Ancient Roman Secret Services: 007 of Rome

[@chrisjones8968]

"I'll have a Posca, shaken not stirred.."

[@catalinhuzumstreza1751]

Bonnus. Janus Bonnus.

[@Ezyasnos]

@@catalinhuzumstreza1751 DUPLEX NVLLA VII

[@Mrlighthouse1000]

"Do whatever Caesar tells you to do. And whenever the opportunity presents, strike at the profligates. Pile body upon body." -Vulpes Inculta

[@Saturn369-i1b]

Ave, true to Caesar

[@altaycan389]

Ave, true to Caesar.

[@TheMarcone1985]

The Hegellian Legion

[@Saturn369-i1b]

@@TheMarcone1985 Hegelian Amicvs society*

[@hang_kentang6709]

i've been looking for this.

[@nickdougan394]

When I learned in history about "agents provocateurs" I thought that that the term just went back to the French; I now learn that I should have looked back another 2,000 years to the Provocatores.

[@gordonbryce]

Yes, a surprisingly long tradition going back to Hannibal. I speculate that the Celts and Germans also operated spies learning from the Roman example. Leaders north of the Alps and east of the Rhine very often knew what was going on in the Roman Senate.

[@i-never-look-at-replies-lol]

Oh oops, turns out I've been looking up caterers in Provo, Utah this whole time

[@1johnnygunn]

Perhaps to the dawn of recorded history?

[@mikhailvasiliev6275]

Really glad for this. People tend to treat espionage like it's some modern invention.

[@metatronyt]

It definitely wasn't! :)

[@Intranetusa]

Exactly. Ancient texts such as Wu Qi's Wuzi and Sun Tzu's The Art of War had chapters devoted to espionage.

[@silverbird425]

More important then, actually. It's not like they had drones, or even spy planes or TV. It was difficult to find out what's going on in the next town, let alone another country. And it's always a pain if you find out too late that that lovely looking valley on the map is actually a muddy bog.

[@davidweihe6052]

It is in the Bible, in the initial exploration of the Promised Land, then again after the sojourn in the Desert, so that the Egyptian generation died off, and were replaced by the harder generation raised in that desert.

[@gazlator]

Excellent point.

[@jonbaxter2254]

The Arcani were fucking nuts too. They slipped behind Hadrian's Wall and inspired the men there to desert in the Great Conspiracy of 367

[@r0ky_M]

I don't see why the Arcani would need to "slip behind" Hadrian's wall , they likely already had official access to pass through such in order to report their findings to Roman authorities and to operate as Arcani south of the wall.(ie: the wall was an official boundary but there were still on going problems with native enemy elements south of it).. .they also may have been non- Roman citizen mercenaries working as Arcani and the wall was typically garrisoned by auxilia cohorts not Legionaries , so both Arcani and auxilia less loyal and much easier to bribe.

[@Rohv]

I thought this was a Rome Total War reference. Didn't know they were real.

[@scipiovp921]

@@Rohv Good old times, and really fun unit back in the days xD

[@angelman906]

@@r0ky_M it is an expression for infiltration…

[@LeonidasSparta-Fun-History]

What a great subject! I have to say, the ideas you have for videos are amazing!

[@metatronyt]

Thank you Leonidas

[@wisdomleader85]

I've long wondered if a state/aristocrat-sponsored intelligence system existed as well as how effective/influential it was in ancient Rome. Bravo.

[@Marinealver]

When you have everything and everyone else has nothing, flash a little coin and you will get a ton of eyes and ears.

[@kitirena_koneko]

Yes, they did--Nero was said to have had an extensive, and very efficient, spy network IIRC, so it only stands to reason that other Imperatores (emperors) also had them.

[@mnk9073]

*stab *soft clinking Senator: "Wait, you're wearing mail in the Senate?" Augustus: "No, after all we're all friends here. Are you poking me with a dagger?" Senator: "No... I... I'm... just so err... very happy to see you Imperator..." Augustus: "Good."

[@thepokemontrainer6094]

So basically it’s like the servants that the king had where spies had to grab as much information about the enemy before starting a battle except the secret service parts.

[@VaruniaKhan]

This is such a cool topic, can't wait to get educated!!

[@metatronyt]

I'm glad you like the topic idea :)

[@VaruniaKhan]

@@metatronyt Thank you for your response! I just finished the video and it is so interesting all of the ranking and roles and tactics and rules these people had, not to mention how interwoven it all was with all different people of the time! Thanks for the video and I look forward to your next. (=

[@eduardohernandez9566]

@@metatronyt Can you provide links to books or articles that talk about this topic. I find it very interesting and want to learn more about it. Please.

