Top 10 incredibly advanced Roman technologies that will blow your mind.

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Thanks for watching this video! We are planning on doing more in depth videos about roman technologies. Please let us know in which technology you are most interested in! Please comment below! Do you want to know more about why the Roman Empire fell? - Here are the top 10 reasons: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5rShZugp9SFY5o Check out the community tab for polls or other content like custom drawings!

[@carlosespinoza2453]

We might review the Pre-INCA AND Inca Civilization Techniques and knowledge in different areas as Agriculture ( Moray, Andenes, corn, potato, red tomato, quinoa, pallares, maca) Post-agriculture handle of grains ( drying in the Colcas ) Cattle ( alpaca, llamas, cuy ), Communication ( Chaskis ), Fishing ( Caballito de Totora, ceviche, ), Mining and Metalurgy ( Gold , Silver, Copper , alloys ), Building ( carved big stones as in Saqsayhuaman, Huanucopampa), bridges ( qeswachaka) , road ( inca trails from Colombia, across Ecuador, Peru, Boliva, Argentina ), Magestic palace ( Koricancha), Medicine plants , brain surgery ( Tumi ) , Astromony ( Nazca Lines , Temple of the Sun), Accounting ( Quipus) , Social organization, Army and war strategy ( mainly negociation instead of brutal war), Territory Distribution ( Tahuantinsuyo) , etc.

[@carlosespinoza2453]

Part 2 -> Moche AKA Mochica pre-inca pottery ( Huacos), Textiles in Paracas ( Fabrics ) , Used of natural dying (red, , brown, yellow, blue, white, black, light green, green, clothing ( chullo, poncho, saddlebag, ), shoes ( ojota inca), music ( quena , zampoña, pututu, drums, antara, ), knowledge of Soltice for Agriculture, Respect for Mother Earth ( Pachamama) . . .

[@thekaiser4333]

Let's bomb it.

[@suprememasteroftheuniverse]

You start your video with your total chemical ignorance and pure bs. Congratulations.

[@oisnowy5368]

Hey Maiorianus, I love the video's. I have a question that is to do with antiquity but not of antiquity. After the Roman empire split and the western part fell, the eastern part did not quit calling themselves Romans. Today you hear referred to them as Byzantines. But their capitol Constantinopel was already named as such before the east-west split. So what's the history with referring to Romans as Byzantines. Who did it? Why?

[@uChakide]

I find people's incredulity to ancient accomplishments funny. They were just as smart as we are, had a different relationship to how much time things took to do, and just because we don't know exactly how something was done doesn't mean it is impossible.

[@mirozen_]

@Hshxb Dhehs It's not actually that we "can't" replicate things like the pyramids. It's simply that we are unwilling to devote the resources necessary to create them. It comes down to not having a compelling reason to do such a thing. It is still impressive that the pyramids were created using methods that did not involve the technological advantages that we have developed. As for smarter? It's been confirmed that the volume of human brains has been steadily decreasing for quite a few centuries, so you may have a point there! 😀

[@luizarthurbrito]

The same people that can't understand roman tech are the ones who can't understand how our simplest household appliances work. Completely flawed logic haha!

[@michelegosse7116]

right, "before their time" eh?

[@RexGalilae]

It's funny and also ironic because it takes an uneducated moron to mock such achievements The reason I'm a ramaboo is due to my engineering background. The whole nation was God thinking "what if a nation run by engineers existed?"

[@LautaroTessi]

Ignorance is bold, my dear. Sadly, there are lots of these "bold" people nowadays...

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

Roman engineering is absolutely amazing. They did borrow architectural aesthetics from the Greeks, directly or via the Etruscans, along with many other aspects of culture, but Roman engineering was largely home-grown, and very impressive!

[@oscarprendergast7295]

I find their mastery of concrete And especially marine applications of specialised underwater concrete - building edifices and docks etc. All home grown - yes concrete as we Know it Was Born in BEAUTIFUL 😍 ROMA! Roma Volis Propit!

[@pulsarstargrave256]

Egyptians?

[@prototropo]

But when we say "borrow," it might be fair to say every Mediterranean culture appropriated the good ideas of others--more out of respect than theft. In litigious, proprietary, possession-obsessed Modernity, it's hard to give up thinking in terms of owning one's ideas, but in Antiquity, credit and possession were less valued as mercantile or "I was first" endeavors than for the prestige of invention and the revered nobility of contributing something eternal to civilization. Our crassness of patent royalties, investment dividends and sole control by estates for 99 years would sound goofy and puerile to our great -- and magnanimous --ancestors. Such tendencies produce embarrassing chapters in history, like the feud between Newton and Leibniz over the credit for calculus, and the public spat between Salk and Sabin over the first polio vaccine. Or the worst and most dangerous ever--the militarized space race, inextricable from the arms race in the Cold War, a childish competition that nearly ended civilization altogether. And still could.

[@Nel33147]

@@prototropo Well said !

[@subhroroy6848]

Romans understood the fact that investing in infrastructure can help in making their empires stronger..Many people ignore this but they pushed engineering to such an extent that it helped in the subsequent developments in science in 16th-17th century as strong math and science is very necessary for engineering..

[@LREY888]

They were closer to steam punk nearly dawning on an industrial revolution and pressing forward. Imagine if they had a rail system..

[@kevincrady2831]

All railroads lead to Rome! 😄

[@pf1740]

@@kevincrady2831 😄

[@paulredinger5830]

They had a “paved” road system that was almost as good. The could move, supplies, troops and just about everything by wagon. To all points of the empire. It’s pretty impressive. The Roman engineers were incredible! Cesars engineers built a bridge over the Rhine river in 10 days. Catching the enemy unawares, because they thought it would take much longer. After the returned from that campaign. The dismantled the bridge so it couldn’t be used by their enemies.

[@cmdaes]

There is a video around here explaining that ancient societies did not fully industrialized because they relied on cheaper slave labor and later on serfdom. Modern industry took off where machines allowed to save on more expensive human labor.

[@kostaborojevic498]

No there weren't bro...

