Antony's Invasion of Parthia (42 to 33 B.C.E.)

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Sources:
Suetonius, "The Life of Augustus" | amzn.to/3g0AKby
Appian, "The Civil Wars: Book 3" | amzn.to/2PKEBPr
Appian, "The Civil Wars: Book 4" | amzn.to/2PKEBPr
Plutarch, "The Life of Antony" | amzn.to/3s9lE6b
Plutarch, "The Life of Brutus" | amzn.to/3s9lE6b
Cassius Dio, "Roman History: Book 46" | amzn.to/3g68LXZ
Cassius Dio, "Roman History: Book 47" | amzn.to/3g68LXZ
Cassius Dio, "Roman History: Book 48" | amzn.to/3g68LXZ
Cassius Dio, "Roman History: Book 49" | amzn.to/3g68LXZ
Josephus, "The Jewish War, Book 1" | amzn.to/322hceI
Strabo, "Geography, Book 11, Chapter 13" | amzn.to/3uLNven
---
Rolf Strootman, "Queen of Kings: Kleopatra VII and the Donations of Alexandria," from "Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East" | bit.ly/3dQQN9f
Adrian Goldsworthy, "Antony and Cleopatra" | amzn.to/2Qi9sCx
Stacy Schiff, "Cleopatra: A Life" | amzn.to/325LPju
Joyce Tyldesley, "Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt" | amzn.to/3mBnawy
Adrian Goldsworthy, "Augustus: First Emperor of Rome" | amzn.to/3dSmjnp
Anthony Everitt, "Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor" | amzn.to/3wJKWLv
Music:
"Direct to Video," by Chris Zabriskie
"The Witching Hour," by Ben McElroy
"Infados," by Kevin MacLeod
"Thomas Neutrality," by Enrique Molano
"Inhale Exhale," by Braden Deal
"Hallon," by Christian Bjoerklund
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[@alfonsoarroyo3283]

"I'm not saying there was foul play... I'm just saying Anthony definitively murdered his wife."

[@dantedeleon993]

I busted out laughing!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Ligierthegreensun]

HE BELONGS IN JAIL lmao

[@alsatusmd1A13]

…if by “murder” you mean “allow her to kill herself”.

[@MikaelKKarlsson]

So just politics then. 😉

[@timothymclean]

All the other Romans just divorced their political wives as soon as a better alliance came up, but Antony didn't want to deal with the paperwork I guess.

[@LoudRevised]

*The Son of Labienus led the Parthian Army* Wait hold up, you can’t just drop that lore outta no where.

[@AlexKwiatek]

In Philippi episode he foreshadowed that and told us that Labienus jr. was sent east to negotiate Parthian support for Liberators ;) i wish we knew more about it, but as HC said, sources are pretty poor for this war

[@UrosDrljaca]

Oh my God. Go Labienus Jr

[@Madhattersinjeans]

Yeah what the hell. A roman suddenly commanding foreign forces against rome?

[@LostShipMate]

God I wish there was more information on this.

[@atuema1602]

He had made an alliance with the Parthians in order to revive the Pompeian cause. He was originally there either because he had fled to Parthia or because he was sent there by Brutus and Cassius to obtain reinforcements for Philippi.

[@CreepsMcPasta]

I swear Antony's story is just everyone around him succeeding at what he wanted to do

[@secretscipio]

My two favourite KZbinrs at one place.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

"everyone around him succeeding at what he wanted to do" Up until the point where Antony was able to finally snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[@ArcAngle1117]

@@DerbyPorcelain He might have gotten Crassused if he had just marched into the open plains of Mesopotamia. Antony's plan for his Invasion of Partia was pretty good except for his long supply lines(and his inability to protect them)

[@jamiengo2343]

@@DerbyPorcelain though to be fair, whether Ventidius could’ve conducted a campaign into Parthia with his relatively few legions is unlikely. Staying in Syria was probably the best option

[@Arigator2]

I feel kind of bad for Antony. He's in way over his head. Everybody knew he was an idiot except himself.

[@LoudRevised]

Ventidius: > Barges in > Beats the Parthian Army with two legions > Refuses to elaborate any further > Leaves

[@bpouelas]

Tribune Aquila: > Barges in > Denies the legitimacy of Caesarian edicts > Refuses to elaborate > Leaves

[@omnomnomnomm]

the S in Ventidius stands for sigma

[@kajolet]

Lepidus: > Barges in > Beats Sextus and take Sicily > Refuses to elaborate > Leaves

[@Julianna.Domina]

@@kajolet Ceaser: >Rises to speak >gets stabbed >dies >refuse to elaborate any further

[@flaviusbelisariusthebasedl3116]

@@omnomnomnomm didn’t you mean sugma?

[@tribunepontiusaquila1152]

Who gave him permission to invade parthia? I sure as hell didn't

[@decimusausoniusmagnus5719]

Can I pee, Mister Aquila, Sir?

[@jiffylou98]

Tribune Aquila, my wife has been in labor for a week and a half, could you please permit her birthing my twins?

[@robertgouldshaw2041]

Hello

[@desertexplorer8359]

HAHA thats soo good, hilarious mann

[@achilles7736]

Oh, good one

[@theholyinquisition389]

Man, Ventidius just casually pulled off a Caesar and then just vanishes from the records. What a boss.

[@mrdelaney4440]

He should have got his triumph, the guy earned it.

[@freestylevimto3109]

@@mrdelaney4440 He did get it

[@samgrez7140]

I figure mark anthony had him killed because he took his glory.

[@napolien1310]

@@samgrez7140 no way the Romans don't do that, andthat will outrage the soldiers.

[@AlexKwiatek]

He has pretty good track record. He also saved Antony at the end of Mutina campaign. He re-raised three legions from Ceasar's veterans* and merged with him while he was retreating from Octavius and Decimus *two of which were already re-raised by Octavius, so VIIth and VIIIth veterans were kinda fighting on both sides at this point

[@zheng7636]

Antony said his wife aggravated her own illness, and we know Antony is an honorable man.

[@Number1Irishlad]

this is emphasized by his outstanding performance as a Consel of Rome in Caesar's stead while he was off in Egypt

[@waluigisbean3148]

Just like we knew Brutus was an honourable man

[@aristophanesghost3839]

All honourable men.

[@zheng7636]

@@noctepraeceptor6548 It's a line from Shakespeare's play on Caesar, bro. After Caesar's death, Antony used this line in his speech to indirectly call out his murderers for justifying themselves. It's a pretty powerful moment.

