How Far Did Rome Explore?

[@VoicesofthePast]

Use code VOICE50 to get 50% off your first Factor box at bit.ly/47DiKwo!

[@arnijulian6241]

Simply Marvellous! I knew a fair bit about this subject concerning Rome's exploration but such a complete well explained summery is impressive. You make the tosh they call documentaries on public television look as if rambled babblings by comparison.

[@justadildeau]

I'm dreaming in Latin, please help

[@johndeacon1496]

The folly and senseless brutality of war is still with us.

[@arnijulian6241]

@@johndeacon1496 The very device you typing on & the digital computer you are using is a invention birthed from warfare. Tom flower made the 1st programmable, electronic, digital computer called ''colossus'' in order to fight the NAZI's. NZ3 Nazi German electromechanical computer designed by Konrad Zuse is the 1st programable Canned Food, Microwave Ovens, Jet engines, Super-glue, Penicillin, blood transfusions etcetera are all Technoglogies developed from just ww2 of the top of loaf/ Even the Internet was originally technology developed military data logs & communication. Death is not an evil. What is it then? The one law mankind has that is free of all discrimination. -Lucius Annaeus Seneca Death does not feel or care & the same is true of warfare. warfare is indifferent to us all! It is not ''folly'' nor necessarily ''brutal'' though common. it is inevitable a part of nature. Even ants wasps & bees commit war long before humanity or homo erectus that 1st did war birthing we homo sapiens into warfare a 1/4 million years ago. War is not ''senseless''=lacking common sense; wildly foolish. Warfare was inevitable since the 1st biological arms race in Cambrian diversification occurred for the 1st complex life 1/2 billion years ago. Warfare is just 1 part of survival of the fittest. Warfare is 1 of many selective pressures of nature. Mother Nature is cruel but she is fair for the game is set & only the best may as in live to see viable offspring/have children!

[@solgato5186]

Could you increase the amount of original source reading in the mix? The episode about how close Rome & China came to meet was great.

[@vynvalor3723]

Its incredible how similar these frontiers are to those found in fantasy books. The world must have been so mystical back then.

[@ItIsBlank.]

I was just thinking that. That's so true.

[@MelonMafia1]

Sometimes I wish I was born in the age where I could be a frontiersman and explorer. Dangerous but so worth it

[@squintz21four]

Mystical = death

[@MsBrookeWilcox]

​@@squintz21fouryou have no sense of adventure, Squintz. The mystical comes from the unknown. Someone will always forge a path towards the unknown, in the search of knowledge, power, or freedom.

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

​@@MelonMafia1I'd prefer Imperator

[@noahrotter]

Explores the north: “Too cold” Explores the south: “Too hot” Explores the east: “How is it both cold and hot??”

[@yourguard4]

And the west was to wet :P

[@maxis5427]

​@@yourguard4Yes, the ocean is pretty wet indeed

[@augustoreyes6031]

Funny 😅

[@Mistah_Boombastic_BiggieCheese]

That poor Roman soldier in the video thumbnail hating his life lol. He’s seen some stuff and regrets military life

[@macnico9987]

*Shaq bursts through the door

[@GlidingZephyr]

A 1 hour and 45 minute long documentary about exploration of the Roman frontiers? Why yes, yes I will.

[@-Patrick_Bateman]

😂

[@GodwynDi]

Indeed

[@johntrimble8335]

I'm saving it for my next walk

[@jamess3241]

Me too, but you forgot the best part: ITS FREE!!!

[@jonbaxter2254]

@@johntrimble8335 listening to it wfh.

[@ManiusCuriusDenatus]

I really appreciate how this channel mixes in primary sources. I've read a lot of the Roman primary sources, but listening to them opens up the stories to a much wider audience. Well done!

[@gothicgolem2947]

Where did you read those sources?

[@ManiusCuriusDenatus]

@@gothicgolem2947 Oxford World Classics puts out well translated paperbacks of all sorts classic literature as well as the literary Roman and Greek sources. Harvard prints the Loeb classics too, but those can be a bit pricey per volume. They are really nice hardcovers though. You can also find them for free online, but I prefer owning the books.

[@Dkthearn]

The Vatican probably 😅

[@speedyx3493]

@@gothicgolem2947 If you are looking to find them: 99% of times you can just google the name of a text and the 1st or 2nd result will be a page with just the text and nothing else, maybe some footnotes sometimes. If this doesn’t work you can just ask at some history forum, there are tons of really passionate experts that take their free time and help people find stuff. If you find a text so obscure that you can’t just google it and no one on the forums can link it then you get in contact with someone who specializes in that certain period and place and you start digging thru whatever uncategorized stuff you can get your hands on and pray you find something useful. Thankfully that doesn’t really happen nowadays, most of the hard work has already been done by other

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

@@gothicgolem2947 Discussion of amber is in part taken from Pliny's Natural History chapter, Amber: The many falsehoods that have been told about it.

