It's like Netflix for History: the world's finest documentary streaming service -- use the code 'Odyssey' to get 50% off your History Hit subscription! bit.ly/3AQ8pPJ
Great job. I like the editing style where you use clips of modern day Rome interwoven with clips of the ruins. It doesn't matter that the people we're seeing are sitting in restaurants, getting on buses, driving scooters, etc. The way you've edited it, it still gives the feeling that we're watching Roman people from 2000 years ago because of the narration that goes along with it, and the very timely interspersion of the ruins. It works! And the guy you got to play Vespasian himself.... perfect!
exactly - i felt the same way - almost as if i was watching the actual events unfold, especially the battle scenes which are cunningly reenacted as they really transpired - good stuff!
Anybody who believes that every race, color and creed was represented in Rome in 70 AD is swallowing typical UK propaganda. There is no proof of that assertion.
It would be nice to know how after the first failed attempt to control the city in which he nearly died. A few days later the town ended up jumping from a cliff 🤔
A wonderful episode. The first time I have spent time learning about Vespasian - and what a fascinating man he was! Beautifully crafted, this film lays out in logical sequence Vespasian's humble beginnings and his slow rise to the top in a wonderfully entertaining manner. Excellent stuff - I shall join up and watch more.
This episode is UTTER RUBBISH! Shallow British take on Vespasian and his times -- that's fully loaded with the standard set OF LIES AND IGNORANCE of Roman History cooked up in the Anglo-Saxon mind on the outs.
@@ewrrfewdrfer I don't mind you disagreeing - but rather than just knock the episode and accuse it of a standard set of lies and ignorance, how about you tell us what these lies and ignorance are - and supply evidence! Just shouting about it without providing any proof makes your words look like the ramblings of the deranged.
@@danielshepherd5635 that is why one should not trust Josephus to be entirely factual. Would you trust the words of a traitor who is employed by the victors? However, to discount them entirely could be as big an error as to accept them completely
I was about to point out that Corn (19:31) is native to Mexico and as such wouldn't be in Europe for over 1,000 years; it turns out, as a stupid American, I did not know that the etymology of Corn comes from Proto-Indo-European languages as a general word for grain (or even granular non-carbohydrates like "Salt Corns" or "Pepper Corns"). It later was widely adopted to describe what is more accurately described as Maize, as we normally think of Corn in the US. I'll just leave this here in case anybody who doesn't do their research first wants to try and show off. A very well researched and accurate documentary by people who actually know how to speak their own language! Unlike me!
Now this is in my opinion is one of the best documentaries on the ancient world that I have ever seen - The story of Vespasian is laid out as cleanly and concisly as history can be told and its vividly brought to life by incredible cinematography top notch thorough and eloquent master-historians and re-enacted by by a cast who were so well costumed and equipped that it allowed me to suspend disbelief and feel as though i was actually observing the real evens as they transpired - and the cherry on top of all of it - the perfect casting of the erstwhile muleteer and general and ultimately Emperor, Vespasian - it is as if the Emperor himself had somehow been reborn in the latter part of the 20th century. Amazing casting - to whomever is responsible for finding this imperial doppelganger, i doff my cap to you - i could watch programs such as this one all day every day, i only wish there more programming of this quality available. thankyou so much to whomever produced this and thanks to whoever is responsible for posting this on youtube - Top Notch All the way !!!!
I read a lot about Niro, but it is the 1st time I hear about the incident of Vespesian fällig asleep, while Niro reciting. Very unique documentary. Thanks a lot for the great Job.
Truly a man of pure Roman granite I’ve watched this documentary 5 times now unbelievable man of honour and grit !! When I witnessed his sons arch in Rome I was blown away !!
I am a big fan of your wonderful historical videos. They are far better than anything shown on cable television. Thank you for all of the research and hard work you put into each and every one.
One thing that has always perplexed me is that Nerva (who came after Vespasian, Titus and Domitian) was considered the first of the five good emperors (a term coined by machiavelli) yet Vespasian should also be included in such a list of good emperors.
Nerva benefited from inheriting a perfected tyrant beurocracy and was from the senatorial class. Further, the traditional aristocracy had been 'refreshed' by Gaius, Nero and Cladius. The hard work was done and Nerva was from the right team. All he had to do was not implement a 'reign of terror'.
Well probably it's because Domitian was considered to be a not-so-good are even a bad emperor. To call the Vespasian to Marcus Aurelius era the "7 good emperors and one ok one" is a mouthful
@@faustusliviuspraetextatus6773 possibly time to revise Domitian assessment? He did expand the empire. So he executed a few nobs and got the chop it was Rome baby 😎
@@indyrock8148 I was considering the resources that were available to Machiavelli when he coined the term "five good emperor". Without the benefit of modern historical resources, Machiavelli would surely be led to think that Domitian was not that great. Today we know that things are not so simple, but alas, the term "five good emperors" is already ingrained. I also believe that the classification "five good emperors" was also made because Machiavelli was trying to make a point regarding adoption, so even if Domitian was indeed a good emperor, I don't think Machiavelli would still include him in the list.
Great Documentary. They even found and presented some of the original old black and white footage from the ancient vaults of Alexandria. When you get Romans in monochrome, you know you got quality.
Had read the History of the Jewish War by Josephus, word by word. Fascinated by the career of Vespasian. This documentary is superb. Thank you for the great work.
