Were there Serial Killers in Ancient Rome?

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  • Опубліковано 15 тра 2024
  • An innkeeper who fed his guests human flesh. A bandit who hacked travelers' legs off and let them bleed to death. A centurion who specialized in killing senators. Although we don't know much about serial killers in the Roman world, there's no doubt that they existed.
    Please consider supporting this channel on Patreon:
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    If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.”
    www.amazon.com/Naked-Statues-...
    If you're so inclined, you can follow me elsewhere on the web:
    / toldinstone
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    Chapters:
    0:00 Introduction
    1:12 Famous Roman murders
    1:39 The crimes of Oppianicus
    2:51 Murderous emperors
    3:31: Nero - vicious, but not a serial killer
    4:09 Professional assassins
    4:49: Gladiators
    5:31 A Roman Sweeney Todd
    6:03 Murderous bandits
    6:42 Professional bandit hunters
    7:14 Serial killers in the Colosseum
    Thanks for watching!

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,3 тис.

  • @WeyounSix
    @WeyounSix 2 роки тому +9695

    Isn't it great when he gives the answer immediately? Like "it's not clickbait. Here is the answer. Now, if you want more info on it, let's go." Love it

    • @christianponce4836
      @christianponce4836 2 роки тому +127

      Ikr more ppl should do that lol

    • @bradleyirons3497
      @bradleyirons3497 2 роки тому +70

      11/10

    • @jurj97
      @jurj97 2 роки тому +88

      I think it's more enticing tbh, to me at least

    • @mistermonologue2442
      @mistermonologue2442 2 роки тому +37

      Absolutely the reason I liked the video before watching it.

    • @riley8429
      @riley8429 2 роки тому +20

      That’s why I subscribed. That’s a great video style which is gonna send his ratings up lol.

  • @GoldenBeholden
    @GoldenBeholden 2 роки тому +9449

    It pains me that we'll never know the entire history of mankind in excruciating detail.

    • @speggeri90
      @speggeri90 2 роки тому +264

      I would assume we know more about people in past, when we know more about people in the present. Trauma and incentive are the main driving forces of people.

    • @mrex3553
      @mrex3553 2 роки тому +104

      @@speggeri90 What if history is a lie? What if the events happened, but we have been told lies what really happened?

    • @speggeri90
      @speggeri90 2 роки тому +514

      @@mrex3553 What if you don't know how to think, and what you are writing is just nonsense?

    • @Linkolite
      @Linkolite 2 роки тому +192

      On the flip side, now we have the sanitized, probably embellished afterimage of a sophisticated but alien society. To be a fly on the wall, to see every day life? I’ve been browsing pictures of Pompeii’s market they unearthed in the last decade and it’s mind blowing stuff; the frescos and food stands have little cartoon paintings on them for children, serving bowl holders, umbrella stands. With the paint still very fresh from being covered in debris or ash, it’s easy to put yourself in that time and visualize how normal/modern everything would have looked. It shocks me that civilizations just as sophisticated as ours have existed and risen and fallen for all of human history. It shocks me further that those sophisticated beings in that time thought they were the pinnacle of technology and culture, thousands of years before electricity or machinery.

    • @noneya2567
      @noneya2567 2 роки тому +2

      History is a total lie. Sorry

  • @thomash8079
    @thomash8079 2 роки тому +4183

    Have you ever considered a video on cults in ancient Greece and Rome? It seems like there were a lot of unique ones, it’d make a cool topic

    • @Marqk-
      @Marqk- 2 роки тому +444

      That weirdo Jesus cult

    • @DrewlarkFun
      @DrewlarkFun 2 роки тому +254

      "cults" were simply a name for people who largely gave most allegiance to a particular deity. This comes from the latin word cultus. Such cults should not be confused with the modern idea of a "cult".

    • @k3D4rsi554maq
      @k3D4rsi554maq 2 роки тому +67

      Like the cult of Mithras.

    • @Linkolite
      @Linkolite 2 роки тому +100

      The military cult of Mithra is very interesting. There’s a bunch of contemporaries saying they would dine on hallucinogenic mushrooms in their little underground caves to party. Some fascinating shit.

    • @thelukesternater
      @thelukesternater 2 роки тому +3

      I got a cult you could join

  • @hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156
    @hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156 2 роки тому +1422

    The existence of a gladiatorial "etiquette" is seriously fascinating.

    • @Rodelero
      @Rodelero 2 роки тому +103

      It sort of makes sense when you think about having so many men capable of flash violence and death working together. The glue I think that would keep order together in that enviroment Must be respect

    • @mike-0451
      @mike-0451 2 роки тому +178

      The modernists have put the image of a cave-man smashing his fellow over the head in the club and shouting “ooga booga!”
      What they have left out is this: the cave-man is more man than cave, and he draws pictures of bulls and animals and stars on the wall to make his children laugh.

    • @sagebias2251
      @sagebias2251 2 роки тому +77

      Gladiator fights was the WWE of the ancient world. Lots of fights till first blood and draws. The fighters rarely killed each other and most deaths were criminals sentenced to death.
      Lindybeige made a great video about it.

    • @PhilMasters
      @PhilMasters 2 роки тому +61

      From the audience’s point of view, it makes sense. The gladiators were like sports stars, and fans had their favourites. If “your guy” lost, well, sometimes it happens - but seeing him pointlessly killed when he could come back and fight again another day would just be frustrating. Or think of them as live-action action movie characters; you expect the movie hero to be able to kill if he has to, but a hero who can show some restraint is more cool and impressive than a bestial murderer.

