Evolution of Roman Religion - From Polytheism to Christianity DOCUMENTARY

[@KingsandGenerals]

🎥 Join our KZbin members and patrons to unlock exclusive content! Our community is currently enjoying deep dives into the First Punic War, Pacific War, history of Prussia, Italian Unification Wars, Russo-Japanese War, Albigensian Crusade, and Xenophon’s Anabasis. Become a part of this exclusive circle: kzbin.info/door/MmaBzfCCwZ2KqaBJjkj0fwjoin or patron: www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals and Paypal www.paypal.com/paypalme/kingsandgenerals as well!

[@dudeboydudeboy-zj8kd]

Are you guys planning on making a compilation of the post Caesar Civil Wars?

[@death-istic9586]

Yo

[@ghtermzo]

Make video about Battle of Forbie, crusaders and ayyubids. If not maybe consuder just making youtube short please ❤

[@The_Crazy_Monkey75]

I know it's going to be controversial, but I think it would be very significant especially to current events. Maybe you could do a detailed history of Israel/Palestine. Many people actually get the history wrong. Probably from history of Judaism.

[@S.J.L]

The Romans identified their deities with Greek ones because they share cultural and ancestral roots. There is ample evidence, archeological, genetic, linguistic and literary that evidences a proto Indo European religion. You surely are aware of this so why you do not mention it is suspect. You should at least mention the theory and evidence. As a reconstructed it seems the deities were not originally personified in human form but sexed deities of the elements. The Sky Father, the Earth Mother, a hearth goddess, a dawn goddess, a striker, or dragon slayer, a war god, the divine twins and so on are all clearly common to Indo European peoples. The Earth goddess is so common that it can not be said to be unique but the others mentioned are clearly Indo European. Tell the whole truth, your audience deserves it.

[@AikanaroAnarion]

Another IMPORTANT reason why Christianity expanded is that it did not require animal sacrifices. It’s not mentioned in the video. A huge pro for the populace, specially the poor ones. Christian rituals are “free”.

[@Xo-3130]

Roman Peasant: Lets see I can sacrifice my prized Bull to the God Jupiter or I can go to this mass for this God Jesus whose only required sacrifice is to praise him in a mass with his follow follwers and partake in a bit of bread and wine... yeah I am going with this Jesus.

[@michaelhorn6029]

At many festivals the sarifics provided food for a public feast.

[@sonqasawa2622]

The Hebrews came up with the concept of "The Messiah", which was meant to end all human and animal sacrifices. But the Christians hijacked this concept and made it their own.

[@Ccdddttt]

It was replaced with a 10% tax that still exists today, it’s called tithes.

[@KennethKelley-ni1hg]

Except for those they didn't like from the start with Hypatia it cost them, their lives. Free? Get real😅. Nothing more costly than the mind-rape of any god ya do.

[@thabomuso2575]

Great video as always. As I understand it, Christianity initially spread among the poor and the slaves and particularly women and then the rich . The "middle class" of the Roman Empire adopted Christianity last. Also, Christianity first spread among Roman cities and particularly the larger ones along the Mediterranean coast. This can be attributed to the fact that the Apostles sought to gain as many converts as quickly as possible. This meant that they and their followers traveld across the trading routes by sea to the major cities where they could both find large populations who disproportionally spoke either Greek or Latin. Many more people in the cities or their close ancestors had migrated to their cities and were therefore more often detatched from the religions of their ethnic origin. More people in the cities were ethnically mixed and for that reason as well had less clear cut affinity to particular ethnically based religions. Christianity preached equality under God in the life hereafter and therefore attracted poor and a great number of slaves and women. As mentioned in the documentary, Christianity initially required far less expenses since it had no real temples and no effective taxation system. Christianity often had female congregation leaders. In essence early Christianity was a religion of the dispossessed, the rejected, the alienated, rootless and segregated. In the early Christian congregations, both poor,rich. slaves and women could all sit together, eat and have sermons. Many of the rich got attracted to Christianity through the slaves in their households and these rich quite early on became leaders of their congregations. As the rich started to dominate Christian leadership, that religion finally started to gain political power. As it eventually became clear that the Roman Empire was waning with decreasing wealth, invasions from various nomadic people, civil war, plague and poverty, Cirstianity as a religion of salvation from doom must have attracted lots of people. Only when Christianity started to become mainstream, was forcefully backed by the state, the political and intellectual elite, did Christianity spread out into the countryside and established intself among the ordinary peasants, artisans and small merchants.

[@AdalbertPtak]

True enough, but when it comes to other peoples, it was mostly by the sword. For example look at the Franks and Saxons: Only by the sword and after a thirty year war, did the Christianisation of the Saxons finally get seriously started. It was very simple: Become Christian or die.

[@thabomuso2575]

Yes I completely agree. The spread of Christianity since it became a state religion of both Roman Empires was largely done by the sword and alliances with the local ruling elites. And that trend intensifiedacross the world at least until the 17th century. The best example of all being the spread of Christianity in South America, accompanied with large scale enslavement, conquests and genocide by the Spanish and Portugese empires. Couldn't agree with you more.@@AdalbertPtak

[@KHK001]

Thanks for your hard work KnG! love these 1h+ videos!

[@1Anime4you]

This was a fantastic video. It went far more into minute detail than I expected. Great job!

[@condonsutherland1059]

Loved this, could you do a similar video on other religions such as the Egyptian one?

