Roman Citizen Describes Ancient Ireland and Thule // Edge of Known World // 7 BC Strabo Geographica

Here we have the Greek and likely Roman Citizen Strabo describing the edge of the world as Rome knew it in the first century, the windswept island of Ierne - and even further than that, the legendary island of Thule. Surrounded by a 'sea-lung', an impenetrable mix of solid and liquid, Thule and "Ultima Thule" later became synonymous with the furthest point north on the map.
If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the Patreon and join up!
patreon.com/voicesofthepast
This video is part of Vikings Month - so please check out these other excellent videos:
• VIKINGS MONTH - DECEMB...
Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
- Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
- Don’t forget to subscribe to my brother's channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:-
/ historytime
- Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
- Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Hello all! If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the Patreon and join up :) patreon.com/voicesofthepast

[@kareemtheeb1478]

Hey, Can you do one on the Chinese Du Huan about the Abbasid Chaliphate? Love your channel❤.

[@chrisduff9266]

What's the name of that opening peice of music,I hear it in alot of vids!

[@marcusallgood5198]

Sorry I won't work with Patreon. I don't like the way their representatives speak about people like me.

[@mrmarmellow555]

@@chrisduff9266 Yea that Music ist So Nice Mate?

[@mrmarmellow555]

@@marcusallgood5198 Hey:) YES He should start an YTube MEMBER's Option Aye!! So sorry to hear that! I don not REmember?? hearing No nastiness or even subverted racism when I had interaction wit thier Media Aye?( Whatz the main Probb Mate? 🤔🤗🙋

[@brodieknight772]

I really admire how this Roman guy makes it clear that his sources are unreliable, and he doesn't know everything, to stop the spread of false information.

[@Republic3D]

Journalists today could learn a thing or two from him.

[@ScottStratton]

R3D so could almost everyone today.

[@l0ngjump637]

And jet most people don' listen to thoose disclaims they just listen what they want. If you don't know don't speak about it you can skip it.

[@Daylon91]

But people take many things they hear as fact so it would still spread but not because of what he said but what people thought of it

[@brodieknight772]

@@Daylon91 true, but at least he was trying. More than many, many people can say for themselves both today and on the past

[@bravepart]

*Is Irish, excited to hear Ancient Accounts of my home* Seconds Later.. OH GOD OH MOTHER OF WHHHYYYY

[@davidec.4021]

Lmaooo

[@Gallboynarossan]

Don't take any of this verbatim. Roman sources talk some amount of shite

[@xandercorp6175]

@Lt Fuckwit Actually the Roman accounts of China are mostly pretty flattering or neutral. If you want to hear a historian shit on a foreign culture you should listen to that one Islamic historians shitting on the Northern Rus.

[@Lusitani74]

Don't worry he basically described all of western european peoples besides the romans as cannibals...

[@BluJean6692]

To split the difference: it's plausible that out of a thousand tribes there were a handful of cannibalistic ones. The cannibals got more attention because they present a danger and make for thrilling tales. If you go back far enough in time cannibalism has been practiced pretty much everywhere that humans have been, it's just that societies seem to abandon it more commonly than not, even when still at the hunter-gatherer level of economy.

[@judgeholden849]

Damn, the Irish have been getting shit on as far back as 7 BC

[@cahilla54]

Aw those were the good old days

[@utzius8003]

I guess certain peoples are just constantly screwed over by history.

[@judgeholden849]

@@utzius8003 they actually had a pretty good run... 12000+ years of peaceful sovereignty until they ran into British Imperialism a few hundred years ago... and again with Neo-Liberalism 15 years ago... It is a real shame that it doesn't look like their race is going to exist in Ireland much longer

[@O3177O]

@@judgeholden849 just listen to your lol

[@johnmulligan7609]

@@judgeholden849 knob head !

[@TheZapan99]

When Pytheas compares sea ice to sea lungs, he means that floating ice slush had the consistency of a jellyfish.

[@BritishJamaican777]

Or it could have been sea moss. "Cant sail in it, cant walk in it". Moss was plentiful around Ireland at the time

[@TheZapan99]

@@BritishJamaican777 Unlikely, Pytheas specifically describes the water gaining a slush consistency, his brethren would not have doubted his account if he'd only described a type of seaweed they were unfamiliar with.