    • @Ps3luvr260
      @Ps3luvr260 2 роки тому +4

      Sorta makes sense when you think about it

  • @skyday2628
    @skyday2628 2 роки тому +1436

    Cicero called everyone he politically disagreed with a murderer, I don’t believe him as far as I can throw his marble bust.

    • @kuro-kuromi32
      @kuro-kuromi32 2 роки тому +174

      what an eloquently formed diss thank u for that and for making me exhale softly through my nose

    • @katesicle
      @katesicle 2 роки тому +96

      For real he just slung whatever he could at people since you couldn’t get sued for defamation…that being said, no one cared to defend him when Antony pushed for his execution lol

    • @thatdudeoverthere2188
      @thatdudeoverthere2188 2 роки тому +5

      I think it's worth noting the amount of supporting evidence showing the habits of the Roman's as murderous psychopaths.
      Like. They were fucking nuts. I'm willing to bet everyone Cicero disparaged was worse than he wrote.
      A nation of slavers gots to have some fucked up morals.

    • @MooncrafterUTAU
      @MooncrafterUTAU 2 роки тому +4

      This comment made me think of Blue from Overly Sarcastic Productions and from your sense of humor I think you would get a great kick out of their material!

    • @The-great-googly-moogly
      @The-great-googly-moogly 2 роки тому +25

      there's a reason the psycho jester assassin in Skyrim is named after him.

  • @teptime
    @teptime 2 роки тому +969

    I think it's safe to say that serial killers have existed throughout history. It merely seems a modern phenomenon as we've only somewhat recently come to identify and study them. It's been speculated that the Pied Piper of Hamelin may have been a medieval serial child killer.

    • @yourhope5410
      @yourhope5410 2 роки тому +155

      I agree. I seriously doubt that serial killers only just came about- we just didn’t have the means to catch them before. Police are a relatively new concept, emerging only in the 1800s, and before then the best we had were militia. Almost as soon as police came about, serial killers “appeared”- or rather, we were able to start finding them.
      I’m sure it was much easier to be a serial killer back in the day. Easy enough that someone like Jack the Ripper, who was one of the messiest and laziest serial killers of all time and left countless blatantly obvious clues to his identity, was not caught in his time. And police were around back then (albeit incompetent) which just goes to show that without them, it would have been even easier than that!

    • @abdullahimran4624
      @abdullahimran4624 2 роки тому +62

      I heard stories that he drugged the kids with halucinogenic mushrooms, and one kid survived because he fell to far behind the flute. he described the experience as being in a fantasy land marching after the most beautiful singing bird with his friends

    • @Emot10ns
      @Emot10ns 2 роки тому +25

      Serial killers ARE a modern phenomenon. Killers have existed throughout history. You couldn't kill multiple people in a village before modern transportation and industrialization because it was easy to notice people were going missing. In a big city, it's an unfortunate statistic. We also didn't know the motive of would-be serial killers before industrialization because most sources only talk about the elite (aka political killings), not common people.

    • @teptime
      @teptime 2 роки тому +5

      @@Emot10ns How do you account for Gilles de Rais, Peter Niers, Bjorn Petursson, Klaas Anink, Lewis Hutchinson, John Lynch, Thomas Jeffries, Elizabeth Bathory, Peter Stumpp, Gilles Garnier, Thug Behram, and Queho? They represent all walks of life. The elite class serial killers are obviously more likely to be documented, and the fact that they wielded power was beneficial in avoiding capture, but by no means were they all politically driven. Besides, their motives are roundly immaterial...the motives of modern serial killers are often never divulged, but they're serial killers all the same. When only a scant minutiae of history has been documented and preserved, it can't be assumed that there were fewer murderers per capita in the past than the present. Law enforcement of earlier times lacked the insights and technologies we've developed to identify and apprehend killers...it's likely that most cases either went unsolved, or they were handled swiftly and without documentation.

    • @HaganeNoGijutsushi
      @HaganeNoGijutsushi 2 роки тому +105

      @@Emot10ns Cities aren't a new thing though. All you say would apply much more to ancient Rome than to any modern metropolis - not only it was densely populated with almost half a million people, but there were a lot less ways to have any kind of surveillance, and the murder rate was much higher, which would have drowned any serial killers as noise. You find a body bled out in the street, you think it was the hundredth murder by thieves looking for some coin, not an especially perverse type who simply enjoys the act.

  • @jvdg4009
    @jvdg4009 2 роки тому +931

    A ancient detectivestyle person uncovering murder mysteries in ancient romes slums would make a great openworldgame.

    • @gleggett3817
      @gleggett3817 2 роки тому +39

      you've reminded me of the (Marcus Didius) Falco books by Lyndsey Davies

    • @andrewcortes1916
      @andrewcortes1916 2 роки тому +51

      Then you’ll love The Silver Pig(s), it’s a Roman detective novel in AD 70 Rome

    • @RaksoBackwards
      @RaksoBackwards 2 роки тому +5

      Yes!

    • @MrShanester117
      @MrShanester117 2 роки тому +8

      I think your space bar is broken

    • @6ick6ick6ity5
      @6ick6ick6ity5 2 роки тому +17

      @@MrShanester117 they have bars in space??