[@mr_metal.]

imagine living in an age where you can't tell for sure, where does the world end, and in which direction still lays what. which treasures, landscapes, creatures, folks can be found there where nobody ever from your nation walked... such an amazing feeling one might have amongst all perils, just the mere thought amber could have come further from a northern tropical territory passing albion and the northern frost, amazes me. the possibilities and the excitement these people have felt.. thanks also for this video. it is always a journey beyond time, morals, memories, emotions.

[@tjwhitley5284]

We are similar to that with space

[@satanwithinternet2753]

I feel like thats what ppl living in north korea feel

[@literallynothinghere9089]

its same for us, just replace earth with space and it was as hard and challenging to become a master voyager with royal grants in those days as its to study in uni and become an astronomer today. So its not like 'anyone can do it' Voyagers needed massive royal grants for resources, mini armies for security and above all, some symbol showing that they were under the protection of X monarch

[@jonbaxter2254]

And then you fight a Gorilla...

[@mr_metal.]

@@jonbaxter2254 can't be much worse than 2m tall Germans with big ass axes

[@stoopidapples1596]

I wonder if when Scipio saw Carthage ruined, knowing it existed for 700 years, he realised the mortality of his own empire.

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

No

[@nuckingfuts811]

Didn’t give two shits.

[@crockstonyt]

Maybe

[@ecthelionnoldo876]

Yes he did, read Polybius who was there with Scipio. Scipio cried and recounted a line from the Iliad, reflecting on the decay of all things and how this would happen to Rome as well

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

@@ecthelionnoldo876 Carthago delenda est !

[@intiorozco5063]

Those final words by Seneca sent shivers down my spine. Imagine if they had explored across the Western Ocean and contacted the Preclassic or Classic Maya civilisation.

[@Damc_94]

Well maybe they have

[@portland9880]

​@@Damc_94they didn't lol

[@Damc_94]

@@portland9880 I said maybe, I don't have evidence to prove that it happened, although I believe that in 400 years an unrecorded contact is not impossible. I'm not interested in changing other people's mind

[@anirudh177]

@@Damc_94 Unlikely, naval technology was simply not developed enough to facilitate a safe crossing of the atlantic during the ancient period.

[@abruemmer77]

@@Damc_94 Ancient sailors may have been surprised by storms while traveling in the Atlantic and driven westward by currents to the Caribbean or South America.

[@namuzed]

2:17 It honestly sounds like he's describing icebergs. While he would have seen ice and snow in parts of Italy, seeing massive sheets of it over water might have been too strange for him to see it as the same thing.

[@someoneelse3456]

To see icebergs that large to the point he describes it as "the land, sea and air merging together" he must have travelled pretty far north.

[@exoticfanta]

​@@someoneelse3456Thule was probably iceland and iceland is pretty Colt and traveling further is near antactica

[@yoloswaggins7121]

​@@exoticfanta I think it was Norway, not Iceland.

[@alasdairhicks6731]

Probably the Norwegian coast

[@imean5399]

​@@someoneelse3456 I'm from the North East and this sounds like pack ice. Not an iceberg. Its basically when the iceberg melts into a bunch of chips that float in clusters. They're pretty large, heavy chunks of glacial ice individually. But when they're floating together along the waves... I can see it

[@peekaboo1575]

The narration is always so well spoken. This plus the fascinating subject means I can watch these videos all day.

[@humboldtdoomer866]

because its a reading software. you can catch some spelling errors in the script that the software reads as if it were intentional.

[@adivshtein2054]

I watched the entire video in one breath. It is fascinating how the world used to be much bigger and much more mysterious and scary back then. It is really humbling to know the shape and approximate size of the world ,but despite that and all the conquests and expeditions understand that you know only a fraction of it.

[@jeremytitus9519]

Dude your lung capacity is friggin CRAZY

[@adivshtein2054]

@@jeremytitus9519 I know, right?💀 I meant like, without stopping it or getting distracted, but maybe I should marvel at my lung capacity.

[@carloscifuentes5656]

I've never seen "approximate" spelled so wrong

[@elilachappa3330]

​@@carloscifuentes5656took me a minute to figure out what he was spelling ngl

[@adivshtein2054]

@@elilachappa3330 bruh stop bullying me I was tired💀💀💀

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

I fear to imagine how fundamentally traumatizing it must have been for someone to understand and process the fact that they were being enslaved by a mortal enemy.

