5 Disturbing Truths About Ancient Rome

Uncover the Dark Side of Ancient Rome! 5 Disturbing Truths REVEALED! From brutal torture in the courts to lead poisoning and explicit erotic art, this shocking history will leave you speechless!
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[@Pfisiar22]

lead in roman water supply was likely not nearly as severe as some people think. Lead exposed to running water forms a layer of oxide that after a few days that prevents the rest of the lead from getting into the water. What was far more damaging was the Roman habit of flavoring wine with lead.

[@tkmmkt6569]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@enigma9971]

HAHAHA they put in their WINE! Figures

[@vaclavdockal6272]

And cooking in lead lined pots..

[@necrophagus9]

I think Caligula making his horse a senator was more of a statement about the Senate than a flight of fancy lead accumulation notwithstanding.

[@necrophagus9]

@@cancermcaids7688 I do agree his mind was fucked for sure but these often repeated stories are most likely misrepresented and missing context. It's like Nero playing fiddle while fire consumed Rome an allegory taught as fact. I could be wrong but the little I have read or infotainment consumed leads me to believe otherwise.

[@cessxiii]

@@necrophagus9 RIGHT. It has been confirmed that no horse was made consul, senator, anything like that. It came from sarcastic remarks from Caligula's detractors. Nero also didn't fiddle while Rome burned, the fiddle did not even exist at the time (it was invented in the early 1600s) lol

[@shuruff904]

bunch of horse shit if you ask me...

[@maggiemae7539]

@@cessxiiistring instruments have been around way before the 1600s!

[@stonedwizard0420]

@@maggiemae7539 Yes, but they were never called "fiddles" until well after the invention of the violin in the 1600s. Nero would have had a lyre, or a Roman harp, if that's what he was doing while Rome burned.

[@sydhenderson6753]

What's scary is that the Romans knew about the effects of lead poisoning and did it anyway. Nicander and Vitruvius both commented on it.

[@kirdot2011]

The same happened for teflon in 1950s.they discovered it was toxic quite fast but kept making it.

[@shuruff904]

same is still happening with covid.....people actually scared Bill Gates/Zuckerberg/Bezos/prolly Bill Nye the Science Guy is trying to use mind control via a life saving vaccine. the US is truly the country of all time....

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

Oh the myth of lead pipes into lead poisoning. The pipes crust up with various minerals from the water preventing lead from accumulating in water supply.

[@johnmirfield8875]

A bit like today with global warming 😢

[@currysues]

We still have lead waterpipes in the us.

[@majorbuzz]

As a 7 year old in 1963, I shot a black and white photo of an outdoor torture exhibit at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, MI, USA. It shows the equuleus, aka little horse, with a victim upon it. Two other torture devices with victims are in the photo: a pillory on a tall platform and some type of cage that appears to be made from wood with very little room, maybe just enough room to stand. From the looks of it, it's a circular cage that may rotate. After Googling, I doubt that those devices are still on display. I never really looked closely at my photo until today, thanks to your video!

[@terry.chootiyaa]

And what did the cops do ???

[@firstnamelastname6216]

You should upload it to the internet!!!

[@xneapolisx]

Yeah, go for it!

[@SharonHF]

When I visited Pompeii there were male genitals carved into some of the paving stones. I asked, and was told since not all men who came to the city spoke the local language, symbols led to the brothels. There were also positions/acts posted “menu style” high on a wall inside one brothel. 😅

[@ScionStorm1]

At McBrothel's choose from the new 99 cent Quickie-'meal' menu.

[@Bruisewillies]

I know the exact carving you're talking about!

[@mnaylor81]

Greece is the same

[@CraftyWitch1990]

Can't remember if it was at Pompeii or Herculaneum, but I remember us all getting in trouble when we went with school and they showed us the guy who suffocated while "giving himself a handshake" shall we say 😂 as 14 year olds that was the funniest fuckin thing in the world

[@melissapinol7279]

I read somewhere that the judicial system required the torture of slaves because it was assumed that the slaves master would order them to say or not say certain things so torture was the only way to get the "real truth" out of them. Very twisted logic.

[@stevejester5658]

Best way to spend my lunch break! ...alledgedly

[@joeyr7294]

Add a splif and a soda and you got it made

[@fuckel98]

I tell you what FactBoy, no one delivers history and information like you. Your script writers are stellar and your presentation is immaculately human in the very best of ways. I’m happy you’ve found something that both employs you and brings you joy.

[@3Kiwiana]

What a load of crap you just like this guy because he runs down any powerful empire remember their is always more good than bad about these great empire’s or they wouldn’t be called great.

