Links to the previous episodes of this series: The origins of the Latins ua-cam.com/video/wgAcU-xhNVc/v-deo.html The origins of the Roman navy ua-cam.com/video/EoK9s9PdUro/v-deo.html The origins of Roman Shields ua-cam.com/video/maNjrYltmUk/v-deo.html
Hi Metatron, I have been following your channel for years and enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are one of the best, if not the best, history channel on UA-cam. Could you make a video or more about the two personalities Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Titus Pomponius Atticus? Both are unique and fascinating figures from the Roman Republic. I would love to see a video from you about these two impressive individuals. Best regards, Joshi
Fun fact, praetorian to a gael like me sounds like fomorian....its the furthest from cool as you can get lol so metatron look up the fomorian...Best way to describe them is sea devil's from below horrible formed very ugly...yet some a very good looking 🤣 and mated with the odd tuatha de dananann creating hybrid off spring such as a grandchild that would kill the fomorian king....just some irish lore for a dastardly EYEtalian 😉
Augustus: "I shall appoint the Praetorians as my personal guard. They sure will protect me and the following emperors with absolute loyalty..." *Centuries later* Praetorian Guards: "WHERE IS THE F*CKING MONEY, PERTINAX?" Pertinax: "It's down there somewhere. Let me take another look..." Praetorian Guards: *Plunge his head back into the Tiber*
I always loved that the first thing Constantine did when he got to Rome was permanently retire most of the Praetorians into the Tiber river along with his rival, and then sack the others to the corners of the empire, dissolving them completely. I suppose someone had to eventually.
18:13 My brother in Pedantry, the epitaph is the inscription, yes. But as the epitaph is on a memorial, not on where the body is actually buried, then the epitaph is inscribed on a memorial/cenotaph. Thank you for the videos as always!
You remind me how important it is to stay close to one's educational preferences in order to remain accurate and continuously fortify that knowledge. Many can't remember the important details beyond a skeleton of the basic premise except for the trivia which is shared.
That scene from "Gladiator", with Russel Crow managing to kill 3 of these bad boys and yelling at the last remaing one "PRAETORIAN!"... It has to be one of the most badass scenes in cinema history!
the Preatorain Guards of the Roman Empire and the Immortals of the Persian Empire were pretty damn cool names to have for an elite bodyguard/military group.
The real name of the immortals is unknown, the Spartans called them immortals because you kill one and another one replaces him but there’s no other source that tell us how the Persians called them.
Thank you, great video. In my time, we had the Ludus Latinus series to learn Latin, and I remember the first sentence, gallea cantat. But the first story was about the Praetorians, and the whole classroom was captivated. Our teacher, Dr. Chromik, really got excited that he finally had won us over. He would have loved your video.
I love learning new things on your channel. I find it wonderful that you specifically point out items based on religion (such as AD) and other based on actual evidence that wasn't highlighted or possibly even mentioned. Thank you!
This is indeed one of your finer videos. Excellently edited and your narrative is worthy of study. I’ve gotten back into my Italian interests recently. Language and culture. As an American I would never entertain the thought of “sounding native” nor would I miss an opportunity for university grade learning. Your channel keeps one grounded and focused on learning and efficiency. It’s a pleasure to subscribe. Grazie mille.
Great video, it’s amazing to me how this concept is all over fiction and even science fiction (Emperors red guard in Star Wars, Specters in Mass Effect, Adeptus Custodes in 40K….) while I know of elite legions that have preceded them, I don’t know of any legion dedicated to the protection of the emperor before.
I love the history of the Praetorians, but my god, what a bunch of unmitigated clowns and buffoons they were. Repeatedly plunging the empire into ruinous civils wars and occasionally actually bumping off a rare competent emperor because their bribes weren't big enough lmao They were an absolute liability! A huge number of emperors would have been a lot safer 'without' their loyal bodyguards around.
@@matthewlentz2894 laughs in Varangian and whatever language people spoke in Switzerland. Elite foreign mercenaries that were paid well and regurarly were the most loyal warriors of pre-modern era... Then they invented ideologies and found a way to have loyal fanatics for free.
@@matthewlentz2894 The varangians were a step up, loyal to the emperor as long as the emperor was the one with the key to the treasury. Totally not loyal to any dynasty tho, if an emperor did get killed by a usurper, they immediately swore their new oath to the usurper who was then expected to open the treasury so the norsemen could loot it for as much gold as they could carry. It was a screw up system too, but it was better for the emperor as long as he was alive. Absolutely no protection for his dynasty staying on the throne, however.