[@Yora21]

Lead contamination in Roman drinking water seems rather unlikely. The Roman plumbing system didn't have taps, so water was constantly running through the pipes. There wasn't water standing in pipes for days or weeks to potentially soak up lead particles. Most of the lead that ends up in the water would be flushed out with the constant water flow and not end with the water that was actually drunk by people.

[@Brock1812]

Considering there was such a massive amount of lead throughout the pipes, it’s plausible that it had psychological affects on the masses who used it from pools and aqueducts.

[@ourshelties7649]

In a lecture on Greatest Courses, an instructor talked about this. He said the mineral level in the water quickly caked and covered the lead in the pipes so there shouldn't be hardly any levels of lead in the water. This same minerals build up in the aqueducts and had to be routinely removed.

[@robinharwood5044]

@@ourshelties7649 "there shouldn't be hardly any levels" ? Do you mean "there should be hardly any levels of lead.. "? Since "hardly" is restrictive, "shouldn't hardly" is effectively a double negative.

[@trevorjameson3213]

@@robinharwood5044 Lol. .or "There shouldn't hardly of been no levels of no lead" or "Aint hardly no levels no lead in no water" I actually heard a guy say once, in response to his bad smell of gasoline; when asked "what did you do, bathe in gasoline?".. The man answered, "I aint no take no bath no gasoline". Lol oh the levels of ignorance in this country now, it's just sad.

[@ihatethisshit8161]

most of the lead poisoning in Rome was due to the lead sugar being added to wine think of Austrians putting antifreeze in wine to make it sweater.

[@junmianzhu7459]

It is worth commenting the opinion that "Roman is one step away from Industrial Revolution" from an economic perspective: In the age of slavery, it more profitable to use cheap slave labor to move the mill than to invest in expensive machines. Investment in capital (machines) is only profitable when the capital to labor cost ratio is very low (when the machines and raw materials are cheap, and labor cost is very high). It is not profitable to spend lots of money in water mills if your competitor uses plenty of cheap labor instead to move it 24/7 nonstop. Modern industrial revolution originated in Britain because the labor cost was very high, and the coal price was low. At the same time in Japan, because of the population boom, many business discarded water mills and uses human labor instead. Once Britain build factories at massive cost, it is able to produce massive amount of textiles at much lower cost than Japan, but only after large investment in machines. So in conclusion, the Romans were technologically advanced to proceed to industrial revolution, but the system of slavery prevents it from adopting those technologies.

[@junmianzhu7459]

@Lucas De Araújo Marques As I have illustrated before, 18th century Japan also don't have slavery, but the labor price is still very cheap due to the population boom so the capital to labor cost ratio is still very high, which makes investment in industrialization unprofitable even without the slavery system. The key is how expensive the labor cost is, with respect to the machine cost. (I guess the water mill mentioned in this case is very expensive so require huge investment.) In addition, another condition for the industrialization is integration into the world economy. 19th century Britain is able to sell manufactured cloth to America, India and China, all of which are huge markets. Therefore, exports would make a lot of money for Britain. Even if Rome get industrial, the limited global trade in that time would made it impossible to make much profit from it, simply because there are no large markets for its products.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

We could even argue that the industrial revolution was the beginning of the end. Eventhough it brought us a lot of comfort, the added pollution and influence on the environment is a high price .Maybe the Romans would have developed an very advanced wind & water energy industry. We obviously will never know, but it's fun to imagine these things.

[@marin8862]

The Romans began to slowly abandon slavery in the 3rd century and serfdom began to develop gradually. The colonat began to develop. This system remained in parts of Dalmatia (formerly a Roman province) until the 1920s .... even the land remained divided in the Roman way, the so-called Centuriation (Roman Grid), the remnants of such a division of the country can be seen from aerial photographs from the beginning of the 20th century ...

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

@@marin8862 The Romans did not abandon slavery in the 3rd century. Slowly or otherwise.

[@marin8862]

@@spiritualanarchist8162 the transition from slavery to feudalism began in late antiquity. it was a natural process that ended in Europe sometime in the 14th-15th centuries. There were a significant number of slaves only in Italy and the rest of the empire was almost non-existent. Slavery in Italy was the result of endless wars during the republican era.Peasant landowners were drafted into the army and took part in wars for several years, and their families accumulated debts, which in turn meant that the rich Romans confiscated their land in the name of debt. In this way, over the centuries, large estates of agricultural land were created in Italy on which no one had to work. At the same time, after each war, the Roman state had a large number of POW and high costs of military campaigning, the solution imposed itself. As the war conquests were absent, as well as the influx of prisoners of war, the rich began to offer their land to ordinary Romans for cultivation, with some giving of the goods they produced. And that was the beginning of European feudalism. Slave labor was very inefficient and expensive, most of the Roman infrastructure was built by the Roman army. When there were no wars, the Roman army built infrastructure, cultivated land or produced weapons. At that time there was no laziness in military camps, like today.

[@alexanderi1105]

An industrial revolution in the Roman Empire would have been so cool but by the time we got to our current age we would be like a galactic civilisation and everything would be push forward into the future by like 2000 years. Very interesting alright

[@Ivarevich]

I very much doubt that if the Roman’s industrialized they would have developed as quickly as western nations did during the late 18th and 19th century.

[@alessandrogini5283]

@Edo SL maybe with the conquest of parthians,they challenged and make war against china and india

[@AlexS-oj8qf]

The problem with that is that you assume that technology advancement is a one way road when in reality, there's always a rise and a fall. Even the most burgeioning empires will collapse in fiery ruins at one moment or another, the bigger the empire the bigger the ruins.

[@dan0711123]

Carl Sagan said that if Rome never fell we would have been able by now to travel to the stars

[@cs-rj8ru]

@@AlexS-oj8qf Maybe so. So when is the American Empire collapsing?