[@KingsandGenerals]

At some point

[@TheHomelessDreamer]

​@@KingsandGeneralsAzura bless you!

[@SafavidAfsharid3197]

​@@KingsandGeneralsany upcoming video on india? Like on Mughals, perhaps a video explaining relationship between Mughals and Ottomans?

[@KingsandGenerals]

@@SafavidAfsharid3197 added to the list. Working on the Nader Shah series.

[@andreray2784]

And ancient Ethiopia and surrounding area please 🙏

[@elvest9]

What a great video. I wasn't expecting the story to start from the big bang but it's such a thorough video. Fantastic work.

[@theuncoveredlamp]

You're videos are so helpful and engaging! I'm working on a fantasy novel that draws inspiration from ancient Roman, the Roman Republic and antiquity rather than a feudal society and medieval times. I'm working on creating the religions of the world at the moment so this is perfect timing. Though I'm drawing more inspiration from the cannanites and Babylonia gods and from eastern religions but this still will be interesting and potentially useful

[@JLogan1231]

Fascinating and well made as always. The long format is great too. One friendly suggestion though, the audio clip of a crowd of people shouting that played frequently throughout was distracting and seemed out of place. It also made the narrator hard to hear. I personally feel that it detracted rather than added to the video. Just my opinion.

[@truthseeker-nv6ny]

I feel like the sound of the crowds makes the video more realistic. To each their own I guess

[@Walgriff]

I thought there would be more mention of Sol Invictus and Mithras and the trend towards all powerful solo gods in the 200s. Anyway, great video!

[@Hadrian_00]

You're delightful and your episodes on the religious and social aspects of the world are sensationally done. Keep it up! 👐🏼

[@sargisshirinyan207]

A one hour long Kings and Generals video. I guess everything can wait now BECAUSE I'M BUSY!

[@Jean_Jacques148]

Guys pls make a series on the Haitian revolution

[@adamgonzalez9650]

Excellent work as always

[@Kili2807]

Nice one! I’d like to see a video about the Cult of Mithras in the furture. You could also debunk some of the myths surrounding this organisation

[@arethmaran1279]

The date of Christmas was not meant to coincide with Saturnalia, that has been debunked. And people giving each other gifts doesn't belong to paganism, nor does dancing, despite one theological opinion. Those are universal human expressions that can't be claimed by one or another culture or religious group.

[@thomaswillard6267]

Love this mentality

[@iippo06]

Go wash feet.

[@istvansipos9940]

"The date of Christmas was not meant to coincide with Saturnalia, that has been debunked" and there must be sources about that debunking, I am sure. "...Those are universal human expressions that can't be claimed by one or another culture or religious group." And they are NOT claimed by any particular group. And nobody said they were claimed by a particular group. They come from pre- PRE-christian times. Thus, they have pagan origins. Probably a bazillion different origins. All pagan.

[@arethmaran1279]

@istvansipos9940 several church fathers have various discourses with pagans and jewish scholars about the subject. When David danced before the Lord, was he a pagan? Shouldn't he have been struck down by God in that moment for worshipping like the canaanites?

[@istvansipos9940]

@@arethmaran1279 irrelevant questions about mythology. Even in this thread. We were talking about the pagan origins of dancing, right? Pagans did that stuff LOOOOOONG before christianity all over the world. maybe re-read the comments. I quoted you. It is really not that hard to follow.

[@stevemcgroob4446]

You made a mistake with Saturnalia. It was held on December 19 (or 17 depending on the time period) and most academic experts on early Christianity disagree that Christmas is related to Saturnalia as the earliest source that claims this was a document written by an Orthodox monk complaining about Catholics sometime during the 800 A.D. several centuries after Saturnalia ceased to be an important holiday in the Roman Empire.

[@captainfloppa790]

It’s so amazing we have access to this level of content here on KZbin

[@Sephiroth144]

Another amazing longform video; keep up the great work, K&G!

[@harwil-pw9bz]

Please make a video like this on the Persian gods before Cyrus the Great it is so confusing to follow, however your videos make so much so easy to understand ❤

[@chalinofalcone871]

The father of [JudeoChristianIslamo] monotheism... huh? I second this. Until reading this, I never even wondered what was before Cyrus. Kudos.

[@chalinofalcone871]

""... its striking resemblance to the 'Theogony' of the Greek poet Hesiod. There the Earth (Gaia) gives birth to Heaven (Uranos); then Uranos and Gaia together become the parents of Kronos and the Titans. Uranos hates his children and seeks to prevent their birth, but Kronos, incited by Gaia, emasculates his father with a sickle, and out of the blood which flows comes forth the Erinyes (Furies), the Giants, and the Melian nymphs, while Aphrodite is born from the foam what's arises when the severed member falls into the sea. Kronos and his wife Rhea then beget the Olympian gods, foremost among whom is Zeus. Kronos swallows all his children except Zeus, who is saved by the substitution of a stone which Kronos swallows instead of him. Zeus, on growing to manhood, forces Kronos to spit out the gods whom he has swallowed, and the stone, which comes out first, is set up as a cult-object at Pytho (Delphi). The poem ends with the Battle of the Gods and Titans and the final victory of the Olympians. Hesiod's sequence Uranus-Kronos-Zeus is matched in the hittite version by the sequence: Anu (Sumerian 'an'= heaven)- Kumarbi, father of the gods,- Weather-god, though Alalu in the Hittite version represent a still older generation unknown to Hesiod. The emasculation of the Sky-god occurs in both myths, though the motif of the swallowing and spitting out seems to have become attached to a different incident. In the broken part of the tablet there is some reference to Kumarbi eating and to a stone which may possibly correspond to the Pythian 'omphalos' of Hesiod's version; & it is probable that the Hittite myth ends with the victory of the Weather-god. These points of resemblance are enough to establish a strong probability that both versions derive ultimately from the same Hurrian myth. The 'Song of Ullikummi'..."" [The Hittites, O. R. Gurney, 1966, Ch. VIII. LITERATURE; §. Myths, Legends, & Romance, p. 190-191]

[@d_sarantis]

I am extremely grateful for your work, this channel is a true gem. Thank you SO much!