  • @magdalenusrex346
    @magdalenusrex346 2 роки тому +496

    I remember in high school Latin my class translated the trial of Oppianicus. We even did the trial on stage and had the lower level Latin students vote if Oppianicus was guilty or not. I played Cluentius, and upon reporting that he killed a baby the lower students were out for blood and voted to convict the guy playing Oppoanicus

    • @denizmetint.462
      @denizmetint.462 2 роки тому +25

      Sounds awesome

    • @pbxn-3rdx-85percent
      @pbxn-3rdx-85percent 2 роки тому +36

      Toga Justice

    • @orbit5311
      @orbit5311 2 роки тому +37

      I wish we did stuff like this in my school. First of all we only have Spanish, French, and Italian (we also have mandarin but literally no one takes that). And our classes are very dull. Exactly what you’d expect. Teacher makes us do worksheets and read articles in Spanish then makes us answer questions on it.

    • @shadymcnasty5920
      @shadymcnasty5920 2 роки тому +6

      @@orbit5311 all we had was spanish and French and the Spanish teacher was also a math teacher. And there was only one French class a day

    • @overratedprogrammer
      @overratedprogrammer 2 роки тому +5

      @@shadymcnasty5920 @Orbit did you guys go to school in America? I never heard of a school not having German, but it might just be my region

  • @bwktlcn
    @bwktlcn 2 роки тому +764

    You said the Romans didn’t have a word for serial killers. I wonder if that’s true, people tend to adopt words and then de adopt them, such as the use of Coventry to describe a firestorm, or the way “atomic” was added to just about everything in the late 40’s and early 50’s.....I bet “Claudian” might have been used for that kind of murderous rampage -Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, etc, with a shout out to the Julians, particularly Livia. I wonder if their names didn’t become synonymous with murder among the regular folks, like, “if Marcus doesn’t start treating his wife better, she might just give him a Livian breakfast,” or “He’s got a Claudian temper.” But that’s the kind of thing no one would dare write into an official history...thanks for a wonderfully thought provoking video!

    • @andrewcortes1916
      @andrewcortes1916 2 роки тому +41

      Never thought of this but it’s 1000% true, we do this even now. It’s just human nature

    • @verybarebones
      @verybarebones 2 роки тому +59

      Oh, theyd absolutely have dared. Have you ever read any roman contemporary historians? They didn't pull their punches, we got the ancient rome version of the daily mail.

    • @bentalexranebundgaard4867
      @bentalexranebundgaard4867 2 роки тому +28

      @@verybarebones Partly correct, except when it came to emperors that might be a tad miffed if insulted while alive.
      Otherwise they would look at the mail and say "nice try.. heres how it is done", do note that while emblemishments, exaggerations, extrabulations and sarcasm where the norm, they rarely outright lied about their subjects since that was very likely to get you killed (And did)
      Outright lies where looked down upon for several reasons but first and foremost becourse using lies in telling a story shows yourself being less cultured and intelligent and even less trustworthy in daily life.
      1) Lies in the obivous form of Sarcasm and skits where admired, it was part of entertaiment and news in general.

    • @RabidlyTaboo
      @RabidlyTaboo 2 роки тому +15

      careful there buddy or youre gonna get epsteined, or at the least someones gonna go mike tyson on your ear.

    • @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking
      @KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking 2 роки тому +25

      "Brute" stuck around for Brutus. I'm sure you're right. There were other terms, now lost.

  • @jason74a21
    @jason74a21 2 місяці тому +19

    Little known fact...they were called "grain" killers back then because they didn't have cereal.

  • @blake2626
    @blake2626 2 роки тому +686

    I've never thought about a serial killer in ancient civilizations

    • @angusyoung5398
      @angusyoung5398 2 роки тому +70

      Back then they were only called "killers"

    • @Metal0sopher
      @Metal0sopher 2 роки тому +42

      Weren't they all serial killers? Literally everyone. For most human history there was no police and detectives and the way people solved problems was by killing whomever pissed them off. Many often killed their own families. Pretty much every man in the past killed someone since war was almost constant. So how do you distinguish "serial" killing when everyone was killing? After all, any decision to kill is a "psychological" decision. Our modern distinction is biased due to our advanced policing system and humanist expectations.

    • @blake2626
      @blake2626 2 роки тому +129

      @@Metal0sopher Serial killing is more about killing with no motive. Just a desire to kill. Psychopaths really

    • @pimplejuice8774
      @pimplejuice8774 2 роки тому +32

      Serial killers are literally addicted to killing, they get high off of it. It makes them kill constantly making it “serial” killings.

    • @TheFreshSpam
      @TheFreshSpam 2 роки тому +7

      @@Metal0sopher Defense killings arent something people look fondly on. They respect the fact they survived. That they may be the stronger gene. But what distinguishes a serial killer to man who's just living is the fact the serial killer does it for fun and enjoys it. The man has to due to necessity or anger

  • @lukesmith1818
    @lukesmith1818 5 місяців тому +75

    The part about bandits is a great reminder that it wasn't until recently that people could travel distances without fear. For centuries people either traveled in groups, armed or paid for protection.

  • @ZestonN
    @ZestonN 2 роки тому +31

    I have a theory as to why we don't have the written names of murderers in Ancient Rome.
    The Romans believed that writing something down kept the memory alive, and thus the people recorded "lived on" in recorded memory.
    Therefore, to prevent killers from living on, to become folk spirits or examples for future copycats, they kept the killers' identities out of public circulation.
    Deleting them from memory.

  • @glenmorrison8080
    @glenmorrison8080 2 роки тому +86

    Ancient Roman: "Ah damn! A fire! Better jump on my horse to flee! Oh no! The fire is jumping from roof to roof faster than my horse can gallop!!"