[@adrianbundy3249]

@@noctepraeceptor6548 r/woosh

[@ethanalspencer7294]

Ventidius reportedly didn't pursue the Parthians further because he was concerned that he'd incur Antony's jealousy if he did so. I like to imagine Ventidius was the ultimate straight-man in all this dramatic high Roman politics, he saw how nuts all these major players were and dipped to the countryside rather than get dragged in to it all.

[@pokeman5000]

Yep, never outshine the master... Unless you can successfully kill the master and take his place. The dude took his W, cashed in his chips, and retired to his land/family/slaves/money. Arguably the smartest guy in Rome considering the climate of the empire at the time. Or they low-key killed him to avoid a competent general falling to the other side. I'd argue the latter.

[@lorefox201]

"yikes, I think I'll just get back to my family's farms..." Ventidius, 1st century BC

[@misterpayah7723]

Brilliant man. Got his triumph, got recorded positively in the history books, and died peacefully. Definitely inspired by Caesar.

[@jiffylou98]

Even more Labienus than Labienus’ own son

[@BudMasta]

A win is a win, peace out yo - Ventidius, probably

[@alanfox8928]

“Anthony and Cleopatra spent the next four days locked in aggressive negotiations” I’d say they did alright

[@alessandragonzales8190]

He negotiated twins right into Cleopatra

[@moussanoir2807]

It was a kind of Depp-Heard story

[@DylanDkoh]

Timestamp?

[@yevgeniygorbachev5152]

I would like to congratulate Antony on becoming pregnant once more.

[@bpouelas]

Big congrats to the guy. Pretty sure that really happened.

[@naomiskilling1093]

So do we send the baby shower gifts to Rome or to Alexandria?

[@Julianna.Domina]

@@naomiskilling1093 Yes.

[@ericsilver9401]

@@naomiskilling1093 No

[@patricianoftheplebs6015]

@@naomiskilling1093 send them to Parthia just like Crassus ;)

[@exyl_sounds]

3:34 as an egyptian who plays flute, I can confirm that those musicians were of the utmost royal swag

[@mostafamagdy7117]

i like your taste

[@benjaminhoover6427]

Saraswati anyone?

[@VentiVonOsterreich]

I didn't expect you watching Historia Civilis

[@benjaminhoover6427]

Compare and contrast the Hindu pantheon against the greeks for homework...hahaa

[@benjaminhoover6427]

I'd be a fool not to expect Cheer Bear was unlearned;)

[@ytjjdydtyuttuyeejj7e]

I'm disappointed it wasn't mentioned in the video, because Ventidius is one of my favorite lesser known Romans. But he started his life being a captative in another Roman's triumph. He then worked his way up through the Roman army, and after his victories, was awarded a triumph for himself. The feeling of elation he must have felt would've been massive as well as an example of the social mobility of competent men in Rome.

[@longhairdontcare122]

The failure of a system to make upward mobility easier than before cost votes an power. The system making upward mobility unlikely or impossible means a war against said system which win or lose ends in its death. Gusse were the western world is atm?

[@Pillowcase]

That's incredible

[@geordiejones5618]

A lot of the generals of the time have cool stories. Taurus fights in Sicily, North Africa, Dalmatia, Greece, Egypt and Spain, all with distinction. Agrippa is a known legend. Crassus's grandson redeems his family name by conquering north of Macedonia, up to the Danube, and was denied the crazy rare Spoila Opima. Drusus and Tiberius are very important in conquering the Alps and up to the Rhine, (the conquests of Drusus conquering up to the Elbe are reversed by Arminius).

[@literallyjudas2157]

Cant wait to listen to this 15 times over the next week to get repeatedly angry at Antony's failures.

[@literallyjudas2157]

?

[@Togro1990]

totally ready for the next square to be mad at

[@yevgeniygorbachev5152]

I'm torn between being more angry at Antony vs Octavian. On one hand, Antony was vain and threw an allied kingdom under the bus for a strategic miscalculation on Antony's part, but on the other, Octavian violated their agreement and denied Antony the chance to reorganize the Roman West.

[@YTuseraL2694]

@@yevgeniygorbachev5152 west, or east?

[@yevgeniygorbachev5152]

@@YTuseraL2694 I meant East, sorry.

[@Trolligarch]

"Ok I'm going to stop procrastinating and do some work." Notification: Historia Civilis has uploaded "Oh no."

[@andrewmartin9379]

Literally exactly what happened to me

[@jamiee7367]

Same

[@bugrilyus]

Shut pff your phone for a week man, try it. No screen time, good sleep, good food, good work.

[@OttomanDrifter91]

Yeah, same. Also, don't forget to hate Antony.

[@sriharshacv7760]

TBH, he uploads once an year. Not such a big thing.

[@Kanner111]

Arguably, getting out of Parthia with only 50% of your army starving to death in the cold represents real progress compared to the previous campaign! Never give up on your dreams!

[@alanpennie8013]

Maybe next time we'll only lose 25%.

[@michaeldunn5337]

@@alanpennie8013 by the 4th time after definitely losing the 3rd time, who knows whats possible, actually winning? Crazy stuff

[@Atomhaz]

Around 2000 years later and we still get to dunk on Antony. Cicero would be proud.

[@wiritpollapcharoenporn3168]

You mean the Crassius blunder... that one is brutal

[@MartialGandhi]

My wife and i literally came back tipsy from the bar and the first thing she said was "Let's watch the next episode of that roman thing" and i said "hell yes!". We are big fans of historia civilis

[@picklerix6162]

Nothing like a little history to set the mood.

[@athunderfan]

​@@picklerix6162especially with stories like antony and cleopatra, gets the blood flowing im sure

[@Saddam_al-Husseini]

@@athunderfanThey gonna be locked in some reallll tense negotiations 😏

[@TheOccupants]

"I'm not saying that he murdered his wife, but he did do that, and should be in jail." *eats popcorn faster*

[@jesseberg3271]

Ya, except that we just covered the fact that the Romans were super casual about divorce in the last episode.

[@TheOccupants]

**popcorn eating continues**

[@seneca983]

Did the Romans have jails? More specifically I mean, did they use jail time as a punishment for crimes (as opposed to temporarily holding captives)?

[@TheOccupants]

I think it was banishment primarily. Cicero used a temporary jail for traitors during the Catlinarian Conspiracy but they were executed.