[@cgt3704]

I hope you will cover other pre-christian religions of Europe.

[@aaronmarks9366]

This was ɡreat! Would love to see more history of reliɡion videos! An interestinɡ one would be the lonɡ history of reliɡious turnover in Mesopotamia - ancient Sumerian and Babylonian reliɡions, Zoroastrianism, Hellenistic religion, Christianity, Sunni and Shia Islam, as well as Judaism in Mesopotamia and various smaller religions like the Manichaeans.

[@runajain5773]

He already made on how sunni and shia split and early muslim expansion in middle to persia to north Africa to Iberia peninsula

[@thetipoftheweek200]

A great video! Lot of important and useful information. Still, I figured there would be some mention of the mysterious origins of Janus, the examples of non-Greek fusion of polytheism (i.e Sulis and Minerva), or the rise of monolatrism with Sol Invictus

[@tryfryingmikejones]

the economic history of rome like this would be amazing. tenney frank.

[@johaneshenry1770]

The last part of your video here is the best of all your collections of videos

[@soumyadiptamajumder8795]

There were many celebratory days in ancient Rome, including probably the most famous one, the Saturnalia, a predecessor of Christmas, the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December, which was a period of general merrymaking, gift-giving, feasting, and letting the slaves be masters for a day. Then there were rather bloody feast days, such as the Equus October, the October Horse. Two-horse chariot races (bigae) were held in the Campus Martius, the area of Rome named for Mars, after which the right-hand horse of the winning team was transfixed by a spear, then sacrificed. The horse's head (caput) and tail (cauda) were cut off and used separately in the two subsequent parts of the ceremonies: two neighborhoods staged a fight for the right to display the head, and the freshly bloodied cauda was carried to the Regia for sprinkling the sacred hearth of Rome tended by the Vestal Virgins. But perhaps one festival stands out among the rest because of its spurious association with a modern celebration of love. Lupercalia The festival of Lupercalia was observed in the city of Rome between 13-15 February to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. Lupercalia was also called dies Februatus, after the instruments of purification called februa, which gave February (Februarius) its name. The name Lupercalia was believed in antiquity to evince some connection with the Ancient Greek festival of the Arcadian Lycaia, a wolf festival (Greek: λύκος, lýkos; Latin: lupus), and the worship of Lycaean Pan, assumed to be a Greek equivalent to Faunus. According to ancient narratives, there was a cult image of "the Lycaean god, whom the Greeks call Pan and the Romans Lupercus," described as nude, save for a goatskin girdle. It stood in the Lupercal, the cave where tradition held that Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf (Lupa). The cave lay at the foot of the Palatine Hill, on which Romulus was thought to have founded Rome. Each Lupercalia began with the sacrifice by the priests known as the Luperci (”brothers of the wolf”) of goats and a dog, after which two of the Luperci were led to the altar, their foreheads were touched with a bloody knife, and the blood was wiped off with wool dipped in milk; the ritual required that the two young men laugh. The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs (known as februa) from the flayed skin of the animals, and ran with these, naked or near-naked, along the old Palatine boundary, in an anticlockwise direction around the hill. In Plutarch's description of the Lupercalia, written during the early Empire, ...many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy. Plutarch, Life of Caesar. One interesting historical event took place during the festival. The story of Caesar being offered a crown is recorded by Plutarch, who explains (in chapter 61 of his life of Caesar) that Caesar was offered a crown several times by Marcus Antonius (Shakespeare's Antony), who was one of the runners at the Lupercalia in 44BC. Now, what about the connection between Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day? The coincidence of the calendar has led to frequent speculation that the Lupercalia festival is one of the earliest ancestors of Valentine’s Day. The ancient festival’s association with fertility rituals has only added to that idea. But in fact, the relationship between Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day remains unclear - and some historians argue that there is no relationship at all. Fanciful claims have grown around the celebration, such as that of Alban Butler in “The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints ("Butler's Lives"),” where he writes of a practice during Lupercalia in which men and women would place their names in jars and the names would be drawn to create pairings, which was the start of the ritual of exchanging Valentine’s Day love notes. However, there is no evidence linking Valentine’s Day to Lupercalia, or to the practice of pulling names to pair men and women into couples. The earliest record of Valentine’s Day as a celebration of love and fertility so far as is know is from the 14th century. In 1382, Geoffrey Chaucer authored “ Parlement of Foules,” within which he wrote: For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make. This translates to “ For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” There has been an assumption that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentine’s Day, but there are many arguments under which Chaucer could have been referring to any number of days during the year. For example, it is unlikely that birds in the area would be choosing a mate during the winter month of February. Another possibility for the origin of Valentine’s Day involves Christian priest, St. Valentine. It is alleged that at one point, Roman emperor Claudius II banned marriage to prevent young men from avoiding the draft by marrying. Valentinus, a Christian priest, agreed to perform secret marriages for those who wished to become married. However, it has been argued that no such ban on marriage ever took place, and that Claudius II, in fact, urged his men to take multiple wives. In the end, the link between a day of chocolates and roses and romance with sacrificing dogs and goats and then using thongs made from their hides to have naked young men run through the streets striking women with the bloody whips seems very incongruous.