[@kariannecrysler640]

Thank you so very much for this one. You have answered many of my curiosity’s about this 💯

[@Mcdoubles]

Hey man. I know from personal experience that sometimes its the little things we want recognition on. Your thumbnail game is absolutely S tier this last year. This thumbnail is one of the best you have ever done. Nice job!

[@konsyjes]

Fascinating! Such a thought-provoking topic. I like how even through the ages the dearth of information on the "ARCANI" is felt by us. When it comes to their description it is almost like they slip past, nothing to see here.

[@dalucke8907]

This man is my role model. For me as a teacher to be and as a person. His enthusiasm and knowledge is inspiring. Greetings from Germania straight behind the Limes.

[@doctorpicardnononono7469]

did it ever happen that two Provocatores ended up arresting each other?

[@RicardoMoralesMassin]

Hahahaha the spiderman meme but with togas

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Probably XD And after the first incidents of the sort, they were probably issued with code phrases that prevented the mistake or got strict districts to supervise with frequent rotation of agents so that they would not get recognised with time.

[@blacktigershearthstoneadve6905]

They certainly knew each other very well, coordinated their operations within their regions of responsibility and reported to the same person. You don't really need many people for this kind of job. So these incidents are highly unlikely.

[@Regulator2000]

That reminds me of when a federal agent ends up arresting an undercover federal agent.

[@rockytopbritt]

Spies in ancient times is something I've been wanting to know more about. Great video.

[@antonivsfortis]

An unkind man would call Caesar's historian a spy xD

[@jonbaxter2254]

No, but he was a legend anyway.

[@calebl8858]

Such an interesting topic. I'm fascinated by Roman history and Special Operations so this was really cool to learn about 👍👍

[@ianmedford4855]

I bet the Papal States had some badasses doing their dirty work. Cersare Borgia had that Micheletto guy working for him. I know he was real, but I have no idea how accurately he's portrayed in the Borgias. If it's even half correct the guy was more deadly than smallpox. Actually, I'd like to see more about the Italian city states and their wars in general, its way undercovered.

[@johnqpublic2718]

Oh man, the transition to the ad-read was so good, I didn’t even mind. Tremendous!

[@angelonucci9960]

Gran bel video! Parlerai o hai già parlato anche di come invece erano organizzati i contatti ufficiali tra l'Impero e l'esterno (ambasciate, delegazioni, proposte di pace o dichiarazioni di guerra, eccetera eccetera)? Grazie ancora per il tuo lavoro

[@nikbear]

Absolutely fascinating video, never knew the Roman army had these dedicated units, brilliant work 👍⚔

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

In Ancient Rome, 007 would be just VII, since they didn't have a numeral for zero.

[@Packless1]

...there was a certain (rather connery-ish looking ;-) druid-spy in one volume of Asterix, called Nullnullsix (in the german version), means 006, because he failed the druid-exam 6 times...! ;-) ...and - of course - he had some rather cool gadgets, like a collapsable chariot...! ...just had to find out how to collapse the horses too...! ;-)

[@Marinealver]

Brutus, James Brutus, 00 VII

[@neutronalchemist3241]

"I'm agent septimus Septimus". "Shouldn't it be agent septuagesimo septimo?" "No, I'm agent septimus, and my name is Septimus."

[@r0ky_M]

Most interesting Metatron production I've seen to date concerning Romans.

[@FELONIOUSBOLUSS]

Damn Glowies have existed for two thousand years!

[@erikhanseisenheber]

The glowie honeypot is a tale as old as time

[@michaeldiekmann6494]

Roman Provokatives glow in the dark

[@KincadeCeltoSlav]

Gratzi Signeur Metatronos!

[@dragondancer5150]

While a lover of history, I've never thought much of the Roman Empire, not for anything against it, just never really caught my attention. I say that to emphasize how much I've been enjoying - and learning from! - your excellent videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on these topics!

[@thundermarkperun1083]

Thank you, Metatron this is a fantastic video, particularly useful to me as I've been considering doing a tabletop role-playing game campaign set in ancient Rome, and the Spy Network serves as the perfect framework for having a party of adventurers that is not a part of the regular army

[@davidogundipe808]

I'm pretty sure Metatron would make a great James bond.

[@dmitrychersky7228]

*has. You're under arrest for besmirching the name of Nero. Please come with us.