Got their collective asses kicked by an outnumbered veteran legionaries that Constantine pulled from the frontlines to fight them at the battle for rome.
Metatron - super cool video. I really find myself wanting more! For example, how did one become a Praetorian? What was the selection process (other than geographical), training (if any), etc? What were specific duties? A day in the life?
love this video, love your content. was curious what you use to shave !?! I'm into classic shaving so it's kind of my niche . I know you're not using a novacilia . just curious
I liked how the Praetorians are depicted in the movie Quo Vadis where they're wearing a bronze coloured armour/helmets to distinguish them from the normal soldiers of the legions
Considering that Legio X Equestris and Legio VIIII Hispana were both raised in Spain (though likely commanded by Italian veterans) and that they were likely the best performing legions in Rome's history, you'd think they'd have opened Praetorian recruitment to Hispania a lot sooner than they did...
If I recall correctly it was during a period where the senate was not functioning correctly because too many of their members were at their villas perfecting their fish ponds. Something about how there were no troubles and all was good so the only meaningful task they saw fit was the fish pond. I actually don't know if this is true or not
Ahh the Praetorians...what a nice guard, I`m sure they remain quite loyal to the emperors :)) Also heard that the praetorians when in cities were not allowed to walk in their armour, and that they would wear that sort of very long toga, and having a dagger concealed
Patrick Stuart as Sejanus in I Claudius 1976 was when I learnt about these guards.❤the work Metatron. If I remember..was there a German Legion similiar to the guards as well? And...No Leather Bracelets.
As I understand it, emperors would often recruit warriors from Germanic tribes as personal guards because they didn't entirely trust the Praetorians. They weren't as linked into Italian political intrigues as the Praetorians, and absolute loyalty to whoever one accepts as one's chieftain was a cultural imperative for Germanic warriors.
Hey Metatron just a tiny correction for the future. The epitaph is just the message. An empty commemorative "tomb" is a cenotaph. Thanks for enlightening us!
Hi Metatron, I have been following your channel for years and enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are one of the best, if not the best, history channel on UA-cam. Could you make a video or more about the two personalities Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Titus Pomponius Atticus? Both are unique and fascinating figures from the Roman Republic. I would love to see a video from you about these two impressive individuals. Best regards, Joshi
for those wondering, a Sestertius, plural Sestertii, in modern currency amounts would be approximately $2.30 USD. so 20,000 SeS would be around $46,000 USD, a pretty decent severance amount.
Your valuation tweaked my interest. Using two valuations of the Sestertius: 1) the original standard established during the Republic was 4.5 grams in silver, and 2) in Augustus' time the valuation was switched to one-hundredth of an Aureus, an 8.0 gram coin of gold. Using today's valuations of gold and silver that would give a price range of roughly $4 - $7 per Sestertius, or $80 - $140,000 in today's world.
@@ljgaming639 No, just on today's market value of the precious metal content in the Sestertius at two specific points of time. The value fluctuated considerably over the centuries (one reason for the collapse) so just a general guide. Also, in regards to your query on relative purchasing power, that's not possible, but I can reasonably postulate Roman era society would be much less wealthy. Only a third as wealthy? So triple the range for the equivalent purchasing power? All in all it's a payout that's roughly equivalent to the signing bonuses seen in many Western militaries and it came with a pension too.
@@ljgaming639 for the most part yes and i then i just took our "modern day" local pricing of equivalent items. unfortunately no one was offering "unspoiled females and boys from Gaul or Iberia" so that was not a factor in my estimations.
Very nice video Metatron. Also I want to add that the Praetorians got replaced by the Scholae Palatinae, the Iovani and Herculiani (mostly battle hardened guards) which in my opinion were better. They were reliable and proved to be more loyal and better guards. Then you have the Varangian guards which they were literally Vikings serving the ERE emperor and as long as the money flows they kept the emperor alive, didn’t care about politics.
Epitaph literally means on/over the grave. It can refer to an inscription, or a monument. Probably the most common occurrence is with certain speeches that were made on somebody's funeral. Sometimes there is confusion with this. For example Pericle's epitaph...
I saw a video, about a year ago, showing some of the ancient Roman ruins. I was surprised that the Pretorian Guard's barracks ruins was still a thing. At least one of the walls was somewhat intact.