[@hofwar]

The deep dive into ancient Egypt was incredible! 🏜🦅

[@darkLiquid22]

The drawing of Marcus Aurelius @ 55:49 min, looks like Lil Dickey the rapper

[@VoidLantadd]

It's also the same illustration they used for his son, Commodus.

[@Ishkur23]

The Romans weren't big on mythology or stories like the Greeks (unless there was a moral in them). But they were big on superstition, and this part should have been emphasized more: The Romans had false-positive tests on EVERYTHING. They were obsessed with knowing and anticipating the future, and everything in nature had predictive power. They would read tea leaves, chicken bones, animal entrails, water droplets, bird flight patterns (or any animal behavior really), eclipses and unusual weather phenomenon -- everything had meaning to it if you paid the right auger to explain/interpret/decipher it for you. Even animal sacrifices had predictive powers, depending on how the sacrifice was performed. Roman armies were so superstitious that when they got within scouting distance of the enemy they would release a bird in the sky and which direction it flew spelled success or doom in battle. If the sign was good, they'd engage the enemy. If the sign was bad, they would retreat for the day. Sometimes they'd retreat for several days because the bird kept giving bad omens.

[@admincxs1670]

Seems like it worked 😂

[@Dvoxas]

Good to see the old intro back!!!❤❤❤

[@TheMrgoodmanners]

Its impossible to talk of Christianity's rise in rome without mentioning cyprians plague. It had an overwhelming effect in turning alot of the empires populace towards Christianity. Alot of the survivors of cyprians plague were christian communities that preached charity and went a long way to conduct paliative care this increasing survivability. Christianity was actually in the decline thanks to all the persecutions xstians experienced at the hands of roman emperors before the plague.

[@JohnSmith-zn4uf]

Though not specifically, this is touched on at 58:00

[@AntonioGarcia-jm3hv]

Thank you! this has been very helpful, have you any plans of making a documentary on the cult of minerva? I am very interested in the day to day happening at the temple and how it fitted in the roman government.

[@joeltochukwu4199]

I enjoyed this and learnt a lot. Thank you K&G

[@Numba003]

Thank you for yet another excellent educational video! I'm happy to hear that one important reason for Christianity's spread was the kindness Christians showed to others during hard times. Jesus said the most important things are to love God and love your neighbor. God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)

[@mcintoshpc]

As much as I like the military history, cultural history is probably even more interesting. Excited to see more!

[@thesixth2330]

Around 14:00 It's 'relit by another flame' not 're-lighted.' Great Vido!!!!

[@chalinofalcone871]

"Greek and Roman mythology are interwoven, and to many, they appear to be one and the same. While the names of the gods and goddesses may be different - Zeus morphed into Jupiter while Hades became Pluto - their diverse roles and positions in society are fairly consistent... After Zeus and his brothers (Poseidon and Hades) became victorious over the Titans, Saturn was expelled from the home of the Greek gods, Mt. Olympus... According to legend, Saturn settled in Latium on the future site of Rome. His arrival was welcomed by the Roman god Janus, the two-faced deity, the god of the beginnings and ends. Saturn quickly established himself there, even founding the nearby city of Saturnia." [Saturn: Definition, by Donald L. Wasson, 16 Oct 2015, World History Encyclopedia]

[@signoguns8501]

Can you make a video about legends featuring brothers founding new nations/cities in the ancient world? Like Hengist and Horsa, Romulus and Remus, etc? There are several more examples, but i cant remember them now. Similar legends existed all over europe. Would be an interesting topic.

[@tommy-er6hh]

nice video, complex subject and i know you could not put everything in there. some questions i am left with: 1. I know the Romans worshiped ancestors, when did this start and end? 2. Did the priests of Mars have a problem with the cult of Mithades, which seemed to supplement them? Were there any other conflicts between the cults and established gods, besides Bacchus?

[@MrWaterlionmonkey]

The Roman government really didn't like the cult of Isis but it was too popular and the didn't like the druids or Manichism

[@deebsly]

Part about Christmas coming from Saturnalia is wrong. Religion for Breakfast explains it all very well. It would be awesome if yall worked with him since both your channels are my favorites

[@thomaswillard6267]

Dan McClellan also has several pieces explaining Christianity's independent inspirations for Christmas.

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the video it was very interesting

[@Saiko586]

Good video, just one correction. Saturnalia never dropped on 25th December, it was celebrated on 17th December, on 25th was celebrated Sol Invictus, birthday of the sun, a roman cult promoted by emperor Aurelian in 270 AD...

[@thomaswillard6267]

This is not any more correct than what he said

[@imperiumgrim4717]

Any books about this stuff sounds interesting af.

[@crasnicul3371]

​@@thomaswillard6267yes it is

[@JawsOfHistory]

I think the most telling example of the contradictory Roman historiography has to be the Cult of Quirinus. Quirinus, a Sabine war-god not unlike Mars or Ares, was celebrated and worshipped in Rome. Yet contemporary Roman history said that the Romans ruled the Sabines and had always ruled the Sabines. So to explain that they had always ruled the Sabines. They just claimed that Quirinus was Romulus' name after his deification. And the cult of the divine Romulus was thus co-opted with the cult of Quirinus, the Sabine God of War.