  • @cherylsmith4826
    @cherylsmith4826 2 роки тому +339

    ..Indulged in extracurricular murders... made me laugh- love the tombstone "she was avenged" Very interesting video topic 💜

  • @John_Fugazzi
    @John_Fugazzi 2 роки тому +105

    I've always wondered how terrible a bandit Laureolis was to be crucified and then be set on by an enraged bear. Even by Roman standards that seemed especially cruel. But then they also had horrible ways to recreate scenes from myths.

    • @zfr33ze87
      @zfr33ze87 2 місяці тому +2

      Yeah that must’ve been so fucked up holy hell. His crimes must’ve been horrific.

  • @Denime
    @Denime 2 роки тому +169

    I just don't understand how anyone ever got anything done when there was so much murder, robbery and theft going about

    • @brianmccarthy5557
      @brianmccarthy5557 2 роки тому +52

      They'll probably say the same thing about our own dark times, with justification.

    • @davidhoward437
      @davidhoward437 2 роки тому +29

      @@brianmccarthy5557 No, they won't. Don't be silly.

    • @ericsalles3393
      @ericsalles3393 2 роки тому

      Slavery

    • @josesandoval1440
      @josesandoval1440 2 роки тому +11

      Explains why progress was so slow back than

    • @delusionalfusional8409
      @delusionalfusional8409 2 роки тому +6

      They were the ones doing said murder, robbery, and theft.

  • @bennettcawley4630
    @bennettcawley4630 2 місяці тому +26

    Bounced around UA-cam for a couple years now and I think this is the first time someone gave the short answer first. I'm hitting 'like' and watching the whole thing now!

  • @jonvon2044
    @jonvon2044 2 роки тому +240

    There were probably a lot more serial killers back then with lack of forensic technology and what not.

    • @daveice20
      @daveice20 2 роки тому +22

      probably not, seriel killers aren't all too common and the only reason we think they're common is because all of the lost children of Americas Golden Age that became serial killers in the 70s-80s while their peers had the greatest buying power of any generation to live... serial killers are created by socioeconomic conditions more so than biological or psychological

    • @NiePieerdol
      @NiePieerdol 2 роки тому +37

      @@daveice20 What an unfounded and completely contrary to knowledge crap sucked straight out of bull's anus

    • @pokeman5000
      @pokeman5000 2 роки тому +6

      @nowai90 You also have to factor in alot of people WERE really dumb. Imagine a dumb person in today's age minus the required schooling they receive in their youth. Then sprinkle ontop murderers/criminals almost always come from impoverished or abusive backgrounds and voila. You have someone who is dumb enough to walk into a tavern put an axe in someone's head and think as long as they run faster than everyone else they'll get away with it.

    • @bigbruiser5713
      @bigbruiser5713 2 роки тому +1

      Back in ancient times everyone was a serial killer, those were the days. Now its just the government(s).

    • @solank7620
      @solank7620 2 роки тому +4

      @@empnadajhhh9469 Modern people are a different kind of dumb than ancient people.
      People are just people, they don't really change. Their environments and cultures do however.

  • @jonatanwestholm
    @jonatanwestholm 2 роки тому +58

    THANK YOU for posting the short answer first, not baiting us. Makes me want to watch the vid thoroughly instead of browsing through it.

  • @ace1776
    @ace1776 2 роки тому +61

    I’m sure there were lots of people who got the blood lust and able to hid it. Probably plenty of people with multiple spouses that had “accidents”.

  • @martialphantom362
    @martialphantom362 2 роки тому +75

    Incredible video, your description brings the world of ancient Rome to live in a way no film ever has.

  • @Deadsea_1993
    @Deadsea_1993 2 роки тому +69

    It seems that a good amount of Emperors did in fact have mental problems. I'm surprised that Caligula wasn't mentioned here as he was a tyrant that took pleasure in killing. During one day at the games, he ran out of gladiators and criminals and so he ordered a few of the front row spectators to be thrown into the colosseum. The fact that Nero dissected his own mother as he ate was something that was absolutely disgusting and something that a serial killer would do as we note from people like Dahmer.
    Augustus Caesar created a unified police force for Rome and we do know that they punished crime, but to the extent of their usefulness is difficult to tell. Most feared Augustus as he believed in absolute order and any retaliation be met with the end of the sword and so it is difficult to believe if it was the police that curved crime or if it was Augustus. I'd imagine that the man that was crucified and then remained helpless before a Bear would have been a serial killer/the worst of the worst. Someone where a normal crucifixion, already a terrible way to die, simply wouldn't do.

    • @6ick6ick6ity5
      @6ick6ick6ity5 2 роки тому

      Yo is calgula the emperor who went out of his way to smash the council men wives??? 😂😂😂

    • @HaganeNoGijutsushi
      @HaganeNoGijutsushi 2 роки тому +16

      The question is more if those stories are true or not. Some might be the equivalent of modern tabloid sensationalism - as soon as one Emperor died and another with a different political stance came to power, everyone was free to shit on them and often make up absolutely ridiculous stories. So, sure, these COULD be genuine psychopaths - or merely so hated (for political reasons) that it was easy to imagine them as such.

    • @ronkledonkanusmoncher564
      @ronkledonkanusmoncher564 2 роки тому

      Caligula was most definitely a serial killer if we are defining them as someone who kills multiple people over long periods of time for psychological reasons. He also enjoyed raping people including his own family members, and having people executed or tortured for the smallest slight or simply for amusement.
      A lot about him might be embellished but if even 1/100th of what was said about him was true he is likely one of the most insane people to ever get into such a position of power, at least after his illness.