If remember correctly, when Rome was conquering Spain they found some guys that had an oath of loyalty beyond death, if their leader died they where still under the oath until they died, something like “semper fidelis”. Are the pretoreans the ones that they wanted to replicate what they fought in Spain?
PRAETORIAN Guard, sounds awesome ! description: the most abject disloyal guard EVER ! - OLD GUARD 1st French Empire (French, Vieille garde), sounds cool enough ... description: (in their own words) "La garde meurt mais ne se rend pas !" ("The Guard dies but does not surrender !" )
It's uncanny how sometimes I think about something and then, boom, whatever I was thinking of comes up. Sometimes I really wonder if phones don't just listen, but can read our minds.
I'm not sure if I missed it in this video, but I would love to see a video that highlights some of the weaponry that the Praetorians would be equipped with.
Yes, an interesting video about the praetorian guard. I’m glad you mentioned Diocletion, our boy from Salonae. I’d like to see a video about the ten best emperors or videos on each of them. The ten that I feel are the best may not be everyone’s choice for the ten. What do you think?
On topic: excellent old school video with documented facts by the OG Metatron. Off topic: it's not the director's, in this case R Scott, job to be historically accurate; in his particular case, he either doesn't care or goes by the rule of cool. Cheers!
In Star Trek, the Romulan Empire Chief of State is The Praetor. So I guess he must have a Praetorian Gard as well... The fact that it might be Tiberius who elevated the Praetorians to their full potential has of course nothing to do with James Tiberius Kirk, I guess. Oh wait, in Shatner's own fanfic, his Mirror Universe Alter Ego is Emperor Tiberius of the Terran Empire... my bad. Oh wait, Romulus himself... too many connections there ! Jokes aside, your videos are awesome. I wouldn't necessarily search for an unbroken line from the Ancient Royal military, Republican one or later Imperial one. Every regime has their own Elite corps of military or body gard units, regardless of that came before, sometimes it might just be a transformation, sometimes, it's something new. As Scipio was not in Rome but in what could be called a colony, Praetor could be equivalent to a colonial Regional Governor such as the British Empire had and still has to some extent (Canada has a Governor and a Prime Minister)... Governors usually retain a direct link to the military presence in the vicinity being their direct superior and wearing a uniform and has to maintain order in said vicinity; so I's say, that's checks out. Funny how Septimius Severus effectively turns what could be called The Imperial Gard into a near Foreign Legion of sorts... (foreign from the heart of the Empire) LOL you describe the powerhungriness of later Praetorians as being similar to the kind of power that KGB agents had. Things never change. Epitaph is the phrase on a tombstone. The tomb without a body is a CENOtaph.
They seemed to take a lot upon themselves when it came to protecting or, alternatively, disposing of Roman Emperors. I wonder why the Princeps and Senate didn't have them disbanded, or destroyed.
If you know about the spiritual side of human nature, especially on the scale of nations, you'll know that one of the main generational sins of Romans was regicide, beginning with the foundation of the Republic (excluding the myth) and strongly resurfacing with Julius Caesar. They never had a stable, multigenerational dynasty over the whole people, as many later European nations did.
Can you make a video about the roman spy network or intelligence officers? The frumentarii from new vegas has me interested in the history behind that! Thank you for this video!
One of my pet peeves is people misusing the term "decimated". Thinking on this I realized I had no idea how often the Roman's actually decimated a unit or even what size units were decimated. I've seen reference to Marcus Antony decimating some (all?) of the legions in his failed campaign in the MidEast. I would be very interested in a video addressing the history of decimation.
I recently had a small look into this for similar reasons. I begin with an etymology search. I don't pretend to have any worthwhile answers. Suffice to say it'd be reasonable to consider it a 10% tax/sacrifice/tithe. In some contexts applied for the worst crimes such as sedition, mutiny, failure. It's probably due to my ignorance yet I find it a curious thing, perhaps a little odd given say Roman numerals and the apparent use of a duo=decimal system (12).
Power without check or balance is always going to end up the same way. Not only that but those checks and balances can't remain static, they all got to be adjusted as power waves or grows lest they can be avoided and power seized.
I didn't think much of the post-original Star Wars movies, like The Last Jedi, but that Praetorian Guard fight scene was awesome. Those guards looked fierce, clad in all red space age armor, wielding various exotic lightsaber weaponry. Kylo Ren and Rey battling them in that eerie red throne room was so much fun to watch. Loved that scene. I would love to see more lore about those guards in future Star Wars projects. I'm guessing that they are called Praetorian, even in Star Wars lingo.