[@Catonzo]

It is my greatest sorrow that I will never be able to experience such architecture and engineering. If it was even half as beautiful as it looks in our recreations it would be a staggeringly amazing thing to behold. To just walk the streets of Rome in that time.. if only for a day. I never am able to rid myself of the thoughts of what would have happened to history had the Roman Empire never fallen. What would it look like today? Would it be better? Worse? Would we have been to the moon centuries earlier? All speculation, but it just thoughts I can't shake.

[@KJTB8]

My bet is that it'd smell like sh*t, and you'd probably get stabbed. Rome wasn't a totally great place to be.

[@JustaDudeTryinToLearnPiano]

@@KJTB8 well thought out response

[@sachalusty4819]

Dont worry theres still time to experience quite significant sorrow in comparison to missing an age you literally will not be able to touch to know to miss

[@eglantinepapeau1582]

all empires fall eventually . But it is sad indeed that so many architectural treasures were destroyed 😐

[@ClassicFeta]

There’s gonna be a metaverse with your name on it someday

[@malfattio2894]

Roman water clocks were also very impressive. They were effectively mechanical clocks, just powered by water. I wonder if any were hooked up to viaducts.

[@Jeffrey314159]

Exactly, Greeks and Romans had mechanical clocks before the Chinese

[@mademoiselledusfonctionell1609]

And water organs. I would have liked to hear the music that they played.

[@MG-cw4rw]

@@Jeffrey314159water clocks

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

These large projects like aqueducts depended on the abilities of their surveyors, which were world-class. This often a vastly underrated aspect of engineering, but it’s not easy to get the accuracy and precision they achieved without modern laser-survey tools. Their hydraulic engineering was incredible, too, they had to calculate not only slope, volumes, flow rates, etc. but head loss along every stretch of their water delivery systems. Then their overshot water mills in series, brilliant. Their technical abilities were simply amazing.

[@yaasinm]

Roman concrete structures last longer because they didn't use rebar. Rebar makes concrete structures stronger if maintained. But if water gets to the rebar, it rusts and then things start to fall apart.

[@musashidanmcgrath]

Exactly. 'concrete cancer' as it's often called.

[@StoutProper]

It’s never maintained

[@musashidanmcgrath]

Most rebar is rusted before the concrete is even poured. 😂😂

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

I'm pretty sure that another problem with Roman concrete is that it's _really_ slow to set. It can be useful and strong, but the real problem is more that the time that their concrete takes to set is just too slow for modern construction timelines.

[@nela9994]

@@Kevin-jb2pv how long did it take before the Hoover dam finished setting?

[@hoponpop3330]

Years ago we had a massive flood which either wiped out or rendered unsafe almost every bridge in the area except one . My cousin pointed out that bridge was concrete with two arches very similar to a Roman bridge . Coincidence maybe or superior design .

[@nicktamer4969]

Each time we got massive floods in the south of France, only roman bridges survive. It work like this for 2000 years.

[@albertodv2165]

Still standing roman bridges generally last more than the others for three reasons: - they are completely compressed structures, while nowadays we massively use bending (so tension) - rocks and concrete have high resistance to compression - most of the bridges were over-dimensioned for their purpose

[@vitiatedvagabond9632]

romans knew more then, than we do now. show me one concrete structure that has lasted half as long if you want to prove me otherwise.

[@robertrobinson3788]

The germans tried to blow up a Roman bridge in ww2 & couldn't.

[@BigCroca]

@@vitiatedvagabond9632 we know how to build like that if not better, hell we can just copy them. we just choose to build quick and cheap and with 50 year lifespan in mind roughly.

[@pushlooop]

the greatest roman invention was the idea of Civitas, a political system able to include and organize all the local tribes and cities and make them work better with a common purpose

[@tammo100]

What about Roman city planning? Like the Cardo and Decumanus, the organization of the city, standardization of city streets, shopping streets, centralization of services around the Forum, but also things like sanitation, apartment building (Insulae) and pedestrian crossings?

[@Zenmyster]

In the case of Roman concrete, it was an act of genius mixed with blind luck. The Romans found themselves on top of stores of the volcanic ash. An individual or collection of individuals figured out how the ash would go well in mortar. The genius was what Roman engineers used it for.

[@Oliver-tb7ry]

I think there is a lot of genius in try and error and also in recongnizing the advantages of new tryouts.

[@TOM-op2cp]

how did they make this concrete in the East, such as when they built Caesarea?

[@Kreuzrippengewoelbe]

Hohooo! Blind luck because something happened and the romans used it! I can feel your seething, moshe.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

@@Kreuzrippengewoelbe Oy vey such antisemitism! -It's not like the Romans noticed how annoying it was trying to clean away volcanic ash using water.-

[@Daniel-rd6st]

@@Oliver-tb7ry Sometimes try and error is your best choice, even today. A friend of mine studies chemestry (doing her phd right now) and for her degree thesis she spend most of her time in the labratory, testing different materials as catalysts for a certain reaction under different conditions of temperature and pressure. Can be mindnumbing work but sometimes you get lucky and the work pays off.

[@christianscharlau8421]

Great video, thank you very much for your work! Special thanks for including the Pantheon, which is my favourite feat of Roman ingenuity. When you stand inside the building, look up at the massive concrete dome and realize it's been there for something like 1,900 years, it's simply mind-boggling.

[@e-herm2726]

What an incredible beautiful video again Maiorianus‼️♓️♏️ and not to forget the Roman law that I was allowed to study for a whole year in my law degree. The Roman influence and culture has never left me. So impressive. One language and one currency as well as architecture and art. You can see this today in important buildings such as the Capitol, Wall Street, Palaces of Justice, the parliament building in Berlin, theaters and football stadiums etc etc. Nice to connect the past with the present!!👍

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Thanks a lot ! Yes indeed, it is fascinating to think about how strongly ancient roman culture still influences us today. This is a topic certainly worth exploring in a separate video, because the list is so incredibly long :) Thanks for the comment!

[@allie1953]

@@Maiorianus_Sebastian I look forward to a video on this, the Roman influence on later architecture.