[@TheOccupants]

It ain't the grieving I'm worried 'bout *gets more popcorn*

[@wisp6826]

So when Caesar left his supplies behind he made sure his army was between them and the enemy. That part was important.

[@zimmerwald1915]

Not at Avaricum. But even there, he had numerically adequate guards for his stuff so it couldn't just be raided and pillaged with ease.

[@fearedjames]

Eh, it's not a terrible strategy. While Civilis wants to claim "Antony just screwed up" it fails to explain the simple thing. In real life, you don't just magically know where the enemy army is. So Parthia should of believed entering the mountains was a death trap. Their entire plan revolved around Antony abandoning his supply train and it being essentially unguarded. Therefore simply put, someone had to of tipped them off, or the Parthian general was an idiot who got lucky, or he pulled a 10000IQ master play and somehow knew Antony would abandon his supply train. Based on the scenario, I would almost immediately assume Armenia betrayed them as well.

[@Captain_Carrot]

@@fearedjames might not have been the "state" of Armenia, but at least some Armenians were most likely involved. At that time, Armenia was considered part of, for the lack of a better term, Greater Iran, and was very close culturally to Parthia. It isn't that much of a stretch to assume that at least one pro-Parthian noble would've known about ~50000 foreigners leaving their supplies behind. Even if the pro-Roman king managed to conceal it from the aristocracy, the close ties and cultural similarities between Armenia and Parthia make it infinitely easier for spies to operate there, compared to Asia Minor, Egypt or even Syria. And I can't really say how well informed Antony was on the cultural intricacies of the region, the state of Armenian politics or of the Parthian spy network, but I feel like he should've known at least something about at least the first two, if he was planning the invasion for years. And the fact that the earlier invasion of Syria happened precisely at the moment of his absence (especially considering the difficulty of quickly assembling armies in the past) should've probably tipped him off about the last one too.

[@mcglynn20]

@@fearedjames I mean it shouldn't have been a surprise that the Parthians might have been able to track down the baggage train, especially when the heir to the throne is pro-Parthian. If you're going to leave your baggage train behind, in a nation with pro-Parthian partisans, you really ought to guard it. Maybe he considered that but wanted to maximize his forces at the frontline, but at the end of the day it still is a miscalculation like HC said.

[@danny90099]

This is not first time parthia being invading by roman. Crassus did it before and at the time armenia offer to help him. But he stupid enough to refuse, i think after that parthia keep their eye on armenia and send number of spy in armenia

[@taicanium]

Cleopatra: "So, listen, you've got my sister in prison, and I kind of would like to have her..." Antony: "Returned to you? Of course, I'll bring her right back to Egypt." Cleopatra: "What? No. Dead. I want her dead. Slit throat. Severed head. Spill all her royal blood, the works." Antony: "...geez, girl."

[@luizamorim8265]

Then they fell in love

[@maxalaintwo3578]

"Well damn so much for family ties"

[@selahanany5645]

But he was roman so it was ''....Jupiter, girl.''

[@chataclysm2112]

@@selahanany5645 or jewp, potentially

[@johnpatrickcosta52]

@@chataclysm2112 Omg jewp XD

[@akrybion]

I get the strategic implications, but I can't in any way see how Antony thought declaring Caesarian Ceasar's legitimate son was a good move. You'd think Octavian's reaction to that is super obvious to anyone even vaguely familar with politics.

[@SudrianTales]

Especially with how shitty Anthony had been to Octavian after Caesars death

[@dorkfish1275]

insisting on proscriping someone octavian had considered a father must've STUNG.

[@William-the-Guy]

I would imagine Antony/Cleopatra did that to deliberately provoke a war. That's bthe generous reading of the situation.

[@dorkfish1275]

@@William-the-Guy well he was a bad politician.

[@William-the-Guy]

@@dorkfish1275 True. But Cleopatra was a good politician and she was involved in the decision as well. My guess was Cleopatra wanted to kill Octavian so her son would be the undisputed heir to Caesar. Caesar's veterans we're still loyal to his name and to Antony, many of them might have chosen to follow Caesarian over Octavian. From Cleopatra's perspective, it was a shrewd political move... Or it would have been if Antony hadn't lost the war.

[@danielchequer5842]

I like how Octavian just stormed out of the senate and got to the first podium he saw to deliver a speech. That's how I imagine every single senate meeting ended in Rome

[@TempestLM]

Ant there's a whole crowd just waiting for someone to butthurt and storm out from the Senate to deliver some speech

[@danielchequer5842]

@@TempestLM yeah everyone was like "I wonder what today's speech is gonna be about"

[@tada-kun982]

@@danielchequer5842 "I just hope it's not the land redistribution shite again. Last time heads started rollin'"

[@Father_Qese]

Thats just Roman equivalent of twitter.

[@diegocamacho6477]

Well when most of the new puppet kings are your children and the center of the alliance is your lover you can't blame some guys for being suspicious.

[@necfreon6259]

Crusader kings 2 diplomacy in a nutshell

[@necfreon6259]

Well that’s what it was in the beginning I don’t know what it is now

[@sparklesparklesparkle6318]

sus af

[@aguy6771]

Antony dogged the boys

[@BGDashcam]

Can't help but think it was all Cleopatra's idea. Anthony definitely doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. That Armenia debacle doesn't exactly portray him as the mastermind of the Roman East's grand design.

[@Saurophaganax1931]

Fun fact Ventidius is one of those examples of a subordinate being objectively more competent than their superior. After Ventidius had turned back the Parthians he laid siege to Antiochus of Commagene. One of the local Roman leaders who had turned coat and sided with the Parthians. By the time Mark Antony had arrived in Asia Minor, Antiochus was attempting to sue for peace with Ventidius and was offering 1000 talents of silver in order to lift the the siege. However, craving a bit of glory for his own, Antony turned down the offer and took over the siege from Ventidius. As soon as command of the siege changed hands it almost immediately took a turn for the worse. Antony absolutely bungled the whole affair and ended up suing for peace anyways. However, This time Antony only received 300 talents of silver, instead of the 1000 that Ventidius had managed to negotiate previously.

[@SecularIranian]

Crassus is defeated in the plains. Everyone: You shoulda marched through the mountains! Antony marches through the mountains and loses. Everyone: Not like that, Ant, not like that.

[@OkurkaBinLadin]

Gotta love arm-chair generals. They are almost as lovable as armchair economists. (y)

[@dayhawkify]

It wasnt just March through the mountains, it was get escorted through and get reinforced at the same time

[@jerry5449]

@@dayhawkify leaving out context helps his argument

[@HumanTouchArt]

antonys plan was not that bad to be honest the only mistake he made was not securing his supply lines ....