One of the worst choreographed fight scenes in Star Wars tbh. Also, from a story telling perspective, trash. But, you're 100% correct in that visually it was amazing - Something that sums up that movie as a whole. Visual perfection. Everything else, garbage. Also, you're correct in their name. They are called the "Elite Praetorian Guard" of Supreme Leader Snoke. The Guard consist of eight 'sentinels' divided into four pairs, with each pair with unique weapons. Their red armor is an echo of Emperor Palpatine’s royal protectors.
@@BlokedAgain Yeah, for sure it was no Empire Strikes Back in terms of story telling and charm, and yeah the choreography doesn't hold up over time. But I love those guards as characters, great addition to the Star Wars universe. And Metatron is absolutely right about the sound of the name 'Praetorian', it really does sound awesome. And turns out to be a perfect name for those elite, enigmatic guards. I noticed that the guards appear again in The Mandalorian. I've yet only seen the 1st season (not a big fan of Disney). But, I have to admit that I did enjoy watching it, once I got on board with the Disney, kiddy vibe, that the show started off heavy with. I almost didn't give it a chance, but now I'm a fan, and looking forward to seeing those Elite Praetorian Guard again.
Links to the previous episodes of this series:
The origins of the Latins
ua-cam.com/video/wgAcU-xhNVc/v-deo.html
The origins of the Roman navy
ua-cam.com/video/EoK9s9PdUro/v-deo.html
The origins of Roman Shields
ua-cam.com/video/maNjrYltmUk/v-deo.html
Metatron, please make a video on Roman fish ponds and their role as a status symbol. Grazie
Hi Metatron, I have been following your channel for years and enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are one of the best, if not the best, history channel on UA-cam. Could you make a video or more about the two personalities Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Titus Pomponius Atticus? Both are unique and fascinating figures from the Roman Republic. I would love to see a video from you about these two impressive individuals.
Best regards,
Joshi
Fun fact, praetorian to a gael like me sounds like fomorian....its the furthest from cool as you can get lol so metatron look up the fomorian...Best way to describe them is sea devil's from below horrible formed very ugly...yet some a very good looking 🤣 and mated with the odd tuatha de dananann creating hybrid off spring such as a grandchild that would kill the fomorian king....just some irish lore for a dastardly EYEtalian 😉
I just found this its everybody wants to rule the world but it's in latin: ua-cam.com/video/Xtt78SW-mgg/v-deo.htmlsi=W8zXyT9EUVbrWxIS
Could you make a video about your top 100 recommended ancient history books? and top 20 historians?
The Praetorians sound like a very trust worthy & loyal group of guys
As loyal as they can get. At the same level as Jaime Lannister or Grima Wormtongue
The most loyalty that money can buy. Salable loyalty, the best kind. You can always trust a mercenary to follow their own best interests.
Just like Templars
Pampered, perfumed praetorians. They may have started as elite troops, but they soon degenerated.
especially with that scorpion symbol.
When the secret service decide that they’re the ones that choose who the president is.
Wrong. When the secret service auction off the presidential seat.
Well secret service already did it with Kennedy
And we saw how well they handled Trump being shot at@@GothPaoki
Praetorians highly trained & experienced professional backstabbers.
KGB
Augustus: "I shall appoint the Praetorians as my personal guard. They sure will protect me and the following emperors with absolute loyalty..."
*Centuries later*
Praetorian Guards: "WHERE IS THE F*CKING MONEY, PERTINAX?"
Pertinax: "It's down there somewhere. Let me take another look..."
Praetorian Guards: *Plunge his head back into the Tiber*
😆😆😆
I didn't know I needed an Ancient Roman take on "The Big Lebowski" but I'm glad to now have it in my head.
Should have tied their retirement plan to the survival of the current emperor. If the Emperor dies, your service time is reset.
I hear Pertinax was sometimes called Dudus Maximus. 😂
I always loved that the first thing Constantine did when he got to Rome was permanently retire most of the Praetorians into the Tiber river along with his rival, and then sack the others to the corners of the empire, dissolving them completely. I suppose someone had to eventually.
That was great
18:13 My brother in Pedantry, the epitaph is the inscription, yes. But as the epitaph is on a memorial, not on where the body is actually buried, then the epitaph is inscribed on a memorial/cenotaph.
Thank you for the videos as always!
You remind me how important it is to stay close to one's educational preferences in order to remain accurate and continuously fortify that knowledge. Many can't remember the important details beyond a skeleton of the basic premise except for the trivia which is shared.