[@jonbaxter2254]

But he's not a black woman?

[@TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

Not British, no thanks

[@jamesnewcomer4939]

With half a million subscribers he'd be recognized immediately!

[@deathdeathington]

OOVII

[@goofygoobert7234]

That ad transition was so smooth!

[@KenzieScarlett]

Such a good video babes! I had no idea secret service was a thing back in those times, so it’s cool to know that was around even back then! 😎

[@i_love_crpg]

Your account is such a meme lol good one

[@KenzieScarlett]

@@i_love_crpg what does that even mean? Lol

[@i_love_crpg]

@Fishy Vagina hahahahahahaha

[@aldahesu28]

The Metatron and Lindibeige are channels that always leave me with a unquenchable thirst to know more about topics I didn't thought could be so interesting. Ok Roman secret service is a great topic but man!! The way you present it id always engaging.

[@josecarlosdominguez7279]

A very interesting breakdown, I've heard most of these mentioned at somepoint, bot not with such an in depth explanation.

[@cingenedovenaugustus4558]

Man that was a needed video in my life, thanks dude.

[@user-pn5cc4uj9w]

i have no idea how accurate it is but the under the eagle series is a fantastic piece of historical fiction about 2 roman soldiers macro and cato who become spies for narcissus.

[@whemail2527]

Great books them read them all quality

[@Ltgaigley]

Quality as always Metatron!

[@chenoaholdstock3507]

I suggest that you pair up with Max Miller (tasting history) to show off some of the historical foods used for spies. Just because it would be amazing.

[@darthnihilusthebestsith]

The amount of information in this video is huge! I love this

[@JMObyx]

Wow, so this means that one of Jesus' Apostles who was formerly a Tax Collector might've been a Frumentarii? That's wild!

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Religion has always been psy-ops warfare all the way down

[@ChristianAuditore14]

@@SonsOfLorgar so edgy

[@r0ky_M]

You forgot Judas and what's called "Spy Wednesday".

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@ChristianAuditore14 not really, just can't stand that particular sub category of authoritarian extortion rackets anymore.

[@tommygames9859]

@@SonsOfLorgar name checks out

[@jager6863]

I always learn something new, in every video. Thank You

[@Zaeyrus]

Oooooo, this will be fun! Hope you don't mind if I use some ideas from this video in my rpg game!

[@metatronyt]

Feel free!

[@irondiver2034]

Awesome video. Always wondered about a Roman secret service. In the series “The Chosen “ I believe a character is playing one of these roles.

[@thehackingburger3002]

Which one? The "villain" Roman guy? It's pretty interesting how Matthew could almost fit the role as well! XD

[@irondiver2034]

@@thehackingburger3002 yes that is the guy. He is following the zealots. He revealed himself to the legate.

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

I'm currently working on my tabletop game, and this video came in the precise moment... THANK YOU!

[@cutenerd1177]

Good luck on your game.

[@WaterMelon-Cat]

Magic spoon might be one of the only youtube sponsors I would actually try

[@RicardoMoralesMassin]

To the tune of "Secret Agent Man" by Jhonny Rivers Ancient Roman Spy Ancient Roman Spy ::lyre riff::

[@Marinealver]

00VII

[@Astorath_the_Grim]

We Frumentarii are soldiers of a different stripe, capable in battle, but skilled as infiltrators and agents as well.

[@valeriesarthou9355]

Video interessante e molto ricco di informazioni. Ho imparato un sacco di cose su quest' argomento. Grazie mille

[@metatronyt]

Grazie a te, gentilissimo

[@meangreen2580]

Really cool video! Keep it up I’m a huge fan.

[@quintustheophilus9550]

Incredibly informative, Metatron. Amazing video!

[@mcclane4sd]

Metatron, your series is the most enjoyable part of research for my historical fiction novel on Ancient Rome. Food prepared in the controburnia for the 8+2 men is a video I heartily anticipate. Chickpeas, anyone?

[@willemthijssen1082]

he needs to collaborate with Tasting History on that one

[@antonivsfortis]

AYYYYYYYY LOVE YOUR WORK, got excited when I saw the title

[@TheoryMaK15-255]

Thank You Noble Master For this Wonderful Educational Video. And the Cereal That Is Keto Friendly!!! I've been doing keto for 3.5 Years and this IS Great!! Thank YOU!!!

[@charlieturner5831]

Love to see a video on the Roman navy. Keep up the good work!!!

[@Dowlphin]

Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. You can leave it out quite easily.