[@weirdofromhalo]

What evidence do we have that Quirinus was a fod of the Sabines?

[@gmac8586]

I have always been fascinated by the idea that Christianity finally "defeated" Rome for the slaves by teaching salvation is for all. Your videos on the three largest slave revolts including the one led by Spartacus were very interesting. The fact that there were revolts shows how oppressive this society was. Christianity was a major influence that changed this society as well as eventually the entire world.

[@bugsymelone3]

Mater Matuta.....what a wonderful phrase,🎵

[@Someone-ct2ck]

This man is onto something. I think this channel will be the go to factual unbiased history in this polarized world. Thank you man.

[@chrisoulalakkas7935]

Don't leave anything for later. Later, the coffee gets cold Later, you lose interest Later, the day turns into night Later, people grow up. Later, people grow old. Later, life goes by. Later, you regret not doing something... And you had the chance.

[@Stallion-EC]

Comfy Sunday

[@thomaswillard6267]

I found this to be fascinating and genuinely interesting, but it is all called into question with the dive into Christmas and Saturnalia. Not only does Christianity have independent basis for Christmas in December, Saturnalia and Christmas don't really overlap. This isn't to point out the chronological discrepencies, or the fact that these connections are largely superficial. Germanic Heathenry literally calls that season "Jol" as in "Jolly", and have a feast somewhat proximate to Winter Solstice. Ermagerd, I bet Christmas Trees were based off the Irminsul chopped down by St BoNiFeR. /s (They were not, Christmas trees weren't a thing until the 16th century ce)

[@christianwalton7080]

Yeah, I really think they mishandled a good portion of the Christian part of their video, with the Christmas example being a prime example. Saying "Christians just co-opted pagan celebrations" is really surface level and I'd argue a-historical since a lot of early Christians were very interested in separating themselves from pagan practice; alongside using the Gospel of Luke's chronology alongside the Hebraic calendar to conclude for somewhere between late December and early January (depending on if you were using the Julian or the later Gregorian calendar).

[@maxanderson9293]

​@@christianwalton7080 but they didn't a lot of things Christianity did is adopted from Paganism

[@christopherbravo1813]

@@maxanderson9293 name them.

[@toddlund]

i was coming comment this, thank you

[@truthseeker-nv6ny]

​@@christopherbravo1813like the concept of trinity for example. Ancient Roman religion already had a trinitarian concept of the father son which Christianity adopted

[@Moribus_Artibus]

"What a man desires he actually fancies to be true, but the reality follows no such principle" - Demosthenes (3rd Olynthian)

[@richbattaglia5350]

It would also be beneficial to a multi-cultural empire to practice a common faith which advocates tolerance and an understanding that everyone who shares this faith is a child of God with inherent value. It’s a strategic way of unifying an otherwise too diverse and too different of people together. Clever if you are cold blooded enough just to think of a way to band a nation together.

[@PcCAvioN]

Its almost as if organized religion is just a tool the priest class uses to control the populace

[@JM-rp5lo]

I'd love a video on an overview of Tengrism

[@fuuzug777]

pretty good video so far. My only problem is the part about Christmas. As a history channel i would have expected a bit more research on this when it was pretty clear that Christians choosing 25 Dec as more in line of Jewish understanding of when prophets and great men were born and died rather than just co opting a pagan celebration. There just isn't any evidence in antiquity to suggest that.

[@GnosticInformant]

this is the perfect morning

[@roblowe9283]

Love Your Catalog !!!!!!

[@The_Crazy_Monkey75]

Great video...detailed!

[@tarniikoltoroc8068]

This was a very educational video - loving it

[@iseeyou5061]

12:14 That's uh... some divine negotiation 😂

[@josephsarra4320]

I have a question I wanted to ask: Would you consider the WWI series? Because July 28 of this year would be exactly 110 years since WWI began.

[@KingsandGenerals]

We are considering it

[@josephsarra4320]

@@KingsandGenerals It would be great because this war is actually the foundation of the modern world today and it'll be very intriguing to know about it, especially with your animations and in depth analysis of the reasons why it started, the battles and other related events during and after the war such as two Russian Revoltions, Irish Civil War, Russian Civil War, Greco-Turkish War, the 1918-1920 flu pandemic, etc. So, I'm excited about that and it helps to keep things fresh besides relying on Indy Neidell's Great War Coverage uploaded 10 years ago in the Great War Channel.

[@soumyadiptamajumder8795]

Christians did a number of things which annoyed the Romans. For example, in much of the ancient world, religion was something you did as part of a community. You worshiped the gods of your city and your nation because that’s part of what defined that community. The Christians didn’t participate in that, which looked to the Romans like shirking their civic duty. Religion was also something done out in the open. Greco-Roman temples were essentially sacred warehouses for images and tribute, but the actual worship happened outdoors. Christians, however, held there ceremonies indoors, in private, where they were surely (to the Roman mind, anyway) engaging in orgies or something indecent like that. That said, the persecution of Christians has been greatly exaggerated by Christians as part of their historical narrative. There were brief periods of broad imperial persecution against Christians under Nero (Christianity was legally categorized as superstition rather than, like many other faiths including Judaism, a real religion entitled to protection) and again late in the empire and there were periodic local persecutions, but for most of antiquity they were more or less free to practice their religion.