You had me at “The Praetorians, man this is probably one of the coolest names ever made by human kind” keep up the good work! 😊
That scene from "Gladiator", with Russel Crow managing to kill 3 of these bad boys and yelling at the last remaing one "PRAETORIAN!"... It has to be one of the most badass scenes in cinema history!
It´s great to see your normal video not just reactions you´ve been doing lately. Keep it up! Also I would love to see video about Praetor.
Not only BEST video, but best Audio Intro too! LFG METATRON!!
I swear I learn more cultural, historical, linguistic, and sociological aspects of humankind from this channel than any other.
the Preatorain Guards of the Roman Empire and the Immortals of the Persian Empire were pretty damn cool names to have for an elite bodyguard/military group.
myrmidons bro
The real name of the immortals is unknown, the Spartans called them immortals because you kill one and another one replaces him but there’s no other source that tell us how the Persians called them.
@@lapthanngo5609aquaman... enough said? It's all greek to me..
Thank you, great video. In my time, we had the Ludus Latinus series to learn Latin, and I remember the first sentence, gallea cantat. But the first story was about the Praetorians, and the whole classroom was captivated. Our teacher, Dr. Chromik, really got excited that he finally had won us over. He would have loved your video.
I love learning new things on your channel. I find it wonderful that you specifically point out items based on religion (such as AD) and other based on actual evidence that wasn't highlighted or possibly even mentioned. Thank you!
Fabulously made video! I love the commentary videos, but these.... these videos are great! Amazing work!
Thanks!
Loved this. So very interesting. Thank you. One love from Scotland. 💙 🦁 🏴
This is indeed one of your finer videos. Excellently edited and your narrative is worthy of study. I’ve gotten back into my Italian interests recently. Language and culture. As an American I would never entertain the thought of “sounding native” nor would I miss an opportunity for university grade learning. Your channel keeps one grounded and focused on learning and efficiency. It’s a pleasure to subscribe. Grazie mille.
Just on time, I'm ready to see your video on these guys.
Thank you Metatron :D
Great video, it’s amazing to me how this concept is all over fiction and even science fiction (Emperors red guard in Star Wars, Specters in Mass Effect, Adeptus Custodes in 40K….) while I know of elite legions that have preceded them, I don’t know of any legion dedicated to the protection of the emperor before.
Respect brother
Good to see that you're staying hunble on this one
I wasn’t gonna watch but then I read the whole title!! Well played, Metatron, well played!
Fantastic episode Metatron many thanks Mili gratsi🎉🎉
MAKE MORE OF THESE PLEASE. I would love a video talking about other heads of the praetorian guard who made an impact on Roman history!
Thanks for this very interesting video ! 😊
I love the history of the Praetorians, but my god, what a bunch of unmitigated clowns and buffoons they were. Repeatedly plunging the empire into ruinous civils wars and occasionally actually bumping off a rare competent emperor because their bribes weren't big enough lmao They were an absolute liability! A huge number of emperors would have been a lot safer 'without' their loyal bodyguards around.
No more and no less as todays deviated services are.
*laughs in Varangian*
@@matthewlentz2894 laughs in Varangian and whatever language people spoke in Switzerland.
Elite foreign mercenaries that were paid well and regurarly were the most loyal warriors of pre-modern era...
Then they invented ideologies and found a way to have loyal fanatics for free.
@@matthewlentz2894 The varangians were a step up, loyal to the emperor as long as the emperor was the one with the key to the treasury. Totally not loyal to any dynasty tho, if an emperor did get killed by a usurper, they immediately swore their new oath to the usurper who was then expected to open the treasury so the norsemen could loot it for as much gold as they could carry. It was a screw up system too, but it was better for the emperor as long as he was alive. Absolutely no protection for his dynasty staying on the throne, however.
@@solinvictus1234 Alphabet agencies in our time
Yep, one of your best. Now, I have the review the rest. I can think of a few that match. So many, what a nice way to spend Christmas vacation!!!
YES!!! Definitely one of the most awesome names ever!..... the PRAETORIANS💪🤘🔥
Got their collective asses kicked by an outnumbered veteran legionaries that Constantine pulled from the frontlines to fight them at the battle for rome.
You're reading my mind with that intro Metatron. 🤯😆
Metatron - super cool video. I really find myself wanting more!
For example, how did one become a Praetorian? What was the selection process (other than geographical), training (if any), etc? What were specific duties? A day in the life?