[@timomastosalo]

It'a funny to hear, but then again the Southern Europeans didn't have the experience of all what ice can be. But for a modern European it's fascinating there were such vast differences perceived in Europe. Well, I guess 3 zones can be detected in Europe: the subarctic& arctic north (diminishing by the global warming) & the sunny Mediterranean winelands are very different. And then the central European belt combines their features, creating the continuum. Funny how this ancient reporter said there's no 'pure' sunshine :)

[@redacted9506]

Thank you, I was wondering if that was a metaphor

[@audhumbla6927]

no. he would obviously understand that ice is ice. land, water and air doesnt seize to exist just because you see some ice. he was clearly talking about something else, dont asdume they where as dumb as you.

[@WarDogMadness]

This sounds like he never went there and just asked the Welsh to discrbe them. They were probably taking the piss as they do

[@belstar1128]

Thats how most historians did things back then there was one guy who could write who would ask people who could not write questions about what happened in certain places.

[@WarDogMadness]

@@belstar1128 at this time historians wernt really a thing they were more personal diaries that historical fact with the idea of telling a good story than truth . we call them historians now but i doubt they would call themselves that.

[@WarDogMadness]

@coinínbán cessair a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland and the bible and biblical stories from the middle east have nothing to do with western history. they are fiction spread by the church which took over, as for the pagan elites were not the same as the judochristan kabul's that controlled the narrative after the church took over roman empire . the archaeology evidence shows native skeleton burials before 2000 bc and the celts from germany colonise ireland in 500 bc . 300 bc theres a lavish grave mound of a egyptian princess found . ireland has constant movement of people from gaul, germania, iberia and the mediterranean.

[@WarDogMadness]

@J T southern danish northern french,german ,iberian are all indistinguishably have the germanic haplogroups r1b. if you talking about ogham that's a symbol to meaning system like kuneform or sanskrit, yes they spoke a proto gaelic . the irish are a cousin family of the celtic group, the irish are as much proto indo European as all the other groups of the british isles and western europe. having something older doesn't mean first it's just the oldest one they've found to date the dna from that area of the british isles are the same north iberian male corpse there isn't much of defining features,useal differences are the diseases were prone to ..... the bible isn't a great base for historical fact is, what i'm saying same as many 2nd to 3rd hand accounts. our language we are speaking now is norman latin english no one speaks the old tongue and hasnt for years and this been plenty of changes. a celtic wave migration is similar to the saxon one it's not a sudden event or least that how it's described along rough events dates.

[@WarDogMadness]

@J T this is a interpretation language of protoeuropean kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWjOqaCZr55qZ6c

[@SrFreire89]

Despite the claims that he lied, Pytheas was the first to describe the artic and the Midnight Sun among other thing, he kinda reminds me of Hanno. His voyage was in fact plausible. Too bad his writings were lost. The hole thing is a great plot for a movie or series.

[@Haru23a]

Yes, it's just lies in my eyes

[@Haru23a]

@Evi1M4chine So u think he found Antartika after UK but didn't tell about polar bears, penguins, and white tigers? Duh.

[@obscureoccultist9158]

@@Haru23a You do realize that Antarctica and the arctic are two different places right? Polar bears and penguins don't even live in the same continent. Penguins live in the Antarctic while polar bears live in the arctic. Also it's quite plausible to travel through the arctic without ever running into polar bears. Such as Scandinavia where a good portion of the land mass passes through the arctic circle while also not being within the range of the historic polar bear population, also what the hell do you mean by white tigers?

[@Haru23a]

@@obscureoccultist9158 Stoopid nonscence what doesn't even understand white tigers - it's just a tiger whats get white fur cos Antartika is full of snow. This is a big island at the top of the world after Britain, Scotland and Norway. It is 6 months night and 6 months day so 1 year equals to 1 day. What I am telling is nobody was 2 that place from Greece. First personage to go to the very top of the world was Captain Cook. Educate urseself. Duh.

[@obscureoccultist9158]

@@Haru23a ok I see. It has become very clear you have a crippling lack of education. Ok starters, Tigers have never lived in Europe. Both modern or historical for that matter. Secondly, the Antarctic is located in the South pole! You know, the place south of Australia? What we're talking about is the Arctic. You know, the land North of Canada and Scandinavia and before you say anything. People have been there before. There called the Inuit and if they managed to live there. Then its possible for a person from the Mediterranean to manage a trip up there.