[@BimmerSlim]

"The past was the worst" *Simon Voice*

[@chadbailey3623]

I was a student of Dr. Nriagu at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Wonderful man!

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:25 - Chapter 1 - The legal system require torture 2:20 - Chapter 2 - Lead poisonning 5:30 - Chapter 3 - Ancient rome's erotic art 8:05 - Chapter 4 - Infanticide 11:25 - Chapter 5 - Human sacrifice

[@saradavis2104]

Thank you Simon for the great video!! I hope your other channels have more videos soon.

[@shanek6582]

Lol, I want to think this is a dig on metatrons video yesterday digging on Simon but my guess, Simon doesn't even know about metatron's rebuttal.

[@Calvin_OBlenis]

The scripts probably get written more than a day in advance. Funny coincidence though. I see he's on about the lead again lol.

[@adamwynn1001]

I’m a little confused. At 11:35 you mentioned how Rome criticized Jews and Christians for human sacrifices, but Jews and Christians have never been known for engaging in human sacrifice. It’s explicitly forbidden Jewish and Christian scripture. I’ll grant that there may well have been sects who engaged in human sacrifice, of course.

[@KasFromMass]

Yes in fact God ordered the entire civilians killed including animals when they practice sacrificing children with fire.

[@acerimmer8338]

There are instances of human sacrifice in the Bible: Abraham sacrificing Isaac (which an angel stopped) and Jesus, a man, being the ultimate sacrifice are two that come instantly to mind.

[@docd2295]

They accused the Christians of human sacrifice because they misunderstood the doctrine of the crucifixion and especially the Lord’s table.

[@Amethystar]

There was the false accusation of "blood libel" against the Jews, where they were accused of killing Christians (possibly others) in order to use their blood in ritual sacrifice. There was no evidence of it, but we all know how much people like a good rumor.

[@asylumental]

14:24 WHY IS THERE A FACE IN HIS BEARD!?!? 😂😂Thats seriously tripping me out

[@stephencaffari2062]

Thank you once again fact boi.

[@TheJohn8765]

As a side note, the art in this video was outstanding. So many incredible artists and pieces. Wow wow wow. Really well done, guys!

[@bristoled93]

Too much nudity.

[@J.G.Wentworth69420]

@@bristoled93 what's their onlyfans?

[@bnthern]

excellent presentation

[@coadypurchase923]

Awesome vid😊

[@hansofaxalia]

Ancient cultures really loved their deadly metals and substances

[@seanharris8419]

Out of doubt that the erotic art from Pompeii was that graphic, I decided to google it. Boy was I wrong…

[@Kalahridudex]

Saw it personally like 2 weeks ago. Appearantly, it's so the clients could tell the prostitutes what they wanted, since many of the girls the romans brought back home didn't speak Latin.

[@AcornElectron]

Sunday evening, a beer, a smoke and the whistle boy dropping another mad take. Perfect.

[@ajolleyduck2933]

Interesting the parrallells between times preceding the fall of Rome and modern times.

[@rexpayne7836]

Great content and presentation. 🇦🇺 😊

[@shannonturnbull1398]

Hello Metatron, I know you will be here soon. Definately should do a colab with Simon.

[@ListenToPowerViolence]

Love the solid gold Sub.

[@sekaramochi1944]

Please please please never stop Simon dude❤

[@2gfranklin]

Pushing through that voice crack was pretty impressive... Hats off Simon.

[@Shinzon23]

7:50 that must-have been one HELL of a interesting conversation between the sculptor and the client about what they were looking for, and the amount of small detail in even something usually overlooked as the hooves leads me to think that the sculptor had....examples... to use to get the details down correctly.

[@edgarm692]

Opo98po98o

[@NewLifeFromTheWayofTruth]

No shit sherlock I mean the Bible says they used to do a lot of despicable things..

[@SkunkApe407]

Goats are a common animal in the Mediterranean. The sculptor would have had a good deal of visual aids to assist in his work. Sculptors, like most artists, don't need a static analog model in order to perform their craft. They use their imagination.

[@ScionStorm1]

R34? Roman-XXXIV

[@johnbradbury8610]

Plenty of people watch pornography today, but very few decorate their houses with it. They were not Hippocrates

[@ckennedy444]

Simon I'm sure you've been three, but if not there's a great torture museum in the downtown square in Prague. Perhaps near the clock. Crazy stuff lol.

[@eifelitorn]

haha I just went there on Monday :D

[@TheBelovedDesirableIsland]

“The dark side of Ancient Rome” I wasn’t aware there was a light side haha 😂

[@thejackal5099]

I wonder what Metatron is going to say about this one.