[@Trump2024asw]

​@@MA_KA_PA_TIEI dub thee lord of the edge 😮.

[@mikesmnell414]

@@MA_KA_PA_TIE🤓

[@Goldenself]

Considering it was a common and accepted practice on both sides most of the time, it might not have been as traumatic as you'd think, though it would also depend on what status you had before capture and what kind of slavery you had to look forward to. In any case, it didn't necessarily come with the assumption that slaves were less than human. That's more of an American and European imperialism thing.

[@naas_the_serpent]

amor fati

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

Where's my reparations ? 💰🌿🙂🌿

[@ronkledonkanusmoncher564]

Being the first person from your civilization to see such things would bring a feeling of bewildered wonder and amazement that is surpassed by no other, I feel that it is in a humans heart to want to explore, to go out and seek new things and new places, new experiences and peoples and cultures.

[@rvanhees89]

That, and greed

[@calcifiedinnerbaldur]

No it's not in a human heart to experience "new people and cultures", the opposite is true. Anyone who was born & raised in a single culture doesn't want to deal with alien, foreign people's over being with their own people. On that note, not all cultures are created equally lol. Many cultures are objectively worse than others.

[@huldu]

@@calcifiedinnerbaldur You hit the nail right there. You can't look back at the past with our modern eyes and imagine how things were, it's so out of touch. We're very simple and primalistic creatures. We want to conquer, collect treasures and possibly gather slaves from lesser tribes or civilizations. That's who we were(and are even today, we're just better at pretending otherwise). Look at the American election with democrats and republicans, people on the far left are literally insane.

[@chungusdisciple9917]

Pompey was not killed by his own officers as stated in the video, but by a Roman mercenary who was in the employ of the King of Egypt

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

You are correct 👍

[@Georgieastra]

Technically correct... The best kind of correct

[@isidroramos1073]

If I remember correctly he was an old officer of his, and his position in Egypt was... ambiguous. Pompey left a Roman contingent in Egypt, the so called Gabinians (because his original commander was called Aulus Gabinius) to support Roman interests, including supporting the Roman approved King Ptolemy XII Auletes. But after a seven years long stay in Egypt their loyalties became increasingly mixed and their status, unclear. They certainly seem to have fought for Ptolemy XIII against Caesar.

[@Sirxchrish]

If only titus pullo and lucius vorenus did their damn duty...

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

@@Sirxchrish " He was a Consul of Rome ! "....

[@GunBreaux]

It's amusing to imagine the four pictures are the same poor Roman soldier on a miserable roadtrip.

[@malegria9641]

“Ferrisius Buhlerum’s day off”

[@bobskywalker2707]

@@malegria9641I’d watch it

[@danmullen6744]

“Dude where’s my legion?”

[@NarlepoaxIII]

A full, feature-length documentary? Talking about moments in Roman history that are rarely covered these days? Providing plenty of primary sources? And having moments to talk about what it was like to be a Roman at the time in question? This is _such_ a good video. It's really hard to overstate just how good it is.

[@susanfalco4252]

Yeah, makes you realize what a minority people with our taste/interests are. Yesterday I searched for videos on Yeats, some of them had less than 10 views. That’s how many people are interested in poetry, I guess. As for history, I guess most viewers prefer the sensational videos without context. It may be an attention span thing. I’m a millennial, but I grew up in a house miles from anyone else alone, my professor dad always working, and spent my days alone with his books and the woods for company. A chance to watch a spider spin its web was my idea of entertainment. So when I was finally met normal kids, all their TV and video games kinda freaked me out…it was all so loud, bright, cheesy, it just repelled me. I got called a snob but I was just confused and scared.

[@albetroz_]

This documentary is a work of art. The narration, the background art, the sources. Everything here is beyond fantastic.

[@simos7024]

I rarely comment on videos but I just have to say that this was an amazing watch and I really appreciate the effort you put into making these videos. Not just all the the information, but the visuals that go along with it were really well put together! Thank you.

[@williams.vincent4235]

At age 62 I'm far more interested in history than I was in high school. Lol. The old saying that if one doesn't learn the harsh lessons of history, it's bound to be repeated. How true, even in the year 2023. I took notice that as Scipio watched Carthage burn, he wondered if this was the fate of all great empires. The answer is an emphatic yes! Great channel.

[@BillGreenAZ]

Our history books were so much more boring back then.

