in a level of money that warrants it, because studios know big names equal big ticket sales. It's not like the public says "we like that guy let's pay him tons of money" we like em so we go see em and they know that so they can demand a high price. The money has to go to them or some old guy in a suit that does shit all. Now there's PLENTY of actors that don't deserve to be in this fortunate position but that's a whole other thing.
Wow, not one week after having studied that exact edict of Diocletian’s maximum prices for my university exam, i’m met with it again over here. Your timing is impeccable 😂
PS: That dry remark about the emperor’s job security had me chuckle
I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of the fact that you A) provide such good content and B) get right to the point. No pointless monologue or history lesson about Rome to stretch the length of the video. Just facts. Perfection.
This is a history lesson about Rome. And it is a monologue. And hopefully you learned something - - and are appreciative of the lesson and monologue. I sure learned a lot; so i bought the book. Please keep up the great videos Garrett.
Let’s give it up for the laborers of ancient Rome, they built an empire for little in return
Yes. But it sounds commie. Thats how it works.
@@sudetenrider-pili6637 Ok boomer, the red scare is over, and labor rights are good 👍
@@buckobucko3938 No and yes. Red menace is still there. Labor rights are good. 8h shift, forbiden child labor, thats all good. Yet unskilled hand at construction site getting low pay? As it should be
@Bucko Bucko Yes indeed.
How amazing is it that millions continue to buy into the populist party line, and vote against their best interests?
Don't forget the slaves.
The most shocking thing to me about all this is how similar it all is to our modern system.
There's only a few stable ways to run a society, after all. Plenty more ways to run one into the ground!
@@Bobo-ox7fj In the end it always seems to be giving too much power to the ruling body, regardless if it's a democracy, dictator or a small group of people, leads to loss of individual freedom leading eventually to the state. Better to have continuous local instability with a minimal set of governance than perfect local stability while the compensatory measures eventually run out seemingly abruptly. The story of capitalisms vs socialisms throughout history.
Except we rarely value our artists like the romans did. 6x more pay than a day laborer, dad wouldn’t have given me so much crap if I was an ancient Roman
@@pinchevulpes depends on the art and the artist. I bet there was many starving artists back then. You only ever hear of the greats.
@@pinchevulpes Lots of artists make bank, you just have to be competent. There were probably a whole lot of spoiled kids back then who's art was comparable to the $2 Tumblr commissons that sat around crying about how other cultures were so much better to their artists than Rome, because they were crappy artists. If you can't sell your art, maybe you should look at your work instead of trying to blame society...
“Job security for Emperor wasn’t great!” That is fabulous!
“I love it: the job security(for emperors) wasn’t great” I love your desultory delivery!
This is the best channel on UA-cam, hands down. This man somehow knows what we wonder about the past, he has the answers and TALKS to us instead of lecturing. If only I took you for history in college. Might have changed my major
The Emperor was wealthy but also had to pay the legions, right? I know, at least, that Caesar (then consul) was the most indebted man in the republic, while also being one of the most wealthy.
Right - but typically, at least in the early imperial era, imperial revenues outpaced the expense of maintaining the legions.
he also had the biggest house
the reality of rome is it devolved into a welfare state..the slaves did the work for nothing..everyone else ( except the rich of course ) got free grain and wine from the government...and guess what else....they watched a lot of sports
I just ordered your book from my local bookstore and am waiting for their call so I can pick it up and dive in. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge on UA-cam!
Wonderful stuff! It's amazing how little some things have changed over the last 2,500 years.
I want to thank you so enormously much for the videos you make on your channel. It's like you take my imaginatiom by the hand and show it around the intriguingly interesting history of human civilization. In which you made me realize, now i've come to my age. At how so similair, but so extremely different lives we have lived/ live in as humans. I cannot be more grateful for your work, and can't wait to read your book :)
I'm not sure why I've been reluctant to get your book. It's probably just been so long since I've read history for pleasure. The first time I heard you pitch it, I thought there was no chance I would ever get it. Sort of a, good luck with that, kind of response. Print media from youtube to boot? I've now watched so many of your videos that I am convinced that you are very knowledgeable about the subject, you are clearly passionate about it as well, and you know how to put a story together in a way that keeps me intrigued at least. Anyway, this was the video that broke whatever silly reluctance I had. I just hope I can get it at my local bookshop rather than online.