[@nicolelasher]

He'll say whatever a certain cheeto loving demographic will pay him to say.

[@spacemansquid]

@@nicolelasher touch grass

[@nicolelasher]

@@spacemansquid Get a job in Europe.

[@calebgamer1720]

@@nicolelasherCheetos are delicious

[@owenshebbeare2999]

​@@nicolelasherWhat is that demographic? Is that an American cultural thing? Just because he holds your Left-wing anti-historical types to account doesn't mean he is wrong.

[@LaurieValdez-zk3dy]

Thank you 🎉🎉🎉

[@peterjorgensen1086]

If anyone is very (very) keen on traditional Roman mindset I hotly recommend Schwerpunkt's videos series. That stuff blows your mind

[@stonedwizard0420]

He's a bit of a nutter, to be honest.

[@Maesterful]

​@@stonedwizard0420What makes you say that?

[@stonedwizard0420]

@@Maesterful Watched a few of his videos after seeing this comment a few months ago. Dude is a bootlicker for the aristocracy/nobility. Unironically believes that the noble elite were morally superior to the peasantry.

[@llywrch7116]

One objection to your list of vectors of lead poisoning. I remember reading a paper in the American Journal of Archeology back in the 1970s that showed the use of lead in pipes & waterproofing aqueducts did NOT contribute to lead poisoning. What happened was that after a brief time the lead was coated with a layer of calcium that prevented lead from leaching into the water. As for the other sources of lead poisoning... well, not only do I agree with you, but it explains the curious phenomena that under the Empire few Senatorial families survived for more than a generation or two. This failure of Senatorial families to thrive is a well-known & debated topic. (I can provide sources if asked.) Of the known Senatorial families still around in AD 200, less than a dozen could trace their ancestry back to AD 100, let alone the Republic: the Acilii Glabriones, one branch of the Calpurnii, the Cornelii Scipiones Salvienii, & a few more I can't remember offhand. I always assumed they were the victims of Roman politics -- which was a blood sport back then -- but lead poisoning would also contribute to this failure to propagate themselves.

[@gur262]

Pipe thing sounds correct cause the USA often has lead pipes and often it's. Apparently... not the problem. But got one when ...when. ...I forgot. Maybe they changed the water source or tried to sterilize the water. They did something that made the lead leech.

[@blazewardog]

​@@gur262You are thinking of Flint Michigan. They switched from a river to Detroit municipal water iirc and the acidity changed and cleared out all the protective buildup in the pipes.

[@feynmanschwingere_mc2270]

​@@blazewardogBecayse they had a VERY dumb GOP governor who failed to listen to experts.

[@Jason-fm4my]

Feels like a toptenz topic.

[@willrobinson7939]

nice watch simon

[@pozzowon]

3:52 The book is De Re Coquinaria, Apicius is the author to whom it's attributed. And it's dated to the 1st or 2nd century, not 5th

[@alterlux5616]

(Metatron looking for mistakes...)

[@myuniquenameright]

Haha, perfect timing!

[@philipdemaeyer1665]

😂

[@daduzadude1547]

Was just coming to post that 😂

[@philipdemaeyer1665]

@@daduzadude1547 me to. 😅 I guess Metatron will go bald 👨‍🦲 with frustration. Pulling his hairs out.

[@taitano12]

I would be disappointed if he didn't.

[@conorf8091]

Thank you for this knowledge season 2 Athelstan

[@yourbrotherdyl8657]

Simon had to keep his legs crossed the whole time, due to having to discuss torture and erotic art within 3 minutes of eachother

[@Stable_Genius]

😂😂😂

[@shuruff904]

boing

[@yourbrotherdyl8657]

@@shuruff904 your fake profile doesn't fool me, Simon

[@michaelmayhem350]

But Simon it's spelled Darkseid 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣 keep up the great content it makes work much less boring.

[@VampireLestatTheBratPrince]

Last night in Rome and this video pops up… well of course I’m going to need to watch this now.

[@MilesBellas]

interesting correlation between lead and aggression

[@richardpatton2502]

This is still happening today with Teflon (non stick pots and pans) You should make a video on it, an entire civilization poisoned because of greed All the best to everyone

[@kirdot2011]

I think ive found 2 different yt channels that talk about exactly that

[@josievaccaro]

Throughout all I could think of was "ouch"!

[@XxMakazxX]

When your halfway through watching and realised... yep, that's another day of me thinking about the Roman Empire....

[@Cara-39]

Apicius, defrutum, grape must?? Where's Max Miller when we need him?!

[@Paigeofmaces]

Max needs to be careful picking out recipes from Apicius!