[@Daniel-rd6st]

@@Maiorianus_Sebastian It goes down to details almost no one even thinks about anymore. My latin teacher (many years back by now) once asked us if we knew, where the "v" comes from you use, when you check something off. No one knew. Turns out, that Roman teachers and civil servants used to write "videri" on documents they had checked, which means "i have seen". And since people back then were as lazy as people today, they shorted it to just "v", which we use still :-)

[@igolfjtweetler4097]

The glory that was Rome.

[@angeloargentieri5605]

Il più grande e glorioso impero della storia, Roma ha conquistato, dominato, costruito e civilizzato; la grandezza, la potenza e la gloria di Roma è aeterna, Roma invicta et lux mundi 💪💪

[@v.g.r.l.4072]

I share the zest of this brilliant historian for the Roman civilization. I wonder if he has some published works on the subject.

[@patriciapalmer1377]

11) Fast Food. Up at dawn, kitchens were non existent in most of Roman society and after brief morning ablutions, they headed out to grab food on the fly from the tens of thousands of kiosks and vendors both permanent and movable, some with a few tables for seating, most eaten standing, then a shave haircut as needed, and home to receive visitors as patron or on to other labors, women to have their hair dressed, and on to their daily rounds, business was concluded by 2, on to the baths and food eaten there. Wives and slaves purchased food daily for family libations, afternoon main meals and evening entertainments.

[@lucaschiantodipepe2015]

The dislikes are from the Gauls.

[@BonanzaRoad]

Thank you for another fascinating, informative and entertaining video. You are a credit to the memory of the Roman Empire!

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

You have a new subscriber. I also remember, must have been between 1977-83, when there was a river broke it's banks somewhere in Italy and a torrent ensued. The modern bridge was swept away in the flood, the Roman bridge stood it's ground and survived. That is engineering (my father was a structural and civil engineer and always had a great admiration for the engineering works of the Romans). Also their aquaducts were very carefully calculated to have a drop of something like 2.5cm over .5 of a Roman mile or a mile (sorry can't remember the exact distance off hand). Something they would have problems achieving today even with modern technology.

[@laesperanza5408]

One appreciates the sense of awe in the voice of the narrator. As a builder, I know the stress, dimensions and dynamics of the huge loads that Roman structures withstand. It truly is a source of awe. The politics and societal structure are always equally important to myself, but I'll nobly set those aside for the sake of admiring good engineering and construction.

[@kayharker712]

Fascinating - I have never heard of Las Medulas. That really surprised me what went on there. Great show Maioranus. Bravo !

[@Stationary76]

Ok, this is my first video watched on this channel. I am definitely subscribing. Great job. Very interesting. If History was taught like this in schools it would be much more interesting to students.

[@carmofantasmapiu5575]

you have such a beautiful channel, thank you for your work

[@00Murdock]

I feel like if the empire never fell, architecture today would be much better and more appeasing

[@merlinch4256]

My opinion is there are two main differences between roman "concrete" and modern ones: - they used lime, as we use cement. Lime never really dries and so remains (a little) flexible, as cement dries harder and becomes brittle. - Romans didn't use steel bars in their concrete. Steel will rust and thus expand, which in turn will break the hard concrete. Great video, thanks!

[@Avebelivable]

if you have ever mixed pancake batter you will notice some bits don't mix with the water, this concept applied to roman concrete would be a feature not a bug. were something to happen and the concrete crack water would infiltrate and mix with the power allowing the structure to "regenerate" that is the current understanding. I would also assume they just used more than they needed to which we don't do because of the cost.

[@axell964]

There is no one modern concrete, but a LOT of different ones. For most constructions the cheap and halfway decent portlant cement is used, but there are FAR superior modern variants. They just cost a lot more, but would easily hold up to roman concrete. Just have a look at some military bunkers where cost wasn't the driving factor.

[@richardsmith2879]

Fascinating, and yet calming. Your images are brilliant. I know a lot of work went into this.

[@davidnagore725]

I've always wondered if, assuming it's true, that flexible glass might be some sort of synthetic plastic or rubber. Perhaps it was called glass because it was the closest thing to which they could correlate.

[@zoompt-lm5xw]

Maybe but rubber comes from an American plant. I'm more inclined to a form of plastic

[@davidnagore725]

@@zoompt-lm5xw True, but by "rubber" I was referring more to its physical properties than its source materials.

[@colinmcom14]

I saw that there was a scientific paper published indicating a glass with flexible properties would have been possible with the techniques and materials available at the time. I may be a Roman fanboy but I’m inclined to think it’s possible, all the stories about it agree that it was one person who made it so it’s not really likely we would have any physical remains like with mass produced items like clay containers. The Romans were known for their glass of course, it was exported as far as China, and if they could make glass that glows different colors using nanoparticles like the Lycurgus Cup, well a glass that is somewhat flexible also seems to be within the realm of possibility.

[@royalcommoner3873]

@@zoompt-lm5xw Rubber comes from Africa and India and some parts of America. It’s entirely possible they had a form of rubber since they knew of Africa and India and traded with people from these places

[@vickilindberg6336]

It's a good thing stones were massive so they couldn't be recycled, as so many smaller ones were. Again, Love your physical descriptions along with the history. Thanks.

[@parabelluminvicta8380]

Roman civilization was truly ahead of its time even too much. The Greatest Civilization of antiquity.

[@dany3356]

What about ancient Egipt?, they combined technology and real knowledge of spiritual world...

[@parabelluminvicta8380]

@@dany3356 did egypt contribute to the world? no? you have your answer.

[@dany3356]

@@parabelluminvicta8380 , dear comrade, the Egyptians were admired by the Greeks, Plato and many other Greeks traveled to learn their philosophy and "mysteries", the library of Alexandria was the largest pole of knowledge in the ancient world, with its papyrus the Greeks and Romans wrote his books, etc, etc.

[@marin8862]

@@dany3356 Hahha the fact that the library was in Egypt does not mean that it was founded by the Egyptians ... the Alexandrian library was founded and run by the Greeks.both the city and the library were founded and run by the Greeks.