[@RogerRoger-bk1pi]

It is with great sadness humanities curse.

[@johnnychico7052]

The logistics to be able to do this is what I’ve always found the most interesting.

[@v.ra.]

Yes! It would be curious to discover more of the material history aspect of conquest

[@tavish4699]

Legions on the move lived of the Land what they couldnt forage thmeselves they bought from the acompanying civillians Behind the Legion was a train of civillians like smiths doctors professional hunters fishermen and so on

[@BillGreenAZ]

I've wondered this as well. Not just the Romans, but some of the European powers that moved throughout the continent.

[@Phood54531]

I like how the thumbnail looks like the same guy in all 4 cases Aurelius Sextus Cicerus' awful, terrible, no-good, very bad day

[@dianaavellanet8794]

I'd subscribed sometime ago. But, you're most current uploads, have taken this channel to new heights.🔥 Thank you for that! 🙌Many blessings.🙏🏻

[@jasonstanley7326]

My favorite content creator, right here. These videos make me feel like I am sitting by a fireside at a Roman camp, listening to great stories passed on by older soldiers about the world at large. A true journey into the past indeed

[@acchillin6813]

Romes warlike nature, and their reputation may have played a huge part in their inability to expand further. According to these accounts, they didn’t know and no one told them key information on surviving away from the Mediterranean and Greek colonized areas.

[@JMEYER2090]

They didn't want them to know I bet lol

[@jekyle1980]

"Their warlike nature"... I mean, I don't think they were any more warlike than the Gauls, Germans, Parthians, or Dacians. They were just BETTER at it.

[@acchillin6813]

@@jekyle1980 oh absolutely. The countless adaptations and strategies they incorporated to not only fight on the field but organize at home was unmatched. True stability, which is why they lasted so long. Right? But, there’s a question that should be asked. If they transitioned to a more economically driven diplomatic approach, how would they have faired? Such as Britain, France or Portugal during their colonial phase. Hard to say I think, since most cultures in Roman times valued martial prowess.

[@jekyle1980]

@@acchillin6813 You partially answered your own question. You can't really compare how nations treated other nations during say, the 16th - 18th century colonial phase compared to the Roman period precisely because the world was a very different place then. During the Roman period, might very much made right (and that's still not far from reality today), and EVERYONE was trying to expand. National identities didn't really exist (it was all tribal based) and even today, borders are always being disputed (look at Ukraine and Russia right now). So to fully and quickly answer your question- how would Rome have faired if, during the 1st century period, they had tried to focus on diplomacy and DIDN'T also have a powerful military? I think Carthage or the Gallic tribes would have erased them before they ever got a chance to become the superpower they became.

[@acchillin6813]

@@jekyle1980 Right. Carthage and Gaul were major threats. On their own borders and then sphere of influence. I was thinking if they had transitioned post Trajan. Traditionally, once a “people”, nation or otherwise develop a hegemony, in Rome’s case post Trajan, they had choices. And Rome chose to continue its dogmatic view of the world. And again, you’re right. It my comments thus far have been very rhetorical. But it’s still important to ask the question to remind ourselves where “we” are going. Your example of Russia, and others like China and even the United States.. have core principles in their leadership style that dictate domination of others stemming from dogmatic views that they are better and know better.

[@See_That_Game]

People used to live like in an elder scrolls game. When you reach the edge of the known world it tells you: "You cannot go that way".

[@munckintattoolover24]

Imagine if the Roman’s kept going east or south east and setting foot in Australia! But in the sceam of things they got kind of close. I never knew they met with people from Sri Lanka too, fascinating video!

[@juliusnepos6013]

Absolutely

[@fafafafafafa6879]

I would like to see Romans thought about Austronesians. Seafarers people beyond Counterland.

[@tdkage]

And some dude there "that's not a gladius. THIS is a gladius"

[@josephbianco8405]

To think back in the day a video like this would’ve been a huge special event on the history channel

[@juliusnepos6013]

Yeah

[@aurenugeth]

Thanks! This was an amazing documentary. Very engaging and well done.

[@tldr7730]

Wow! So much fascinating stories, that went missing in school. Imagine Roman troops exploring the the south Sudan, almost hitting the equator. A gem in history is the arrival of an embassy from Sri Lanka to Rome, well >1000 years before the "age of exploration".

[@1wor1d]

2:26 That was fascinating, Strabo's comments on the "sea lung which suspends itself over the ocean". I interpreted it as one of those tales that was told by someone who had never actually gone to where they claimed, but when it was explained that this "merging and binding elemental matter" could be sea ice, wow I never interpreted that statement as that, but it makes a lot of sense.

