The Late Roman, Early Byzantine Infantryman (Fall of the Roman Empire History)

[@EpimetheusHistory]

If you enjoyed this video, checkout my video on Republican Roman infantry: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4HYmWmopNCXldk

[@clongshanks5206]

You sound suspiciously like The Shogunate

[@wisedude4285]

First time to the channel, very impressed. Also, interesting choice of channel name.

[@DuckSwagington]

Rome had a history of abandoning tactics and methods of war when they were deem ill suited for the job that the Roman Army needed to provide. The Imperial Legions built by Marius were designed to fight large and wealthy empires and conquer land for Rome whilst Diocletian's reforms were designed to keep the Empire together in a cost effective manner. Why have an Army built for conquest when you're at the limits of your expansion?

[@bogdan3386]

It's kinda funny considering the fact that even Augustus the one who started the period of pax romana was worried about overstretching. One example of useless conquest was the island of Britain that rebeled constantly and didn't gave the Romans many advantages.

[@histguy101]

@@bogdan3386 Britain was full of natural resources like gold, tin, and copper, as well as wool and other goods.

[@bogdan3386]

@@histguy101 yeah but like I've said it was a very unstable province that being one of the reasons why it was abandoned so quickly in the 5th century and using those human resources to try to defend other frontiers. It doesn't matter how rich it a territory if it's hard to govern and the corruption is very high it's worthless. The reason Britain was occupied was because Claudius needed a military conquest to help his reputation but he couldn't conquer Germany because it was to big or Parthia so he needed an easier target.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Very well said DuckSwagington

[@shooterrick1]

That being said, if Rome had put their minds to the task, and tried to permanently hold all of Britain, the island might have been eventually pacified. That in turn would have made the empire much stronger since the island wouldnt have had to be so militarized.

[@wardeni4806]

The late roman legionaries are a perfect example of what made the Roman military so successful: adaptation. The Kingdom of Rome in the 500's B.C. utilized Hoplites, but later on in the era of the republic abandoned it in favour of the manipular system to more effectively battle other Italic and Hellenic nations. Then, when it seemed that the manipular formation no longer provided a tactical edge, the Marian reforms created the iconic legionary: a perfect conquering army. But that era ended too, so a conquering army was no longer what the empire needed, especially since said army had a way of influencing politics to the point where the Emperor's guards murdered several emperors. What the late Roman Empire needed was a defensive army, and that's exactly what the late legionaries were: a wall between the civilians and the invading barbarian tribes.

[@danmichaelabad6263]

The walls were destroyed with the invention of cannons thou by the ottoman empire. Where roman empire seek to conquer the state or nation they have defeated. The Ottoman empire only destroy and loot and does'nt stay on the enemy's territory therefore not wasting resources on conquering it. It is based on History channel documentary of fall of Roman empire.

[@vlad.vasilev.94]

@@danmichaelabad6263 I don't know about that! The Ottomans stayed in my country for nearly 500 years. Far longer than the Romans or the Byzantines

[@crossetler_2184]

​@@vlad.vasilev.94 Please excuse me sir. Since your name is in cyrillic alphabet, would you be from Bulgaria?

[@lemursteaks]

Precisely, my man! That is the main reason why Rome lasted so long: adaptation. They saw flaws and they fixed them with a better foreign counterpart. You forgot how the Romans basically stole Greek boats!

[@DonGius1]

Maybe too many babaruan tribes man

[@Apxov]

I totally disagree with common opinion, that the Late Roman infantrymen were worse than their previous counterparts before Diocletian. They're just ... different. Focused on defence tactics, with more universal weaponry as bows, spears and some barbarian equipment, and usually more flexible than classic legionnaires. But claim that they were "worse" comes from complete ignorance of their new role on battlefields. I think that there are two reasons of such situation: 1) Late Roman Period is completely unknown for people, and generally not popular in movies/games etc. 2) We usually connect Late Roman Army with period of Western Roman Empire collapse, and believe that it happened because of military incompetence, but this process was much more complicated and caused rather by internal factors, rather than war failures. Anyway thanks for this video, it's always pleasant to watch something about this misundestood period of Roman history!

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Thanks for the great comment! I agree. I believe the more we discover about this period and the more it is researched a greater appreciation for the late Roman military will only grow more, and how much they influenced Medival military doctrine. Most empires in history have crumbled with half the problems the later Romans survived through.

[@Author_Paluthor]

@Crimson they were more versatile

[@tylerellis9097]

Byzantine Tagmata were definitely equal to legionaries of Augustus and wore superior armor.

[@tylerellis9097]

Crimson, Yes the Byzantine Army Of 900-1040 was on a level of that ofAugustus Rome. In This Period the Empire moved back to Full time professional Tagmata Troops from the Semi Professional thematic troops. Your standard Professional Byzantine Soldier would be armored in leather padding with chain mail over and later Lamellar over that. Byzantine Leather and Lamellar making were the best in the world only China could compare.

[@AlexG-xl1cc]

Check out Framing The Early Middle Ages. It is a monumental work that has set forth legitimate revisionism towards the Transition not Fall view.

[@lordflashheart3706]

I see "Late Roman" anything, I click. Thank you, sir!

[@ProSaladToss]

*Late Roman weiners* *You: 'Damnit' - Click*

[@lilwater7358]

"I'm a simple man. I see Roman Infantry... i click"

[@chaosdwarf406]

The new clickbait.