[@premiertrainingFL]

Humanity can be so disgusting

[@grapeshot]

Yep I just seen a good video about Nero sending an expedition to try to find the source of the Nile.

[@mho...]

as messed up as the roman society was at its core, im still very exited about virtual worlds arriving at photorealism, so we could again walk around these ancient gems of history, in all their architectural/design glory!

[@HerstalP90]

Ah Simons fav topics, ancient Rome and Greece

[@vascoa]

Chaching... 😂

[@korstmahler]

I can hear the Metatron fact-checking this in the distance. I can't wait to see it.

[@Ganymede559]

Metatron isn't an accurate source when it comes to the reality on the ground.

[@luke1000005lwb]

That pronunciation of Herculaneum made me cry

[@wpjohn91]

Anothee video for metatron to review

[@9000Dogs]

Modern Traditionalists: “The West is degenerating, we need to look to the Romans for guidance” The Romans in question:

[@maggiemae7539]

Do they not know that this country is modeled after Rome ?

[@josephgriffin2388]

I've never heard that before. Modern traditionalists in America, especially the conservative ones, point to Reagan.

[@bondy6912]

0:02...you honked 😂

[@leightonolsson4846]

My pet theory is Commodus wasn't murdered, he was being choked out in a sex game and it went too far lol

[@clayton9136]

Why does the volume level differ so much between your videos?

[@gugman9684]

Each one of Simon's 13 active channels usually has a different editor and they must not be using the same software as each other.

[@clayton9136]

@@gugman9684 even if it's on the same channel. Some are so quiet I cant even hear unless I get an external speaker.

[@gugman9684]

@@clayton9136 I do not hear any difference with the audio levels on any KZbin channels at all. I only watch KZbin using the app on my PlayStation through my TV. I never watch it with my computer or phone as so many people do and they are usually the ones always complaining about it.

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

If/when the modern empire collapses… we’re talking about the sexual deviance and erotic art of Rome. Imagine what future people are going to think of us when they find our archives and say, “what’s hentai?” 😬😅

[@ScionStorm1]

These ancient manuscripts keep mentioning a "Rule Thirty-Four"...

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

@@ScionStorm1 😆😆😆 oh man… If I could time travel I’d have them watch Wizard of Oz so they understood what a rabbit hole is. After that, I’d have them search Wizard of Oz with… other search terms. I think they’d get pretty quick how deep that rabbit hole goes and how true rule 34 is…

[@jonnunn4196]

If society collapses, most of the Hentai itself would get destroyed in the process as a side effect as the internet itself collapses. Neither the DVDs nor players are likely to survive even fifty years. The printed forms could last much longer (if not destroyed in a fire) but even those are unlikely to last a thousand years.

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

@@jonnunn4196 Valid point especially considering an EMP pulse is the most likely attack any country would use. The expiration of digital storage is a great point tho. Until just now I didn’t know a high quality properly stored DVD only lasts 100 years. Who knows, maybe there’s some dirty old man with a hentai book collection properly stored in an underground bunker where he works

[@josephgriffin2388]

Perhaps they'll have myths about Epstein's Island and its king Mickey Mouse in a thousand years.

[@uranusneptun5239]

As glad as I am we don't have torture in most European countries anymore, it's worth mentioning that during that period of time it was an effective way of keeping a stable society. We shouldn't forget that populations were much smaller and crime in a sense a lot easier to commit without any modern tracing methods. Also the fear of anarchy was more present.

[@markhughes3144]

at 8:50 does anyone else see a face in the mans beard?

[@johncostello3174]

0:57 What is that guy on the right doing ?

[@sekaramochi1944]

If our Deadpool lived back then. Rome would have fallen, Goths and Visigoths too, khan, Chin empires as well

[@MikeS-um1nm]

Can anyone tell me the name of the artist who painted the illustration shown at 0:51?

[@Biteme221]

The lead drove them crazy

[@maryscott9430]

7:59 i think you mean they can only enter WITH supervision

[@stephenclemence4388]

And now I need someone to release a parody of decpacito call expacito

[@ryanroberts1104]

Fun fact - squirrels love the taste of lead because it is sweet. I left some old car batteries out behind my shed, the squirrels chewed off the big fat lead connections all the way down to the plastic! Do you think it tastes better with a hint of battery acid?

[@clivematthews95]

Yikes!😱

[@3goats1coat]

If ritual killing is confused with human sacrifice, then the US penal system still practices it..

[@spiralnapkin]

That's ok. The US still practices infanticide too, but we're not ready to talk about that.