I don't know, but it's from the UK, and they do history. It's their THING. Also, they value intelligence. Nothing like here in the land of the Cult of Ignorance.
I'll tell you an anecdote of the Emperor Vespasian. In Italy the name "Vespasiano", in addition to being the name of the great emperor who remembers history, is also synonymous with "public bath" as it was Vespasian who invented the road baths where the urine of travelers was collected and later sold to color the fabrics. One day his son Tito said to Vespasiano: Daddy, it's disgusting to collect urine! And he replied in Latin "Pecunia non olet", or "money has no smell!"
A wonderful documentary on Vespasian. I had read a little about Vespasian, but this gives me a better understanding of the person who eventually became Emperor of the Roman Empire. The way this was done, it was almost like I was watching how Roman people lived some 2,000 years ago. What a contrast to how people live today. Thank you for this documentary on Vespasian.
Same poliTICS$ and pyRAMid. System of LAW & enFORCEment upon the people to obey and pay whilst they get a free pASS and why their po$ITion$ are so 'dangerous' lol.
@@DearMe247 I think our system of politics is far worse than that of the time of the Roman Empire. Sure the Roman Empire had its problems; one of the reasons it split in two and finally fell. Somehow, I don't think either of the political parties here in America have learned anything from the Roman Empire.
Imagine this guy telling ghost stories around the camp fire or in a power outtage! Kinda reminds me of that scene at the beginning of the movie "The Fog", with John Houseman.
ya hes pretty good, like a male version of Mary Beard, but hes no Joann Flecher . If you enjoy ancient egyptian docs she has quite a few out there and theyre great .
@@joepulpow.3285 And this family decided to dump Rome and rule through Egypt. That is why they tried to weaken Rom. Caesar's Oncle unleashed the Spartacus and his cousine was indicted ...this was then call the Catalin Conspiracy.....Read Sallust and you will see some awesome similarities ( like burning down the cities...)
Saw a documentary about Vespasian. He was probably the last true Roman. He served in many positions in ruling Roman provinces and through his honesty and skills, increased the taxation needed for the Empire. In fact, he grew financially poorer from these posts. Under Nero, he never, ever presented a threat to him, and Nero left him alone, as he felt the threats to his Throne came from many other sources and there were many. No one thought a "Mule breeder" was royal enough to be an Emperor. But what happened was that the Parthian Empire started military attacks on the Asian provinces of the Roman Empire. The Roman General, Corbo, stopped and reversed these advances. But Nero felt that Corbo was a threat to him and ordered him to commit suicide, which he did. Then the Jewish Revolt in Palestine started and Nero had no competent Generals to put it down. Except for Vespasian and his son, Titus. The rest is History.
The Jewish revolts did not start in Palestine, but in the province of Judaea. The Romans renamed the province Syria-Palaestina in 135 CE, after stamping out the second rebellion, as a punishment, to obliterate the link between the Judaei and the province. Nero died in 68 CE.
Roman empire was so powerful at that point that even Civil War and problems with Ceasars, did not stop them from crushing Jews and destroying Jerusalem. Joseph Flawius have seen this power of Rome and that's why he stand on romans side during the war.
A man who starts at the bottom. Works his ass off. Stands in the line with his men. Knows how to use paper, and iron. Intellectual and brutally capable. A true Emperor. One of the great 4 in my eyes.
What an absolutely fabulous documentary! I was already a fan of Vespasian but the details and drama of this video carried me along with the career and rise of this man.
Yes, a wonderful job. Too bad that there wasn’t space to discuss briefly another of his benefactors: the extremely powerful and powerful Antonia ( the Younger) I believe. Claudius mother’? Among all her other relations in the Imperial family. Anyway, Vespasian’s “concubine” for decades, before and after his marriage, was one of Antonia’s freedwomen, possibly Antonia’s matchmaking. She was Titus and Domition’s stepmother, and did raise them and was publicly acknowledged as Vespasian’s wife. They couldn’t marry because of class distinctions.
Thank you, UA-cam algorithm! One of Rome's most underrated emperors, yet the one who "saved" the Empire after a series of Claudio-Julian disasters whose end culminated in 3 "blink and you'll miss them" tools. Without him, I doubt there would have been a period of "5 good emperors" that authors like Gibbons loved to crow about.
@@WilliamLawrence7 I guess we can argue about that. As so often it's the founders of a dynasty who are the powerful and charismatic leaders. What comes afterwards... not so much. Proven perfectly with the J-C Clan.
@@anarchistatheist1917 I would agree. Women and freedmen. But he was a scholar, not a ruler, never mind military leader (the conquest of Britain wasn't him leading from the front like Caesar in Gaul). IIRC, he even said so (or it was reported that he did in either Livy or Sueton?) His lack of assertiveness arguably led to Nero (and the death of Britannicus).
@@michaelhoffmann2891 name 2 greater men from one dynasty. Although granted its a bit of a stretch to even call them from the same dynasty but still...
Nice piece I learned many things I wasn’t aware! In return I like to tell you about the famous (for lawyers at least) Latin quote “non olet” (doesn’t smell). According to common lore, Vespasian’s son Tito was arguing with his father about the undignified origin, of the money from the tax on the urine (collected to make ammonia for leather making), allegedly Vespasiano took some coins to his nose and said “non olet” that is it doesn’t stink. Actually this connection effected Italian colture at least for us boomers, “going to the Vespasiano” meant going to those public toilets available in large cities.