[@HVLLOW99]

I see Roman Republic- I click

[@50shekels]

@Tornike Kvachantiradze *laughs in democracy*

[@tristissimvshominvm8999]

I just want to comment something for perspective, and that's this: With Byzantium as a continuation of the Roman empire, it is safe to say that the glory of Rome ended in just less than 40 years before Columbus set sail to the Americas. Just think about that for a moment. I find it very impressive.

[@DimitrisGenn]

"Byzantium" wasn't the continuation of the Roman Empire. It was the Roman Empire.

[@GriseGaot]

Maybe the real roman empire (elite) never in fact ended, it morphed to something new and stay hidden from sight. The Romans were still "Roman" after they became Christian, but theirs cultural beliefs and values differ from eachother.

[@dpeasehead]

@@GriseGaot As long as Latin and Greek remain embedded in western law and philosophy, Rome and the Greek speaking Byzantium which succeeded it, will live on in some form.

[@joso5681]

_whispers in third rome_

[@boahkeinbockmehr]

Well in a way the catholic church is the continuation of the roman empire to this day

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

I cry everytime I hear 1453 mentioned. Press F to pay respects

[@TileBitan]

F

[@darthmortus5702]

F

[@joshevans9828]

Abu Zayd ibn Haytham al Shaami looks like someone needs some democracy

[@yetlin8386]

@@retvrntotradition4454 xD best way to trigger these people, hahahah.

[@iAndrewMontanai]

F

[@StefanMilo]

The are few things I like more in this world than nice Roman uniform. Just screams ancient world. Great video on a complicated subject!

[@miketacos9034]

I always knew the Late Roman soldier never got enough love.

[@diadokhoi5722]

Bruh late roman empire is cooler. It reminds me of warhammer. Someone hanging on for so long when all the odds are against them

[@yasharjamali2137]

Whats the stoey of your profile picture? Arabic/Persian N?

[@emrysmyridden]

personally marius's mules of the late republic and early empire are way way cooler than the late soldiers. they could build they could march they had one of the most iconic and recognizable armors of all time.

[@Razgriz_01]

@@yasharjamali2137 If you're talking about Mike Tacos' Profile pic, its a character from a video game.

[@rorschach1985ify]

@@emrysmyridden You're not doing anything but stating the most common opinion on Roman Armies. Yeah the Marius reforms had the most successful army in ancient history but just because they could do stuff like build and march, the latter is literally the most common thing to all armies so I don't know why you use that of all things to describe them, others have said it was an army meant for conquering and would have been too slow and inflexible to handle the problems facing the Empire during the crisis of the third century and the later migration period and especially the Hunnic invasions. The Late Roman army worked for the time it was made and was in part why it survived as long as it did because it was flexible and more mobile. It had it's issues and could not match the Early Imperial legions but that's more to do with the Empire itself being in a far worse state to supply and arm it's soldiers than anything else which should make them more impressive because despite those limitations they kept it going for centuries later, especially in the east.

[@ConriDubhghail]

Belisarius Best Boi, Theodora Best Girl, and Justinian was clearly the Main Character. It's a shame we'll never get a reboot, as the current seasons are just a pale imitation of the original. Hellas can't even get itself out of debt and Phrygia is run by some wannabe Dictator. And don't even get me started on Illyria.

[@tylerellis9097]

ConriDubhghail,Justinian is overrated and screwed over the Empire.

[@ConriDubhghail]

@@tylerellis9097 He certainly is a bit overrated, and it's entirely possible if he hadn't overreached in his ambitions the Empire would be better off. I still love the story of his reign.

[@tylerellis9097]

ConriDubhghail, I agree his story is great him bankrupting the empire, stretching the Empires manpower and destroying Italy isn’t. He should have just destroyed the vandals and called it a day. Then his successor could move in while the Ostrogoths dealt with the Lombards.

[@dschehutinefer5627]

@@tylerellis9097 Oh come on! Justinian had to deal with a climate catastrophe resulting from three volcanic eruptions in short succession causing crippling famines, as well as the freaking plague wiping out a quarter of the Mediterranean population. No matter whether the Byzantine economy overstretched because of his conquests, it would have tanked anyway thanks to Justinian getting screwed over by catastrophic circumstances completely out of his control!

[@tylerellis9097]

Dschehuti Nefer, he lost against the Sassanids, lost multiple times to the Ostrogoths, was not forced to invade the goths and screwed over Bellasarius multiple times. Nah a different Emperor like Anastasius would have not attacked the Ostrogoths and get involved in a Visigoth war.

[@HistoryHouseProductions]

I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video on this for a long time. Thank you!

[@TheWareek]

a great video I am always disappointed that there is always so little shown of the byzantine empire. there should be more tv shows made that are set there. You said that Constantinople fell in 1453, its amazing to think that some one 10 years old then and probably would have thought of themselves as a Roman, forget there term for it would have still only been 40 when America was discovered. who knows maybe won of the seamen on Columbus's ships could have been from Constantinople and so a Roman would have set foot on America. (well almost)

[@EpimetheusHistory]

That sounds like that would be a great movie :D

[@DarkImplement]

Exactly! So little about it. I think it's due to the fact that majority of people from western Europe cannot quite identify with East Romans, unlike with classic Romans, and the Slavs were mostly 'barbaric' tribes same as the Germans... And there was this tension between east/west Europe empires at that time

[@wendysimer1661]

Aside from carrying the Roman culture forward by a 1000 years the Eastern Romans contributed very little in any other area of development. No great inventions, art, music, or even construction technique. If any thing could be attributed to the Byzantine Empire it would be in proof of the survivability of a well developed bureacracy and it's ability to hold unchanging for 1000 years an entire empire.