[@Hrabns]

“But I am saying this with the understanding I have no trustworthy witnesses” Aka the ancient way of saying, “I have no clue what happens over there and this is likely completely inaccurate.”

[@nakenmil]

I just learnt: a "sea lung" is an archaic term for a jellyfish. When he says that at the edge of the world, the elements blend together to a substance like a sea lung, he's saying that it becomes gelatinous or something like that. Kind of a cool image, actually.

[@OscarOSullivan]

That is interesting

[@simtexa]

I've seen some suggestions that this is basically just a description of the slush of sea ice in the North Sea, which is entirely possible since something like that would have been completely alien to people living in the Mediterranean.

[@nakenmil]

@@simtexa oh, that's very interesting!

[@slave2damachine]

i ate my dad with some fatha beans and a pint of guiness

[@Nonviableaccount]

‘Fatha beans’ is the best writing I’ve seen in weeks.

[@thebrocialist8300]

*No One:* *Strabo on the Inhabitants of Ireland:* 🎶 ‘Sweet Home Alabama!’ 🎶

[@hunternichols9463]

Lol to be fair Strabos description of Ireland is mostly based on hearsay instead of actual fact 😂

[@davidegaribaldi1503]

@@hunternichols9463 yeah he said so

[@apcolleen]

DUUUUVALLLL. LERP. My mom went to school with Lynyrd Skynyrd. My mom was a square though

[@eiranoconnor9768]

Given the level of blarney we Irish are capable of, we probably spread the cannibal myth ourselves, to put the fear of God into our enemies 😉

[@tednugent8501]

Sounds about right man.

[@tonyconnolly5385]

Or it could be true

[@eiranoconnor9768]

Tony Connolly anyone feeling peckish 😉

[@Carewolf]

Had the Irish even arrived in Ireland from Spain according to Irish legends at this point?

[@eiranoconnor9768]

Carewolf I don’t know where you got that from but there are remains of settlements in Ireland as far back as the Stone Age, 7000 BC

[@soulewh]

Ancient Roman writers, more scientific and skeptical than modern Facebook posters

[@RicArmstrong]

I wonder if Thule could have been Iceland? 🤔

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

Doubt it there was no people on iceland back then as far as we know.

[@ofthecaribbean]

@@thenextshenanigantownandth4393 No, there where. There is evidence of it being settled by the Irish. But they left for some reason. Before the Vikings

[@RicArmstrong]

@@ofthecaribbean Exactly what I was thinking.

[@thebrocialist8300]

Of the Caribbean They probably we’re trying to avoid the buggering their later (enslaved) countrymen received after the Wikings settled those lands.

[@Dragon_Kin]

isle of man most likley no 1 on iceland at that time

[@danielkellyuk]

Strabo thought that Ireland was to the north of Britain, Tacitus thought it was between Britain and Iberia. Moral of the story: never ask a Roman for directions.

[@kevinclass2010]

They made all roads going to Rome to never get lost

[@gabkoost]

Technically, they can be both right and wrong at the same time. Depends on the interpretation of the maps.

[@stefanalexanderlungu1503]

Isn't Ireland between Britain and Iberia?

[@PanglossDr]

@@stefanalexanderlungu1503 No

[@hellomoto2084]

​@@stefanalexanderlungu1503Iberia is modern day Spain and Portugal . Ireland is West of island of Britain and south of Scotland. There ars two Irelands , one is called as Derry or Ulster or northern island, it's a part of great Britain it's capital is Belfast and many funny businesses have taken place there. While republic of Ireland the actual Ireland is the country wholly absolutely and totally independent of Britain and it's capital is Dublin I guess .

[@Difficultfuckhead]

Love your work. You really bring these voices to life.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Thanks!

[@Republic3D]

Thule is interesting. It's not Norway and Sweden. Those were recognized by the Romans as various Germanic tribes, including the Goths. It could be Greenland. At least today, Greenland is connected with the word Thule. As in Thule Air Base in Northern Greenland.

[@steinijg]

We also have a beer called Thule in Iceland. It's a terrible beer...