[@soumyadiptamajumder8795]

Originally, the Romans worshiped noumena, or spirits. The original religion of the region was animistic. With time, the Romans adopted a number of deities. The cult of Vesta, for example goes back to before the founding of Rome, as Rhea Silvia, the mother of Rome’s founders, Romulus and Remus, had been a Vestal. The Salian Rites, honoring the God Mars, also go back far into Roman history. Lupercalia, the feast celebrating the she wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus as infants, is a fertility rite that goes back to shortly after Rome was founded. Other native gods were Janus, Saturn, and the Bona Dea, a cult specifically followed by women. The Romans also borrowed a number of gods from the Greeks. Jupiter is probably borrowed from the Greek Zeus, Neptune from Poseidon, Minerva from Athena, and Diana from Artemis. Some deities were borrowed without changing the names, such as Apollo, Castor and Pollux. Roman priests consulted the Sibylline books, especially in times of turmoil. During the Second Punic War, when Hannibal was laying waste to much of the Italian peninsula, they consulted the Sibylline books and determined that if they were to win the war, they must bring to Rome a large rock representing Cybele, the Mother Goddess. They sent their most worthy young man, a cousin of Scipio Africanus, to Anatolia to retrieve the goddess. The Romans also routinely consulted the Greek Oracle at Delphi. Some Romans had an affinity for foreign cults. The cult of Bacchus (Dionysus) was popular early in the second century BCE and was persecuted by more traditional elements of Roman society. Later on, some Romans adopted the cult of Isis. In the early years of the Empire the cult of Mithras was very popular with legionaries. When the republic ceased and Rome became a monarchy, the Caesars came to be deified. Cults of worship sprang up around these deified Caesars. Part of the problem with Judea was that the Jews refused to worship Caesar as a god because they were monotheistic and were not permitted to worship any but their own God. This led to a series of revolts. Other Roman provinces had no problem with worshiping the Emperors because they were polytheistic and to a polytheist adding one more god poses no dilemma. The Romans were generally tolerant of other people’s religions, the exceptions being the aforementioned cult of Bacchus, and the Druids. The Druids posed a barrier to Roman occupation, and the Romans condemned them, accusing them of human sacrifice. In 60 AD the Roman General Gnaeus Julius Agricola destroyed the Druid stronghold on the Island of Mona. Did the Romans ever practice human sacrifice? It was frowned upon but there is at least one incident mentioned in Livy in which two slave couples, one Greek and one Celtic were buried alive in the Forum Boarium. This took place during the Second Punic War when the threat from Hannibal was at its height. It may be argued that gladiatorial contests in the arena and public executions in the arena may have derived from, or been justified by Roman religious customs even if they were not considered to be human sacrifices.

[@ralphmelvin1046]

Constantine, Sylvester Stallone look alike

[@jfygt2623]

Roman Citizen: Hi, I live on the roman empire and I was wondering.... 🎶 *IS LOVING JESUS LEGAL YET?* 🎶

[@connorhilchie2779]

Very interesting video. I had no idea just how many of our customs are leftover from the Romans. Its hard to imagine a world where Christianity doesnt influence The West

[@wes4736]

Where Christianity what now??

[@dawsonindustries]

They are not. Does western roman catholicism and eastern catholicism and some have unbiblical and even pagan influences and indulgences, yes. But that is not Christian. The sum of some is not, and should not be, the sum of the whole.

[@Native_Creation]

And much of it continued to spread around the world through the Catholic colonial powers; Spain, Portugal, and France.

[@bfdiepictennisballbfdi2359]

​@@wes4736 I'm guessing he meant "doesn't influence the west"

[@dawsonindustries]

Like singing amd dancing is not exclusively pagan

[@ameribeaner]

How did y’all get Christmas and Saturnalia wrong? Their similarities have been so destroyed that only on tiktok do pseudo historians still hold this archaic belief.

[@ameribeaner]

@@joelaut2605 nope and many have pointed out such as the channel ReligionforBreakfast as well as Professors like Ryan Reaves. This made up belief exists on TikTok alone because there is no real evidence of Saturnalia influencing Christmas.

[@mountainjew1474]

Thank God we have you to educate us on ancient festivals.

[@ameribeaner]

@@mountainjew1474 if not me then who? Obviously not this channel or tiktok if they think Christmas was based on or influenced by Saturnalia.

[@mountainjew1474]

@ameribeaner leave it to academic papers listed as sources for this video. You see history deals with FACTS. If you interested in TRUTH go find yourself a philosopher.

[@urbrandnewstepdad]

@@ameribeanerliterally anyone without a sonic the hedgehog playlist

[@aggelosvatis]

Great video. But you forgot to mention Sun God. This religion had great influence in the army.