What is the name of the historian around 2:40? And why it is so hard to put the credits in the description, at least, about who filmed the documentary, the director, the producers, etc.? Especially the name of the historians and the archeologists in the video?
Sulla and Vespasian are my two favorite Generals. The former was a defacto Emperor, vicious though he was, the latter a great and capable Emperor. Both men of their times.
I would recommend Michael Parenti's 'The Assassination of Julius Caesar' for anyone wanting to know the social/political moving parts in Rome in the 60 years leading to the murder.
I hope that a lot of people in politics will carefully watch this it's urgent. Very good job it's far more informative , precise and at the same time entertaining than some documentaries on over-hyped plateforms. Sounds and feels well documented clearly and comprehensively presented.
Vespasian was an excellent general too. He commanded the 2nd Augusta in the invasion of Britain in 43AD and was in charge of the campaign in the west of the country.
Just subscribed. Thank you so much for these videos. I’m a Scientist but my hobby is history. This channel will excite me due to you videos. So thank you.
Thank you for a very entertaining and informative Documentary filled with absolutely great quotes , i had no idea about Vespasian being emperor his journey to get there and how he ultimately set Rome to prosper , the Fact that riches from Judea provided the funds to build the Colosseum leaves this Italian very happy indeed
re - 42:42 It wasn't Tacitus who "put it beautifully," it was John Cleese. I'm referring, of course, to that scene in The Life Of Brian, when the People's Front of Judea (or was it the Popular Front of Judea?) were sitting around asking "What have the Romans ever done for us?" If you're not familiar with it, here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/Qc7HmhrgTuQ/v-deo.html
"There are many misconceptions about Rome, and a very popular one is that it was rules by a series of sadistics lunatics. Now that is a gross distortion this was the greatest empire the world has ever seen and it florished for well over 6 centuries ." So Rome was ruled by a series of very successful sadistic lunatics.
@@dayegilharno4988 Neither, but he is very intelligent and has common sense and the smarts and the WISDOM, despite the fact he is illiterate, and used terror to inspire loyalty but he knew not to push his men too far even thought they will follow him still. Hitler lost 800,000 men in the 1st year of his Russian invasion and he ignored the fact he lost the very cream of his officers and battle hardened and highly experienced commanders and troops. Regardless of the disinformation and misinformation circulating through the internet, Genghis Khan never lost a single battle, his casualties are extremely low, despite he can only field 500,000 men into battle, he crushed armies of many millions. He also knew how to rule within reason based on the situations and circumstances in different areas of Eurasia. I should know because our historians knew better to be honest to record everything in their complete entierty, even though we were defeated by him many centuries ago. But we learned from him and from his men and from his people and in time we were able to free ourselves from Mongolian rule.
@@darthvader5300 I was just trying to make a joke, but thanks for the extensive response (although the "armies of many millions" you mention give away that you are a little bit too much in love with the topic to be objective). You piqued my interest: Who is the "we" that you are referring to?
There is an amazing series of books written by Robert Fabbri on Vespasian's life from his youth as a soldier and friend of a teenager Caligula to his ascension as Emperor. It's pretty curious the way the author describes how Vespasian and his family had an important role i Rome's most important events even before the ascension of the Flavians, like the end of Sejanus' reign of terror, the crucifixion of Christ, the victories of Claudius' military campaigns, etc. His war against the jews was also depicted in the docu-series "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire". I absolutely recommend them!
Thanks for mentioning this. I got the first 3 on order. I read Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series of books a few years ago so I’m looking forward to these. I never heard about Vespasian until I watched the 1981 miniseries Masada. There’s a brief scene when the main character of the show played by Peter O’Toole meets Vespasian played by Timothy West. One of many great parts of the miniseries. Highly recommended if you haven’t seen it.
17:20 He claims that 100 years of peace is "fantastically difficult for a pre industrial society to achieve". When exactly has a post industrial society had 100 years of peace?
@@davidrobert1229 Switzerland gave money to the war parties or secured thheir treasure. the only reason why they kept out of conflicts is the fact: nobody sacks his own bank
Does anyone know the name of a man speaking at 2:32? A brilliant scholar, concise and well formulated. Would be interesting to see him in other videos and to read his works.
Vaspasian was more honorable than most of his Roman predecessors. He was the Ancient Roman version of King Edward VII of England. They both inherited a lofty position as an older man and ruled briefly.
9:40 TRUTH!!! 10:44 fantastic description of Vespacion. 31:58 hmmmm 🤔, 42:02 true, 1:01:30 2nd hmmmm 🤔, 1:14:00 Vespacion's golden age... He is a true hero of Rome.
I’ve been an amateur dabbler of Roman history and the Latin language for over 50 years. I consider Vespasian ‘the’ most pivotal and competent emperor of all. Like a Churchill or FDR. ‘Clean up the mess, get the job done and lay a stable foundation’.
You've forgotten your Gibbon. The betrayal of Vespasian was, rather than dealing with the corruption of the elite, putting the slaves at common footing with regular citizens. With those two demographics fighting one another, he insured the interests of the elites were protected. We see this same tactic in play currently, much to the same effect.