    • @YAH2121
      @YAH2121 2 роки тому

      And if emperors had mental disorders, Imagine how many were among the common populace

  • @devenbs1993
    @devenbs1993 2 роки тому +31

    This is an incredible piece. Perfect delivery, perfect climax and ending.
    This might seem corny but your videos have been a big part of my life since I started watching. Bravo.

  • @TheFreshSpam
    @TheFreshSpam 2 роки тому +36

    Really does get you thinking about the swathes of stories and lives weve lost knowledge and will never know about. I'd love to know more about the gladiator who on his tomb stone listed he killed a man for needlessly killing

  • @lizc6393
    @lizc6393 2 роки тому +9

    "The Short Answer" is such a brilliant name for a UA-cam segment. So glad I found the channel.

  • @justins8634
    @justins8634 2 місяці тому +15

    Answering the title's question at the very beginning says so much about the passion that went into the video and just how interesting the context is

  • @Maderyne
    @Maderyne 2 роки тому +94

    It is a fact of man that there would be some who find pleasure in the pain of others, up to and including the death of the victim. It matters not what time period it is. Cruelty knows no kinship other than the one who holds it dear to their heart.

    • @speggeri90
      @speggeri90 2 роки тому +7

      No man is born murderously insane. They are made that way through years of childhood trauma and/or a severe head trauma. Includes a tumor or blood clot.

    • @defunctuserchannel
      @defunctuserchannel 2 роки тому

      Just look at today's wretched culture

    • @defunctuserchannel
      @defunctuserchannel 2 роки тому +1

      @@speggeri90 you're really repressing some sick sh!t in your head

    • @vietcongwarlord6931
      @vietcongwarlord6931 2 роки тому +12

      @@defunctuserchannel How, that's a really standard take?

    • @7mezrim
      @7mezrim 2 роки тому +6

      But ultimately there will always be people, the majority in fact who despise these violent sociopaths and hunt them down to bring them to justice. They will always be shunned whether by the tribe, village, city, nation or galactic civilization. They will always be outliers forced to eek out an existence living on the fringes.

  • @HPF97
    @HPF97 2 роки тому +29

    Man I absolutely love to see your channels growth, been here since 50k and now you have already doubled it! Thank you for bringing us so much fascinating information on ancient rome.
    Macte hac gloria! :)

    • @denizmetint.462
      @denizmetint.462 2 роки тому +1

      That profile pic though

    • @HPF97
      @HPF97 2 роки тому

      @@denizmetint.462 great meme from noel millers channel, if you’re into that kind of humour

  • @levenda3662
    @levenda3662 2 роки тому +17

    I love the fact that you always get to the point and just tell us the short answer and not clickbait. You are amazing. Thank you for your content.

  • @user-iy7lk7ig4h
    @user-iy7lk7ig4h 3 місяці тому +7

    They were called Emperors.

  • @joelfisk
    @joelfisk 2 роки тому +1

    Loving the videos. You keep coming up with topics I've hardly or never even considered. Thanks for that!

  • @guymanuel4260
    @guymanuel4260 2 роки тому +19

    Exciting topic, been wondering about this.

  • @nothisispatrick4644
    @nothisispatrick4644 2 роки тому +91

    I only know of one ancient roman serial killer, and I’m surprised you didn’t put her in the video, Locusta the Poisoner. She was the poison supplier for Aggripina and was the favourite assassin of Nero, she was even given a school that teached her ways of poisoning and was said that the body count reached to the hundreds. After Nero’s death and the ascension of Galba he had Locusta executed by being raped to death by a giraffe.

    • @RookhKshatriya
      @RookhKshatriya 2 роки тому +59

      A professional assassin is not a serial killer. Serial killers have intrinsic rather extrinsic motivations.

    • @6ick6ick6ity5
      @6ick6ick6ity5 2 роки тому +8

      U cant use her as an example for a serial killer because then u have to include so many politicians from so many countries holy...she felt she wss doing it for the service of rome

    • @valeriarossini543
      @valeriarossini543 2 роки тому +17

      not exactly a serial killer, as she supplied poison when asked and mostly killed on demand rather than for her own personal enjoyment. Still, a very interesting character indeed! Not to be rude, but do you have a source for the school thingy? It's the first time I hear of it and I’d love to read more about it

    • @naylik2562
      @naylik2562 2 роки тому +79

      bro I know no one is talking about it but the fuck was that last sentence

    • @RosesAndIvy
      @RosesAndIvy 2 роки тому +14

      @@naylik2562 Yeah wtf was that

  • @brandonkeene5600
    @brandonkeene5600 2 роки тому +7

    You make amazing content and I love each video, thanks for all you do

  • @jamesboulger8705
    @jamesboulger8705 2 роки тому +30

    I don't think it is a coincidence that the phenomenon of serial killing only came to serious attention in the 19th century, when professional police forces developing sophisticated investigational methods began to develop. We have to remember that for human history, the notion of police and even jails is a recent one, as justice was meted out quickly and it was the diffuse responsibility of everyone to hold everyone else accountable to the law.

  • @Cap45T
    @Cap45T 2 роки тому +2

    Just started reading your book. Great fun so far, thanks for all your work and dedication!