[@lukasw689]

It could possibly be the Faroes or Iceland but that is unlikely since I'm pretty sure the earliest human evidence in both places were from monks around the 6th century

[@belstar1128]

Maybe it is one of the islands north of Siberia like Novaya Zemlya.

[@jesseberg3271]

It's been suggested that it may have been the Orkney or Shetland isles, but no one really knows.

[@ScottStratton]

My guess it is an amalgam of several different accounts from diverse sources but all takes of places very far north. You figure most of the time, a story told about such a place by a non-Roman, when heard by a Roman, the Roman would assume it was Thule. Romans didn’t have the same understanding if the article circle as we do now, so everything far enough “North” of the lands known to Rome could be Thule. Just my conjectures though; I only know what I have heard on the channel and read about.

[@alexandrevan-bakel2957]

Cannibalism was common among warlike tribes especially those who headhunted like the Celts. A man taking his sister in law after the death of his brother was pretty much the norm in ancient times also. The Romans saw everyone as barbarous, what is hilarious is that over 1500 years later the French historian Voltaire described the Irish in the same manner.

[@gm6719]

We the Greeks saw any non Greek speaker as a barbarian based on the sound of their spoken languages and not based on their customs and traditions.

[@ariaxrose1]

Could we still be cannibalistic? 🫢

[@TypicallyThomas]

You should read from Lebor Gabála Érenn, and tell the stories of Irish mythology. There may not be any direct sources and what we do have is fairly spotty and adapted by English scribes, but it's still interesting enough to talk about

[@Engehaugen82]

Thule is the farthest north location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shetland, northern Scotland, the island of Saaremaa (Ösel) in Estonia,[and the Norwegian island of Smøla. Thule was frequently identified with Norway.

[@MultiAlanR]

We're not that weird in Ireland any more, honest! I grew up on the east coast, north of Dublin. There were reports a few years ago of Roman artifacts found. A few Roman soldiers might have came over for a visit

[@RicArmstrong]

Some Roman soldiers wanted a few pints of Guinness probably 😉

[@theghosthero6173]

@@RicArmstrong their was probably no more than a fishing hut in Dublin's place before the Norse founded the island, so sadly they probably didn't share one in a chill PUB

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

@@theghosthero6173 Well the Romans did map the area which is now Dublin as Eblana polis, so it must have been of some interest for them to note it as one of the capitals of the island, so clearly there was more there then just a few fishing huts.

[@theghosthero6173]

@@thenextshenanigantownandth4393 really? Damn I was miss informed

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

@@theghosthero6173 I'm not denying that what we now consider Dublin was established by Vikings, but the Romans did map the area to be a capital of Ireland, so the area must have had some significant power sway for the Romans to note it down. There is also a Roman fort outside of Dublin called Drumanagh, but its purpose is a mystery, whether it was a military strong hold or just a trading post is not known, I reckon it was a trading post, but you never know. The site has only recently been allowed to be excavated after decades of legal dispute. I reckon they tasted our whiskey and decided not to invade us because it was so damn good.

[@benv5798]

Video should be titled "Ancient Roman slanders the Irish"

[@chadcollins6068]

This reporting is as accurate and reliable as a 6th grader who obviously didn't read the novel before writing his book report. Kind of like the mainstream media of today

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

How little Ireland has changed in 2000 years.

[@Fiddling_while_Rome_burns]

@gary o'leary Not with Irish cooking.

[@lolihitler4198]

good to know that ireland hasnt changed since ancient times

[@360MandaloreX]

Browsing KZbin as I wait for my neighbours arm to defrost.

[@thomas5714]

Just love hearing a British accent voice over a Roman citizen calling the natives of Hibernia "man eaters" - the dude should head over to Windsor castle for diner to meet the royal cannibals.

[@seanredmond3112]

Explain yourself

[@seanredmond3112]

@Susan Moran makes no sense, I could call them a few things but cannibals?? Anyway, the main point the Roman is making is the harsh terrain and dangerous tribes weren't worth the trouble.

[@irgendeinerirgendwo8420]

@Celtic Phoenix Can't tell if serious or sarcasm

[@BluJean6692]

I can't get over Pythias struggling to describe ICE!