Larry! 99.999% or whatever of UA-cam users have not even HEARD of Gibbon! Wouldn’t it be nice if a few look him up and maybe even check out a few lines from Wikipedia ;)
@@theresadoll5374 I have a degree in history and would cite him all the time, so about five years ago I decided to knock it all out for one and all and just read the whole damn thing. Took me almost 8 months, mostly due to having to skip between my map of the period, the text, the footnotes, and the English translation of the footnotes that were in Latin. I learned a ton. Sadly, my comprehension of Latin did not improve.
It's like Netflix for History: the world's finest documentary streaming service -- use the code 'Odyssey' to get 50% off your History Hit subscription! bit.ly/3AQ8pPJ
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Albino u miss me
Vespasian heads my list of favorite emperors, stoked to stumble across this beautifully crafted documentary even if I am a few years late.
better late than never said the hungry man who came late to the dinner table but was fed just the same
Great job. I like the editing style where you use clips of modern day Rome interwoven with clips of the ruins. It doesn't matter that the people we're seeing are sitting in restaurants, getting on buses, driving scooters, etc. The way you've edited it, it still gives the feeling that we're watching Roman people from 2000 years ago because of the narration that goes along with it, and the very timely interspersion of the ruins. It works!
And the guy you got to play Vespasian himself.... perfect!
Agree
Fantastic, thank you.
A lot of documentaries do this
Fabulous
exactly - i felt the same way - almost as if i was watching the actual events unfold, especially the battle scenes which are cunningly reenacted as they really transpired - good stuff!
I've always liked the story of Vespasian. Most books give him short shrift, focusing on his arena. Thank you for this
He definitely was an accomplished bad ass.
Anybody who believes that every race, color and creed was represented in Rome in 70 AD is swallowing typical UK propaganda. There is no proof of that assertion.
It would be nice to know how after the first failed attempt to control the city in which he nearly died. A few days later the town ended up jumping from a cliff 🤔
@@semprelazio8864 money
😮😮😮😮😮😮😮😢
Excellent biography. Masterfully narrated with fine visual accompaniment. A worthy tribute to the great muleteer Emperor.
Emperor Vespasian's career can be summarized as follows: "fine, I'll do it my self"
Na, "Centurion, hold my beer"
@@bumweaselsr both are excellent :)
The original Dirty Jobs star.
@@bumweaselsr upup
That would have been an awesome quote from him.
The quality of every “Fall” is stunning! So emotionally engaging. Truth told well is more beautiful and far more horrific than fiction. 🙏🏼
A wonderful episode. The first time I have spent time learning about Vespasian - and what a fascinating man he was! Beautifully crafted, this film lays out in logical sequence Vespasian's humble beginnings and his slow rise to the top in a wonderfully entertaining manner. Excellent stuff - I shall join up and watch more.
It is the victor who writes the history.
No
This episode is UTTER RUBBISH! Shallow British take on Vespasian and his times -- that's fully loaded with the standard set OF LIES AND IGNORANCE of Roman History cooked up in the Anglo-Saxon mind on the outs.
@@ewrrfewdrfer I don't mind you disagreeing - but rather than just knock the episode and accuse it of a standard set of lies and ignorance, how about you tell us what these lies and ignorance are - and supply evidence! Just shouting about it without providing any proof makes your words look like the ramblings of the deranged.
@@danielshepherd5635 that is why one should not trust Josephus to be entirely factual. Would you trust the words of a traitor who is employed by the victors? However, to discount them entirely could be as big an error as to accept them completely
I was about to point out that Corn (19:31) is native to Mexico and as such wouldn't be in Europe for over 1,000 years; it turns out, as a stupid American, I did not know that the etymology of Corn comes from Proto-Indo-European languages as a general word for grain (or even granular non-carbohydrates like "Salt Corns" or "Pepper Corns"). It later was widely adopted to describe what is more accurately described as Maize, as we normally think of Corn in the US. I'll just leave this here in case anybody who doesn't do their research first wants to try and show off.
A very well researched and accurate documentary by people who actually know how to speak their own language! Unlike me!
The word "corn" is used in the first English translations of The Bible and was definitely not referring to "maize."
Language evolves, it's meaning evolves...
Thanks Namalic. Humility is a a rare gem and such a wonderful gift. We the bread and circus masses, salute you.
Ave
Thank you, I love a little etymology wherever I can find it
No one who admits to a mistake and learns from it, can be called stupid.
Now this is in my opinion is one of the best documentaries on the ancient world that I have ever seen - The story of Vespasian is laid out as cleanly and concisly as history can be told and its vividly brought to life by incredible cinematography top notch thorough and eloquent master-historians and re-enacted by by a cast who were so well costumed and equipped that it allowed me to suspend disbelief and feel as though i was actually observing the real evens as they transpired - and the cherry on top of all of it - the perfect casting of the erstwhile muleteer and general and ultimately Emperor, Vespasian - it is as if the Emperor himself had somehow been reborn in the latter part of the 20th century. Amazing casting - to whomever is responsible for finding this imperial doppelganger, i doff my cap to you - i could watch programs such as this one all day every day, i only wish there more programming of this quality available. thankyou so much to whomever produced this and thanks to whoever is responsible for posting this on youtube - Top Notch All the way !!!!
I read a lot about Niro, but it is the 1st time I hear about the incident of Vespesian fällig asleep, while Niro reciting. Very unique documentary. Thanks a lot for the great Job.
I just love this kind of documentaries! Love to all from Poland!
Dobzie.