[@wind-upboy939]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting.

[@TheLink05]

Love your videos, but I keep hearing clicking in the left channel of your audio. Looking at the waveform of your audio it's constantly hitting the 0db mark and clipping so maybe that's one reason. Programs like Audacity also have a Click Removal effect you can use if you can't fix the underlying issue.

[@infoscholar5221]

This is a very educational, inspired, and just plain fun channel for the Romanophile intellectual nerds out there.

[@psibernight2177]

Great inspiration for writing.

[@Bludvarg]

7:00 That rendition of the assassination of Julius Caesar was a wasted opportunity, given AC had already established way back in Brotherhood that Brutus had a special armor and dagger that were used in that event, yet were seemingly completely forgotten about (or maybe ignored) as of Origins. I guess we're supposed to believe that Brutus' equipment was retconned to be made later and just had stories made up about them...although that doesn't explain the Secta Luporum that protected and worshiped the armor...

[@ddpzzp553]

Well he probably had the amor but if he used tha in thesenste it would have been too suspicuius

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

I would love a short series dedicated to historical espionage. I also want a video on the jinyiwei of Ming Dynasty China, because I heard they were hardcore about espionage too.

[@iohan2801]

My best moment of the week: New Metatron video.

[@ktheterkuceder6825]

Please a topic on Lucullus and Marcellus.

[@SquagelZ]

This video reminds me of something I saw in the streaming series called “The Chosen”. Where a prominent character in season 2 is a member of the something called the Cohorte Urbanae. Have you done a video about them Metatron?

[@mallardtheduck406]

I Alway's learn something new from your channel...Thanks, Metatron!!!

[@wolfensniper4012]

Wouls you also explores similar topics on Hashashins, Janisseris, Medieval Europe and Byzantine? It would be really intriguing to know about if different medieval countries also have a complex institution as the romans did.

[@chuniyana]

Great Topic as Always. Love from India🇮🇳💜

[@JuliusCaesar819]

If I am not mistaken the persians had also a similar state-controled spy network. It could be a nice topic for a future video. Good work on the video btw !

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Outstanding information. It is important to understand that 'ancient' cultures were as complex as out own when it comes to political systems and bureaucracies. The Babylonians didn't last as long as they did by being bumbling idiots, the Assyrians didn't control a vast empire by accident, they, and other ancient civilizations, had systems and organizations that filled most of the functions as modern governments, but without electricity or other modern conveniences, which only makes them more bad ass. I respect ancient engineers more than modern engineers because they were able to construct great feats of engineering without heavy equipment or computational devices. They didn't even have slide rules! Yet we have the Pyramids, the Great Wall, Stonehenge, the Roman aqueducts and viaducts, and so many other ancient wonders that baffle the ignorant buffoons of today.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Yup, the only things that has really changed throughout human history since we lived in and around caves is the avaliable tools, the understanding of availiable materials through experimentation and the accuracy of our measuring systems.

[@ghettoleprechaun5234]

@@SonsOfLorgar well no not really, humanity itself changed fundamentally with the advent of the cultivation of crops and livestock, which is the benchmark for the beginning of modern civilization. had humanity not made the transition out of being hunter-gatherers none of our major advancements like the written language/recording history would have been possible

[@ghettoleprechaun5234]

im pretty sure we know how those were built now but theres no reason to replicate them because of our modern technology. Yes the records for them were lost but weve been able to figure out the only possible ways they couldve built these through better understanding of the time periods.

[@Intranetusa]

I respect modern engineers as much if not more than ancient engineers because modern engineers are able to build much more efficiently than the ancients. Even though the ancient didn't have heavy equipment, they did have lots and lots of cheap, conscripted, or outright slave labor. As the saying goes: “Any idiot can build a bridge that stands, but it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands.”

[@bobfg3130]

Modern engineers build thongs that the ancients couldn't even dream of. Ancient engineers built quite simple structures.

[@lucianoleonetti7864]

Very nice video, clear and more complete than a monography I read on this argument. Maybe a mention to Castra Peregrina or Castra Peregrinorum, which hosted the Milites Peregrini in Rome (Celius hill, probably where is now located a string of hospitals). It is not known for sure what kind of milites this structure was hosting, but one of the most accredited theses is that this was the Frumentarii HQs. In Rome there was a unit entirely made of Frumentarii (numerus Frumentariorum) under command of a centurion who had the title of Princeps Peregrinorum. The connection name of the "castra" - title of the commander of Frumentarii is at the base of this thesis. However, other theses consider that Milites Peregrini were instead individuals detached from their units and present for different duties in Rome, including Frumentarii and Speculatores, but not only them. An older thesis according to which these were soldiers without Roman citizenship ("peregrini" means free persons living in Roman territory, but not a citizen) is now less credited.