[@ghinion]

Thank you for including the cut-out parts of the script and dialogue in the captions! I know it was removed for the sake of time, but for people like me who appreciate minute details, it was a nice surprise to see them hiding in the CC. It's a great video too! While I was sketching I had to pause sometimes just to appreciate the backgrounds and story of it. Very informative, as most videos covering Rome choose to prioritize Rome's conquests and internal events. This was my first time seeing such an in-depth video of the external influence of Rome. Cheers!

[@FragwellFam]

Such magnificent storytelling! What a mysterious and fantastical time it must have been to be an explorer. It almost feels like I am there, especially with the primary sources!

[@aurex8937]

The four legionnaires all look pretty miserable, which is probably historically accurate for explorers!

[@hoonterofhoonters6588]

"My feet hurt. This weather is far from temperate Italy. These barbarians have no garum."

[@einbenutzenderbenutzer]

​@@hoonterofhoonters6588 Imagine having no garum... so uncivilized

[@pendragon2012]

And here I was trying to get through the weekend without thinking about the Roman Empire for a change....

[@thebigksmoosey]

3 times a week at least

[@ToyInsanity]

impossible

[@juliusnepos6013]

Yeah

[@crapwithanopinion2919]

I have and never will get past Nero’s neck beard. You know that mf was unbearable to deal with just by that.

[@rudyardwalker9113]

😂😂

[@emilianohermosilla3996]

😂😂😂

[@johnrichards7337]

Congratulations on a great piece of work. Well researched and well produced. Having written extensively about Rome myself, I am very familiar with most of the primary sources, but I am not ashamed to admit I learned something watching this.

[@emperorofpluto]

Awesome video. Unfiltered historical accounts from primary sources - in their own words. This channel is one of the best.

[@markcreemore4915]

It's channels like this that explain why I'm always thinking about the Roman Empire.

[@SensationalMr.Grayson]

Great visuals , captivating narration, hefty video length AND its topic is that of the far reaches of the Roman Empire?? Men of culture. We’ve stumbled upon a treasure. Subscribed.

[@gangstalkerofgangstalkers]

Once again outstanding content. Real-life lore beats any fantasy lore hands down.

[@nbeutler1134]

Other than Tolkien

[@marbleporphyry]

@@nbeutler1134 That is real life lore

[@GenericName43]

​@@marbleporphyryschizo thinking

[@theviniso]

Real life lore sure could use more dragons though

[@je-freenorman7787]

They rule the entire world now Why dont you do this? Go look at the Besty Ross, the first Flag of USA and you might notice there are 13 stars? One for each colony? right , so , now go check the etymology of the word Colony and notice that it is referring to a Roman establishment, outside of Italy So, you really are not sure where you are and if you are in USA, then you are also in the Holy Roman Empire The truth is more bizzare than fiction

[@theDEADLIESTwarrior7]

Getting a notification that this channel has a new upload literally turned my bad day around, thank you 😊

[@devinosland359]

I guess i never realised that romans didn't know what monkeys and gorillas were, thats gotta be a weird thing to see. You would think they were genuinely a different species of humans

[@adammercer6004]

Well it's even more crazier than that considering that in antiquity that the term "Carried off the women" referred to taking women into enforced marriages and sexual slavery like how the Roman carried off the Sabine Women and they carried off 3 female Gorrilas so....

[@RuthvenMurgatroyd]

​@@adammercer6004 Think you're reading into that a bit. All the source says is that Hano and his men slaid them and skinned their hides.

[@RuthvenMurgatroyd]

Also, Hanno was Carthaginian (the name should have been a clue if you happened to miss the context - Hanno, like Hannibal, is a Carthaginian name).

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

What's with all the Roman Civil Wars? It seems every 5 years they'd engage in Civil War.

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

They would’ve come across monkeys, but chimps, bonobos, and gorillas would’ve easily been confused as some primitive kind of human to their eyes.

[@deewesthill1213]

The fascinating details in this superb documentary have filled in gaps in my knowledge about the far-flung Roman Empire contacts that I'd been wondering about for many years. I'd read about something of this and watched other videos on Roman and world history, but yours had far more details, and I really loved the narration and artwork too. Thank you so very much.

[@jonwarland272]

Awesome! All of these explorers had incredible courage to leave behind the familiar comfort of home to pursue knowledge beyond the hostile frontiers.

[@TheSaneHatter]

". . . .these are the continuing voyages of the Imperium Romanum. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange, new lands, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no Roman has gone before!"