Hi from the pacific north west US *wave*
Truly a man of pure Roman granite I’ve watched this documentary 5 times now unbelievable man of honour and grit !! When I witnessed his sons arch in Rome I was blown away !!
I'm an old man now and I regret that I'll never get to see that Arch that's the real deal man you can do a little bit of time travel looking at that
This documentary has people of great intellectual ability, laying out the story with gravitas, depth of knowledge and evidence, brilliant!
Am watching this documentary for the 5th time now, captivating.... i need to pay a visit to his grave and do homage to this great worrier
Salve brother this is my 4th time.
Walk into any Christian church, bow your head and pray. Same thing.
Yeah he taught those Jews a lesson.
@@TheLastOutlaw-KTS they still haven’t learned.
@@kennybachman35 😂 to this day
I am a big fan of your wonderful historical videos. They are far better than anything shown on cable television. Thank you for all of the research and hard work you put into each and every one.
1l
Soldier of Light
This channel doesn't make any videos...they just license them from other people and post them...
And also, they are all, in fact, originally from cable television.
One thing that has always perplexed me is that Nerva (who came after Vespasian, Titus and Domitian) was considered the first of the five good emperors (a term coined by machiavelli) yet Vespasian should also be included in such a list of good emperors.
Well it was Machiavelli who came up with the list remember hahahaha
Nerva benefited from inheriting a perfected tyrant beurocracy and was from the senatorial class.
Further, the traditional aristocracy had been 'refreshed' by Gaius, Nero and Cladius.
The hard work was done and Nerva was from the right team. All he had to do was not implement a 'reign of terror'.
Well probably it's because Domitian was considered to be a not-so-good are even a bad emperor. To call the Vespasian to Marcus Aurelius era the "7 good emperors and one ok one" is a mouthful
@@faustusliviuspraetextatus6773 possibly time to revise Domitian assessment? He did expand the empire.
So he executed a few nobs and got the chop it was Rome baby 😎
@@indyrock8148 I was considering the resources that were available to Machiavelli when he coined the term "five good emperor". Without the benefit of modern historical resources, Machiavelli would surely be led to think that Domitian was not that great.
Today we know that things are not so simple, but alas, the term "five good emperors" is already ingrained.
I also believe that the classification "five good emperors" was also made because Machiavelli was trying to make a point regarding adoption, so even if Domitian was indeed a good emperor, I don't think Machiavelli would still include him in the list.
Titus looks like my grandfather. Who was a horseman, a farmer and was in the Navy. Loving the video.
Superb documentary. I think this one may be the very best of all concerning ancient Rome.
Great Documentary. They even found and presented some of the original old black and white footage from the ancient vaults of Alexandria. When you get Romans in monochrome, you know you got quality.
Lmao
wtf are u spouting some kind of leszek bullshit?
Bwa ha ha!
Damn provincial! Don’t you know there is technicolour in the catacombs of st peters.
Funius poopus Leszek.
😁😂🤣😁
WHO is that quiet man in the dark room they cut to every so often? What a storyteller! Every time he talks I’m utterly captivated.
I too want to know, I could listen to his crisp style all day.
I love these Roman history videos. Can't get enough. Great content.👍
Had read the History of the Jewish War by Josephus, word by word. Fascinated by the career of Vespasian. This documentary is superb. Thank you for the great work.
Yes glad the Romans also executed them too
!
Honestly you guys put the history channel to shame ...oh how I would love for you all to take over.
No aliens, no storage lockers just history
*Aliens Bro... IT WAS ALIENS* (just kidding.)
it was aliens channel lol
I used to miss the old history Channel. I no Lament its downfall. Thanks
Facts
One of the best documentaries of all time.
The professor speaks like a poet. Never a wasted word. Who is he?
All wasted words.
James Bignon
I don't know, but it's from the UK, and they do history. It's their THING. Also, they value intelligence. Nothing like here in the land of the Cult of Ignorance.
@@deltaforceUSAret oh! Good. 👵
Jimothy.
Best doc on the Romans I've heard in ages... well done. SUBSCRIBED
Enjoyed this episode very much. Never knew anything about Vespasian as a Roman emperor. Well done!!
I'll tell you an anecdote of the Emperor Vespasian. In Italy the name "Vespasiano", in addition to being the name of the great emperor who remembers history, is also synonymous with "public bath" as it was Vespasian who invented the road baths where the urine of travelers was collected and later sold to color the fabrics. One day his son Tito said to Vespasiano: Daddy, it's disgusting to collect urine! And he replied in Latin "Pecunia non olet", or "money has no smell!"
I'm a descendant of Vespasian's brother
@@OtaBengaBokongo Are you really?! 😀
You might like ‘Course of Honour’ by Lindsey Davis. An improvised telling of the story of Vespasian and his lover-come-wife Caenis’ lives.
Him and Titus...his son...detroyed Jerusalem and it's Temple in 70 CE
UA-cam- not a fan of all the advertisements you’ve polluted this great Documentary with.
Get Premium.
It pays the creators better anyway
@@LiminalQueenMedia I hear there are still commercials though. Is that true?
@@Rahburry Nope. I havent seen an ad on youtube in 3 years
@@LiminalQueenMedia ah cool thanks! Something to think about!
This is such a great channel for history fans. Thank you for your hard work!