Merry Christmas my friend
These are the videos I like!
love this video, love your content. was curious what you use to shave !?! I'm into classic shaving so it's kind of my niche . I know you're not using a novacilia . just curious
I liked how the Praetorians are depicted in the movie Quo Vadis where they're wearing a bronze coloured armour/helmets to distinguish them from the normal soldiers of the legions
Please continue these type of military history videos👍👌
Considering that Legio X Equestris and Legio VIIII Hispana were both raised in Spain (though likely commanded by Italian veterans) and that they were likely the best performing legions in Rome's history, you'd think they'd have opened Praetorian recruitment to Hispania a lot sooner than they did...
Metatron, please make a video on Roman fish ponds and their role as a status symbol. Grazie
Can't tell of your taking the piss or not haha
@@stickemuppunkitsthefunlovi4733they were not for pissing in
If I recall correctly it was during a period where the senate was not functioning correctly because too many of their members were at their villas perfecting their fish ponds. Something about how there were no troubles and all was good so the only meaningful task they saw fit was the fish pond. I actually don't know if this is true or not
Finally, a NO DRAMA video, thanks
Great vidéo. Would love to hear more on Praetorians. Also famous légions like Legio XI Claudia Anne légionnaires liké Pullo.
Ahh the Praetorians...what a nice guard, I`m sure they remain quite loyal to the emperors :))
Also heard that the praetorians when in cities were not allowed to walk in their armour, and that they would wear that sort of very long toga, and having a dagger concealed
Patrick Stuart as Sejanus in I Claudius 1976 was when I learnt about these guards.❤the work Metatron.
If I remember..was there a German Legion similiar to the guards as well? And...No Leather Bracelets.
As I understand it, emperors would often recruit warriors from Germanic tribes as personal guards because they didn't entirely trust the Praetorians. They weren't as linked into Italian political intrigues as the Praetorians, and absolute loyalty to whoever one accepts as one's chieftain was a cultural imperative for Germanic warriors.
Yeah, Captain Picard did not convince me he wasn't in a holodeck weekend break.
Hey Metatron just a tiny correction for the future. The epitaph is just the message. An empty commemorative "tomb" is a cenotaph. Thanks for enlightening us!
Hi Metatron, I have been following your channel for years and enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are one of the best, if not the best, history channel on UA-cam. Could you make a video or more about the two personalities Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Titus Pomponius Atticus? Both are unique and fascinating figures from the Roman Republic. I would love to see a video from you about these two impressive individuals.
Best regards,
Joshi
Metatron makes good videos!
for those wondering, a Sestertius, plural Sestertii, in modern currency amounts would be approximately $2.30 USD.
so 20,000 SeS would be around $46,000 USD, a pretty decent severance amount.
Your valuation tweaked my interest. Using two valuations of the Sestertius: 1) the original standard established during the Republic was 4.5 grams in silver, and 2) in Augustus' time the valuation was switched to one-hundredth of an Aureus, an 8.0 gram coin of gold. Using today's valuations of gold and silver that would give a price range of roughly $4 - $7 per Sestertius, or $80 - $140,000 in today's world.
@@dscott6629$140K... an even better severance.
How did you get these numbers? Did you base it on cost of goods at the time? Like 1 sestertius was a loaf of bread or something like that?
@@ljgaming639 No, just on today's market value of the precious metal content in the Sestertius at two specific points of time. The value fluctuated considerably over the centuries (one reason for the collapse) so just a general guide. Also, in regards to your query on relative purchasing power, that's not possible, but I can reasonably postulate Roman era society would be much less wealthy. Only a third as wealthy? So triple the range for the equivalent purchasing power? All in all it's a payout that's roughly equivalent to the signing bonuses seen in many Western militaries and it came with a pension too.
@@ljgaming639 for the most part yes and i then i just took our "modern day" local pricing of equivalent items. unfortunately no one was offering "unspoiled females and boys from Gaul or Iberia" so that was not a factor in my estimations.
Very nice video Metatron. Also I want to add that the Praetorians got replaced by the Scholae Palatinae, the Iovani and Herculiani (mostly battle hardened guards) which in my opinion were better. They were reliable and proved to be more loyal and better guards. Then you have the Varangian guards which they were literally Vikings serving the ERE emperor and as long as the money flows they kept the emperor alive, didn’t care about politics.