[@aryaa7069]

@@jerry5449 Except the army that beat Crassus wasn't even the main Parthian army and was only supposed to delay him. So if Crassus marched through Armenia he would have faced the main Parthian army led by the king which was much larger.

[@infidelheretic923]

Looks like Octavian is about to finally send those legions to Anthony...

[@marckyle5895]

You mean 'at Anthony'

[@infidelheretic923]

@@marckyle5895 😈

[@ewanhogg3068]

Pointy end first!

[@hades7982]

@@marckyle5895 same differanse

[@jackj9816]

This is the Roman definition of finger on the nuke button

[@TheSecondVersion]

"Let's go invade Parthia, it will get me far more glory than my rival's conquests" You'd think they'd have learned their lesson by now

[@pooroldman5089]

Ventidus pulled it off

[@prs_81]

@@pooroldman5089 he did not invade Parthia.

[@caesarion4975]

@@prs_81 maybe he should have

[@prs_81]

@@caesarion4975 no? That would've been a direct defiance of Antony's orders. He was no glory hound.

[@GrieferStudios]

I guess much later on Trajan managed to do it

[@ScrubbyBubbles]

I always picture the actor from the HBO show when we talk about Antony doing shady stuff. That guy was such a loveable bastard.

[@Addious]

Octavian: I have the senate and all the good veterans by my side. I have the will of the roman people against you. What do you have? Antony: And I, have an angry egyptian mob. That will roast, and eat your crowds of quality in the ashes of the senate house!

[@lukejones7164]

James Purefoy

[@xergiok2322]

Yes, me too. James Purefoy will forever be the official Mark Antony. And his character just fits so well with historical Mark Antony's behaviour.

[@William-the-Guy]

I so agree! That actor is THE definitive Antony. I would love to see him play Shakespeares Antony. Can't you just picture his funeral oration?

[@AAARREUUUGHHHH]

Absolutely perfect casting with Antony. Sometimes hateable, sometimes loveable. Often drunk.

[@francescomazzei4111]

Anthony: "OMG the Parthians have broke through, we're royally screwed !!! Ventidius, take these few men and please, please, slow them down a tiny bit by diying" Ventidius: "Hold my vinum, ya little Cleo's bitch. I'm gonna blew away those Parthians' whole campaign"

[@emperorclaudius5499]

"All my work and all my money wasted!" "All my work and all my money wasted!" "All my work and all my money wasted!" Octavian chuckles "This'll make a great gift for Mark Antony" "Five talents for that bird!"

[@crisscross-apples-sauces4255]

Lol

[@grantwillis8542]

I love this reference. Well done

[@timothymclean]

The real reason the Second Triumvirate broke down.

[@rickaiello5052]

I see what you did there, Strongboy.

[@createrz8433]

Ha I remember that video I wonder if he will make a reference to that during thr Civil War video once it ends

[@user-bf5lv2nu2j]

Cool fact: Cleopatra Selene, Cleopatra's and Antony's daughter have married king Juba the second of Numidia, and their pyramid shaped shrine still stands today in Algeria, not far from the capital Algiers. And is locally known as the "Tomb of the roman lady".

[@tagmata1872]

Wow that’s actually pretty cool

[@mini_bunney]

that is indeed a cool fact, and it led me into a half hour wikipedia binge, reading about her and Juba II, their son Ptolemy, and trying to figure out if the bloodline ended there or maybe continued through either their daughter Drusilla or their grand-daughter, also Drusilla :D

[@METALFREAK03]

@@mini_bunney This is funny to me as my Great-Great Auntie was called Drusilla...who was tamely called "the witch of the east" (she resided in Malta at the time a British Colony)

[@thenorthshow3655]

@@METALFREAK03 you cant just drop that and not say more about it

[@yulusleonard985]

He was featured on history civilis Roman Triumph?

[@lukeholdsworth6506]

"I'm not saying Antony murdered his wife. I'm just saying Antony definitively murdered his wife." I want this on a shirt

[@J3diMindTrix]

ikr lol

[@ethanthegamelion4233]

The no foul play shirt buy now

[@simontapaj2313]

Merchendise idea?

[@stevenreid2223]

I want a model Bibulus Award.

[@spcxplrr]

bright pink square on the back

[@RobinTheBot]

"Antony was not a sound negotiator" Antony: *gives an entire fleet to a guy who just siezed half his army from him for an IOU* Yeah ok cleo's spies were right

[@zealousdoggo]

Outstanding strategy

[@concept5631]

Imagine if Ventidius was in charge of the east.

[@LoudRevised]

Sextus is literally the best temporary side character. Competent and wanted glory but outshined.

[@Igor_lvanov]

I vote for Labienus

[@y.r._]

@@Igor_lvanov le benis :DDD

[@JamesJJSMilton]

Sextus should have won!

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

@@y.r._ :DD

[@mustafaamin9516]

@@y.r._ I see you are a man of culture :DDD

[@ProsperOn]

This is ark is definitely more interesting than the Pompey/Caesar dynamic. Anthony being a thick headed narcissist and Octavian being a nerdy sociopath makes for more insane twists and turns than two competent generals actually duking it out.

[@vallytine]

It's more chaotic that's for sure. The Pompey/Caesar stuff had this air of professionalism to it, whereas the Second Triumvirate just feels like absolute power in absolutely the wrong hands.

[@gmat5046]

Depends on what kind of story you like. History is full of em.

[@Clementine_D]

Truth!

[@gmat5046]

@@Clementine_D Good characters make good stories

[@mightycannon1512]

Tbh I like caesar vs pompey more

[@caijuu7775]

"Hmm, how should I illustrate that Antony has fallen to drinking and is near-constantly inebriated? ...Oh I know I'll make the whole army spin!"

[@rgddydshevchenko2448]

They were standing on the grave of cicero, who's intense spinning moved the land over him with him

[@Jop_pop]

"it was on the verge of being ripped apart by factionalism" *Vibrates with intense factionalism*

[@IgnaceR152]

I just watched the Netflix documentaries on Rome and it's amazing that with all the means they have at their disposal, they never achieve to deliver a story as captivating and detailed as my favourite coloured squares dashing around a map of Europe. Keep up the good work!

[@panosloulos]

Your comment should be in the top 5. (Perhaps comparing it to another channel's show is not well accepted :P )

[@Ildskalli]

Yep, very underrated comment.