A wonderful documentary on Vespasian. I had read a little about Vespasian, but this gives me a better understanding of the person who eventually became Emperor of the Roman Empire. The way this was done, it was almost like I was watching how Roman people lived some 2,000 years ago. What a contrast to how people live today. Thank you for this documentary on Vespasian.
Same poliTICS$ and pyRAMid. System of LAW & enFORCEment upon the people to obey and pay whilst they get a free pASS and why their po$ITion$ are so 'dangerous' lol.
@@DearMe247 I think our system of politics is far worse than that of the time of the Roman Empire. Sure the Roman Empire had its problems; one of the reasons it split in two and finally fell. Somehow, I don't think either of the political parties here in America have learned anything from the Roman Empire.
This is how a documentary should be. Tnx!
Very well done! Thank you for your hard work putting this together.
Really interesting thank you so much! Best Documentary I have seen in years
"Vespasian maybe not household name" Well, there is a city here in Brazil called Vespasiano, in his homage. Also, stunning documentary
Fascinating
Everyone knows Brazil isn't a real place🙄
This documentary is great, very detailed, thoughtful, no bombastic music or terriblly edited flashy fighting.
Does anyone know who the first guy is who they interview? He talks like he’s writing a novel and he’s fascinating to listen to.
Imagine this guy telling ghost stories around the camp fire or in a power outtage! Kinda reminds me of that scene at the beginning of the movie "The Fog", with John Houseman.
@@wk1810 great movie!
Looks like a no🤨
@@soookimbo6571 That’s annoying. They should have included it.
ya hes pretty good, like a male version of Mary Beard, but hes no Joann Flecher . If you enjoy ancient egyptian docs she has quite a few out there and theyre great .
Wow I never knew very much about Vespasian aside from his campaign in Judea until I saw this. Awesome vid!
I love Documentaries because you learn about history!
My favorite emperors, Vespasian as Rome's greatest unexpected emperor and Majorian as Rome's greatest what might have been.
Extremely well produced and interesting. Unlike Vespasian at the concert, I wasn't even slightly sleepy and stayed the course 😁.
Actually Caesar , Mark Anthoy all were from the wealthiest cornellius Lentulus family going back 200 years before Caesar
🎼🎵🎶🤨🙄🥱🥱😴😴😴😳🏃🏃🏃🌲🌲🏞️
@@joepulpow.3285 And this family decided to dump Rome and rule through Egypt. That is why they tried to weaken Rom. Caesar's Oncle unleashed the Spartacus and his cousine was indicted ...this was then call the Catalin Conspiracy.....Read Sallust and you will see some awesome similarities ( like burning down the cities...)
Saw a documentary about Vespasian. He was probably the last true Roman. He served in many positions in ruling Roman provinces and through his honesty and skills, increased the taxation needed for the Empire. In fact, he grew financially poorer from these posts.
Under Nero, he never, ever presented a threat to him, and Nero left him alone, as he felt the threats to his Throne came from many other sources and there were many. No one thought a "Mule breeder" was royal enough to be an Emperor.
But what happened was that the Parthian Empire started military attacks on the Asian provinces of the Roman Empire. The Roman General, Corbo, stopped and reversed these advances. But Nero felt that Corbo was a threat to him and ordered him to commit suicide, which he did.
Then the Jewish Revolt in Palestine started and Nero had no competent Generals to put it down. Except for Vespasian and his son, Titus.
The rest is History.
The Jewish revolts did not start in Palestine, but in the province of Judaea. The Romans renamed the province Syria-Palaestina in 135 CE, after stamping out the second rebellion, as a punishment, to obliterate the link between the Judaei and the province. Nero died in 68 CE.
@@michaelmelamed9103
Revolt started in 66 AD and so Nero was the Emperor who dispatched Vespasian and Titus to quell the revolt.
@@michaelmelamed9103there were 2 revolts
Trajan was a true Roman too. Hadrian ecc…
Thank you for producing this. I've found Vespasian to be an intriguing man but found little on him.
Roman empire was so powerful at that point that even Civil War and problems with Ceasars, did not stop them from crushing Jews and destroying Jerusalem. Joseph Flawius have seen this power of Rome and that's why he stand on romans side during the war.
Reality against mind raping bigot beliefs. Reality won back then.
Great narration. Background music not overwhelming. Content superb.
Okay. What did you like most about the video?
A man who starts at the bottom. Works his ass off. Stands in the line with his men. Knows how to use paper, and iron. Intellectual and brutally capable.
A true Emperor.
One of the great 4 in my eyes.
Vespasian. Hadrian. Trajan. Who else?
@@AnnhilateTheNihilist To me. Augustus. Vespasian. Trajan, Aurelius.
He was far from a peasant, though he did great things 👌
@@AnnhilateTheNihilist Aurelian.
@@thijshagenbeek8853 agreed top to bottom
What an absolutely fabulous documentary! I was already a fan of Vespasian but the details and drama of this video carried me along with the career and rise of this man.
Outstanding work all the way round. This film crystalized my understanding of this turbulent time in history.
I really enjoy these types of stories of ancient Rome. Good job
Yes, a wonderful job. Too bad that there wasn’t space to discuss briefly another of his benefactors: the extremely powerful and powerful Antonia ( the Younger) I believe. Claudius mother’? Among all her other relations in the Imperial family. Anyway, Vespasian’s “concubine” for decades, before and after his marriage, was one of Antonia’s freedwomen, possibly Antonia’s matchmaking. She was Titus and Domition’s stepmother, and did raise them and was publicly acknowledged as Vespasian’s wife. They couldn’t marry because of class distinctions.