While watching this video I thought for a moment I might have accidentally clicked on a video I had already seen, but then I recalled that I had just read some of the information in Naked Statues Fat Gladiators and War Elephants. Great videos, and somehow an even more enjoyable book everyone watching should honestly buy it!
Bought your book, love it so far! Using it sorta as a reference for my Roman-inspired fantasy book
Great information. You make Roman history so interesting...and entertaining.
I am so glad I discovered this channel.
This is really awesome oh, I've learned a lot about economics in ancient Rome from you oh, I am currently reading your book. And it is quite informative as well.
Another great video from my favorite Roman historian!
Brilliant new fresh look at Roman financial aspects. Thanks!
I love these videos on economics and coins and payment. PLEASE KEEP GOING IN THIS DIRECTION. I BEG YOU
I love this channel!
Enjoyed this video very much.
Another great video
Very cool video. I think it’s worth mentioning roman slaves when you’re talking about workers payment in the society if only briefly, while also taking about paid workers
3:15 doctor Whimmus Hoffus still has works that survive to this day. It’s one of the few ancient accounts from a German barbarian.
Love your channel! Keep it up please!
As an ancient rome junkie I love your work! Bought your book a few weeks back and it's been the most fascinating read I've had in many years. Do you do autographs for your books? I'd love to send you my copy and have you sign it if possible. Regardless, thanks for the content ❤️
I'm delighted to hear it! I don't maintain a P.O. box for signing books, but I'd be happy to send you a signed bookplate.
@toldinstone wow that news made my day! That's so generous and thoughtful of you. I actually sent an email your way shortly after this comment. Let me know what I need to do on my end and I'll jump on it! Very excited 😊 ❤️
This was a cool read.... great content.
Great vidios very informative, and educational.
Wow! Amazing video
Very interesting video! Thank you! 👍👍👍😍
Brilliant video
Over 400 race wins sounds like a ancient king of nascar with 200 wins Richard Petty that last job security line gave me a good chuckle
Love your vids bro!
Fantastic!
I appreciate a look at at the more day to day life of Rome, rather than the constant Roman military videos that populate youtube
I started to watch your chanel in June i think. It was much smaller maybe around 30k? I am not sure. Either way I am very happy that is growing so strong. And I wish its gonna make you some good coin too :)
167 times more than a Legionary? CEOs have them beat by quite a bit. The average CEO makes 612x more than their average worker.
Really the average CEO?
The average top CEOs (top 350 firms) made 24.2 mil which was 351x typical worker. But that is certainly nowhere near the average of all CEOs
i know this is old, i know you probably wont read it, but im gonna say it anyway. i love how much effort you put into correct pronounciations. instead of cringeing like in some history content, i learn about words. so hidden extra info. really appreciate it. never heard anyone but my gf (latin teacher) pronounce sestertii correctly.
btw im a dumbass and this is my second language so excuse grammar and stuff. i know ironic considering the theme of my post.
Love the ending! Some of those emperors didn’t enjoy their unbridled wealth for long!😆
Good vid
Very interesting.
Speaking of teachers I'd love for you to cover them and the education system in a video someday. That's something I know basically nothing about
It's on the list of future topics!
@@toldinstone woo
Good info for time travelers.
I got your book from the library....now I can hoard all the information for myself
Fascinating 🖖🏼
It’s incredible the parallels between then and now
I found a roman coin the other day :D
Congrats. Where about?
@@johndanskine2209 the field next to my friend's house in Essex.
Whar kinde of coin is it?
@@malakaragua702 yeah, what coin is it. what do you see on it?
The fortress in the mosaic in 5:12 reminds me of the reconstruction of Diocletian palace in modern Split.
Thanks!
Deeply appreciated!
Wish you would add sources in post with an astrix in the bottom of the screen as you mention the material from said source in the video
Just downloaded your book on Audible
Wow. Talk about an increase in purchasing power! At least 10X better today.
1S = ~$5
Avg wage was 750S or $3750 per year!
I love the comments at the end about the emperor.
Last time I was this early, Romulus and Remus were still getting jacked on wolf milk.
It is the most anabolic of milks
Last time I was this early, Aeneas was still fighting Italic tribes in Italy.
Wait wait wait! Where does Stand-Up Philosopher fit into this list?