[@3goats1coat]

@@spiralnapkin be it the chair, needle, or any other they've been using in the past centuries.. it's codified by law step by step how to do it. That's *ritual*

[@rmeredithm]

OG Eugenics. Hell yeah

[@BrutalSnuggles]

The dark side of ancient Rome is really just more lor less ancient Rome 😂

[@jmanj3917]

1:50 For FREE?! You gotta pay good money for that kind of treatment These days...lol

[@michellee1190]

Also. Love the bit about “Look, humans kinda love t*** and c****.” The other day I saw an article about a “Sorceress’ bag of spells and charms”… (which also included some c**** to keep things extra on topic). After looking at a picture of all these trinkets payed out, I’m absolutely CONVINCED that it’s really just some kid’s “cool stuff I found on the ground” collections.

[@AsmodeusT]

I am now wondering if this is a coincidence or in response to Metatron 😂.

[@AsmodeusT]

@cancermcaids7688 It's debatable that Simon or his staff knew who he was prior to his video. And possibly even before this video, but seeming the amount of comments about it, I bet my bottom dollar they know now 😂. If it was a coincidence, it was a perfectly timed one as parts of this video doubled down on parts covered in Metas video with further sources, etc.

[@bristoled93]

@@cancermcaids7688 I don't know who Metatron is.

[@nameunavailable4435]

I understand Spartacus now and why he gathered so many people towards his cause.

[@lukematney7062]

It's worth pointing out that carnifex means butcher and that, though this title sounds ironic, it was literal. The executioner's trade in ancient Rome was, like it's medieval counterpart, not viewed favorably by society. The carnifices were by trade butchers. When a court mandated a state execution or torture, a butcher would be sought and if none were found willing, one would be impressed into the role by the state.

[@fjLKA]

Today, the word "Carnifex" is mostly used to mean...something else. Something with claws, and bioplasma.

[@notagain2856]

​@@fjLKAin a grimdark world

[@glennt69lol]

Xenos Scum

[@mwolkove]

Those were pretty good, but the most disturbing thing is the sponges.

[@daduzadude1547]

Amazing how many people watch Simon and Metatron 🤣

[@StefRosaWoods]

Yep. I watch them both.

[@LisaBowers]

We like to spread our wings. 😁

[@taiyabmahmood8274]

Who's metatron

[@daduzadude1547]

@@taiyabmahmood8274 he’s another KZbinr He mainly deals with history

[@daduzadude1547]

@@taiyabmahmood8274 another you tuber who specializes in history

[@greenockscatman]

Come on man, you're just trolling poor metatron at this point. He's gonna get really worked up before he finds out how much you actually care about Ancient Rome.

[@nicolelasher]

Me might even throw a Metatantrum.

[@jebadub]

Lol, I hope Metatron makes another video. Maybe one day we'll get a FactBoi vs Metatron YT boxing match

[@84marcow]

This could have been on your Into The Shadows channel. Pretty Disturbing.

[@willmarsden7657]

I'm not a chemist, but wasn't it found that water running over those lead sheets ended up kind of coating it and preventing lead leeching?

[@nathan8516]

Caligula would grin.... lyrics from a song. 😁

[@duncancurtis5971]

By Jupiter and Mercury make Simon a Senator at once.😊

[@mattclements1348]

Wow we have it good today

[@chrisbenn]

This video does not correspond with one of your newer video about slaves in Rome and how slaves lived...

[@Thatguy-cb4qs]

Oh good. Roman content, Simon loves Roman content!

[@Biteme221]

They were very disturbing

[@bryan9931]

7:00 Might be the origin of "Brown Chicken Brown Cow"???

[@joshuaevans6295]

7:55 children under fourteen can only enter *without* supervision???

[@Abravado]

At the end of the triumph of a Roman general, captured king/general was strangled in front of the temple of Jupiter Maximum. This was human sacrifice in all but name only.

[@jmanj3917]

0:23 Legal System Require Gooder Grammer...lol

[@thejudgmentalcat]

Ah, my ancestors...batshit crazy 🤪

[@particles343]

Leaving babies out in the gutter like that is unconscionable.

[@vicvinegarLLC]

Now I know where the band "Carnifex" got its name.

[@musicalDrebin]

sounds like lead is more of a buff than a nerf

[@macharrington7733]

We usually look back on Ancient Rome with "oar"

[@holyheretic3185]

Really makes you wonder... "what have the Roman's ever done for us?!"

[@edmer68]

Great race, the Romans.

[@seed_drill7135]

We knew about leads dangers when we started putting it into gasoline. It was taken out because it screwed up the newly mandated catalytic converters.

[@Thromash]

1:55 oh hey, I've seen that one in the gym.