Her name was Antonia Caenis
Excellent narrative, I simply watched non-stop.
Suscribed!
55:20 : Jerash in Jordan. Magnificent, well worth the visit.
I was always kind of a Marcus Aurelius fan, but Vespasian was a friend's favorite and for good reason.
Thank you, UA-cam algorithm! One of Rome's most underrated emperors, yet the one who "saved" the Empire after a series of Claudio-Julian disasters whose end culminated in 3 "blink and you'll miss them" tools. Without him, I doubt there would have been a period of "5 good emperors" that authors like Gibbons loved to crow about.
Hey, that line also gave us two of the greatest men of all time. Gaius Julius Caesar and Octavius, aka Augustus Caeser.
@@WilliamLawrence7 I guess we can argue about that. As so often it's the founders of a dynasty who are the powerful and charismatic leaders. What comes afterwards... not so much. Proven perfectly with the J-C Clan.
Claudius was not a bad emperor, though he did let his wives control matters too much.
@@anarchistatheist1917 I would agree. Women and freedmen. But he was a scholar, not a ruler, never mind military leader (the conquest of Britain wasn't him leading from the front like Caesar in Gaul). IIRC, he even said so (or it was reported that he did in either Livy or Sueton?) His lack of assertiveness arguably led to Nero (and the death of Britannicus).
@@michaelhoffmann2891 name 2 greater men from one dynasty. Although granted its a bit of a stretch to even call them from the same dynasty but still...
Nice piece I learned many things I wasn’t aware! In return I like to tell you about the famous (for lawyers at least) Latin quote “non olet” (doesn’t smell).
According to common lore, Vespasian’s son Tito was arguing with his father about the undignified origin, of the money from the tax on the urine (collected to make ammonia for leather making), allegedly Vespasiano took some coins to his nose and said “non olet” that is it doesn’t stink. Actually this connection effected Italian colture at least for us boomers, “going to the Vespasiano” meant going to those public toilets available in large cities.
Another excellent documentary from this channel. No regrets subscribing
What is the name of the historian around 2:40? And why it is so hard to put the credits in the description, at least, about who filmed the documentary, the director, the producers, etc.? Especially the name of the historians and the archeologists in the video?
My favorite Ancient Roman Emperor when I first read of him years ago in my studies. Vespasian.
Sulla and Vespasian are my two favorite Generals. The former was a defacto Emperor, vicious though he was, the latter a great and capable Emperor. Both men of their times.
I would recommend Michael Parenti's 'The Assassination of Julius Caesar' for anyone wanting to know the social/political moving parts in Rome in the 60 years leading to the murder.
A truly excellent presentation. Thank you.
Thank you Odyssey... that was thoroughly enjoyable!
I hope that a lot of people in politics will carefully watch this it's urgent. Very good job it's far more informative , precise and at the same time entertaining than some documentaries on over-hyped plateforms. Sounds and feels well documented clearly and comprehensively presented.
Yauss!!!!! The best entertainment to make my work day now!!! Love you guys!!!
Ddt
Awesome Documentary, thanks a lot!
Love the camera work and scenes while the narrator tells the tale
This was an outstanding documentary! Learned so much I had never heard before.
I have a battered coin with his name on it ! We had ten of the twelve Caesars.
Beautiful narrative and good storytellers, greetings from old province Thracia.
Vespasian was an excellent general too. He commanded the 2nd Augusta in the invasion of Britain in 43AD and was in charge of the campaign in the west of the country.
Wrong
@@trailerparksupervisor7046Right
Just subscribed. Thank you so much for these videos. I’m a Scientist but my hobby is history. This channel will excite me due to you videos. So thank you.
This video appeared in my suggested list. Result: you have another subscriber. Excellent work.
i came, i saw and i left a happy man. thank you for this wonderful documentary!
Thank you for a very entertaining and informative Documentary filled with absolutely great quotes , i had no idea about Vespasian being emperor his journey to get there and how he ultimately set Rome to prosper , the Fact that riches from Judea provided the funds to build the Colosseum leaves this Italian very happy indeed
This documentary is absolutely amazing and interesting 👏 just learned! Thanks a lot for this video. Keep on searching. Well done 👍
re - 42:42
It wasn't Tacitus who "put it beautifully," it was John Cleese. I'm referring, of course, to that scene in The Life Of Brian, when the People's Front of Judea (or was it the Popular Front of Judea?) were sitting around asking "What have the Romans ever done for us?"
If you're not familiar with it, here's a link:
ua-cam.com/video/Qc7HmhrgTuQ/v-deo.html
rolmb00000000000
My history teacher said Tacitus came before Cleese 🙃
How interesting this was, everybody did a Great job telling this story. Thanks!
"There are many misconceptions about Rome, and a very popular one is that it was rules by a series of sadistics lunatics. Now that is a gross distortion this was the greatest empire the world has ever seen and it florished for well over 6 centuries ." So Rome was ruled by a series of very successful sadistic lunatics.
Ha, ha! Nicely done.
@@tarnopol Genghis Khan did better.
@@darthvader5300 ...because he was a better sadist or a better lunatic?