[@dany3356]

@@marin8862 I know the library was made by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, but it was based on previous Egyptian knowledge and libraries, and then evolved. Imagine that the Egyptians had great cities, temples, and a very advanced culture, when the Europeans lived in huts...

[@flamencoprof]

In 1996 I drove around Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Britain. IMO the best Roman engineered "ruins" were in Spain, but the best social "ruins" were Pompeii & Herculaneum. Rome is a plundered wasteland, barring the Pantheon, which is awesome, impressive, and now Catholic, LOL.

[@snerdterguson]

Lol, the Catholic Church is perhaps the worlds most prolific thief of physical property and intellectual "property" Most of the holidays blatantly steal from civilizations that the Catholics would call heathens.

[@ThalesGMota]

The roman empire it’s one great civilizacion of humanity

[@JoseMendoza-jq6pt]

As long as you were no slave!

[@claudioferraro1652]

@@JoseMendoza-jq6pt every civilization of the past had slaves. USA even in modern times

[@toledomarcos70]

My I recommend a book I have read IF ROME HADN'T FALLEN by TIMOTHY VENNING, I think it would give you a lot of ideas for videos on what if you are planning for the future on this channel.

[@paulcapaccio9905]

I’ve read it. Great book

[@jamiemcintosh3030]

Thor cheers and bellows "I KNOW HIM. HE'S A FRIEND FROM WOORRK!"

[@jamiemcintosh3030]

I know him, he's written and published books of essays on alternative outcomes of Roman history (Republic, Pan-Mediterranean Empire, and Byzantine).

[@jamiemcintosh3030]

He goes on the alternative history forum Sea Lion Press.

[@jamiemcintosh3030]

Alexander Rooksmoor has written and published a book called "Byzantium Express", witherin the Byzantines win the Battle of Manzikert 1071.

[@edwelndiobel1567]

By seeing what remains makes me wonder what technologies were lost.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

Metals content in liquid is primarily a function of the chemistry and the residence time. If a liquid is in contact with a liquid for a long time, it will pick up more dissolved metals, especially in an acidic solution, like wine or vinegar, which increases the solubility if the metals. It’s safe to drink wine from a leaded-crystal carafe, for example, if just poured into it, but not if stored in it for a long period of time.

[@BenMichaudB7]

Merci!

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Thanks a lot for your kind donation, I really appreciate it very much :)

[@BenMichaudB7]

@@Maiorianus_Sebastian I love and appreciate very much the research and all the work you do on the Ancient Romans I am 77 years old now and I have been fascinated by Roman history since my early childhood and I will start to tell you support regularly from now on, previously I watched your channel in French but I will start watching it in English in addition to French Long live to you and your channel and I wish you great success in the years to come..

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Thanks again for your extremely kind words and generous support :) Hopefully I can proroduce many more videos in the future for you to enjoy. The French channel should also be updated regularly.

[@sarcasmo57]

I would love to go back and see some of these things.

[@Oliver-tb7ry]

Hey, there are still a lot of things to see. Where are you from?

[@noahfecks7598]

About the possibility of lead poisoning in the water: in ancient times the water usually ran consistently through pipes all day long. In modern times, lead poisoning can be due the water in lead pipes remaining still until someone turns the water on. (That's why they say it's best to let water run for a moment and then use it.) I'm not saying that's 100% fact, but I do see that pop up from time to time when learning about these times.

[@commentfreely5443]

get a water filter. usually modern pipes would only have lead from solder or from some solder in a hot water system.

[@neutralfellow9736]

also modern pipes are pressurized

[@mariahavraham7507]

Did you forget to mention the sewer system of Rome, constructed about 500 bce? And still extant today . A very informed programme, thank-you.

[@00Murdock]

As always a beautiful video, thank you Maiorianus

[@ChapterGrim]

There are a number of civilisations in Europe, the Mediterranean, and Near/Middle East that have shaped humanity in incredible ways: Celtic and Phoenician contributions for instance are often forgotten - but what the Romans and Parthians did with their knowledge was utterly astounding!

[@uberalles9797]

Aryan genious

[@ChapterGrim]

@@uberalles9797 what?

[@peterbellini6102]

Thanks so much...The Romans: still taking us to school all these years later

[@Shane_2022]

Ancient Rome is more advanced than modern Africa, that's something to think about

[@paulfri1569]

Good point

[@gspaulsson]

The one technology they failed to master was stable government. China was also very advanced. They invented paper money, where Roman currency was limited by the availability of precious metals. Paper money has to be backed by a stable state to be accepted.

[@RomaInvicta202]

That is very good point; personally, I believe it's the answer to the question: "why did Roman Empire fell?" Later European states rarely had very talented rulers, but what the had was stability on which they could slowly build the future. This crucial IMO element was always lacking in Rome.

[@justinian-the-great]

I wouldn't agree. The government of the Republic was one of the most stable in history! For 400 years, until Sulla and Marius, Rome managed to have a especially stable government, one that pioneered political advancements that the world had saw saw never before that! To give you the perspective of just how stable that is, let me remind you that no modern day country had spent it's last 400 years without civil wars! That's how stable Roman Republic was!

[@RomaInvicta202]

@@justinian-the-great Yes, I agree But I wasn't talking about early Rome (obviously Rome didn't fell at this time)

[@RomaInvicta202]

@@justinian-the-great However, I think that Republic was a better system of government than empire; although I'm huge admirer of Ceasar and Augustus

[@sanbell6951]

I don't agree. The United States is only 200 years old. Pax Romana was 200 . Look it up.

[@paulredinger5830]

I reckon they didn’t really have problems with the lead pipes because the water didn’t really “sit” in the pipes. The water was always moving. It didn’t sit in the “tap” until you turn it on like we do. I also think that the pipes were probably coated in calcium over time too. That might be one reason they used natural springs for a water source. They’re usually heavy with minerals, especially calcium. But it’s just a educated guess on my part.

[@Dan_Kanerva]

that is so cool , damn... i have always beleived that water should just flow and never stop when it comes to metropolitan pipe systems , but i understand skyscrapers wouldnt be possible

[@chrishoo2]

Thank you for such a great video!