[@tulsatrash]

Yeah Netflix needs to step up their game. I mean I'd say plenty of other TV documentary producers I won't name do too but I long ago gave up on them.

[@sunderzilla]

I am more emotionally invested in these colored squares

[@EditorialJoe]

@@tulsatrash Well, come on. Netflix has no scholarly ambitions. They have a vested interest in tinting everything in the hue of modern politics, not in making a serious attempt at presenting raw history. Just be happy Susan and her YT goons haven't found a reason to crush this and other historically-oriented channels (yet).

[@josephcohen734]

"Antony should be in jail!" - Historia Civilis This dude is very passionate about punishing people who died over 2000 years ago

[@Milkyshake117]

Justice knows no bounds!

[@BryanLikesCandy]

Culpam poena premit comes

[@janfranklin5269]

Antony was a mass murderer... but who cares, he killed his wife!

[@andrewstewart1464]

We must find Marc Antony's bones and throw them in a jail cell!!

[@Afrimusican]

He's still mad about Cicero

[@conchobarcampbell3200]

How much longer do I need to wait for a follow up to this ? It is killing me, this is the longest break he has took between videos . I hope he is doing okay

[@brogant6793]

Congress of Vienna: “oh HELLO THERE”

[@geekzombie8795]

F

[@aj9306]

@@brogant6793 He still hasn't finished the Rome series, I hope he at least does one final one with the battle of Actium.

[@villagemagician1320]

Agreed. He's really starting to piss me off

[@villagemagician1320]

@@brogant6793 because so many people who are just holding their breath waiting for that to be released... What a jerk.

[@johnpatrickcosta52]

If Antony had asked Tribune Aquila this would've all gone down differently

[@admiraloscar3320]

Wasn't he dead at that point?

[@johnpatrickcosta52]

@@admiraloscar3320 Not to this community he’s not

[@ousamadearu5960]

Antony, the one person who could do a massive miscalculation out of sheer Antony things.

[@arawn1061]

The absolute state of Antony

[@necfreon6259]

And turn that miscalculation into an accidental civil war

[@kleinenfuchse5365]

Hahaha

[@necfreon6259]

lol

[@samiamrg7]

It was pretty bold of Antony to try and declare Caesarion as legitimate when he still required Octavian’s cooperation to get the plan through the senate.

[@thibautnarme6402]

"Bad brain dum dum"

[@gabrieldossantos1116]

Ah yes, the thin line between boldness and stupidity lmao I love how it defines almost every major event in history. Crassus invading Parthia? We would remember it as a bold move had him won, but he didn't so we only remember him as a stupid guy lmao

[@TheSimmr001]

it might have been a case of "surely Octavian will see the logic behind my actions" "Antony did WHAT?!"

[@basedimperialism]

A VERY stupid politician indeed.

[@carval51]

@@thibautnarme6402 tbh I agree on that one, but why the fuck cleopatra does not stop him. she at least clever enough to understand

[@sirjoey3137]

It's been 6 months and you still haven't followed up on this episode yet, it hurts because I'm so invested. This is easily my favourite series on youtube, I hope you know how much people appreciate your work my guy.

[@mattthedoormat]

He's working on the next video. You can see his progress on his website. I think he mentioned on Twitter that the audio for the video is going to be at least an hour long, so that might be why it's taking so long to make the next episode.

[@portland9880]

Same here, can't wait for more

[@jlaurenpiano]

"Antony bad brain dumb dumb stupid" had me on the floor laughing for several minutes

[@TheSecondVersion]

We will never know if Antony poisoned Fulvia without her knowing, or she was just so fed up with his crap that she willingly died

[@lkcdarzadix6216]

yea fulvia might have fed up with life or KILLED by Antony

[@masterplokoon8803]

She probably lost it with the charriot pulled by lions😅

[@thwiftlythwept7023]

"Dear Antony, I did this because you are a complete idiot. Goodbye forever." Antony stands with the note in his hands, ashen with jaw agape. A nobleman walks in, sees the corpse. Nobleman: "Antony you cunning dog. You've offed Fulvia for political gain! Genius!" Antony: "Umm...yeah! That's exactly what happened." Crumples note behind his back.

[@breaden4381]

Pulled a Padme

[@ethanalspencer7294]

Antony can't even win a battle against his wife without her doing it for him!

[@dylantaylor3139]

I can't believe Antony may or may not have killed his wife.

[@zimmerwald1915]

You can't believe he may or may not have, because he definitely did it. You should believe that instead.

[@Ayy_Doll_Fiddler]

Listen and believe > trust but verify.

[@sanguiniusi8187]

If you had watched the video in its entirety you would now.

[@necfreon6259]

@@Ayy_Doll_Fiddler what an accurate representation of modern politics

[@Marc-pu8bu]

Antony's Cat

[@thesenate5913]

Antony: Caesarion is now heir Octavian: *and i took that personally*

[@pkesseli]

Cleopatra: *dresses up as Aphrodite surrounded by cupids * Historia Civilis: "Perhaps seducing Antony was all part of the plan." Yes, Historia Civilis, *perhaps* ...

[@user-cg2tw8pw7j]

The Romans had a race of slaves from the Europeans, why do they care about this woman?

[@masterexploder9668]

Nah, she totally just felt the need to dress up as Aphrodite, please don't sexualize and objectify women.

[@lemonchaos4785]

Ventidius accidentally on purpose won the campaign in like 3 moves while Antony was trying to put together an army to face them💀

[@tada-kun982]

"Why are you back here, did they break through?" "Who?" "The Parthians!!" "Ah those mucks. Dead"

[@phrophetsamgames]

Gaius Julius Caesar: dies* Well both Octavius and Marc Antony can probably handle it from here. Octavian: gets thousands killed and has to face Boat King Sextus Antony: screws up the Parthian campaign and gets manipulated Gaius Julius Caesar: 🤦‍♂️

[@Serocco]

Genuinely infuriating seeing just how dumb they were at their jobs

[@gummigamer4125]

He'd roll in his grave but it was made into an imprompto pyre.

[@juliusrobertjuico6322]

The energy from Caesar turning in his grave from shame could probably power the whole Roman Empire

[@patrykg6220]

Antony's faliure in the Parthia is even more disapointing when you consider the time he has spent in Gaul with Caesar. Caesar was always carefull with his baggage train and set a lot o posts in strategic locations (bridges, crossroads etc.) and Antony is pushing forward without thinking about consequences.