[@vksu15]

@@wendysimer1661 Duude... Byzantines "contributed" many things! Off the top of my head, Haigia Sophia, greek fire, mosaics, stratego system, Greek Orthodoxy, the words Kaiser and Tsar, the modern country of Russia or Rus.... come on, please open a book sometime bro

[@jayleno1222]

@@wendysimer1661 Please go read a book. Have you ever heard of Justinian's Code? Which is very influential to the U.S.'s legal system today

[@Thieme11]

1204 and 1453... *I cry everytiem* ;_;

[@dushshhsbsbshsb7799]

Ludovice why?

[@003thezg3]

@@dushshhsbsbshsb7799 1204 the 4th crusade happened, the crusaders sacked and burned Constantinople to the ground. in 1453 the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople finally ended the Roman Empire.

[@byzantine2840]

Youre telling me

[@MirkicGames]

@@dcactus100 Slavs were native in illiricum.

[@kamikaziking]

@@MirkicGames what ??? no they weren't they came (where let to live there for taxes) in the 5th century that's well documented and a fact quit making shit up.

[@LucasDimoveo]

I've been waiting on someone to do a video on Byzantine infantry. There has been so much focus on the Kataphractoi that the footmen tend to get forgotten

[@EpimetheusHistory]

:)

[@nelsonr1467]

Its Roman, byzantine is a made up term by 16th century historians

[@ApoMaTu3aTop]

Varangian Guard was the elite infantry corps during the Byzantine period. Palatini were esentially the same as Kataphracti. I'd go so far as to bet on Palatini becoming known as Kataphracti in the Byzantine period.

[@metaxist]

My favourite are Voukelarioi guards of general belisarius

[@thomaswynn4082]

Wasn't Justin Justinian's uncle?

[@EpimetheusHistory]

You are right. But he was also his adoptive father. So not biological father :)

[@killuhmike]

Justice Beaver

[@user-pq2ns7jm5w]

Justin was some kind of villiger and rude guy whose politics were led by Justinian the Great

[@counterkidnapping1737]

So that's Justin Bieber got his name

[@connorgolden4]

I’ve always been so curious about this time period and the soldiers of the day. I can never find much information on what the soldiers were like and what they wore. Majorian is my favorite late Roman emperor.

[@desmondd1984]

One problem with the Byzantines in particular is that they went through an iconoclastic phase where they destroyed any image depicting human beings for religious reasons. Therefore a lot of the primary source material for how their soldiers would have been equipped is most likely lost.

[@connorgolden4]

John Alejandro He’s good but his JUSTINIAN SMASH destroyed Italy.

[@tylerellis9097]

John Alejandro, Justinian destroyed Italy, Bankrupted the Empire and left no way for his successors to defend his gains.

[@tylerellis9097]

Haris Manou, no where in my comment it does it say he destroyed the Roman Empire Also it was 639 years till 1204.

[@tylerellis9097]

Haris Manou, Lol no the Ostrogoths were extremely Romanized and until Justinian were Roman vassals with the support of the Italian people and the Roman Senate. Justinians tug of war with the Ostrogoths completely destroyed the peninsula as cities were recaptured and sacked multiple times until Narses destroyed the Ostrogoths. He also Bankrupted the Empire and stretched its troops in Italy and Iberia while the Balkans and Anatolia were being raided. Constantine saved the Empire and is Criminally underrated.

[@carst007]

Not near enough credit is given to the Eastern Romans

[@christiandauz3742]

Emperor's Men has a German Cruiser from 1913 going back in time to 378 It turns out you can make Bronze Cannons and Grenades

[@Warmaker01]

The Eastern Roman Empire manned the walls shielding Europe until they had stronger kingdoms, states. They dealt with and took the full brunt of the the Sassanids, the rise of Islam and its conquests. At this time, I don't think anything west or north of the ERE was ready to deal with that. The Western Roman Empire was long gone. The rest of Europe was divided up into small little kingdoms. By the time Constantinople fell in 1453, Europe had gotten a lot stronger, and would only continue to grow in power. Really, if it wasn't for the ERE, I'd say a lot more of Europe would have been Islamic states.

[@thessop9439]

@@Warmaker01 Yeah! Arabs had to go through Spain, and through the sea. All just because constantinople was there. They failed miserably. And when Constantinople fell, THERE WAS VIENA!

[@thessop9439]

@Hammody Ahmed Tho ottomans were not as religious fanatics as the arabs, they would have promoted muslim religion in europe had they triumphed. Also, ottoman monarchs...

[@thessop9439]

@Hammody Ahmed Your point makes no sense. So the otomans were more radical than the Arabs? They are still a muslim state I'm not comparing the brutality of the conversion, I say that the muslims were stopped, also in Vienna

[@Armorius2199]

Your BEST video, awesome subjest, the animations are wonderful and the question at the amazing. Well we should have a video about the thematic army. Kudos for pronuncing Βελισάριος correctly.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

:D Thank you Argyrus!