[@chalinofalcone871]

"The tradition that Romulus & Remus were suckled by a wolf in a dark recess on the side of the Aventine Hill which was swallowed by an overhanging grove, rendered this spot scared in the eyes of the Romans. Here was formerly celebrated the festival of the Lupercalia in honour of the god Pan, & riotous & lavacious scenes were annually witnessed there. After Rome became Christian this festival was celebrated even until the end of the Fifth century. In the course of the centuries, that sylvan spot became covered with the stately buildings of the Forum, the seat of justice of Imperial Rome. Tacitus mentions the Lucus Asyli, or the grove of the Asylum, because Romulus, wishing to gather foreigners into his new State, made a sanctuary there. It was situated between the two rocks of the Capitoline Hill, & now the Piazza del Campidoglio occupies its site. On one of the rocks the temple of Jupiter Capitoline was built, & on the other that of Feretrian Jove*." [The Forest: In Folklore & Mythology, Alexander Porteous, 1928/2002, p. 67-68](*John Dryden)

[@soumyadiptamajumder8795]

The Romans' had a fairly narrow idea of what constituted a "proper" religion and were highly intolerant of any that did not fit these ideas. These included religions that practised human sacrifice and any "new" cult that they considered to be a superstitio. So the Druidic cult within Celtic religion was savagely repressed and ultimately wiped out by the Romans. There were also the periodic outbreaks of Bacchanalian cults, which were subjected to savage persecutions in the Second Century BC on the grounds they were "impious" and a threat to the Roman state. Cults that were more or less like those of the Romans were tolerated, though sometimes foreign cults were periodically expelled from Rome itself or placed under restrictions. Christianity fell into the category of superstitio on the grounds that it was a "novel cult", since for the Romans the more ancient a religion was the more legitimacy it had. It was for this reason that Christian apologists stressed the Jewish origins of their faith, since Judaism was tolerated by Rome on the grounds of its antiquity, despite its odd monotheism. What really brought Christianity undone though was not just its novelty (since the Romans generally didn't buy the Christians' argument about the Jewish origin of their sect) but its refusal to practice sacrifices for the good of the Empire. Ancient religion was generally based on orthopraxis rather than orthodoxy. In other words, what you believed didn't matter to others as much as what you did in the practice of your beliefs. Regardless of what you believed, if you sacrificed or made other offerings for the health of the Emperor and the safety of the Empire, the Romans left you alone. The fact that Christians, or at least the more zealous ones, refused to do this was the main thing that brought down the wrath of the Empire on Christianity, though active persecution was only intermittent and patchy. Judaism was not actually persecuted by the Romans. As noted above, it was generally respected and tolerated as an ancient faith and therefore a religio licitia. What was not tolerated was political insurrection against Rome, which the Jews engaged in vigorously on several occasions. The Romans crushed these rebellions with great force both in 66-70 AD and again in 132-136 AD. By the time of this second major uprising the Romans realised that much of the political resistance to Roman rule by the Jews was religiously inspired and their razing of the Temple and depopulation and destruction of Jerusalem was in response to this recognition, but the Romans never made Judaism illegal or persecuted it the way they did with the Bachannals, the Christians or the Manichaeans. The idea that the Romans were totally tolerant when it came to religion is a myth perpetuated since the Enlightenment. They tolerated faiths sufficiently like their own or which were sufficiently ancient, but were savagely intolerant to faiths that did not fall into these parameters. That included Christianity but it did not include Judaism. PS: The specific offense for which the Roman government executed Christians was the Christian refusal to sacrifice to or even burn incense to the "genius" or soul of the Roman emperor. Pagan Romans considered this ritual an oath of allegiance; Christians considered it blasphemy. But Christian apologists who wrote in Latin (except Tertullian) were at pains to make clear that they indeed prayed for the health and success of the emperor but could not sacrifice to him. In Greek, the entire New Testament, except the Book of Revelations (Apocalypse), is colored by the Christian defense against Roman charges of disloyalty. A further detail: Christian anti-Semitism probably began in response to an act of the Jewish (Sanhedrin) Council of Jamnia (Yavnia?) in about 77 A.D. There the Sanhedrin declared that Christians were not a Jewish sect and so not part of the "religio licita" which was the Roman legal basis for Roman tolerance. Once the Sanhedrin (recognized by the Romans) authoritatively declared that Christians were not 'Jewish,' the Christian refusal to deify the emperor could not be legally tolerated (as it was for the Jews). Then the Roman persecution began in earnest (Nero's persecution was a one-time event limited to the city of Rome).

[@anthonyfrench3169]

This was something I was very curious about, I've taken some college courses about religion in the republican era...I.E. the chicken priests...thanks for producing this. And definitely give a shout out to your animation team. I could tell they worked their butts off with this one!

[@IonutPaun-lp2zq]

Extremely impressive video.

[@seamussc]

Jupiter and Zeus, at least etymologically, descended from the same Proto Indo European sky figure prior to Greek influence on the Roman religion, so at least in that case, there was good reason to equate them.

[@arthegor]

Regarding 1:00:00 as an Orthodox Christian: There are several theories surrounding the question as to why 25 December was chosen as the day to celebrate the nativity of our Lord. One theory is that 25 December was chosen to Christianise the pagan festival which some Christians were still celebrating, even as late as the 4th Century. This festival was the “birthday of the unconquered sun” ; Christ came into the world and when he healed the blind man he said in John 9:1-12 : As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” But symbolically we can say Jesus is the unconquered sun. Our God the Logos of the universe Both Fully man and Divine the Word of God (Greek: Λόγος) is one person in two natures, both fully divine and fully human, perfectly God (τέλειος Θεός) and perfectly man (τέλειος άνθρωπος) united in the person of Jesus Christ, in a unique event known as "the Incarnation". As when he was born on the 25th of December the Unconquerable Sun was born in a metaphor but in truth God became flesh through the Holy Theotokos to fulfill the prophecies and save mankind from the darkness. December 25th might have also been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called ‘Saturnalia’ and ‘Dies Natalis Solis Invicti’ took place in December around this date. It was also the time of the Jewish festival of lights called Hanukkah. So, it was a time when people already celebrated things and it was good to give a Christian focus in that period of the year. Also that the 25 December is exactly nine months from the Annunciation by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to Christ. 25 March had already been chosen by the Church and it was only natural to put Christmas nine months later. By the end of the fourth century, most Church jurisdictions all over the known world had agreed to celebrate the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ on 25 December.