[@mohi6699]

Now make what if Maxentius won at Milvian Bridge.

[@emilnilsson7991]

The thing is that we only know about the things that have been preserved through time to this day, either by accident, coincidence or pure luck... Imagine all the things created by the romans of which not a single specimen has survived to this day! Just look at the "computer", an intricate machine with lots of fragile components. For something like that to survive the fall of an empire and hundreds (possible a thousand?) of years seems unlikely... The one we have survived beacuse the ship carrying went under in a storm...

[@nathanpangilinan4397]

There are two Pre-Modern Civilizations whose survival would have meant we would be exploring the stars and colonizing other worlds right now: The Roman Empire and Song Dynasty China for both were wealthy, advanced, prosperous, and closing on an industrial revolution when they fell.

[@AMR_k400]

U are forgetting the greeks and Muslims (from the islamic golden age)

[@ericdunn9001]

As a mathematician, it's a well known fact that the romans contributed nothing whatsoever and inherited everything from the greeks (you can nit pick but they're pretty obsolete). I'm sure they did the same in other fields as well. I'm not trying to downplay them but it has to be mentioned.

[@paulcapaccio9905]

Another incredible video ! Bravo again !👍

[@chris.asi_romeo]

Excellent documentary 👏👏👏

[@johnmcnulty4425]

It's amazing how much influence and how many remnants of the Roman empire exist in our world today. From the architecture of Washington DC to the use of Latin in legal and medical fields. From the use of Roman numerals to the name of our months, etc. Even New Years on January 1st leads directly to Rome!

[@yawnandjokeoh]

The Roman socio-economic system had a near limitless pool of labor at its disposal, and the skilled craft labor had a social nexus tied into the political process then and there. The industrial revolution in UK/Europe was contingent on lots of historical events. Labor shortages at various times fueled the socio-economic development of labor-saving tech. It’s definitely possible the machine tech could have been seen as a way to expand wealth in Rome, but wealth in its context then probably didn’t seem that difficult for slave owners or adjacent classes. Perhaps future generations will look back at planned obsolescence, or war tech and think why didn’t they use their scientific knowledge solve x y z problems or live in x y z ways

[@randomlygeneratedname7171]

Money is the reason. If the money source gets corrupted then technology and resources will be used in the dumbest of ways possible to just stay in business. Rome has the same financial system.

[@yawnandjokeoh]

@@randomlygeneratedname7171 im not exactly sure what you mean. What do you mean by if "the money source gets corupted"? Do you mean the issuers of money becoming corupted? Like people being corupt because of their role in the economic activity of society is so great? Or do you mean an economic system has a sort of essence or natural state which is corupted? I dont think coruption of individuals adjacent to money in Rome caused a non-application of machinery. Nor do I think some natural economic system broke down internally. Its just that the contingent factors of industrial capitalism are peculiar to that epoch. Rome had its own state of affairs which can be explained in contrast to industrial society. But each society has its own historical contingent features. Not that there is some universal economic ethos which is right for all time.

[@randomlygeneratedname7171]

@@yawnandjokeoh No, I mean the money it’s self gets corrupted. You’ll see dumbest things like sending jobs 10,000 miles away to then ship goods back to the continent and truck it back all because their fake money is pegged cheaper and to just escape ever rising inflation. All the obseolences built in and constant push for consumption to waste resources is not greed but survival. Money is supposed to be a store of value and exchangeable and limited. simple and fair, today it’s a complicated debt based system as it is now as then it’s actually worse now since we have modern digital ability freedom to press numbers and the same corrupted currencies pegged together around the world.

[@ianhobbs4984]

The gold mine reminds me of the Sumerians who mined out a mountain in Oman of Copper. that was then traded back in Mesopotamian Ur and also to the cities of the Indus valley such as Mohenjo Daro and Harrapa so 1500 years before Rome.

[@laggedoff]

worth noting that roman concrete was better in SALT water, not just water, and really only after a long period of time. The porous nature of it, allowed salt in as the waves crashed into it, and over time the salt built up and up, adding to the strength.

[@williamburroughs9686]

Do you have any examples of this poring concreate underwater? I would love to know more.

[@albinlindmark1383]

Great content! Different from your usual style, but still great!

[@Jorge-cf6xk]

I enjoyed this, well done.

[@eucitizen78]

The romans knew very well that lad is poisoned. They also knew that the lime in the water sealed the pipes very fast so that there was no poisoning for the user.

[@oneshothunter9877]

But yet they put lead in their wine to make it taste sweeter. Not sure if they knew how poisonous it really is.

[@adolfvancoller2610]

Fantastic video, well done!

[@debrickashaw9387]

Fun fact, the exit/entry passages in amphitheatres were called "Vomitoriums" in ancient Rome

[@tacticalyeti007]

awesome and informative, thanks for making this one!

[@rockstar450]

#5) Domes: additionally the Hagia Sophia was built in 535 and would remain in Roman hands until 1453 when Turks adopted it into a mosque.

[@oliversmith9200]

Amazing. Fascinating. Relevant.

[@hoponpop3330]

The role of the Cistercian order in contribution to European technological advancements that lead to the industrial Revolution. Their advantage even though they encompasses many countries and their Abbots meet annually to discuss advancements .They spoke a common language Latin. Despite bad press from latter years Europe was the most advanced civilization agricultural, use of water power, and metals.

[@TrangDB9]

In the Convent of Loccum they also figured out a measurement that is a 100'000th of the worlds circumference, precisely. Bernhard von Clervo was their founder and leader plus they cooperated closely with the Templar knights.

[@danesovic7585]

Somebody mentioned that Cisternians originally inspired work ethic that later became associated with Protestant churches.