  • @callusklaus2413
    @callusklaus2413 2 роки тому +40

    A really fun game may be playing as a Praetorian under one of the Five Good Emperors and having to sort out a serial killing mystery.
    It could start with a complaint from a slaver that his slaves are being strangled, something no other authority really gives a shit about.
    As the plot progresses, you connect the dots and unravel a bizarre eastern mystery cult with a ritualistic strangulation MO. This investigation would take you through all rungs of Roman society, close calls, dozens of human stories along the way.
    Be cool for the world to have a more realistic portrayal of your character too. Maybe you take bribes from corrupt officials and merchants so you can pay your own bribes where it counts, and the thrill of the chase consumes your morals as you unwind this thing and get deeper into the muck chasing down this cult.

    • @alistairmackintosh9412
      @alistairmackintosh9412 2 роки тому +4

      Lindsay Davis' Falco mysteries do something similar.

    • @bentalexranebundgaard4867
      @bentalexranebundgaard4867 2 роки тому +10

      The killing of slaves not your own where and would be taken VERY seriously, since it is equal to theft of valuable commodities, s beleive me such things would be investigated as well as it was possible.
      Deaths of lowlevel plebians on the other hand would likely have been a dime a dozen so that is more likely to have been ignored as long as the citizens isn't in arms over it (note that everybody was armed in this period, at least with knives and cudgels)

    • @_letstartariot
      @_letstartariot 2 роки тому +2

      I’m in!!

  • @J4sse
    @J4sse 2 роки тому +2

    Thank you for being straightforward with the answer.

  • @cognitor900
    @cognitor900 2 роки тому +2

    Really enjoying the quirky topics, Doctor! Great work.

  • @HzHzder
    @HzHzder 2 роки тому +3

    Sweet, another toldinstone for the evening, really enjoy your content mate^^

  • @BATISTA15258
    @BATISTA15258 2 роки тому +11

    Imagine hearing that you ate at the serial killers place. My god.

  • @theajshortman
    @theajshortman 2 роки тому +2

    What a fab idea for a video.
    Keep up the good work Garrett x

  • @gregoryjohnson7043
    @gregoryjohnson7043 2 місяці тому

    Loved the quick answer. Stayed for the rest of the video to show my respect. Ended up learning more than i thought. Great video! Subscribed on the spot!

  • @VanK782
    @VanK782 2 роки тому +24

    I really appreciate you actually putting the answer at the beginning. Also a surprisingly funny video about something this grim

  • @2.7petabytes
    @2.7petabytes 2 роки тому +3

    I absolutely love your videos! You have great delivery!

  • @changopardomuzik4953
    @changopardomuzik4953 2 роки тому +2

    What a great video my friend!!!! Ur research itself is amazing

  • @TheDominionOfElites
    @TheDominionOfElites 2 роки тому +2

    Came back to watch some stuff and remember I subbed to you purely because you give a Short Answer 10/10 ty bro

  • @notsocrates9529
    @notsocrates9529 2 роки тому +3

    I could have watched an hour on this subject, great work sir.

  • @Margoth195
    @Margoth195 2 роки тому +3

    thank you for getting to the point in the first 10 seconds. i enjoyed the long answer too

  • @alexbooyse9053
    @alexbooyse9053 2 місяці тому

    Best video so far, and many different levels. Thank you

  • @derpmann2615
    @derpmann2615 2 роки тому +2

    IVE BEEN WONDERING THIS FOR A LONG TIME THANK YOUU

  • @leonievanheerden7090
    @leonievanheerden7090 2 роки тому +3

    Just found this brilliant site... thank you UA-cam algorithm 🌷 Subscribed, and looking forward to seeing your interesting videos

  • @Theogenerang
    @Theogenerang 2 роки тому +17

    "Tasted like pork".
    In New Zealand human flesh was referred to as "long pig".

    • @northsidebtown7012
      @northsidebtown7012 2 роки тому +2

      Big reason why I don’t eat pork

    • @pravkdey
      @pravkdey 2 роки тому +2

      I've heard this is partly why pork is banned in many Abrahamic faiths

    • @adamjj7751
      @adamjj7751 2 роки тому +1

      @@pravkdey that doesn't make sense since there wasn't a specific banning of pork. It has a cloven hoof, but doesn't chew the cud. That's why.

    • @Calvin_Coolage
      @Calvin_Coolage 2 роки тому +1

      @@adamjj7751 That and pork can very easily make people sick if not stored or cooked properly, especially back then.

    • @adamjj7751
      @adamjj7751 2 роки тому +1

      @@Calvin_Coolage that's an awfully eisegesis answer. Show us in the Bible or from any early Church source where it says that is why the Israelites had the rule "don't eat animals with a cloven foot that don't chew the cud".
      And if it was due specifically to problems with pork, why wasn't pork explicitly banned? And if you can provide a source on the special difficulties of preserving pork compared to other meats, that I think is kinda needed. Because it sounds made up.

  • @AbandonedVoid
    @AbandonedVoid 2 роки тому +2

    Giving the answer up front before diving into the details inspired me to watch the whole video, like it, and comment. Thank you.

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_ 2 роки тому +2

    Fascinating as always! I love glimpses into aspects of the ancient world that don't dwell just on the Great Man Theory of history.

  • @modelermark172
    @modelermark172 2 роки тому +8

    The most vexing part of the question is the definition of "Serial Killer," itself. Though what we would call Serial Killers today generally kill only for 'pleasure;' in the Ancient World, people with such murderous tendencies could easily find "gainful employment" as bandits, goons, mercenaries and assassins - often working directly for noble houses. The hard part for modern crime historians would be finding a way to determine the killer's actual motives. And as you noted, in those days most murders went unreported, much less investigated or solved.
    Thank you for posting this.