[@C0wsmacker]

@@juliusrobertjuico6322 Maybe thats how it lasted so long?

[@meowmeow6640]

Hey man I’ve watched the whole series without commenting, but I really think this is the best synopsis of the period of Roman history for adults who want to reintroduce themselves to the subject. You did a REALY great here man. It’s appreciated, even if I hadn’t decided to comment.

[@croftyprojects]

"Antony took to heavy drinking" *box starts spinning*

[@stevemcqueen8677]

this is definitely my favorite tri-monthly drama show.

[@pathutchison7688]

yea and it's not even close.

[@DreableNeebal10]

"Antony was set on conquering Parthia" Well, I feel like if there was a map of Rome that reached out to Afghanistan I would have seen it by now so... my bet's on Parthia.

[@timothymclean]

Hey, no spoilers!

[@Mrkabrat]

Trajan would like to talk with you

[@DreableNeebal10]

@@Mrkabrat lol thank you for telling me about that

[@jessep3079]

There is! Tabula Peutingeriana

[@C0NSTANTINUS]

@@Mrkabrat Trajan never went as far as Afghanistan

[@ericmarley7060]

Anthony when his wife died: "Oh no! Anyway..."

[@jefftaylor1186]

“I accidentally into a triumph” - Ventidius

[@Kuvina]

Losing a war and then blaming the Armenians, where have I seen that one before

[@canadariots1139]

Reminds me of when nothing happened in the Ottoman Empire between the years of 1915 and 1917

[@armeniaeurovision8292]

This comment is painfully funny for me 😅

[@shafqatishan437]

The crusaders did that.

[@markokrcmar5940]

You mean after

[@misaelfraga8196]

@@shafqatishan437 no they didn't. At first they blamed the Byzantine emperor. Then king Guy. Then the emperor once again.

[@Sangokun1]

Fluvia dies. Doctors: "She lost the will to live."

[@cheerfulpessimist952]

Impossible, perhaps the archives are incomplete?

[@Novous]

Anakin totally killed padme

[@redlobster1143]

@@Novous technically, it was palpatine who did it

[@jackj9816]

@@cheerfulpessimist952 Antony draws sword “ check again “

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

Antony: Yeaa I mean....NOOOOOOOOO

[@luccon8567]

30:12 - The cutest and best thing I've yet to hear ever. Please can we get more bloopers??? Your laugh is the purest thing ever!

[@cyruscheng499]

His laugh makes me wanna be pregnant 30:16

[@Cubelarooso]

@@cyruscheng499 Pronatalism is child abuse.

[@antonioducc4501]

​@@cyruscheng499 ayo what????????????

[@jojomoman]

I love these videos more than I can really state in words. Such a digestible way of telling history, without treating me like a child and dumbing everything down. Big massive thank you!

[@fdumbass]

Honestly Anthony seems smart af on some issues and dumb as a rock on others. Even though he's despicable in lots of ways, I feel like he's a weirdly human character in all of this.

[@canadabacon4]

Just was NOT a tactician

[@BosonCollider]

@@canadabacon4 He was a better tactician than Octavian though. Arguably, tactics was his stronger suit, and his politics became shrewd only when Cleopatra started "helping" him. Competence level was just overall much lower in this generation than in the one before

[@louie97ation]

Some people are just incredibly specialized. Antony didn’t always play to his strengths.

[@arawn1061]

There was someone who once said Antony kinda just seems like an officer who got lucky beyond his wildest dreams

[@luizamorim8265]

He seems like a somewhat smart guy who thinks he is better than he actually is

[@lagmeister3215]

As soon as Antony left those supply wagons behind, I knew it was going to be a disaster for the campaign

[@dvened]

gotta go fast!

[@plzitzjustmahcheezits909]

Julianus Vatinius, am I glad to see you here

[@claymeistereu]

the chekov's supply train

[@shingshongshamalama]

Infantry wins battles. Logistics wins wars.

[@interestingtimes3296]

I mean he just gambled and got unlucky when he did that.

[@Spazmonkey625]

You are literally one of the only youtubers that makes me drop everything to watch a video as soon as I see it uploaded.

[@bobwreath]

Looking forward to more content! Been rewatching your entire catalog and loving it. Hope I've not missed something massive 0.o

[@cfv7461]

Napoleon: and then my entire army died to the winter Anthony: first time?

[@LanMandragon1720]

Hitler furiously taking notes... for which his father punished him terribly.

[@Clever_Motel]

@@LanMandragon1720 I like to imagine there's a large circular table in hell having this conversation

[@brrrrrtenjoyer]

@Deo God said the guy who killed Hitler would go to heaven.

[@irarelyupload6930]

@Deo Where else would two warmongering dictators belong?

[@adrianbundy3249]

@@irarelyupload6930 Hitler wouldn't, that is for sure. But Napoleon did in fact, do a lot of good. His worst mistake was really his egotism, which infected him by him placing his family on positions of power as a king. As for the wars themselves, while he certainly got into enough trouble from his own machinations, you cannot think that without his input, they would not have happened, do you? The moment his nation was in chaos due to revolutionaries that were lopping off heads, and now starting to be threatened by foreign powers who's monarchies also wanted to cling to power, did not want that, so Napoleon went in and fixed what was left of both problems really. And did really help revitalize, reform, and make a lot of changes that were good enough for the populace even for a long, long time after his death. Even after winning the defensive struggles vs the outside powers, the UK and some other nations continued to push him to topple and his nation collapse, because they could not stand him making a strong France, or other reasons. And we can also track this in policy. No, they would never have left him alone, and after the fourth time proving that, Napoleon needed no further reminders. I can hardly blame him if his default set after was to try and push for ending it, and further conquest. He went aggressive. But even if he did not, it would be naive to think those enemies just sit back and do nothing for the next 20 years, or that the war does not come, when he is just a bit weaker. Do not delude yourself on Napoleon.

[@IndigoSolution]

Early to a new Historia Civillis video? Instantly a perfect day.

[@shinybaldboy4384]

Same man I just woke up

[@mrmemeable546]

Agreed

[@jeronimojaramillo8766]

Same here

[@mikeldiaz7349]

X2

[@historygeekdude4175]

Watching HC while waiting to be tested :D

[@Michael-zf4pi]

I just have to say, the way you speak, the way you put it together, just everything is perfect. I get more joy out of these then actual tv shows. I'm not laughing or anything, it's literally just entertaining to listen and watch. Great job dude.

[@vaylonkenadell]

"It was around this time that Antony became pregnant once more..." Save it for the fanfiction sites!