[@LucaTheGuide]

Any other civilization badmouthed slightly: *substantially visible dislikes* "Irish people eat people and find it honorable to eat the corpse of their dead fathers, and engage in X and Y crazy things" while Irish music plays: *very few Irish dislikes*

[@davidelinmortal]

Your videos are pure gold. Keep it up!

[@VoicesofthePast]

Thanks buddy!

[@adamcoleman4001]

Thanks for another great video, love this stuff

[@The_Sigillite]

I can't image why I, in particular, found the first part of this so hilarious.

[@declanokeeffe84]

If Strabo was alive today he'd most certainly be working for the Daily Mail or Express.

[@devvv4616]

i love this ancient explorers. feels like they're always talking about fantastical lands lol

[@TheCarDetailingChannel]

Subscribed!! History and Finance are my 2 favorite subjects to continually learn more about.

[@KB4QAA]

YAC: Sounds like the Hanseatic League would be right up your alley!

[@tednugent8501]

I like these so much.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Thanks Ted!

[@gabkoost]

Do Strabo description of Iberia and Iberian tribes!

[@BeeCurious44]

There is a Thule Island on google maps, next to Cook Island in Southern Thule, you have to zoom in close to see it, there seems to be a huge crater on the top of the peak.

[@claudiamarianidamato9499]

I love history so much . So amazing

[@fightermma]

Nice body but why did you use that as your background pic?

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

marsallia is marseille right? I remember the name being slightly different back in the day as it started off as a greek colony

[@TheZapan99]

Pytheas sailed to explore the north and Euthymenes the south (down to the mouth of the Senegal river). Today, both of them are honored by statues on the front of the Palais de la Bourse, as the first heroes of the city.

[@sergeant_chris6209]

Massalia (Μασσαλία) in Greek

[@__prometheus__]

Yes that’s correct. (Only reason I know was playing Imperator 😆)

[@bugzyhardrada3168]

Hey Remember that channel TheThuleanPerspective and how youtube had him removed for criticising the swedish ban on particular runes and norse symbols..... Kinda miss old Varg's videos

[@RafaelCosta-oi3be]

Bugzy Hardrada Sweden banned runes??

[@lizzardking4859]

Can you elaborate on that? What signs were censored and why?

[@russelljt3525]

Good video. Please do more accounts of Pytheas describing the British Isles if possible (I understand the source texts are lost?)

[@ValensBellator]

I always thought the description Pytheas gave of northernmost stretches sounded remarkably like the icy, slushy waters of the arctic. It fits quite well to me imo, and could be relaying what other people described who’d been up there.

[@markuspfeifer8473]

I wish more ancient historians had qualified their propositions with „I have no trustworthy eyewitnesses“

[@tommyx9309]

Really interesting listening to this as a Irishman myself, mad what they thought back then but who knows they could be right.

[@a1n9t8o9]

Interesting the name of this place the ancient Romans gave to it and much later was the name of the culture/people who predated the modern Inuit. Could this be related to the Thule people who later inhabited Greenland? Curious connection of wording anyway.

[@kevinclass2010]

Probably no. To get to Greenland, you have to go through Iceland first.

[@iapetusmccool]

That wasn't their own name though, that was just what modern anthropologists called them there was also a culture that was named the "Dorset culture", but they didn't have any connection with the English county.

[@JanoTuotanto]

.. they pound it out in large storehouses" Riihi mainittu! Torilla tavataan!

[@JanoTuotanto]

That is a description of the Baltic-Finnish drying barn. This is homeboy territory.

[@cadepope4093]

So Thule isn't in the arctic circle because they likely would've called it Hyperborea on account of it's 'never-ending' day/night cycle.

[@nickkoo6358]

Man eating Irish, intriguing

[@anasevi9456]

accusations of cannibalism and incest are a commonly chucked at them during prechristian times, was common hearsay thrown at remote tribes even if oft repeated. but more historically reputed is reports of Catholic and occupying English lords having the devils own job getting the irish to stop marrying their nieces up till the 14th century. They did this for the same reason as the Hapsburg's, keeping family land form being married away.. but yeah it was a thing.

[@Difficultfuckhead]

@Jay See Gowan ya boy ya!

[@Difficultfuckhead]

@Joe Blambato jr Mixed salad for all! Dine on my black hole!

[@Difficultfuckhead]

The memory is in the DNA. It belongs to the land...