@toldinstone I'd be really curious to hear about the *rare and exceptional* lives of those romans who went from rags to riches
That might be a very interesting video. I'll add it to my list of future topics.
You should create a video around the person named Simon Magus. It would be very interesting! Maybe bring up the shroud of Turin?
Please add sources to your video descriptions, I really want to read more about this.
I took those numbers from many different sources. You might be interested, however, in Kenneth Harl's "Coinage in the Roman Economy," which has a good chapter on prices and wages.
Wow details of that hotshot chariot drivers life would be worthy of a book for sure
He has already made a video about charriot drivers some months ago. Look up at his video page and scroll down. Look for How to drive your chariot in the Circus Maximus. He has more than 90 videos by now uploaded. For unknown reasons, youtube do not allow me to put the link to the direct video.
Cool video! Also, one of your timestamps is misspelled "Laywers" instead of "Lawyers". Just thought I'd let you know. :)
Ah - thanks for notifying me!
Let us remember, however, that that portrait painter's earnings weren't necessarily as steady as those who earned less than he; even a popular painter might not have steady work all the time, which could be why he was able/had to charge more for the work he got. ='[.]'=
I am interested how much sestertius common stuff costed ,how expensive were houses ,vilas
Really interesting. Wish there was an accompaniment for each salary of the approximate conversion to modern currency. I had difficulty when it was referencing the numbers based on day laborer wage, and I felt unsure of if I was imagining it in the way the speaker meant to convey.
Hopefully they got ‘time and a half’ for overtime and double-time on bank holidays.
The Aqueduct and Sewer builders got paid ‘time and a turd’.
Can you please do an audiobook? You have the kind of voice people would like to hear saying anything.
There is an audio version of my book, but unfortunately I'm not the narrator.
The question of pay in the army is the question when the pay changed when domitian increased the pay later septimus severus and after him caracalla and later the maximum pay by the rule of Maximinus Thrax
I wonder if an engineer would've been considered as a crafstman or more as a specialized philosopher
BUY THE BOOK!!!
My guy knows everything about Rome
Dr. Ryan, what lesser well known, but fairly well preserved Ancient Roman sites would you recommend?
I'm a great fan of Turkey's lesser-known sites, from Aezani and Magnesia in the west to the ruins around Kizkalesi in the southeast. My favorite is probably Termessos, near Antalya. You might be interested in the travel blog on my website, which describes my visits to a series of remote sites in detail.
It would be great if you could do a play on the "American Dream." Was there ever a slave or day laborer that rose up to become incredibly wealthy and lived what could be called the "Roman Dream?"
I suppose you could count Josephus. The trajectory from Jewish priest to rebel general to prisoner of war to emperor's pet is kind of a rollercoaster, but it was certainly an upward trajectory compared to most Jews of his era.
If you don’t mind them being Thracian, Spartacus
@@nicholassternon5857 spartacus did not live to see the Roman Dream, neither he wanted to actually
I've read there were potentially a decent amount of wealthy/well-off ex-slaves. I'd wager it actually might be more likely than a laborer moving up from the bottom, as ex-slaves could sometimes have connections through their former master, and might even receive financial backing in a business venture (provided they left servitude on good terms).
Well if top gladiators were pay 100 000 sestertius for single event and 1 sestertius is worth 2 liters off cheap vine which is 4 euro now ...that would make it 400 000 euros...its money that most people in europe work for 400 months or 33 years
this is going to be a banger
I guess "unskilled laborers" were looked down on as they are today yet they were "essential workers" that could stop society in its tracks if they ever all stopped for a length of time. I doubt they were "unskilled" as people not used to the job trying to fill the shoes of a fruit picker, for example, would slow everyone down. We are seeing the results of a lack of "unskilled" people in the UK. Saying "unskilled" is an excuse to pay people less IMO.
pay is a function of supply and demand. If skilled labor was not rewarded with more pay, people would be less inclined to get those skills, thus creating a shortage of workers. These unskilled workers that you are talking about, have no skills and they are a dime a dozen. They could be paid less because the supply of them was very high. If there was a real shortage of those unskilled workers, their pay would go up, incentivizing people to do those jobs thus relieving the shortage.