[@TRUECRISTIANJESUS]

Who cares

[@jrsands]

ERIC CARTMAN CARTMAN how does it feel to be an asshole? Asking for a friend.

[@DrDoomsd]

Belisarius correct pronunciation would be the Latin one, not the Greek

[@Stratigoz]

No. The greek is the correct one.

[@Aviator77er]

Epithemeus I appreciate you and ALL of your content! From the Hittites to the the “Late Romans,” to the Chinese you cover it all and with wonderful sources and accuracy! Keep it up brother, I actually get excited when I see a new Empithemeus post 👌

[@EpimetheusHistory]

:D Thanks Brady!

[@LionKing-ew9rm]

Good job! This channel is getting better and better!

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Thank you Lion King!

[@-----REDACTED-----]

Man the decay of the Roman Empire with its symptoms sure is painful to watch...

[@Nugget_prime]

Time to play Rome Total War Barbarian Invasion... again

[@diadokhoi5722]

Attila total war*

[@I_hunt_lolis]

@@diadokhoi5722 Attila runs like poo. Sad the developers abandoned the game so early on

[@nenadmilovanovic5271]

Time to run Mount and blade warband rome mod

[@alexanderhanooman]

Manpower is the edge. But bro, your videos are are amazing. More informating than entertaining. Why because you stick with info. Don't change that. Keep entertaining our minds.

[@thewolfshieldroyalist4071]

Rome has had so many versions and I love each one. It's so good to see more interest in the "late" Roman period. Thank you for your time in doing these! Long Live Mother Rome!

[@thewolfshieldroyalist4071]

@Haris Manou Are you alright?

[@Intranetusa]

The Roman foot was 11 inches rather than 12 inches for the modern foot. The Roman height requirement was actually something like 5 foot 5 inches (165cm 5'5") and the average height was 170 cm (5'7"). -The Logistics of the Roman Army at War: 264 BC-AD 235 by Roth, Jonathan

[@jasondaniel918]

This video's content is very high quality. Thank you. This is a fascinating period of European/Middle Eastern history. For decades I have been reading everything I could get my hands on about this era. I even collect late Roman and Byzantine coinage. I will be looking for future videos.

[@giannisch95]

I am fron Greece and love Rome and Roman civilization, in fact we are cousins thats why we were so close and Greeks helped the Roman Empire, we are the eastern Rome

[@giannisch95]

@Türk back to Mongolia

[@ls200076]

Shame the Romans in that time (depends on wich period) thought negative things about the Greeks.

[@histguy101]

@@ls200076umm no? Not ever?

[@Hypogeal-Foundation]

@@ls200076 The Minority during the Punic Wars disliked Greeks.

[@Savalanoghlu]

History major here, really enjoyed your work. Well done and I wish you more and more success in KZbin.

[@EurasiaOnYT]

Great video man!!!

[@readable95]

One of the most amazing things about why Rome was so successful, in my mind, is that they adapted their doctrines when it didn’t suit From when they conquered Italy they and adopted the maniple system used by the Samnites to when Augustus reduced the number of legions and used natural borders to line the Roman Empire they adapted to the needs of the times they were in

[@klompaca]

Man people also don't give enough credit to the western Romans, I mean besieged on all sides, internal strife, economic crisis and whatnot have all beset them and yet they endured for so long. Like you said it didn't really fall per se it really just faded slowly. I believe they lasted for so long thanks to their incredible flexibility and adaptability, they were quick to change if they saw something wasn't working or to steal tactics from others if they saw it fit. Same goes with their government, they really handled it well from all the infrastructure built, armies organized, people managed and whatnot. It really was bad for them when a bad leader took the lead, not everyone is capable of managing their own home let alone an empire that spans half the known world. Great video, I am glad I stumbled upon this. You earned a new sub. :)

[@poliestotico]

Your art has gotten ssso much better man congrats

[@hashimbokhamseen7877]

been waiting to watch it for a while and it delivered

[@iwanegerstrom4564]

As a student of the Eastern Roman Empire, may I be so rude as to claim that the Byzantine Army during Basil II (976-1025) actually was the equal to the formations of Imperial Rome and even the late army under Belisarius? Unfortunately Basil's great efforts were nullified after his death thanks to several decades of weak Emperors/Empresses. But even before his reign, Byzantium had produced several excellent Generals in a row like John Kourkouas, Nikephoros Phokas, and John Tzimiskes (the last two became Emperors aswell) For those that are interested, I recommend reading the three volumes of "Byzantium" by John Julius Norwich. P.S Many thanks for the upload, Im not ungrateful or so, I just feel that the Byzantine Empire deserves abit more attention than what it's given

[@aleksk4151]

Battle of Trajan gates and siege of Pernik 1016 BASIL II loses for the first time . against Bulgarians

[@DonGius1]

Basil 2nd seems like a good emperor, what did his incompetent heirs do?

[@yodayoda4764]

@@DonGius1 that's the problem. He didn't have any heirs except for the brother he kept in house arrest. A reverse Marcus Aurelius

[@aerondight7692]

I love this. Too little has this late period discussed or even mentioned in various forms of media (cause we don't have much evidences or sources based on which to talk about, but still). Personally I used to be interested the earlier periods (Republic, Principate) a lot more than the Dominate period but I'm totally in love with this now. Thank you for making this!