@@dayegilharno4988 Neither, but he is very intelligent and has common sense and the smarts and the WISDOM, despite the fact he is illiterate, and used terror to inspire loyalty but he knew not to push his men too far even thought they will follow him still. Hitler lost 800,000 men in the 1st year of his Russian invasion and he ignored the fact he lost the very cream of his officers and battle hardened and highly experienced commanders and troops. Regardless of the disinformation and misinformation circulating through the internet, Genghis Khan never lost a single battle, his casualties are extremely low, despite he can only field 500,000 men into battle, he crushed armies of many millions. He also knew how to rule within reason based on the situations and circumstances in different areas of Eurasia. I should know because our historians knew better to be honest to record everything in their complete entierty, even though we were defeated by him many centuries ago. But we learned from him and from his men and from his people and in time we were able to free ourselves from Mongolian rule.
@@darthvader5300 I was just trying to make a joke, but thanks for the extensive response (although the "armies of many millions" you mention give away that you are a little bit too much in love with the topic to be objective). You piqued my interest: Who is the "we" that you are referring to?
This was an excellent watch!
There is an amazing series of books written by Robert Fabbri on Vespasian's life from his youth as a soldier and friend of a teenager Caligula to his ascension as Emperor. It's pretty curious the way the author describes how Vespasian and his family had an important role i Rome's most important events even before the ascension of the Flavians, like the end of Sejanus' reign of terror, the crucifixion of Christ, the victories of Claudius' military campaigns, etc. His war against the jews was also depicted in the docu-series "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire". I absolutely recommend them!
Yes great reads !!
Thanks for mentioning this. I got the first 3 on order. I read Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series of books a few years ago so I’m looking forward to these. I never heard about Vespasian until I watched the 1981 miniseries Masada. There’s a brief scene when the main character of the show played by Peter O’Toole meets Vespasian played by Timothy West. One of many great parts of the miniseries. Highly recommended if you haven’t seen it.
This was magnificent, Thank you! S.P.Q.R. ! ⚔️🛡️
17:20 He claims that 100 years of peace is "fantastically difficult for a pre industrial society to achieve". When exactly has a post industrial society had 100 years of peace?
Switzerland
@@davidrobert1229 Your being a tad pedantic
@@davidrobert1229 Switzerland gave money to the war parties or secured thheir treasure. the only reason why they kept out of conflicts is the fact: nobody sacks his own bank
Sweden. Peace since 1809.
Does anyone know the name of a man speaking at 2:32? A brilliant scholar, concise and well formulated. Would be interesting to see him in other videos and to read his works.
“Woe is me, me thinks I’m turning into a god.” Why Vespasian is my favorite.
Vaspasian was more honorable than most of his Roman predecessors. He was the Ancient Roman version of King Edward VII of England. They both inherited a lofty position as an older man and ruled briefly.
big up Vespasian, a brilliant documentary
9:40 TRUTH!!! 10:44 fantastic description of Vespacion. 31:58 hmmmm 🤔, 42:02 true, 1:01:30 2nd hmmmm 🤔, 1:14:00 Vespacion's golden age... He is a true hero of Rome.
You’ve gained me as a subscriber. I dig your content!
I’ve been an amateur dabbler of Roman history and the Latin language for over 50 years. I consider Vespasian ‘the’ most pivotal and competent emperor of all. Like a Churchill or FDR. ‘Clean up the mess, get the job done and lay a stable foundation’.
Excellent, enjoyable and informative narrative of unbiased histiory.
Thank you love hearing the narrative and history of Rome
This was really really good!
Excellent video. Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.
You've forgotten your Gibbon. The betrayal of Vespasian was, rather than dealing with the corruption of the elite, putting the slaves at common footing with regular citizens. With those two demographics fighting one another, he insured the interests of the elites were protected. We see this same tactic in play currently, much to the same effect.
Larry Adams
Thank you
Gibbon was such a liar, pushing his own barrow (of shit 0.
@@ianlowcock6913 you're a fool
Larry! 99.999% or whatever of UA-cam users have not even HEARD of Gibbon! Wouldn’t it be nice if a few look him up and maybe even check out a few lines from Wikipedia ;)
@@theresadoll5374 I have a degree in history and would cite him all the time, so about five years ago I decided to knock it all out for one and all and just read the whole damn thing. Took me almost 8 months, mostly due to having to skip between my map of the period, the text, the footnotes, and the English translation of the footnotes that were in Latin. I learned a ton.
Sadly, my comprehension of Latin did not improve.
excellent piece. i love history n its documentaries it brings you back in time.
Dios mio que maravillosos documentales cómo quisiera verlos en español 😫😫
i love this documentary....fantastic, fantastic just the way it was done....everything is good about it. perfect.
Great video! I understand better Vespasian the MAN as well as a general and emperor.
great documentary you have done here
Excellent documentary. So much information.
Completely unrelated, but I love your UA-cam handle!
Bravo~!~ This is absolutely one of the very best, comprehensive, and smoothly flowing documentaries, informationally and visually!!! Excellent!!!!
The only Roman Emperor it would have been an honor to meet and hold a conversation. Fascinating man.
Woah.
Marcus Aurelius was a proper boss dude.
And Julius Ceasar was a genius, even if a little self absorbed
@@PhreekPestilenceCaesar had every right to be up his own arse tbf
Aurelian was a pretty impressive character, same for Constantine the Great. Hadrian was also pretty interesting.