Yeah, but people are generally paid according to how hard they are to replace. Replacing the word 'expendable' with 'unskilled'
Alabama once tried to restrict the flow of "unskilled" fruit harvesters and packers on legal visas from Mexico and also the larger illegal immigrant labor pool. After we ended up with a lettuce shortage because Texas had a flood and California had a drought and bacterial outbreak. This was the moment Alabama farmers could clean up and make boocoo bux. But nah, two thirds of the crop rotted in the fields cause enticing locals who mostly already had jobs just did not work.
do a video on the currency of Rome
Going to make a pretty confident guess here before watching: The Praetorian Guards and their commanders.
The key thing to know to compare wages between different eras/countries is to know the price of a loaf of bread.
Intersting ! Thank you.
I wonder:
Have you already made a video about the medical profession, disease during the Roman Era or even Flu-like diseases , which now probably could be deducted from the described symptoms ? I ask you this, because a large part of the present non- corona policy conformists in the medical profession say that this C-virus probably excists even longer than mankind itself ! So what could you tell us about seasonal flu like diseases - of which corona is part of - during the Roman Era ? Regards, Stephan from The Netherlands
He made a video regarding this subject I think, you should find it through search.
@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 Thank you for your quick answer. Maybe on his own website.
I guess I was wrong, I'm pretty sure he talked about the various plagues that hit Rome through the ages but I guess that was in a video about something else.
@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 I can vaguely remember something like that too. Let's wait and see what he himself will say about it. :-)
Please tell us more about Raskias, the great comic actor (and others like him). Who were these people? What of their works (or fragments of their works) are available to us today? By "works" I also mean performances -- but not of gladiators and charioteers...while these were technically entertainers, there's not much about their performances we can emulate today.
Diocletian's Edict is only minimally useful in trying to figure out prices in ancient Rome. It tells us only what Diocletian arbitrarily thought prices ought to be, not what they were. We know only that actual prices were higher. How much higher is anybody's guess.
How often were people such as teachers paid? Monthly? Weekly? Also, how did the payment of taxes work. Did the government take their share immediately like today?
3:33 ha just realised the illustration for the LLPSI chapter 15 is based on this
Told in coins , by told in stone. Intresting videos btw.
Get an audible reading of your book and I'll buy it rn. I got tons of audible credits.
It's on Audible now!
6:05 '' was emperor, but of course, JOB SECURITY wasn't great......yes ! No DOUBT..... nice humorous touch, Dr Garret !!
1:45 "...especially when combined with his Massive Discharge Bonus" sounds like a combo in sex DnD.
Must have rolled a nat 20.
Is there a short video on roman currencies?
erm, go to his video section and look out for Were the wealthiest Romans richer than Elon Musk. he uploaded it several month ago. and maybe check out his recently uploaded actually last 4 vidos. i think it touches what you wanna know about roman currencies.
@toldinstone. Who minted the coins and was there counterfeiting, did they have a control over that?
I couldn’t imagine being a doctor back then. I feel like they’d be equivalent to a school nurse. Telling you to lie down and drink some water and eat crackers hahah.
well, it depended on the skills and experience of the ancient doctors. there were some who were like you described, but they were some who healed an eye cataract for example. some medicine tools look surprisingly similar to modern ones. other doctors even tried operations on brains, but not always the patient survived. in the roman empire the medical situation was better than it was in medieval europe, but nothing compared to our modern times. best medical techniques and treatements nowadays.
2:03 lol
Teachers pay depends on jurisdiction. In the U.S. it works out just about right
I think I can understand now why Cicero protested against Ceasar appointing Vorenus in the senate in the TV series Rome. Vorenus wealth is not even a scratch compared to what a normal senator had at that time. Hell I imagine most of the Gauls, Germs and soldierly that Caesar added in the senate is that.
Capping legal fees and attorney salaries actually seems like a good idea xd
Pay was still extremely high. And notice he pointed out lots of lawyers were poor. This is just like the US today. My cousin is poor because though she makes more money than I do, she has insane debt never paid off and has had to maintain professional appearance and standards. Meanwhile I have no debt and have always had jobs where I can live like a slob and bank a few bucks.
I used to feel sorry for her, but when she sent me a bill for sending her an email stating that I put her as a beneficiary on an account I inherited from my parents because I was surprised my parents had not made provisions that some money would go to her from their estate, I gave up caring. She is still the beneficiary, and I paid the bill she sent me, which was only $70, but at this point I have no contact with that side of my extended family.