  • @jec1ny
    @jec1ny 2 роки тому +3

    Another great video. I ordered your book which arrived last week and am already nearly done with it.

  • @trevorward9909
    @trevorward9909 2 роки тому +2

    Simply love your content, friend. V fun and adventurous history!

  • @conradmcdougall3629
    @conradmcdougall3629 2 роки тому +2

    This is why I subbed.
    Great content

  • @nancyM1313
    @nancyM1313 2 роки тому +7

    Wow! And the short answer too.
    Thanks.
    🛡⚔🏹🛡

  • @capmidnite
    @capmidnite 2 роки тому +6

    My college roommate was one. He gobbled up an entire box of Corn Flakes in one sitting. He was a real "cereal killer."

    • @landonray9503
      @landonray9503 2 роки тому +2

      Throw your keyboard in the garbage.

  • @internetexplorer7303
    @internetexplorer7303 2 роки тому +2

    thank you for such interesting topics

  • @2Minihats
    @2Minihats 2 роки тому

    Thanks man love tuning into the first 10 seconds of your videos, I learn very rapidly

  • @billydakid8022
    @billydakid8022 2 роки тому +3

    Interesting stuff bro keep it up.

  • @sowbirasmujo
    @sowbirasmujo 2 роки тому +33

    @toldinstone Garrett, could you do a video on roman brick? Whether and how the building material evolved over time and varied between places, and whether it was considered aesthetic by the romans or was covered up (plastered, etc). Always wondering when looking at „well preserved” roman buildings whether back then the brick would’ve been exposed. Thanks, love your videos, keep it up 👍🏻

    • @mattmack222
      @mattmack222 2 роки тому +2

      Totally agree. Having studied numerous Roman archaeological sites, I’m convinced the empire must have had a crapload of brick kilns.

    • @toldinstone
      @toldinstone  2 роки тому +11

      I plan to do more videos on both Roman buildings and construction methods in the near future, so stay tuned!

    • @6ick6ick6ity5
      @6ick6ick6ity5 2 роки тому +1

      “ its lit” - Nero

  • @RasheedahsWifeSchool
    @RasheedahsWifeSchool 2 роки тому +2

    I just found this channel last night. I appreciate that there is no music. I find music to be distracting.

  • @Corncake1337
    @Corncake1337 Місяць тому

    Your work is fantastic.

  • @dumoulin11
    @dumoulin11 2 роки тому +8

    "extracurricular murders" gave me a start. Great and fascinating video as always!

  • @clydenolet736
    @clydenolet736 2 роки тому +3

    Thanks Mr. Ryan!
    I have the book - it’s amazing and the equivalent of Durants ‘story of civilization’ dialed in to one particular scene. Good stuff.

    • @toldinstone
      @toldinstone  2 роки тому

      You're very welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

  • @oldchineseman7290
    @oldchineseman7290 2 роки тому +2

    Subscribed. Thanks for that short answer. Frfr watched the whole video too

  • @lilbeaniebabie2611
    @lilbeaniebabie2611 Місяць тому

    love your content !! would be really into long form videos if you ever decide to try them out :)

  • @adrianrosario6457
    @adrianrosario6457 2 роки тому +3

    I don’t know if you’ve done a video like this but you should do one talking about things we do/use today that originated from Ancient Rome.

  • @eddingtonmcclane6963
    @eddingtonmcclane6963 2 роки тому +4

    The usual Dr. Ryan perfection.

  • @mOn1k3r
    @mOn1k3r 2 місяці тому

    Thanks for these videos! Especially for the short answer up front

  • @klaraflorianova3306
    @klaraflorianova3306 2 місяці тому

    toldinstone out here answering questions I never had but am suddenly extremely curious about

  • @otterinaballgown3703
    @otterinaballgown3703 2 роки тому +5

    This was very interesting. One small point: There is a category for serial killers who murder for financial gain. While people may be most familiar with serial murder containing a sexual component, it is by no means the only motive.

    • @missshagadellic1346
      @missshagadellic1346 2 роки тому +1

      Was gonna comment the same thing. Q huge amount of serial killers kill for financial gain. Life insurance, for instance.

    • @jessieduncan1461
      @jessieduncan1461 2 роки тому +1

      There would be Cross over though, right? Like Ramirez ?

    • @missshagadellic1346
      @missshagadellic1346 2 роки тому

      @@jessieduncan1461 sometimes, not every killer has another motive, some kill for money purely, like Nannie (I think that was her name, she was really old when she begun killing if that helps) but some kill for more than just that, like pleasure or anger.

  • @4ur3n
    @4ur3n 2 роки тому +23

    Opianicus was like "God there is always SOMEONE occupying the bathroom!"

  • @NewfieCatgirl
    @NewfieCatgirl Місяць тому

    yeah, comments convinced me to like and sub cause you answered the question in the first few seconds

  • @gothboi_6386
    @gothboi_6386 2 роки тому +1

    Love your vids your voice gives me a chill

  • @Jabbersac
    @Jabbersac 2 роки тому +3

    2:27 After having looked up definitions of "serial killer" from multiple sources, I can say that there are some sources which agree with your definition; but some (including wikipedia and the FBI) who also characterize people who serially murder for material/financial gain as "serial killers". Examples include Dorothea Puente and H.H. Holmes.