I LOVE THE HAND SIGN at 7:35 hahahahaha
Epitaph literally means on/over the grave. It can refer to an inscription, or a monument. Probably the most common occurrence is with certain speeches that were made on somebody's funeral. Sometimes there is confusion with this. For example Pericle's epitaph...
I saw a video, about a year ago, showing some of the ancient Roman ruins. I was surprised that the Pretorian Guard's barracks ruins was still a thing. At least one of the walls was somewhat intact.
If remember correctly, when Rome was conquering Spain they found some guys that had an oath of loyalty beyond death, if their leader died they where still under the oath until they died, something like “semper fidelis”. Are the pretoreans the ones that they wanted to replicate what they fought in Spain?
10:38 "Goodbye, Praetorian." 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Remus doesn't get enough love.
PRAETORIAN Guard, sounds awesome !
description: the most abject disloyal guard EVER !
-
OLD GUARD 1st French Empire (French, Vieille garde), sounds cool enough ...
description: (in their own words)
"La garde meurt mais ne se rend pas !"
("The Guard dies but does not surrender !" )
They started out amazing
But in the end
Pra*toria Delenda Est
Nice dolly zoom in your first appearance!
My man, you're killing me. PRY*tor*i*ahn
Awesome video! Could you please make a video about a historically accurate Saint George?
The last time I was this early, I was really early.
The missus hoped for another ten minutes.
It's uncanny how sometimes I think about something and then, boom, whatever I was thinking of comes up. Sometimes I really wonder if phones don't just listen, but can read our minds.
Literally “those who go before”. Recce Platoon, you know who you are.
Here is a full view, comment, and like for channel growth.
Hello Metatron!
I'm not sure if I missed it in this video, but I would love to see a video that highlights some of the weaponry that the Praetorians would be equipped with.
Yes, an interesting video about the praetorian guard. I’m glad you mentioned Diocletion, our boy from Salonae.
I’d like to see a video about the ten best emperors or videos on each of them. The ten that I feel are the best may not be everyone’s choice for the ten. What do you think?
Basically almost most of them were politicians who didn’t break a sweat in battle
Who were the praetorians? why... they were the most loyal bodyguards ever.
Just ...don't ask who or what they were loyal to.
dolla dolla bill yo
On topic: excellent old school video with documented facts by the OG Metatron.
Off topic: it's not the director's, in this case R Scott, job to be historically accurate; in his particular case, he either doesn't care or goes by the rule of cool.
Cheers!
11:30 so they were like Jedi? Got it 👍🏼
I feel like there are so many myths around them, thanks for revealing the truth.
Metatron forgot to mention the most important thing about the pretorian guard : NO LEATHER BRACES
Praetorian is so cool I must agree wholeheartedly
Please do a video on the Varangian Guard, I think they're neat.
A 100% agree. Praetorian is a badass name
In Star Trek, the Romulan Empire Chief of State is The Praetor. So I guess he must have a Praetorian Gard as well...
The fact that it might be Tiberius who elevated the Praetorians to their full potential has of course nothing to do with James Tiberius Kirk, I guess. Oh wait, in Shatner's own fanfic, his Mirror Universe Alter Ego is Emperor Tiberius of the Terran Empire... my bad.
Oh wait, Romulus himself... too many connections there !
Jokes aside, your videos are awesome.
I wouldn't necessarily search for an unbroken line from the Ancient Royal military, Republican one or later Imperial one. Every regime has their own Elite corps of military or body gard units, regardless of that came before, sometimes it might just be a transformation, sometimes, it's something new.
As Scipio was not in Rome but in what could be called a colony, Praetor could be equivalent to a colonial Regional Governor such as the British Empire had and still has to some extent (Canada has a Governor and a Prime Minister)... Governors usually retain a direct link to the military presence in the vicinity being their direct superior and wearing a uniform and has to maintain order in said vicinity; so I's say, that's checks out.
Funny how Septimius Severus effectively turns what could be called The Imperial Gard into a near Foreign Legion of sorts... (foreign from the heart of the Empire)
LOL you describe the powerhungriness of later Praetorians as being similar to the kind of power that KGB agents had.
Things never change.
Epitaph is the phrase on a tombstone. The tomb without a body is a CENOtaph.
Think JFK/CIA. Same same but different.
It's almost as if evil empire without end. Always ready to possess the next vessel/vassal state.
You should do a video on the janissary guard of the ottoman empire. Very similar to the praetorian guard.
Better to do Varangian Guard rather than the Janissaries since they were the Eastern Roman iteration.