[@LookToWindward]

… and to attack whales because that’s just how Romans roll. 😅

[@kochiyama]

There is something so incredible about the Roman explorers describing gorillas like they're some sort of alien society. Must have felt like it.

[@normal1209]

The gorillas he was referring to were a tribe or something of africa. The animal was named after them.

[@Titancameraman64]

We don't know their gorilla they could be chimpanzee or bonobows

[@mrstopanimationguy]

The original use of gorilla that Hanno uses is in reference to human beings…The animal was named thousands of years after this excerpt.

[@GreoGreo]

@@wewuzaryans Where's twin towers?

[@omberman]

Those were Carthaginian explorers under Hanno

[@beefymario88]

You can say what you want about Nero but if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have half this amazing video!

[@AmadeusHortfrick]

Few years ago was discovered a roman purple factory in the Canary islands. This shows how far west and south they stablished. But more incredible is the recently finding of a phoenician farm from 1000 BC in one of the islands...

[@ohlangeni]

There were no Phoenicians in Africa in 1000BC. Carthaginians first arrived in Africa in 753BC.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@ohlangeni Carthage was itself a colony of the Phoenicians, and a late one. Gadir (Cádiz) has a traditional founding date 1104 BCE and lies beyond the Strait of Gibraltar. Tingis (Tangier), on the African side, has been settled since 10th century BC. An early Phoenician colony on the Canary Islands is not that hard to believe.

[@ohlangeni]

@@eljanrimsa5843 If Cadiz in Spain was founded before Carthage then I am inclined to believe they could have discovered Canary Islands earlier

[@budalanemac3115]

We credit ourselves more than we should. They were way smarter then we think. We know so little beyond pur phones. I bielove that knowledge was gained and lost with each empire gain and rise, and every empire fall and burn. Most of them are overlapping and always rediscovered with new empire or forgotten in between to be relearned again...

[@bboi1489]

The canary current has been a burden for many years (A Malian emperor apparently was drowned by it, resulting in Mansa Musa's coronation). So I wouldn't give them too much credit.

[@thomas.deliot]

Thank you so much for this great and insanely inspiring documentary !

[@warrenny]

This is probably the best video I've seen from this channel and his other channels. All of his work is outstanding, but this was so captivating.

[@philiprife5556]

Quite educational. I didn't know that the Romans had explored so extensively.

[@PersonalityMalfunction]

I love the idea of anber being chunks of solidified sunsets! And amazingly they were correct in that if you continue far enough north you'll eventually end up in hot jungle again, this time in Central America!

[@sciencefliestothemoon2305]

I think one of the interesing parts would be, that population density was relatively low during Polybius days that the risk of picking up malaria or yellow fever along the African coast must have been a lot lower then it was 1700 AD onwards.

[@TheSpecialJ11]

That and malaria existed in the Mediterranean at that time. Malaria is an interesting disease in that it stays with you forever, but a healthy immune system will push it to the background and you can continue life pretty normally unless something else goes wrong for you and the infection flares up. So many Roman explorers likely already contracted it and would be "immune". Later European explorers would have naive immune systems and be much more vulnerable.

[@davidsurtees4439]

This is the part of ancient roman history I never knew in school that I would have loved to know, and maybe spurred me into a new path towards being a historian. This is so fascinating to me now than learning about the Romans back when I was back in school.

[@BlueBaron3339]

What a tour de force this is, and this channel has become over time. Outstanding!

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

Another great video. I love that the videos are based on primary sources. That warms my historian heart.

[@Hortifox_the_gardener]

This video finally made me understand why finding the source of the nile was so impossible back then when a modern human might just think "follow the flow duh".

[@leightonolsson4846]

Superlative content and, as ever, beautiful narration. A joy to the mind and the ear.

[@FOWST]

Thank you for your dedication. Always a pleasure to listen.

[@ziabatsu4422]

I chain watch your videos all day while I'm working/studying etc. Love all of them

[@claudiusraphael9423]

Topic at Prime Time level presentation and so focused and enfocusing the viewer on the actual content, guiding/gliding through the factettes of the wild waters of history .. just lovely. Thanks for sharing!

[@MichaelJones-rg3hv]

Incredible video. You can tell there was a lot of work thst went into this. Thank you for your effort.

[@Bond.girl.007]

This is fabulous, thank you! The narration is just wonderful. You really bring the history to life! ❤

[@markmuller7962]

It's so amazing that they didn't believe the Indian man story because India was considered too far and inaccessible, one of the most fascinating stories I've ever heard

[@mrbiscuits001]

I definitely think those "hairy humas" they encountered where chimpanzees or Bonobos. One of the giveaways was them throwing stones. I also think this because chimpanzees look much more human like than gorillas, who themselves look eerily human.