[@tsopmocful1958]

Your graphic style really helps in conveying the information, as I have found trying to just read about this period to be often exhausting and sometimes just confusing.

[@marygebbie6611]

I love your illustrations! Thank you for putting so much effort into providing us with accurate images!

[@theghosthero6173]

Very good video, I don't understand why you don't have a enormous follower base by now

[@TebbieBear]

The content is fantastic and the info is accurate. The vocal recording could be slightly better though. Many times its clear that he ran out of steam in the middle of the sentence and then just spliced that with a different take. The result is a somewhat awkward cadence and inflections that make it difficult to listen to the audio without having to work to ignore those inflections. Not an attack and I'm not trying to tear down, just trying to help with some constructive criticism. Please don't splice audio in the middle of sentences.

[@dcmackc01]

Great content simply presented in understandable terms! Nice graphics too!

[@carlos.daniel.santmaria5477]

I have seen this video like 5 times now. It does not get old..... The Drawings, the explanation, his epic voice. Is just the perfect mix

[@keirangrant1607]

Great video man, but from your subs and the amount of views your vids get, I'm gonna take a guess that you already know youre doing a great job. I will be following your work. Thank you

[@blitzkrieg1702]

Warhammer chaos symbols,,,Blood for the blood god.

[@masterforge5957]

Burn! You HERETICS! 😂😂👍

[@Pub4si]

@@masterforge5957 The Emperor Protects :3

[@jedidiahfite5960]

...skulls for the skull throne!

[@Pub4si]

@@jedidiahfite5960 Long Live the most powerful Chaos God

[@Gekiko7167]

SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD FOR KHORNE

[@philRminiatures]

A fantastic period for wargamers! And a beautiful video, well done!👍

[@davidking6242]

the classic legionnaire look was always the best. the Byzantine or late Roman armour could never live up to the older styles in appearance but they were probably way more functional for the time

[@rkitchen1967]

The earlier Lorica Segmentata was a much more advanced type of plate armor, but the late Empire did not have the productive capacity to equip it's soldiers with such armor.

[@julianjohnson7908]

Im in the opposite camp, prefer the late Roman period armor and arms

[@rkitchen1967]

@@julianjohnson7908 Mail was definitely a less sophisticated form of armor when compared to plate armor, being an older technology that is not as resistant to blows.

[@janaussiger4111]

@@rkitchen1967 That sounds a little bit armchairy to me. Mail and plate armor are both old techniques. Mail was used up until Augustus as the main type of armor and was never discontinued. There is some debate as to how many troops even had a Segmentata. And Segmentata has a score of practical disadvantages - hard to maintain (oiling, scrubbing), hard/almost impossible to put on on your own, could become useless if damaged (bent plates chaffing against flesh, ouch!), harder to recycle. Also segmentata didn't cover large parts of the body. You could easily expand mail armor by making it longer and adding sleeves. Now mail has mostly advantages when it comes to practical use - super easy to put on, could be maintained and repaired by almost anyone, wouldn't rust if in constant use (constant friction between the rings removes rust), easy to recycle/refit. It's main disadvantage is that it doesn't help you at all against brute force (which is why you would put padding underneath). But when it comes to slashing and low velocity stabbing attacks, that's where mail outperforms - because the rings will cluster together. With the level of metalurgy Romans had, the Lorica propably wouldn't be that hard to pierce if you put your mind to it. There wasn't a widespread use of crossbows, longbows and high velocity lance attacks at any rate - these forced the reinvention of plate armor in High middle ages

[@hazzmati]

I like the roman republican uniforms

[@davidtice4972]

I very much enjoyed your video. Great job.

[@mgonzo3881]

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it many times: This is the best channel - period!

[@xyphyofthewest8208]

The Late and Byzantine Empires are my favorite parts of Roman History

[@bogdan3386]

Well Christianity wasn't that big of a problem especially in the late roman empire when the Roman state was already doomed the main issue for the collapse of the romans was the slave based economy that lead to the Marian reforms and after to the crisis of the 3rd century so basically the army and the generals were the biggest problem in the empire. The Romans were so stupidly arogant that even in the late empire they believed that they are still the superpower. Sometimes things are doomed from the beginning.

[@connorgolden4]

Nom Anor Um how did Christianity weaken Rome? Rome was weakening before it became the main faith.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@Nom Anor In my opinion Rome at it's peak during Trajans time would've crushed any islamic invaders

[@connorgolden4]

Nom Anor Take over from without? Why would they need to? By the time the Germans began to take over the population of rome had been Christian for some time. And Rome didn’t become poor and corrupt because of Christianity, only a fool (like you) would think that. The seeds of its defeat were planted in the severan dynasty (pagans) who fucked the economy up in order to pay for the army. And that during the crisis of the third century the empire nearly murdered fucked itself into oblivion. And it’s not like every year under the rule of pagans was all hunky dory, the time between the third Punic war and the rise of Octavian was a time of stagnation, corruption, and instability.