[@sramanakarya]

Dear @KingsandGenerals what is the music you used at 50:24? It’s very evocative. If you could provide the track name to find out more about it, that would be awesome. Thanks! ❤

[@Malasorte1989]

GREAT VIDEO !

[@igorlopes7589]

14:49 It is important to note that the Rex Sacrorum is a republican institution, during the Monarchy the King had these roles. After the Republic was born the King's political duties went to the Consuls and his priestly duties to the newly created Rex Sacrorum

[@Ancient__Wisdom]

excellent video

[@Zaki_1099]

great video

[@achillebrlnds]

Would love to see the evolution of ancient greek religion

[@andyduke6119]

What's your reasoning for going with the Saturnalia origin for Christmas and not the Perfect life origin?

[@victornunes900]

35:38 Great uncle and adoptive father, not step-father.

[@jonathanmendiola3775]

I love this topic

[@nathanoliver9237]

There is no connection between saturnalia and Christmas and causes me physical pain when this myth is repeated

[@freddekl1102]

ughh care to elaborate? Maybe with sources?

[@nathanoliver9237]

@@freddekl1102 yes I will saturnalia is celebrated on December 17th or in that week while Christ’s mass is celebrated on the 25th in catholic and Protestant countries while orthodox communities celebrate it on January 7th these holidays don’t overlap and if you need a source for that I’ll provide them

[@freddekl1102]

@@nathanoliver9237 From a quick glance I see it was originally 17th and gradually moved into 17th-23rd range, tbf I find it less compelling that days/week of the difference matter here, still looks like Christian alternative to those festivities, and apparently since 274ce Romans also had a festival on 25th fot Sol Invictus And the date also doubles as winter solstice so it just seems plausible there was a lot of shared ideas for it

[@nathanoliver9237]

@@freddekl1102 festival of sol is not the same as saturnalia and if the first mention of a pagan holiday is 241 years after the start of Christianity why can’t we say the pagans are making alternative holidays to Christmas and what’s the explanation to most Christians were celebrating Christmas in January

[@freddekl1102]

@@nathanoliver9237We can say quite easy what's alternative to what when in 270s ce state is hosting it's events and christians (who are not more than single digit % of population) decide on that also + it seems like date of christmas was declared by church in 400s "what’s the explanation most Christians were celebrating Christmas in January" tf you on about, only eastern christians (and it's a serious minority) celebrate it on January because it's legacy of not updating to Gregorian calendar soon enough, and yeah, that's the explanation Are you russian and religious fundamentalist or what's going on here?

[@sladewinberry8283]

Not now wife and kids! A new King and Generals just dropped!

[@samehmehesen7121]

Can i know what is the resource of maps used

[@Meauss]

There are a few flaws in the video, but that's to be expected. Overall, well done. Christianity was never proclaimed as the official religion of the Roman Empire, and Christmas was not chosen to coincide with Saturnalia.

[@GorthMohogany]

Emperor Theodosius I issued the Eddict of Thessalonica in AD 380, of which made Nicene Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. All other Christian creeds were deemed to be heresies and all non-Christian religions were deemed to be heretical.

[@GorthMohogany]

@@Gift-ll4nv ahh, you are correct. I stand corrected on that point. Thanks!

[@Uberdude6666]

Just imagine a time when you could sell your fantasy novel to kings as "religious scripures", and people would actually start looking to it for guidance

[@Jean_Jacques148]

Guys please make a series on the Haitian revolution

[@aliceinwonderland4395]

Based Christianity.

[@StephanusTavilrond]

Hello, Stefan Stojanov

[@michaelbayliss4018]

Pontiff be with you.

[@tyranojackson3324]

very good

[@altheasic8658]

I love my religion so much

[@StephanusTavilrond]

based

[@davidkillin8466]

Most interesting. An aspect of history not often spoken of

[@shaggycan]

The 'DNA' of the Roman gods is Etruscan but the outer appearance and veneer is Greek. Roman religion is a lot more basic, and is more about a legal contract. 'I agree to do this for you if you do this for me'

[@عليياسر-ف4ن9ك]

Romans: Then why the racism against Northern Europeans and gay Greeks?

[@shaggycan]

@@عليياسر-ف4ن9ك because you first borrow then disparage, and pretend you came up with it in the first place. The Roman way!

[@Moribus_Artibus]

No festival of Dionysus, I see, I will be on my way to splendor-loving Athens!

[@عليياسر-ف4ن9ك]

@@MM22966 What is strange is that the Romans said that the Greeks were gay and women. It seems that the Romans were very arrogant and racist

[@davidladjani108]

Funny, Nota Bene made one or two videos about this a few weeks ago...

[@penandsword4386]

Year 74 ; Judea invaded, Masada falls; Jerusalem destroyed ... Year 174, guess which big new religion is Roman -compatible and Jewish - skeptical ?

[@istvansipos9940]

yes. skeptical. Your point? Is it some g0d stuff?

[@charlienorway]

Interesting how you can see the trinity is incorporated into Christianity from older religions

[@tryfryingmikejones]

this is so good

[@andreray2784]

Thanks!

[@LordBitememan]

This counts as thinking about Rome for today.