[@thescatologistcopromancer3936]

it was meee

[@streetmk2605]

Chimpanzees have kinda similar genitals as humans and it's really easy to identify from distance males and females. (My other theory is after capturing them the Romans probably tried to rape them but that sounds extreme)

[@adamscott7354]

@@streetmk2605it’s not, if skins were taken for lack of making a fuss about captivity, was some kind of hairy native women

[@streetmk2605]

@@adamscott7354 all of those stories doesn't exactly sounds like they encountered human beings but apes like the og comment said.

[@ClannCholmain]

What a great time to be alive, a golden age of information and my favourite narrator.

[@juliusnepos6013]

Yeah

[@unclebully1871]

You tube videos like this are pretty cool… but the way society is… well I don’t know how much longer you can say that for 😂

[@ClannCholmain]

@@unclebully1871 went for a walk on the beach today, greetings from the west coast of Ireland 🇮🇪

[@unclebully1871]

@@ClannCholmain I’m a kiwi 🇳🇿 should be a good game on the weekend if you follow rugby 🇳🇿 vs 🇮🇪 World Cup Quarter final… I have a feeling a lot of Guinness may be consumed after the game… 😂

[@ClannCholmain]

@@unclebully1871 yes, being from Limerick originally means I absolutely won’t be doing anything else. Played my first game at tighthead in 1984, with Keith Wood at scrum half. Realistically, if history repeats itself, Ireland will disappoint again, but it probably will be a close run thing. Either way, let’s hope it’s a classic, and may the best team win on the night and best of luck for the remainder of the competition if it’s NZ. 🥃 🥃

[@robertbobbypelletreaujr2173]

North:theres a penguin in my boot. South: theres a snake in my boot. West: theres a Canary in my boot. East: theres a scorpion in my boot.

[@racudo1898]

No penguins in the north

[@NikitaOnline17]

Amazing content, not just for the history, but the way the storytelling paints a picture of the time and how these people would have seen what they were experiencing. Definitely adds more than "in the year xxx, this guy discovered the land of place"

[@PalmettoNDN]

This was a magnificent video. Thank you for all of the hard work that went into it!

[@grandmoff.alligator]

Absolutely amazing video, would love to see some more longer videos like that. Very interesting too, learned quite a lot

[@Peeler45]

You are my favorite history channel. This is incredible as always. Keep up the good work my man. You got my support

[@historyViewer1]

Truly an amazing video! The beautiful combination of content, excellent voice-over, and interesting information made it a joy to watch. Thank you for creating such a wonderful piece!

[@Argacyan]

Just as a safety fyi: It is not safe to go amber-hunting along the east sea coast (aka the baltic sea) nowadays as there is amber-lookalike pieces of phosphorous WW2 incendiary bombs still left. The use of phosphorous bombs in WW2, while not technically permanently, still has made this hobby & trade dangerous to human life at threat of being set on fire. Due to the nature of chance & lack of information on every piece of debris left in the wild, that threat will decrease over time, but never reach zero.

[@felicityc]

nice, it's like amber roulette

[@chug5136]

This channel is one of a kind, people who can truly appreciate your video’s will understand please never stop 💚

[@Raao1]

Can you imagine if Rome much more interest in exploring and support from locals, how far they could reach? I can see them reaching the jungles of central Africa, and sailing arround the whole continent, also reaching the Philippines or even Australia with some luck. Imagine how epic would feel to be there while these discoveries were made!

[@Tom-2142]

The maritime technology for a crossing of the Indian Ocean to the indo pacific just wasn’t there, they would have had to hug the coastline of India and south east Asia, relying on friendly states there.

[@aaronmarks9366]

@@Tom-2142 If a Roman merchant ship of the Julio-Claudian era did hug the coasts and made frequent stops, how long would it take to get from Egypt to, say, Singapore?

[@jacoblas1371]

How do you explain people colonizing Hawaii and other Pacific islands ?

[@hollyjaw3303]

@@aaronmarks9366luckily, four months more or less. But the point is that they had no idea where to go, the people living across the shores, the climate etc. a hell of a journey I bet. Not different from a journey in outer space for scale, an almost 100% probability of not coming back home

[@Moses_Caesar_Augustus]

I love how parts of the primary sources are narrated in the video.

[@angusarmstrong6526]

These are just so well put together. Brilliant presentation utterly captivating and enlightening.