[@connorgolden4]

Nom Anor Yes it did enter a golden age but your previous comment made it seem like nothing was ever wrong with pre Christian Rome and that it was perfect until those meddling Christians took over. And you have yet to explain how Christianity destroyed Rome when it was economics, migration, and unending internal instability that made it so week. And all of this began before Christianity took over. Hell the first seeds of Rome’s demise began in the late republic, when soldiers became loyal to generals and not the state. The great economy that made the golden age of Rome possible was destroyed in the crisis of the third century, laying the foundations for feudalism. All of this coupled with the migrations of the Germanic and hunnic peoples is why the Rome fell NOT a change of faith.

[@lionheart1234]

Absolutly amazing! Would be great to find out more about the weapons and armor throughout the the whole eastern roman empire. Like how different was the early times compared to the late times. That would be great to hear more about. Thank you Epimetheus!

[@WiseSilverWolf]

Great video! not many people talk about what kind of infantry the Byzantines used except for the Varengi Guard which were Viking mercenaries.

[@RemoteViewr1]

Great stuff, very enlightening. So little is presented like this, apt comparisons between Rome at her height and then hervlater stages. The brevity does justice to your thoughtful analysis.

[@armorvestrus6882]

Awesome, post more about the Roman Legions and how they worked. Great videos

[@GarfieldRex]

Totally agree, Roman infantry is what let the Empire live so much. The hunger for power, internal betrayals, bad diplomacy, and failure to romanize certain tribes is what I think lead to Rome's fall. Slowly but surely. Great video 👍!

[@harrisalexakis9526]

Actually I would I argue that diplomacy played the opposite role and is one of the main reasons that the empire survived until the 15th century. Actually it’s insane if you read about it of how much competent the Byzantine emperors and court was at diplomacy in specific periods.

[@vondantalingting]

I think you kinda forgot something: they didn't fail at Romanization. As a matter of fact they Romanized every barbarian they can find that at times you'll find Kings as Battlefield commanders, Princes as bureaucrats, and freemen as Soldiers. Over the years they effectively trained their future enemies through contempt and racism that they forgot to give them Citizenship. Every barbarian surrounding Rome was just as Roman as a citizen from Ravenna. It's why they easily cut a path towards Spain and Toulouse after Flavius Stilicho's death.

[@xjuliussx]

I love your videos, please post more !

[@keepitsimple003]

Love the sticky note drawing to end the video. Well done

[@stonesalat]

Awesome. Keep going. Thank you for great video!

[@chubbyninja89]

Am I the only one who finds it a little ironically funny that the Romans abandoned the use of the Greek Hoplite Phalanx so long ago, only for the Late Roman infantry to be trained to fight in a very similar formation.

[@ruslanmelimatov164]

Different enemies require different formations.

[@nenadmilovanovic5271]

I feel that first century Romans didn't face much calvary compared to the late Romans, and phalanx is very effective when facing such threats.

[@chubbyninja89]

@@nenadmilovanovic5271 Yeah, they probably didn't face nearly as much proper heavy cavalry that could actually do a lot of harm to their legions, so a phalanx would've helped the late romans a lot more often than some people think. Because even if you got a long lance, charging into several ranks of spears probably isn't going to be pretty.

[@chubbyninja89]

@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva I never said they did pal. I was just commenting on the fact that they went from abandoning the phalanx to eventually using it again.

[@iraqimapper8625]

Well done I like how you use warhammer chaos symbol

[@mikolajtrzeciecki1188]

Surprisingly profound analysis. It was very moving to see the Author use the notion of "Eastern Roman" as a preferred one over "Byzantine", which is in fact a modern derogatory. Long after the fall of Constantinople, the Greek-speaking inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire (which itself saw itself as a continuation of Rome) addressed themselves as "Rhomaioi". Rome casts a long shadow.

[@wotbgameplay1013]

I've always wondered what the roman army transitioned to during the Byzantine era. I knew that the the equipment and tactics, for the most part, had changed, (The more rounded shields, and less armored infantry men, etc.) but I could never find any resources that delved into the specifics. Thank you so much for making this video. You've got a new sub!

[@excedrintablet]

Cool video, I was unaware that the army was reorganized so soon after the Justinian plague.

[@painxsavior7723]

if only the Byzantine and Sassanian Persian know what there true enemies was they would have been allies not enemy instead of fighting each other they should helped each other but the past is past anyway nice video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tntsummers926]

They did Allie each other, but they were too weak and unstable so it was too late when they did eventually did it.

[@rubz1390]

Is this the only thing people in the middle east ever talk about? Turks vs whoever, Jews vs whoever, Arabs vs whoever. Don't you people ever get tired of posting the same hatefull shit?

[@tylerellis9097]

Rubz, Literally until the Turks arrived the Byzantines only fought Arabs in the Middle East.

[@nelsonr1467]

Its Roman, byzantine is a made up term by 16th century historians

[@yetlin8386]

why would the muslims be the true enemies? lol also they did team up like bitches and got destroyed.

[@cvanvslivs2406]

Love that Warhammer 40k Chaos symbol reference at 1:01 lol.

[@unclejohnbulleit2671]

Brother I really liked this video! Thanks for confirming what I had long believed.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it JOhn! :)

[@rebekah-chriss-k4872]

Sweet video thanks for sharing

[@pipebomber04]

Want conquest? Make a conquering army. Want defense? Make a defensive army.