[@JoseHernandez-bv5gr]

No... , no... , no... .

[@michaelmoran9020]

The Virgin HBO Rome Vs the chad ABO Rome

[@nameless-user]

@Scom Tott What are you doing?! *STOP*

[@tylerhaigler7409]

It's almost like Antony was ahead of his time in dividing the empire between west and east.. Octavian said nah

[@patrickovsiu]

IMHO had he not put Caesarion forward things might have been different. Octavian probably would not give a damn if Antony had been _more_ egotistic than he actually did and only elevate his own children. Of course, putting Caesarion forward could be Cleopatra's idea instead...

[@F14thunderhawk]

@@rin_etoware_2989 What Rome needed was to strike a balance between centralization and decentralization, something they never achieved. a Single Emperor could have handled an empire the size of Rome, if they did the US thing, and started handling the empire as separate but united kingdoms, with the Emperor's duties to handle the military and treasury while they set up provincial Senates that handle local policy, while the governors essentially handle the actual campaigns. The problem is that its very difficult to convey to People as a whole the difference between Decisive Leadership, and Wise governance.

[@SimuLord]

My thoughts exactly. You can see the roots of the Byzantine Empire as far back as Pompey heading east in 49 BCE, over three centuries before Diocletian became the first to formally divide the empire.

[@necfreon6259]

Don’t you dare mention theodocious round here we are in 40 bce not random barbion sacking Rome year 5

[@METALFREAK03]

@@rin_etoware_2989 "for a realm as big as the Roman Empire, a single emperor won't be enough" The second British Empire takes notes. (Empress Victoria!)

[@nickthielemier3501]

I think you are the most underrated of all KZbin Historians.

[@historylegends]

Beautiful video, I knew about the war between Octavian and Anthony, the battle of Actium and all this, but didn't know about all these complex military operations taking place in the Middle East. I also love how you're not shy to come up with your own conclusions (Anthony's wife for example), through deduction, when historical data is lacking. Well Done!

[@JawsOfHistory]

I'm a bit surprised that you dedicated an entire episode to Cicero, but left out the part about Fulvia sticking golden pins into the tongue of Cicero's decapitated head and may even have been responsible for his proscription.

[@necfreon6259]

Holy sh it I love that profile pic

[@JawsOfHistory]

@@necfreon6259 Thanks!

[@necfreon6259]

@@JawsOfHistory cool beans

[@JustinCage56]

Poor old man can't catch a break

[@necfreon6259]

@@JustinCage56 ouch his own wife did that to him

[@ferrjuan]

The system that Antony wanted to setup in the East reminded me of how Napoleon put his family members on various European thrones.

[@VAWM.]

And it seems to have worked out about as well.

[@ferrjuan]

@Kelvin Higgs not at this level at least not until the Habsburgs when they controlled HRE, Kingdoms of Spain, Bohemia, Hungary and Naples, Low Countries, Lombardy and its colonial possessions under Charles V.

[@thibautnarme6402]

Eventually it is what happened anyway (not with his family) but Lydia, Thrace, Galatia and Pontic were all at some point headed by the same Hellenic family network under Roman 'guidance'

[@hyort3613]

Here in the Netherlands it worked too wel, Luis napoleon bonaparte ruled us from 1806 to 1810 and became so popular that some claimed he cared more about the Dutch then the French. He learned Dutch, visited disaster sites and donated money to poor and those that had suffered disaster. In one speech he even called himself “konijn van olland” which is almost the right way if saying king of holland but it actually means rabbit of olland. In 1810 he refused to give napoleon as much troops as he wanted for the russian campaign and seeing his popularity in the Netherlands Napoleon removed his brother Luis from the throne

[@donrog5035]

I respect Napoleon and I admire the guy for some of his success but put his family members on various european thrones was a DUMB move. that didn't even pay off when he was in trouble. there were no legitimacy in that. The system that Anthony wanted to make in the east was interesting but for such a huge task I think it was best for him to go in Rome to explain that himself to the senate. Maybe his plan would have been approved.

[@runkelpokk9]

I really hope you continue the Rome series one day, I enjoy the modern era videos too, but the roman ones just hit different rip little squares

[@worryjspverybadatd2125]

Hi! I was worried when your uploads stopped for so long. I’m glad you’re okay. Thank you for the content :)

[@henrybricks2953]

20:57 "It is at this time that Antony took to heavy drinking" Antony: *WHEEEEEEZE

[@tulsatrash]

After a trip like that I can totally understand heavy drinking.

[@leemarshall348]

Anthony Stark Stark Anthony

[@sparklesparklesparkle6318]

Vinny "SPEEEEEEEEEEEEN" came to mind

[@TheSecondVersion]

Was Antony ever NOT heavily drinking?

[@cyberhikikomori5326]

You mean ha WASN'T DRUNK during his fiasco of a consulship? Color me shocked

[@t.c.bramblett617]

Meanwhile Lepidus is like "Beautiful weather in Carthage! Wish you guys were here! XOX"

[@batavica1875]

Nah, Lepidus is living outside of Rome because Octavian stole his territory

[@Zimisce85]

I send you my blessings guys. I am the Pontiff, after all.

[@RatafakTehPlachta]

these are getting ridiculously good, its like watching a movie, keep up the great work! by far my fav channel

[@OfficialMonarchy]

Thank you for linking the sources! These videos are amazing!

[@bun197]

I'm sure that Herod guy will turn out to be a nice king

[@seneca983]

Anything to the contrary is religious propaganda.

[@bun197]

@@seneca983 I made a redditor seethe lol

[@seneca983]

@@bun197 Where?

[@eazyv2069]

@@seneca983 muh

[@leemarshall348]

Herod, what a nice sounding guy. Im sure wont commit mass infanticide in hopes of killing the son of God.

[@CaptainSully101]

"You can't describe late Roman Republic politics in one sentence" Yes I can, 0:26

[@spencerborg7541]

29:54

[@CaptainSully101]

@@spencerborg7541 ohmygodyes

[@gabrielgboucher6546]

Good video man! These are my favorite series about that period of history. Thx HC!

[@trentondamm194]

YES you guys are back!!! awesome video, keep up the great work.

[@sonole3]

“I’m not saying there was foul play, I’m just saying Antony definitely murdered his wife” had me lose it

[@dougkleen9917]

was funny but I disagree with him as Romans divorced and remarried for alliance purposes all the time, Antony had no reason to kill his wife and he would know how it would look in Rome.