[@justkris6461]

Subbed👍👍 again a great video

[@lucianoleonetti7864]

The presentation to the emperor of an artifact made of "flexible" or, better, plastic glass (i.e. that can be modeled with a tool without breaking, in particular "with a little hammer" tells "Satyricon"; plastic here is used in the original meaning, "something that can be modeled") and the decision of the emperor to to execute the inventor is also described in Satyricon, believed to be written around 60 C.E.; it is therefore much likely that both Satyricon and Plinius refer to the same event. However, it is also possible that Plinius refers, as the Satyricon explicitely does, a kind of gossip originated in the Imperial court. In fact, Satyricon tells that the emperor asked to the inventor if he was the only one to know the secret of plastic glass and only after confirmation ordered the execution of the inventor. In other words, both Plinius and Satyricon say that there was a single plastic glass artifact ever made and the inventor was promptly executed. They never saw the artifact and when they wrote Tiberius was already dead as well as any other witness of the event. "Fuit tamen faber qui fecit phialam vitream, quae non frangebatur [...] Postquam negavit, iussit illum Caesar decollari [...] . Satyricon (2, 51)

[@Oliver-tb7ry]

Thank you for your addition to the flexible glass!

[@uyhgar369]

The extremely tall water wheels where not the same as a small wheel. They did not provide power. They lifted water. Then it would go into an aqua duct or canals

[@sharonhoerr6523]

Yes, the engineering feats of the Romans were and are still incredible, but the labor was that of their slaves. Some 40% of their population were slaves.

[@marin8862]

10-15%

[@d1c186]

so how is that relevant to the vid?

[@robertplace6131]

Slaves , obviously were used to power the Roman empire , but were subjected to severe Cruelty on a vast scale . Possibly, the rise of Christianity, may have resulted from a gradual recognition and rejection of the systemic barbarity to other human beings ..

[@gavinfoley103]

Watching again. Love this. Thanks.

[@bioliv1]

That water mill complex is the coolest thing I've ever seen! Too Roman knowledge from Toledo in Spain helped sparkle the Renaissance, brought there by the Moors and translated into Latin by the Jews.

[@riccardodececco4404]

the Roman knowledge had not to be translated, as it was already written in Latin or Greek. It was translated not by Jews but by Christians, and translated into Arab - as Arabs neither spoke nor learned Latin or Greek.

[@bioliv1]

@@riccardodececco4404 Yes, first, and in Toledo these Arabic translations were translated back to modern Latin, as Latin writing was advanced during Charlemagne the Great, who invented modern writing style, although he was an analfabet. See " When the Moors Ruled in Europe | Bettany Hughes | When The Muslims Ruled in Europe".

[@bioliv1]

@@riccardodececco4404 By the way, I think the modern writing style invented by the Carolingians was rediscovered at the Renascence, as they during the Dark Ages even forgot this invention during the small pre-Renascence of Charlemagne. So it seems like people forgot about everything during the Dark Ages.

[@riccardodececco4404]

@@bioliv1 I guess you simply have no idea - maybe you should do some research on medieval literature, art, crafts and technology. The medieval cathedrals do not have to shy away from ANY comparison with Roman or Greek architecture

[@bioliv1]

@@riccardodececco4404 I don't need to, as I've seen all episodes of Waldemar Januszczak's documentaries of the Dark Ages. And I see the late Medieval market towns as some of the best urbanism that has ever been, free of feudalism and the citizens managing their own affairs, probably to a larger degree than Roman towns.

[@Dragondan1987]

This video is really good, just need to work on the audio quality and you will do well

[@issith7340]

The greek fire was invented by Greeks. You have to decide: not naming east Roman Empire for good things and byzantine empire for bad things. Was exactly the same state.

[@issith7340]

@Everything you can imagine is real i know what they were calling themselves. I also know what language they were using. And i also know all the definitions of the word: “nation”. Do you?

[@issith7340]

@Everything you can imagine is real hahaha. I think you know.

[@issith7340]

@Everything you can imagine is real i can tell you about the first definition of the greek nation. Back in 5th century bc, the persian king , asked a spartan king (demaratus), who was in his court in exile . Why would the greeks allie between them, against me? Usually they are killing each other. But then demaratus responded: they may fight rach other all the time but if they face a common enemy, they will become a single strong wrist. What will unite them is: 1) same language, 2) same religion, 3) same ethics, and 4) same blood. . So you have the definition of the nation 500 years bc. Now, examples of greek empires of the past: 1) athenian empire, 3) pontic empire,3) alexander’s the great empire, 4) seleucid empire, 5) ptolemaic empire of egypt, 6) hindobactrian empire of india, 7) eastern roman empire , after emperor Heraclius when it was fully hellenised, etc etc, etc. So many examples they won’t fit here.

[@issith7340]

Go and read any reference of the pope or kings of the west, after the great shism, and you’ll find out that they were always calling east roman empire as: “ the empire of the greeks”.

[@marin8862]

It's about Greco-Roman culture ... Rome is the father, the Greek mother.

[@mares3841]

Thank you

[@LordWyatt]

Another great video Dominus. I hope you cover the roads and aqueducts after the fall of the West🤔 I know a few roads were repaired such as in Italy by the Ostrogoths but I was under the impression that they began to degrade quickly with no Imperial Government overseeing them. Also could you cover the naval changes with the fall of the West? Roman naval dominance hadn’t been challenged until the Vandals and new pirates rose in the West. The Eastern Roman navies suffered massive defeats first to the Vandals/traitors or the Arabs when they tried their hand at the Seas.👌

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Salve Amicus ! Thanks and you make some really good video topic suggestions. Excellent stuff, I have noted it down immediately to the insanely long list of future video topics :)

[@LordWyatt]

@@Maiorianus_Sebastian gratias amicus. Greatly appreciated🙏

[@anthonyflores4842]

Crazy good video. Love it. Thx

[@Basta11]

They weren't ahead of their time, but rather we are behind what could have been ours.

[@cynthiadiaz7533]

Impressive. Thank you for this video.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I'd like to point out that the high quality of Roman concrete compared to modern concrete has to do with the expense. Modern concrete is cheap. When engineers demand really high quality stuff, they can get stuff of such high quality and durability it would make a Roman engineer cry. What really makes the Florence Cathedrals' dome truly impressive is the fact that it is a self supporting brick structure. It did not need a wooden scaffolding to support it during its construction.