[@Difficultfuckhead]

@Joe Blambato jr If you don't like it and you feel like you don't belong,...just fuck off while the going is good. The genes are getting switched on...

[@draziraphale]

Isn't the Scots Gaelic for Iceland "Innis Tile" which literally Isle of Thule? So I don't think that Thule's location is unknown. Interestingly, it isn't the Irish Gaelic word, which may be consistent with it being further from Ireland than from Scotland.

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

There wasn't any Gaelic Scottish back then.

[@thenextshenanigantownandth4393]

@Michael Halligan Gaelic refers to old Irish. Irish and Scottish are descended from old Irish hence Irish-Gaelic.

[@Mr-E.]

Very interesting insight Patrick. I wish there was more discussion what you said about Thule rather than nitpicking on the Gaelic labeling.

[@slainemccool2875]

The Irish brought gaelic to what is now Scotland

[@andanssas]

2:53 if Thule's "sea lungs" weren't proper land and couldn't be sailed or walked upon, could they have been ice sheets? Or a "substance" like ether?

[@colinp2238]

Ice bergs?

[@chrisduff9266]

More stuff on Ireland!!!

[@christophercoffey4231]

I think the person visiting Ireland was in a magical place called Cavan.

[@goon143]

May Santa fill yer stockings one and all . Ho Ho Ho

[@andrewg.carvill4596]

The further you got from Rome (Caput Mundi): 1. The worse the food. 2. The fouler the weather. 3. The more barbaric the barbarians. So when you'd got a certain distance from Rome it payed better just to build a wall and keep the buggers out. Interestingly, the Chinese had the same idea around the same time.

[@christineshields3653]

This guy later reincarnated as Gerald of Wales

[@johnpatrick5307]

yeah - and he was a right basket to the Irish. But it turns out the Welsh aren't really Celts, anyway!... - they were colonised by Anatolian famers in about 1000BC! (see: Mass migrations to Britain in the Late Bronze Age). Its the Irish who have the only Celtic country!

[@Ream44]

"Man-eaters", etc. Could that be just hearsay, as well as a reflection of the prejudices of the time? I believe that the Romans considered themselves to be the height of civilization, while all other peoples were barbaric. Also, I don't understand what the writer meant by "sea lungs". Is that a mistranslation? Or perhaps he saw some frozen material with various matter in it, that he had never seen before, and was just trying to find words to describe it.

[@einzelfeuer_2855]

If even the roman historian admits it could just be bullshit in his own text you can feel free to discard it.

[@Ream44]

I look at it as an "us versus them" mentality. Unfortunately, we have a lot of that going on now too.

[@belstar1128]

I think a lot of people in the southern parts of Rome probably never saw snow or ice and the irish did have human sacrifice but there is no evidence of cannibalism. But there is proof that very early cultures in the Neolithic in europe did practice cannibalism but that was no longer a thing by the time the first proper civilisations started.

[@einzelfeuer_2855]

@@belstar1128 The "human sacrifice" was typically ritual killings of those who were considered criminals and deviants and such. It was possibly a form of primitive capital punishment.

[@universalis8208]

@Crystal Dreams What? You do understand that cannibalism is still actively reported in Africa, right? LMFAO, mastered slavery - sell slaves to caucasians -- wait a few hundreds years -- blame caucasians -- completely disregard that every culture and people group ever has the same aspects of the past -- profit? A step by step guide to your stupidity. Between the years 1000-1300 (Undoubtedly much before) even, many African nations had enslaved 1/3 of their own population rofl

[@dantecaputo2629]

And that was the moment the Irish and Italians decided they hated each other.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Dante Caputo 😂 they just started talkin shit for no reason.

[@glx4909]

they don't hate each other. (?)

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

glx490 Have you ever been to the East Coast(America)? The two groups don’t really get along. It started in the late 1800’s, right after the Civil War ended and the Irish that were conscripted into Lincoln’s army were given citizenship. Shortly afterwards, large waves of Italian immigrants started coming to America and were placed into the same slums the Irish were made to live in, leading to the two ethnic groups clashing over the limited resources and jobs available to them. Once criminal organizations like the Maffia and Irish Mob started up, it furthered the conflict between the two as either organization already bore racial prejudice toward the other. It’s kinda a big thing. And there was already some historical issues between the races from the nautical era of European expansion, as both races were frequently hired as crew on exploratory vessels due to their cultural affinity toward sailing. This led to the typical “No! My people are better at “blank” than your people are.” argument that happens whenever you have two distinct groups preforming the same task.