  • @eoinlittle320
    @eoinlittle320 2 роки тому +26

    I never thought ToldInStone would be my new Gym playlist! 😂

    • @MrShanester117
      @MrShanester117 2 роки тому +1

      You’d have to go to the gym to have a gym playlist

  • @zacrusk5274
    @zacrusk5274 2 роки тому +2

    Literally answers the question within 3 seconds, immediate liked the video

  • @yesfredfredburger8008
    @yesfredfredburger8008 2 роки тому

    I'm in love with your standards for evidence :3

  • @kimmosanky7353
    @kimmosanky7353 2 роки тому +5

    Nice to see the answer straight way, without watching 10 minutes of rambling

  • @JonatasAdoM
    @JonatasAdoM 2 роки тому +5

    Prefect literary means mayor in Portuguese, a fact that always confused me in Caesar III.

  • @realhusky
    @realhusky Місяць тому

    Thanks for being upfront! I played the whole thing anyway

  • @yeeyee52
    @yeeyee52 2 роки тому +2

    wow what an amazing topic.

  • @thevoidlord1796
    @thevoidlord1796 2 роки тому +3

    You know, I never asked myself this question and now I desperately want answers. Well done.

  • @1TakoyakiStore
    @1TakoyakiStore 2 роки тому +3

    It's far more than many people realize. I read a book about typical life in ancient Rome. In it it said that night time was feared because it was the time when thieves and murderers roamed around unchecked for the most part. It was higher during full moons because there was enough light to see well enough to carry out your crimes yet still dark enough to obscure your identity enough to not be easily identified.

  • @joaoc_PT
    @joaoc_PT 2 роки тому +1

    Great content, this channel is an hidden gem!
    Btw, what's your stance on what Centum Cellæ main remaining building would've been?

  • @yogabbagabba2202
    @yogabbagabba2202 2 місяці тому

    Thank you for not clickbaiting and giving the answer I will like and comment and watch the whole video because of it

  • @napalmholocaust9093
    @napalmholocaust9093 2 роки тому +58

    I ran into the term; "heroic slaughter" once. I'm pretty sure the author wasn't going for an oxymoron.

    • @SonofSethoitae
      @SonofSethoitae 2 роки тому +18

      I mean, slaughter was associated with Greek heroes. An alarming number of them went insane and killed everyone around them. The word "hero" has evidently drifted from its context

    • @hexicalcat4937
      @hexicalcat4937 2 роки тому +4

      @@SonofSethoitae sounds cult-ish

    • @SonofSethoitae
      @SonofSethoitae 2 роки тому +10

      @@hexicalcat4937 Literally; they often had hero cults (although in the anthropological and not colloquial sense of the term "cult") dedicated to them, mostly to keep their very crazy ghost from further tormenting the living

    • @td370
      @td370 2 роки тому +4

      Sounds similar to honour killings in Islam

    • @shailonnoelle7175
      @shailonnoelle7175 2 роки тому +3

      If you went and slaughtered congress I'm sure most of the country would call that a heroic slaughter

  • @dalea1691
    @dalea1691 2 роки тому +25

    Evil has always been around. And back then, the evil one's wer murdered. Not all of them.

    • @Wertsir
      @Wertsir 2 роки тому +3

      Lololol. Talk about rose tinted glasses. The Romans weren’t better at arresting or punishing crimes than we are now. There’s less evidence of them because far fewer were actually caught and recorded, not because fewer occurred. Nowadays we have police recording every crime in reports even if we don’t know who did it, but back then the vast majority of crimes would have occurred in areas with no law enforcement to speak of. Corruption reigned supreme, and even if there was some authority nearby there’s a good chance they simply wouldn’t enforce the law if you had less political clout than the perpetrator. Violent crime and rape were almost omnipresent. Imagining it as some superior justice system just because they would occasionally crucify their enemies enemies is naive at best.
      Murdering people doesn’t lower the crime rate, and t just fills the graveyards, often with the bodies of innocent men. Like, my dude, one of the most famous stories ever written is _literally_ about them crucifying an innocent person for baseless political reasons. It was not a good system.

    • @cl570
      @cl570 2 роки тому

      @@Wertsir Well Rome was actually not as bad during the time jesus was "supposedly" crucified. But it was nearing the end when christianity was radically introduced, and it all went to shit like nazi germany during ww2. Before that, they were pagan.

  • @kent7201
    @kent7201 2 роки тому +1

    Easily my favorite youtube channel

  • @AjayKumar-hh6hx
    @AjayKumar-hh6hx 2 роки тому +2

    Your style of prose in the Introduction resembles that of A Song of Ice and FIre's author, George RR Martin, and I love it. Subscribed!

  • @Onemansmuseum
    @Onemansmuseum 2 роки тому +15

    Did Ancient Rome have building codes, or anything equivalent to mandates of style or quality?

    • @chriswicker6672
      @chriswicker6672 2 роки тому +5

      Yes, very detailed ones.

    • @ace1776
      @ace1776 2 роки тому +2

      Probably only where they thought it mattered. I’m sure in the slums anything goes.

    • @jjj-bl8yf
      @jjj-bl8yf 2 роки тому +1

      @@chriswicker6672 they were just as advanced as us, with the exception of modern medicine and cars and phones

  • @gerryhouska2859
    @gerryhouska2859 2 роки тому +7

    I can' vouch for the taste, but as a fireman I can assure you cooking human flesh smells the same as pork.

  • @adamkhan4451
    @adamkhan4451 2 роки тому +1

    Awesome just what I’ve always wondered

  • @donaldauguston9740
    @donaldauguston9740 2 роки тому +1

    Very interesting. Thank you for posting. DA