[@MasterDrewboy]

No one expects the FORCES OF THE CHAOS GODS

[@chickenman2048]

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

[@FatKidAtRecess]

Skulls for the skull throne

[@DarthEarp]

@@FatKidAtRecess Milk for the Khorne flakes

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

Nobody expects *I, CATO SICARIUS!* And now take an Exterminatus.

[@alexxiii6380]

@@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870 For Augustus !!! Ah shit wrong emprah...

[@beowulfaegirsson4362]

Excellent, Thank you à pleasure to review this efficient synthesis about late Roman Empire

[@Wooper160atThePond]

Their "Five foot ten inches" would probably have been more like 5'8" because Roman feet and inches were shorter than those used in America today.

[@brucetherobert3098]

Maybe a follow-up on the "citizen-soldier" model of soldiery that came to exist under the Byzantines? Some historians credit that model as foundational of the Byzantine Empire's longevity. Also, what's with the chi-rho logo on the shield at 06:52 ?!?!

[@marcn4452]

Thanks for making this video! I used to think that late roman infantrymen were just legionaries with oval shields and longer swords.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

I used to think the exact same thing at one time

[@JamesBond-ns8di]

That thumbnail is just satisfying

[@EpimetheusHistory]

thank you James...james bond

[@aidenpearce7900]

@@EpimetheusHistory so they use a phalanx formation when defense and offense but would use there darts instead of the pilum to slow down their attackers?

[@EpimetheusHistory]

@Aiden Pearce they used large darts against other infantry but not cavalry (my impression from what I have read) Also the Germanic style javelin replacing the Pilum. The major difference between the later Roman infantry compared to the earlier is they were trained in the larger variety of equipment, so depending on the battlefield situation they would used different arms. With the Phalanx being used more often against Sassanian armies in the east who used a large proportion of cavalry...compared to military situations in the west.

[@aidenpearce7900]

@@EpimetheusHistory will a phalanx formation do well again Western armies?

[@aidenpearce7900]

@@EpimetheusHistory also I noticed that in the video they were doing a phalanx formations.

[@rosswebster7877]

Great video as always! Looking forward to more Byzantine Empire coverage!

[@frostyalaska6371]

I love these videos so much out of all the history channels this one is number one well may be tied with historia civilis just love the in depth coverage you do keep up the amazing work bro!

[@michaelherrmann8323]

6:54 "unless he was deemed unfit for service" the LOOK on the son!!! Duh!! Lol :)

[@Anarchidi]

6:11, Actually, Justin was the adoptive father of Justinian and in reality was his uncle.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

True

[@ahmetmarasl8521]

Not "Byzantine Empire" , it's false... True, "Roman Empire" or "Eastern Roman Empire!"

[@dark_mairon]

But aren't they Greek? How could they named Roman even though they aren't Latin.

[@vynonyoutube1418]

@@dark_mairon the term "Byzantine Empire" was made up a while after its fall to differentiate it from the classical Roman Empire, the Byzantines themselves or their contemporaries at the time never used the term. At the time, whether or not others acknowledged it, the Byzantines considered themselves Romans and called themselves the Roman Empire or, less officially (usually unofficial but this name does appear in a few official documents), Romania (not to be confused with the country that spawned in the territory of Dacia)

[@zayan6284]

@@vynonyoutube1418 it's still a useful term as it let's us highlight the vast military, territorial and cultural differences between the Roman and late roman empires. Nothing wrong with the word "byzantine"

[@donarw1064]

@@vynonyoutube1418 "Roman" was a political term of legitimacy , so the Emperor was Roman and thus superior to every king . The Eastern Empire was Greek , especially after Heraclius , although even most of the emperors before him were Greek or half Greek. Byzantium is the Greek city predecessor of Constantinople. Constantine wanted to rely on Greeks and Christians and thus made this city capital of the empire.

[@michaelvansise4887]

Then to muddy things further there was the "Holy Roman Empire" which kept that name centuries after Italy was no longer part of the territory.

[@mathewfrazier1381]

Super Super Cool! Most quality and holistic video on this subject I’ve watched!

[@stevensammons4062]

Man I love your Roman videos. And crack up at your stick figure people. Especially the part about recruitment. Keep up the great videos.

[@markperacullo7541]

great video ,now im gonna play TOTAL WAR ROME 2

[@VincentStaMaria-kw6nl]

Attila still is the best. Love the late roman army.

[@williamkartatar4759]

3:44 I love chain armours.I want to have one of these in my wardrobe.

[@bogdan3386]

Well the chain armours were very cost efficient compared to the segmentata that was harder to produce and you needed more materials to make them, contrary to popular beliefs the most used type of armour in the Roman army even in the second century was still chain mail that was as efficient (providing the same type of protection) than the segmentata and more cheaper.

[@BoskoBuha99]

Just order one online www.ringmesh.com/LARP-CosPlay-Chainmail-s/3.htm

[@alinalexandru2466]

You can buy them online, but make sure to find riveted mail armour, you can buy butted mail armour as it's cheaper if you want it only for the looks but if you want historical and effective armour get riveted.

[@marcoroad90]

@@bogdan3386 chain mail does not protect from arrows, segmentata was introduced in order to fight against the partians. Anyway, nothing is sure about the real utilization of plate armour among roman heavy infantry...