[@prigual2901]

the 'Romans' weren't just from Italy or Rome, but from most of the places they conquered, soldiers, traders or Roman citizens, so it's not what is Italy nowadays. regards

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

P Rigual Romans actually considered themselves a distinct group from the Italians, and for much of Rome’s reign, the Italians were considered second class to true Romans. But for the purposes of this joke, they’re all Italian.

[@colinp2238]

Maybe Thule is Shetland, Orkney or The Faroes?

[@hotcargirl]

Jurgen Spanuth has done what is probably the most unbiased, thorough research on this topic. "Atlantis of the North" is extremely informative. Don't let the title deter you. This is a straight forward approach using the texts of the ancients, science, archaeology and more.

[@recode4967]

ok, now we know about Thule... but how about ULTIMA THULE, is Meteion still there somewhere in the ultimate edge of known world?

[@Johnmightbehere]

That is the same place.

[@MartinUToob]

Thule sounds like it might have been an ice pack or sheet. ❄

[@DanCooper404]

They got their drink from grain and honey? Sounds like beer and Mead to me! :-)

[@italia689]

"Where there are grain and honey, people get their beverage from them." B.K.A. "BEER!"

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Mead

[@salishseas]

Fascinating.

[@deeppurple883]

Sea lungs, must be taking about the bogs. Maybe even about how they are made and what they can be used for. 🤔☘️

[@porkchopspapi5757]

At 3:00, he is describing frosty mist?

[@murat_yurttas]

Lack of sunshine!

[@Crafty_Spirit]

"Its breadth greater than its length" 😂😂😂

[@chissstardestroyer]

I, as an ethnic Celt, am sure glad the Irish and Scots were converted to Catholicism, as the primitive religious beliefs of the Celts were *weird* to say the least, as well as customs!

[@chissstardestroyer]

@Lug Lamhfhada Regardless, and mind thee , I do have reason to believe some of your claim is true; I also know the beliefs of the Celts were beyond pathetic in the wrong way, prior to conversion to Catholicism... and knowing what I do know of them, I'd not put it past my ancient or classical-era kin to do dumb stuff. For crying out loud, they worshiped trees, the fools! That, above all, is why I am glad to be a cradle Catholic of that ethnicity, for once we accepted His teachings, we never left, no matter the persecutions the English foisted upon us, including but not limited to practical slave-labor at times and mass-exportation to serve as laborers for their colonies, we clung even tighter to those teachings the British government traitors had hated us for holding to.

[@titebuoy]

Thule Air Force Base is located on Greenland

[@fitz3540]

It's almost like this account has been around for a while, and people may have read it....

[@lallyoisin]

Could you imagine the stories the Irish were telling going the other way in more ways than many! Saints and scholars because we were small??

[@meetrasurrik6982]

This is a very accurate description of Ireland

[@byrne8509]

not at all actually alot is just baseless nonsense

[@irish7460]

Sounds like he was introduced to some good auld Irish humour.

[@David-lu4gq]

Could Thule possibly be the Shetlands, or the Orkney's? I don't know if Iceland was populated at this date.

[@kevinclass2010]

It wasn't until the early 1000s AD. Probably he was taking about Scotland

[@mirzaahmed6589]

@@kevinclass2010 The Icelandic parliament, the Althing, was established in 930. Iceland was settled in 874.

[@Worldwidewhat-wb]

Sea lungs sounds like swamps or bogs or quick sand

[@MimiYouyu]

"Its breath being greater than its length", wrong , from the get go 🤣.

[@flamencoprof]

The Thule description of a place where sea, land and mist are sometimes indistinguishable sounds like the Eastern Scandinavian coast to me; all those fjords and such.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

"Concerning this island I have nothing to tell. Except that it's inhabitants drink and fight"

[@rathcooleposse]

Yawwwwwwwn

[@jozz2248]

Sea lungs? ...this almost sounds like a work of fiction. Either that or the mystery still a bounded

[@TheSirBrainbug]

Jellyfish?