[@johnnyoverpour]

Dude, this is some of the finest, smoothest history I’ve ever encountered. The way your mind synopsizes such rich information is humbling and beautiful.

[@horsebear1986]

Hanno’s account is EXTREMELY bizzare. Gorillas don’t use stones as weapons, their muslce structure doesnt lend itself to throwing things. Chimps, however, are stellar at throwing. So what Hanno saw was likely some kind of homonid not fully ape, chimp, or man!

[@tabithiajones2511]

wild shit

[@Rabbi-Jill-kews]

Lol can’t say I blame him! They do look alike

[@TheHadMatters]

What's more bizzare to me than what the creature *is* is how they interacted with it. Let's not be KZbin crackpots here and just stick to it being some sort of ape/chimp/monkey: Did the Romans really try to talk to them and tell them to cooperate after capturing them? And get disappointed when they did not listen to their words? They had their own translators there, so they must have fully understood the limitations of language barriers. So did they mime co-operation? Must have been such an absurd scene to watch. And likely reveals a lot about ancient thought processes/ideologies.

[@heinrichb]

@@TheHadMattersIt wasn't Romans who encountered them, but Carthaginians. Hanno was one, and this happened three centuries before the fall of Carthage.

[@beardedgeek973]

Apart from the fact that it is hearsay (what the Romans wrote, that is), there are (and has just within a few decades been confirmed by capture) wild gorilla-chimpanzee hybrids. If the genes randomizes the correct way I am sure they would be larger than chimps while being able to throw stones.

[@Roadyheid]

Excellent product. Masterful job of detailing the historical sources, and capturing the mood of what exploring the world must have been like 2000 years ago. Thank you.

[@TrevorsMailbox]

Good grief. I love every single one of your channels. Thanks guys, seriously.

[@Jackenapes86]

This remains one of the best videos on KZbin. Listened to it countless times. So well done.

[@jackcullen69]

Insane quality. Liked.and subscribed.

[@XlrationMedia]

Man, I love seeing Ettore's work on so many channels I sub to. Great work.

[@ayush21399]

Thx for uploading this, this is great work

[@EndOfSmallSanctuary97]

This is one of the most impressive and fascinating historical videos I've ever seen on KZbin. Amazing work!

[@v.ra.]

Although I find the Roman perspective to be quite dull and a bit brutish I do sincerely appreciate the masterful narrative constructed here. Long live primary source YT creators. We need many more of them.

[@Kourash]

Probably one of the coolest documentaries ever made. Thank you! Such a cool concept - Roman explorers. It feels like a fantasy story.

[@malainfluencia126]

Pompey really liked doing side quests!

[@Fvpigpen26]

Wow! What a well done presentation in every aspect, including your ad's.

[@dM_gH]

Wow! That was fascinating. Thanks so much for an informative and entertaining video.

[@rifanifauzi3861]

Man.. The narration and illustration are TV-Worthy 👏

[@brunnob3]

Thanks!

[@oak_meadow9533]

At the time of Christ, people often were born, lived, and died within 30 km. People who traveled long distance were a rarity. Roman administrators were often travels, and over a 30 year career might travel from Rome to the edges of a circle 1500 to 2000km in diameter. Sometimes a month or two was needed to get to a destination.

[@nathan_408]

as a legionnaire you could travel a lot too, protecting the borders and living in barracks.

[@markiec8914]

Merchants, diplomats, mercenaries and traveled through all the ancient routes known to the Hellenistic world since 320 BC..

[@BenWinney]

This was amazing! How exciting it would have been to venture out to these unknown lands

[@istvansipos9940]

49:02 "No sea monsters on this one, my lord. Sure, they are artistic and whatnot, but we focused on accuracy this time." - unknown Roman cartographer (probably)

[@glasscaster3536]

36:38 not scurvy but radiation poisoning. They probably drew water from an aquifer that contained uranium. Uranium is common but sporadic in southern Arabia.

[@redeye4516]

I wonder why Pompey was silent upon exiting the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem despite spending so long in there. Was it simply because there were no idols or artifacts to loot or destroy due to the fairly iconoclastic nature of their religion, leaving him with only disappointment or confusion? Or did he experience something in there?

[@Andy_Babb]

This is freaking awesome. I love the vids where we can hear the actual words written by the ancients but these full Length documentary are exceptional.

[@hermanoguimaraes6343]

8:48 one can only imagine how scipio felted at that moment. Maybe, as Oppenheimmer felt when the first atomic bomb exploded, Scipio must have felted as a world destroyer.

[@cmontes85]

He def held a lot of power. Be crazy to meet..