[@seatonking8136]

I've said before and will say it again. The ranks that were required to be multipurpose were the backbone to every empire. Most ranks never went past theyre own duties but those few had a lot placed on them without much recognition. Hats off to you for giving them that.

[@seatonking8136]

🤣🤣

[@jasonirby3382]

Your content is superb.

[@marcello7781]

Very interesting topics! I wonder if the numerous enemies and rivals of Rome had something similar too. Sicarii come to my mind.

[@viriatoos]

One topic could be spoken off if is not much to ask is How message where send to one place to other on the battlefield weather was on Roman times or more XV century,I recently started to think that there’s no much videos about that,(logistic and communications )in the army specially at war and on the battlefield 🙏

[@Eduardo_Ventura]

What a goldmine this video.

[@MarieCrossbow]

Could you include some sources on the description? I've never heard of this, and want to look at what you have before I start sharing this.

[@blackpigeon4743]

Another interesting topic

[@MrPh30]

Re Speculatore. In my dialect here in Norway " spekulere" means, think,discover ,find out whats going on,and similar .

[@Nimbasa180]

Same with speculate. Everything goes back to latin roots.

[@deathdeathington]

I had no idea there was so much information about ancient secret services and spies! I feel like I've stumbled into a goldmine. I might have known Julius Caesar had a big hand in all of this. What a fella! I mean, his whole life is remarkable, what with having to hide from Sulla because of Uncle Marius, and all of the cloak and dagger (pun intended) he must have had to go through just to step foot outside his house. It seems he was born for intrigue and scheming. Love the videos Metatron! keep em coming.

[@johnathanharris888]

Another banger! Love the channel, have a great day

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Working on a fantasy alt-history book where the Roman republic survived the transition to empire so this is a great help thanks!

[@gamingdealer9514]

If you read the Strategikon, you can see a lot of info on how they used spies.

[@victorhugoeh974]

Wow! Romans were much more ahead of their time than I thought! Fascinating video 😃👍

[@rickthelearner5631]

Awesome thumbnail and content, Ser Metatron.

[@noname-bk7bc]

I was started getting sad because I thought you were not going to mention the Agentes en Rebus. I started taking Latin when I read about them in Pliny the Younger. I'm glad I stuck around till the end

[@Fatherofheroesandheroines]

Bondicus..Jamus Bondicus.

[@stormiewutzke4190]

Sounds like a great movie or book concept

[@maxtyson9035]

Nice. Spies also existed in Mauryan Indian Empire. Can you do a video on Indian Armour.

[@_Caedwyn]

i love it when a fully grown man in helmet and spoon in hand is talking about colorful tasty cereals XD

[@YelFlux]

thx for the knowledge

[@noahdoyle6780]

Absolutely fascinating! It's the organizational structure and bureaucratic functions of the Republic/Empire that I find to be intriguing. The Legions are incredible, don't get me wrong, but the support and intelligence structures that surround them - including logistics - that make them work.

[@fransbuijs808]

4:15 As Napoleon said: An army marches on its stomach.

[@omariscovoador7486]

I can imagine that provocatorii would be hated by the local population, imagine you drink too much wine and starting cursing the emperor, than the guy just gets up and arrests you

[@greyjedi4794]

For sure... They didn't have the concept of entrapment then, and even today... Some LE Agencies don't care

[@bo_392]

"Never speak badly of the emperor, especially to those you just met." woahhh

[@Marinealver]

Sounds like social media

[@ytty5183]

Outstanding 👏

[@corro202]

Awesome video.

[@tubekulose]

This reminds me of Dubbelosix from the Asterix volume "Asterix and the Black Gold". 😁

[@OneOneThree-wl7ml]

Haha, I love magic spoon. Good choice of sponsors lol

[@Leynx-Et-Fenrir]

Super interesting... very different from the Roman spies in Astérix (It was my best source of information about the era)

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

Two provocatores walk into a bar, start their routine, then try to arrest each other :)

[@masonclark9110]

Wow never knew of this I know this is gonna be a good vid

[@doctorlolchicken7478]

Metatron sounds all Italian talking about Romans, but when he sells Magic Spoon he sounds like Del Boy.