[@1headphoneguy]

Awfully strange things were always said about Ancient Ireland and Scotland. Whats even stranger is that the Romans sent expeditions to both regions and none ever came back! God knows what the Romans really thought about the unexplored areas of the Isles!

[@thoroughgoodjenkins3111]

Thule maybe Hy-Brasil ??

[@tonybuckley6413]

wouldn't it have been submerged even by then though ?

[@AnthonySforza]

I was thinking of that as well, but then also considered that it was most likely underwater around this time. With the spire poking out, like it does now.

[@BelcarrigFarm]

Hy brasil is to the southwest of ireland. Thule is far north of Scotland

[@kevinamaral5816]

Anti-Irish slander!

[@shanemcdowall]

I believe Thule is pronounced " Too -leh ". And Pytheas is "Pith-ee-us".

[@Krushurpants]

what if he was lied to just like many merchants did so that others wouldnt profit from the mines and trade routes to ireland

[@Aurora2097]

Well there are a few archaeologic findings from the british isles which suggest ritual cannibalism, and there are some weird old irish marriage cuatoms and exaggerated stories from mythology... so Strabo did not make these things up... he admits that his sources are uncertain, he just took the exaggerated and anecdotical for the common thing, which probably was not the case.Are we really better today?

[@jesseberg3271]

So I guess the sticky stuff that isn't land or sea or sky is the ice cap, right?

[@liammeech3702]

Looking at the map of Thule, it looks like Iceland

[@llamallama1509]

More likely Orkney or the Shetlands. The Romans were mostly coastal sailors, getting to Iceland seems beyond what they were capable of.

[@jaymevosburgh3660]

Perhaps Thule was what we now know ov as Iceland, or a lower area ov Norway?

[@Victor_aeternus002]

Probably Norway, since Iceland wasn't settled yet by the time of this account. Also because the coast of Norway fits the description of a place where there is little sunlight, a lot of rain and a place where sea and land meet.

[@irishrose90]

It's true. We do eat people. 🙂😂😂

[@mihaiflaviusuhani5887]

Does the Thule company take its name from folklore?

[@wms72]

Hearsay, but less false news than today.

[@thesnudge1]

Please do a podcast!

[@gearoiddom]

Druids and their religion were in Gaul and Britannia. There is no archaeological evidence or contemporary accounts to my knowledge of Irish druids. There are some references in folk tales of draoithe (singular draoi) in the pre-Christian era but they are not priest-like characters, merely sorcerers doing things like water divination or healing. In modern Irish draoi means wizard.

[@wzupppp]

Damn leprechauns

[@Methodius7]

Of course they ate men there were no potato's in Europe at that time.

[@finneire2081]

If they could not conquer Scotland why would they come to Ireland They had met the Gaels in parts of Scotland were the Gaels attacked them The romans knew of their fearless courage in battle and the stories of magic from the Druids. They had also seen Gaelic bodyguards In Egypt . Why would they not set up a naval port in the north east of Ireland to attack Scotland. Because the parts of Scotland that the Irish Gaels were in argyle and the likes were the places they would not date enter . Romans fear of the people and the place gave rise to their excuses not to enter its to cold wet and savage and so forth

[@nickshomehacks]

I've always wondered how closely related the Iberians/celts were.

[@carolgebert7833]

I suspect that the Welsh and Cornish are related to Gallic Celts, but Irish Celts were late invaders from Spain, who pushed the Picts into Ulster. I suspect this happened just before the Romans got to Britain. I read one historian speculate that Caesar’s tenth legion (Celts from Spain) remembered how poorly defended the island was, and went back after their retirement to set themselves up as kings. That would explain everything, including linguistics and DNA findings.

[@johnpatrick5307]

@@carolgebert7833 The Irish were Celts from Gaul. The British - including the Welsh - were colonised by Anatolian farmers in the late Bronze age. (see: Mass Migrations in late Bronze Age), so their not really Celtic.

[@user-ol2fb9fo7r]

N'fheadar an bhféadfadh na Rómhánach mo theanga a labhairt.

[@jamespatrick1548]

The Irish back then were cannibals? Well, that explains a lot. I do love authentic BBQ!!

[@kevinmccarthy4794]

Hey you Roman savage, you are talking about my people!

[@rextheroyalist6389]

The Irish salt in the comments are fucking peak