@@danielseelye6005 How about both?
They seemed to take a lot upon themselves when it came to protecting or, alternatively, disposing of Roman Emperors.
I wonder why the Princeps and Senate didn't have them disbanded, or destroyed.
Because the senate liked it 😂
@@misanthropicservitorofmars2116 a strange reaction, since they didn't seem to be much safer than anyone else.
What about the "Varangian Guard"? Cheers
Nice to see a classic Metatron infotainment video. Too much react content lately.
Wow the Detail on that Statue 😮
Man, every time I see your face I get reminded of Devon Larratt.
You're like the metal version of him 😹
I’d like to hear your take on the manipular legion from the Punic Wars period: hastati, principes, triarii, velites etc.
You had me at Praetorian 😎
Even in the Warhammer universe, with that name you'd know not to mess with these guys.
Brilliant
Slowing the speed gives a much better experience.
If you know about the spiritual side of human nature, especially on the scale of nations, you'll know that one of the main generational sins of Romans was regicide, beginning with the foundation of the Republic (excluding the myth) and strongly resurfacing with Julius Caesar.
They never had a stable, multigenerational dynasty over the whole people, as many later European nations did.
Can you make a video about the roman spy network or intelligence officers? The frumentarii from new vegas has me interested in the history behind that! Thank you for this video!
Could make a video about the Scholae Palatinae then the Varangian gaurd, that would be very interesting
Literally the biggest oathbreakers in human history.
Reminds me of the Adeptus Custodes from Warhammer 40k. Very likely lifted directly from history.
Can you do a rating list of Praetorians in films and tv series? It would be nice to see which portrayal you think got it the most correct.
When Russell crow calls one out and throws his sword
One of my pet peeves is people misusing the term "decimated". Thinking on this I realized I had no idea how often the Roman's actually decimated a unit or even what size units were decimated. I've seen reference to Marcus Antony decimating some (all?) of the legions in his failed campaign in the MidEast. I would be very interested in a video addressing the history of decimation.
I recently had a small look into this for similar reasons. I begin with an etymology search. I don't pretend to have any worthwhile answers. Suffice to say it'd be reasonable to consider it a 10% tax/sacrifice/tithe. In some contexts applied for the worst crimes such as sedition, mutiny, failure. It's probably due to my ignorance yet I find it a curious thing, perhaps a little odd given say Roman numerals and the apparent use of a duo=decimal system (12).
YESSSS HABIBI BACK AT IT WITH THE PRAETORIANS!!! 🤌🤌🤌💪💪💪
Power without check or balance is always going to end up the same way. Not only that but those checks and balances can't remain static, they all got to be adjusted as power waves or grows lest they can be avoided and power seized.
The PRAETORIAN Guards sound like the 3-letter agencies in the 'Merican Empire
Bro, 11 seconds, I feel spoiled.
Metatrons unit!
I didn't think much of the post-original Star Wars movies, like The Last Jedi, but that Praetorian Guard fight scene was awesome. Those guards looked fierce, clad in all red space age armor, wielding various exotic lightsaber weaponry. Kylo Ren and Rey battling them in that eerie red throne room was so much fun to watch. Loved that scene. I would love to see more lore about those guards in future Star Wars projects. I'm guessing that they are called Praetorian, even in Star Wars lingo.
One of the worst choreographed fight scenes in Star Wars tbh. Also, from a story telling perspective, trash.
But, you're 100% correct in that visually it was amazing - Something that sums up that movie as a whole. Visual perfection. Everything else, garbage.
Also, you're correct in their name. They are called the "Elite Praetorian Guard" of Supreme Leader Snoke. The Guard consist of eight 'sentinels' divided into four pairs, with each pair with unique weapons. Their red armor is an echo of Emperor Palpatine’s royal protectors.
@@BlokedAgain Yeah, for sure it was no Empire Strikes Back in terms of story telling and charm, and yeah the choreography doesn't hold up over time. But I love those guards as characters, great addition to the Star Wars universe. And Metatron is absolutely right about the sound of the name 'Praetorian', it really does sound awesome. And turns out to be a perfect name for those elite, enigmatic guards.
I noticed that the guards appear again in The Mandalorian. I've yet only seen the 1st season (not a big fan of Disney). But, I have to admit that I did enjoy watching it, once I got on board with the Disney, kiddy vibe, that the show started off heavy with. I almost didn't give it a chance, but now I'm a fan, and looking forward to seeing those Elite Praetorian Guard again.