[@davidking6242]

i love the art style so much and . im a map nerd, but i always thought that rome at its hieght ruled dacia [in romania] and mesopatamia [in iraq] but the map didnt show this. i guess it must have been briefly held by rome

[@EpimetheusHistory]

True I did not show the Roman empire at its height, as that lasted a short while with Trajan (especially the Mesopotamia bit), but it was very near that size for a very long time before and after Trajan. Should have shown full extent for a little bit. But Initially wanted to keep it more simple early in the video, even though I don't latter on. :)

[@davidking6242]

@@EpimetheusHistory i thought so. great video anyway

[@razvanandreiantonescurogoz4236]

Well, 160 years of control over Dacia and all the contacts with Roman provinces that had existed before that and that continued after the Aurelian administrative retreat of 271 AD... I don't know, you included so many provinces that correspond to non-Romance language speaking nations nowadays, it's a little unfair you didn't include Dacia

[@AlexG-xl1cc]

It bothered me so much that he made the West blue and the East red lol, I've always been accustomed to it being the other way around!

[@DiomedesDioscuro]

Thank you for the video, it's vry well done. For future ones, please consider more volume.

[@rachdarastrix5251]

like how you show the progress of the world building in the artwork one step at a time before you begin. Taking time to enjoy.

[@gunner678]

Very well done. You crammed a lot in to a few minutes very effectively.

[@우찬호]

What's the name of the song from 5:15 ? Nice video btw

[@chrisjohansson6021]

Their history and legacy is something that is saying much how humans adopt and how cultures change over 2000 years or more. Love that about Rome. So human and many ways weird and absurd sometimes. Just like today... yay!

[@karate7173]

good, concise guide of roman military history. many thanks

[@nicksyrmis5964]

GREAT WORK. 😀😀🙃

[@semiautothanoscar9612]

I really like the Late Period Roman Armor.

[@Jack251190]

Its not my favourite. Not only does it not look quite so magnificent as its predecessor it also, in my opinion, gives the impression of a declining Empire. An Empire that's values and culture is changing, its grand taste in architecture and everything that you would think of as Roman is basically dying. The previous armour, screamed grandness and power. It showed a culture that was serious about defending itself. I do know that you must adapt to surroundings and i get that certain ways of fighting will become obsolete (think Greek and Macedonian Pikes), but the Romans had a good thing going. Surely it would have made more sense to expand on what they knew instead of throwing it out the window and having a lacklustre do over? But hey, its history and its fascinating either way.

[@nemoincognito4179]

Excellent Video. Won't you consider the reason for Roman decline and fall is due to Economic reasons ? for example devaluing their coinage .

[@royegabrieli5858]

They devaluiated their coinage because they lacked gold. They lacked gold because of cheap goods coming from India. In essence, the true reasons for their economic problems were: (1)Plagues that killed much of the population. (2)The inability to enforce protectionist policies against foreign goods from the east(Even when they banned the import of Indian goods, smugglers kept bringing them).

[@gabriele3665]

I used to pass over the late roman period. Now i am fascinated by it, there are so many men like Stilicho, Aetius or Majoran, who tried so desperately to keep the sinking boat afloat and managed to give the western half at least 60 years of existence if not more, however usually at the cost of their life, a tragedy comparable to the greeks' classics

[@nomooon]

I like how at the map at 8:21 , the vandals has a ! behind its name.... VANDALS!

[@robendert7617]

Very useful video, as it sheds light on a largely forgotten aspect of history.

[@luukeksifrozenhillbillyeur3407]

I love how the drawn characters go from realistic to Asterix within the same picture and tone of presentation.

[@HVLLOW99]

0:30 Traianus got gains.💪 I should wrk out more.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Haha...yes we can!... For the God Emprah! Gotta lift bro, lift before you lift then lift some more!

[@HVLLOW99]

@@EpimetheusHistory Optimus Princeps

[@EpimetheusHistory]

@Emperor Of Wall Optimus Princeps Indeed. May the forces of Nurgle, Khorne, and the ruinous powers be smitten! Praise be!

[@bebos1262]

I think it's fair to say that when in the *right hands* the Byzantines were just as good or better than that of the Imperial legion.

[@Caradepato]

Great vid!

[@MJA5]

great vid, enjoyed it very much. Going back in for a second watch.

[@EpimetheusHistory]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it enough to give it a 2nd watch. Thanks MJA

[@LM-pd6wj]

Make a video about the military campaigns of Flavio Belisario!!

[@RenMagnum4057]

Man I wish Rome never fell early. I think we would be exploring the stars if they didn't fell early.

[@paprskomet]

That is impression I hear quite often but it might be misleading.It was fall of the Roman state in the west what eventually moved things forward.If Roman Empire existed as it was it would not necessarilly resulted in some huge technological jump in case this state would be OK with how things are.In fact Imperial regime was surprisingly static in development(as dictatures often tend to be) with little care to improve things as far is it seemed that it works fine as it is.

[@boahkeinbockmehr]

Rome had become rather complacent and didn't favour innovations anymore. E.g. they already had developed a type of steam engine, that simply failed to catch on because slave labor was cheaper. The problem was that the rich held too much power and were more than wealthy enough to not bother about new conquests or advancements. That seems to be the fate of all empires, eventually they get complacent and are increasingly outperformed by new emerging powers. This period of transition is in my opinion the main driving force of human advancements.