[@mickeyd4012]

I remember when we started to work on a couple of these projects like it was just yesterday. Good times we had. Good times indeed... 🙂

[@starman4840]

Everyone is talking about "technology technology technology" because they're accustomed to a consumerist society that is always inventing something new, but that's something relatively new. In Roman times, the elites didn't bother with pursuing any feats of technology that weren't directly involved with keeping their wars fought and their citizens at bay. To them, it was always the quality of what they were creating, not the quantity. The Roman emperors would make lifetime wonder projects to contribute their part to Rome's beauty

[@MrDwarfpitcher]

Yeah Romans tended to be quite genius when it came to solving problems. Roman 1: "Hey we have this issue where we want to build stuff but there are a bunch of limitations" Roman 2: "Yeah the mixture just isn't good enough, should we try adding random stuff like volcanic ash?" Roman 1: "Will that work?" Roman 2: "It is worth a try." vs Carthaginians Roman 1: "We quite literally have not much maritime experience except for fishing, how do we force the Carthaginians into a hand to hand fight?" Roman 2: "What if we make a bridge on our ships, that you can drop onto another ship and then fight hand to hand?" Roman 1: "That sounds like a plan that can go horribly wrong in so many ways, lets do it." vs Germans Caesar: "We need to cross the Rhine and show the now retreated invaders that we can and invade if we so please" Soldier: "But sir, it is the Rhine we need to cross, few rivers we know are as dangerous and wide as this one." Caesar: "Just build some advanced cranes that can hammer wooden poles into the bottom of the river"

[@Raooka]

greek 1: sir our enemies are on an island alexander: so turn it into a friggen peninsula

[@Nel33147]

I had read that the Roman’s actually had a mechanical device , steam operated , which opened a gates in the colosseum. Imagine if they had taken it one step further and employed it on a train .

[@hglundahl]

11:24 Totally granted for once. Roman roads are great for the feet, and when they remained in use, that was _the_ best part of the Medieval road system. I walked some stretches on the Camino de Santiago, for instance near Astorga or León (Asturicam or Legionem).

[@hglundahl]

11:39 All if it did not fall, it survived in patches.

[@wasabista1613]

The Roman temple at Baalbek was built over a much more ancient original temple. The giant blocks were not placed there by the Romans but by another civilization many thousands of years older, now lost to us.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

I only found your channel today, subscribed and joined (sadly, I can only afford the lowest-cost level right now). It’s a wonderful channel!

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

Thanks so much for your extremely kind words Kimberly :) They really motivate me a lot! And no worry about joining the Tribunus level, because your support itself means the world to me, and tells me that I should continue making videos on Roman history. I am so glad that you liked the videos on this channel, and hopefully you will also enjoy my future uploads :)

[@BA-gn3qb]

And many Italians haven't taken a bath since the fall of Rome.

[@fabricio-agrippa-zarate]

A funny thing about the Cloaca Maxima is that, even though Romans did amazing deeds of engineering, oddly enough the design of this sewage is not that efficient, but there's a reason for that: ancient Romans were highly superstitious, and any type of body of water was considered somewhat sacred, so they thought they needed to make the Cloaca flow like a river. They went as far as worshipping a deity with its name (Cloacina) and erecting a temple in its honour.

[@christaber5988]

Great video you have a wonderful voice and your knowledge is accurate some people just make a video and make up stuff as they go along

[@GoranXII]

Roman had lots of technology, but like many large empires, it grew stagnant.

[@bobjackson4720]

Very interesting well researched and presented subject.

[@lucazazzarini3376]

Mining so extremely that entire mountains collapse is insane.

[@kimphilby7999]

Yes,there wasn't any ecological organizations back then. And that was for their own good,if we have to extract a conclusion,from the "flexible glass" story 😂

[@alva72nashir3]

bulding with great geometrical approach

[@brandtbecker1810]

Unfortunately Rome's greatest weakness was the inability to come up with a way to transfer governmental power in an orderly and peaceful manner. In other words, they were in a seeming continual state of civil war. Fighting so much among themselves left the way open for foreign conquest. In fact, in the later Empire, most of the Roman military was actually made up of Germanic tribesmen and even they were constantly fighting one another. Perhaps had a way been found to have saved the Republic, maybe things might have turned out differently. Absolutism just didn't work in the long term. And, when you add that to a super-corrupt Preatorian Guard who often set themselves up as "kingmakers" - well, you get the point.; they destroyed themselves from within. The Germanic tribes merely took advantage of an opportunity which was basically handed to them.

[@winstonsmith11]

Sounds like the direction the US is currently headed.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

@@winstonsmith11 Not even close. Not until the Secret Service gets pardoned by the President for "taking care" of the last President, and we have another civil war while being invaded during a pandemic.

[@nela9994]

As usual the “nerds” of the time had great ideas, and could pull off great things, but management really didn’t care about those things, as long as they were in power, and could get their luxuries, and slight the other folks in management. An example not mentioned here, they had refrigeration, such that, on the hottest days, those in management could have flavored ices.

[@johnconcerto8721]

Incredible video. Thanks for making it.

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

🎁 The full list of perks we offer to our patrons: www.patreon.com/Maiorianus

[@paulcapaccio9905]

I bought the making of medieval Rome Anew prime of the city 400-1420 by hendryk Dey It s more up to date than the krautheimer

[@SeaJay_Oceans]

Well, the fall of the Roman Empire - hits home the need to make thousands of redundant backups. Libraries, Universities, Schools, and Temples replicating all basic culture, writing, learning, technology, agriculture, music, and the Arts. Solid Education of as many people as possible spreads language, culture, religions, arts, music, engineering and technology. Learn from history's mistakes ! :-)

[@LREY888]

Loved todays video.

[@Maiorianus_Sebastian]

@@LREY888 Thanks so much for your kind words Lukas :)

[@petermages9482]

Have you heard of the industrious style char coal making they discovered in today Germany? Ground penetrating radar found it...