[@mirceadonciu4983]

Tribune Aquila has allowed me to watch this early. Praise Jupiter!

[@matthiasnagorski8411]

But only praise if it's alright with Tribune Aquila! Wouldn't want to go over the head of the Great Tribune Aquila!

[@UrosDrljaca]

OMJ, so lucky

[@oopieswhoopies]

@@matthiasnagorski8411 LOL

[@officialromanhours]

petition to replace "my wife's boyfriend" with "tribune aquila"

[@EditorialJoe]

Fantastic as expected. Always a pleasure to see a new update!

[@josh_richards]

i love your videos so much, it sucks that they come out every like 3 months but I think that just makes them better. Everytime one of your videos comes out, I go and watch some of your older videos too because they are also unbelievably good and then for the next 3 months I check your page every week or so to see if you uploaded a new video.

[@jejeakle]

“Antony was not a particularly deep political thinker.” We learned this years ago with his disastrous occupation of the senate while Caesar fought in North Africa

[@Mikko088]

Or how about when he lifted up a direct challenger to Octavian in his plan. I mean did he really expected that to go over smoothly?

[@jacquesmesrine3244]

Octavian simply outsmarted him. The spirit of Caesar would not allow anyone other than his legal heir to reign!

[@jejeakle]

@@jacquesmesrine3244 either way, Antony is probably my least favorite Roman politician

[@TheSecondVersion]

Remember long, long, ago, when Historia Civilis covered the Battle of Alesia, where Caesar "recognized talent when he saw it," making Mark Antony his right hand man after the latter repelled a Gallic breach in the wall? Mark Antony apparently farted all that talent away in the years since

[@arawn1061]

I guess a competant officer doesn't automatically transfer to a competant general or politician

[@EvilPumpkin]

@@arawn1061 Romans were awfull negotiators and politicians by default.

[@arawn1061]

@@EvilPumpkin haha yeah that too

[@patrickovsiu]

To be fair HC quite recognized that Anthony still had the talent in this video (by declaring his final plan logically sound and valid), he just got outclassed by Octavian, whose talent was also recognized by Caesar (well, otherwise why did he write that will?)

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

Well Antony was probably a good General. Kinda the equivalent of a full Colonel or 1 star general. Where good soldier skills are still a great asset. But anything bigger he seems to be incapable of handling. Incapable of handling future thinking and bug picture stuff.

[@TheCanadianAsian]

Glad to see another video! Great quality as always.

[@Sappre]

Love the work man. I hope you never stop making these

[@lonelittlejerry917]

"It's at this time Antony took to heavy drinking" Feel like I've heard this somewhere before

[@ryangrear3430]

yea i heard that and was like "wait THIS is when it started what the hell was he doing before"

[@thibautnarme6402]

@@ryangrear3430 He was just partying, social drinking you know the amount and habit that are completely acceptable fir an elite Roman...

[@ryangrear3430]

@@thibautnarme6402 you sure I distinctly remember a certain Lupercalia festival and more importantly an number of time he walked into the senate drunk (while being Caesar’s master of horse) But yea I get what you mean it’s really bad when even his supporters are saying he is drinking excessively (actually considering his life I’m surprised gout didn’t kill him)

[@kanrup5199]

I believe one Roman general once took to heavy drinking getting besieged by rabid Egyptians...or am I mistaken?

[@lonelittlejerry917]

@@kanrup5199 precisely

[@iliasfilip2110]

The Western Empire: A perfect map The Eastern Empire: A map made by a 7 year old

[@waltervanbrunchem2462]

Probably because the borders of the west were mostly defined by rivers, contrary to the east, where there were more 'made up' borders.

[@user-vz1zc3fn7o]

@@waltervanbrunchem2462 You are seriously confusing 20th century Middle Eastern history with Ancient Middle Eastern history here.

[@krankarvolund7771]

@@waltervanbrunchem2462 Because rivers borders are totally not made up, I mean there's just thousands of rivers in Europe, it's logical to split countries following these specific rivers there :p All frontiers are made up ^^

[@sunjasonjb2773]

I think he just means that the shape of the land in general is really wonky

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

@@krankarvolund7771 Sort of. One could build bridges and ferries over rivers to push the frontier farther away if one wanted. Caesar moved into German territory once and delcared it a triumph and a Roman accomplishment of invasion. But pragmatically, it's just easier to defend territory if you stop at a river, a mountain range, or some other natural barrier to travel. North Africa and the Middle East have deserts, but those are HYUGE. A definite border is MUCH less clear along a desert than along a river or a sudden increase in evelation.

[@phi0_]

I've never been so excited for a next part in a series.

[@ChristopherGittings]

Same!

[@bcvetkov8534]

Dude I can't wait

[@jordanmince7613]

still waiting 😅

[@BboyFever]

Oh man, this series is so good! You can't leave this on a cliffhanger like this! Make one on the civil war which came after.

[@evanmalcolm4724]

unironically, even considering the minimalist style, the graphics and animation on these videos only continues to get better and better. the camera movement is so smooth and the tiny little animation details, like on Cleopatra's ship, are amazing

[@xthief1037]

Anthony moves with Cleopatra's sons is something out of Crusader Kings Strategies

[@patrickovsiu]

Hmmm... how did he get the game about 2050 years early is anyone's guess

[@xthief1037]

@@patrickovsiu probably a mod

[@arthurrebello919]

He was a beta tester

[@Nothing-ch3dw]

@@arthurrebello919 He was a beta alright and he sure was testy.

[@HVLLOWS1999]

Finally another masterpiece! And the music is still as wavy as ever.

[@fbgmroadrunner456]

Hey bro I've been watching these videos for a couple years now and I just have to say that you do 10 times a better job at teaching me about this stuff then my history teacher ever did. Thanks for making history fun for kids again.

[@cfdj43]

I feel like "the son of Caesar's right hand man leading a Parthian army against Rome" needs some more explaining than it gets in this video...

[@renerpho]

Yes. Unfortunately the details are lost to history. We know (and he did mention this in a previous video) that Labienus was sent to Parthia to gather reinforcements. However, what happened in the years after that is a mystery.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@renerpho It's not that much of a mystery. Quintus was aligned with The Liberators and was exploiting Antony's incompetent government of The East to revive their cause. The Parthians supported him because it was pretty evident that Antony would invade Parthia if left alone. One weird detail supplied by Dio is that Quintus adopted the ironic title Parthicus (conquerer of Parthia).