The Unspeakable Things Emperor Commodus Did During His Reign

Commodus had ruled Rome from 177. For the first three years of his reign, he was actually "co-Emperor" with his illustrious father, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius is well-known today for the collection of his writings entitled "The Reflections of Marcus Aurelius," a virtual handbook for those who wish to live a calm, stoic life of moderation. Marcus Aurelius was a revered figure in his time, and in the time since, he has been dubbed one of the "Five Good Emperors" for his accomplishments: expanding the borders of the empire and increasing the prosperity of Rome.
Commodus, whose birth name was "Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus," may have suffered from an inferiority complex, knowing or believing that he could not and would not achieve his father's fame. He may also have been one of the countless spoiled princes throughout history, never being forbidden anything, especially since his stoic father was often absent governing the empire. He might also have been seriously ill mentally - he may have been all three. We will never know for sure. We know that Commodus committed many crimes - not crimes to him perhaps, but to us? Without doubt.
Commodus is sometimes compared to the earlier Roman emperor Nero (37AD- 68 AD). Nero is still remembered as one of the cruellest emperors, and his life ended when he ordered his slave to kill him - he had just been pronounced a "public enemy" by the Senate for his harsh rile. Commodus was also cruel, and he was finally strangled by a champion wrestler, the killing arranged by his advisers.
Both emperors fancied themselves artists. Nero was famed for dressing as a woman and putting on public concerts - he was reputedly terrible, but no one dared not applaud the performances. Commodus also loved singing and dancing and fancied himself a comedian, though his crudity made his aristocratic peers uncomfortable. He also believed himself to be a great gladiator and fought with trained slaves or gladiators, but never in public. Pity the slave or gladiator that didn't let the emperor win, though it is said that Commodus was quite skilled.
#rome #commodus #history #ancientrome #nero #romanempire #emperorcommodus #romanemperor
Scriptwriter: Matthew Gaskill
Video Editor & Motion Graphics: Kanishka Mudaliyar
Voice-over Artist: Chris Redish
Music: Motionarray.com
Copyright © 2021 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
Timecode:
00:00 Start
02:20 Commodus' father, the great Marcus Aurelius
04:13 How it began
06:03 Commodus and his sister
07:28 The killing of senators
08:49 The emperor's “entertainment”
11:13 Renaming Rome
13:10 Commodus' Reputation
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to [e-mail]

[@ADayInHistoryOfficial]

Which emperor/empresses should we cover next?

[@karmapeople1735]

Saladin!

[@davidrowe1050]

Biden

[@GK-ku3zv]

@@davidrowe1050 He is president not anything else, not even a wanna be dictator if you know what I mean.

[@ocayaro]

Caligula, if you have not already.

[@SirKnight1096]

Elagabalus

[@petertimowreef9085]

The fact crappers aren't called crappers because you crap in them but because the guy who invented them was actually named Crapper is just all sorts of delightful.

[@pricklypear7516]

It's not unusual for someone's name to assume adjectival status: "Shakesperean" or "Orwellian," for example. But to have your name achieve its very own VERB. . .Yeah, that's a major accomplishment!

[@badasssnow]

The reason "crap" is used as a substitute in the first place probably stems from "crapper".

[@cearig]

@@pricklypear7516 i wish that were true, but the verb comes from the old french word for chaff

[@pricklypear7516]

@@cearig That's actually a stretch of linguistic probability considering the origin of the "crapper." In fact, your comment rather chaps my ass.

[@cearig]

​@@pricklypear7516 i'm gonna give your ass a stretch of linguistic probability if you keep this little act up, cowboy

[@raulj_m5776]

Can we at least agree upon that the potrayal of Commodus in Gladiator by Joaqin Phoenix was amazing?

[@asdasdasdqwe123]

No

[@weiSane]

No

[@outlawedmedia4336]

yes

[@greezyguy6077]

@@asdasdasdqwe123 why not?

[@balabanasireti]

No

[@p.f132]

11:50 "But of course, nowadays Commodus would be locked up." I mean, looking at our own elite, imma press X on that one dawg.

[@boogiewoogie9770]

Do go on and provide examples ...quite a few similar comments to yours on here... interesting...

[@Terestrasz]

@@boogiewoogie9770 Vladamir Putin.

[@dirkscott5410]

Five thousand years before John Harrington “invented” a flush toilet, Neolithic tribes in Scotland had them installed in their houses. This was achieved by diverting a small stream into a little room off the main living area so that all waste was flushed away into the nearby ocean. You can go and see it at the village of Skara Brae on the islands of Orkney off the north cost of the Scottish Mainland.

[@johnkean6852]

Thx African friends are told we lived in caves.

[@johnorsomeone4609]

The capacity of the human brain 100,000 years ago was just about the same as it is today. It would not surprise me in the least if several things were invented and lost many times over in our staggering progress forward. Gobekli Tepe seems to throw our entire conception of our own timeline off anyway. Even Sacsayhuaman looks unbelievably advanced.

[@GaudiaCertaminisGaming]

That’s not a flushing toilet though, that’s crapping in a stream. A flushing toilet releases water from a cistern. Medieval monks used the stream technique, no one refers to them as flushing toilets.

[@michaelgamble2848]

That's not really a flushing toilet though

[@loafersheffield]

@@michaelgamble2848 A waste of water too. Modern flushing cisterns usually discharge 6 liters on full flush. Half that amount for wee-wee. Ghost poos tho, go straight around the bend without skids and when you wipe, no smears. Trust me, I'm a plumber.

[@jasontheflyingfarrierhays]

With a man like Marcus Aurelius being your father, how in the hell does his son turn out like this.

[@baskoller5506]

As the son of a brilliant man, I can concur it is quite common.

[@jasonx-ray3921]

Sometimes, great men do not make great fathers.

[@wwrussell180]

Sometimes great fathers have bad children. People have free will which can be quite frustrating for parents when children choose poorly.

[@smavi4133]

The older I become, the more I get the feeling that this is the norm and not the exception. It's also true the other way around.

[@commenter126]

Either he is a psycho by birth or the stoicism in Marcus with words such as “human beings are social animals put up with them” in stoicism you don’t control the nature of people you put up with them, maybe Marcus knew or he didn’t but being strict and controlling and limiting isn’t stoicism letting nature decide and not to worry about others wants and needs is, I’m sure he tried to educate but what’s the need if they don’t listen, that’s just my theory so I’ll guess we won’t cleary know

[@redblade8160]

A Day In History. Commodus would "not" be locked up today; there are plenty evil entities like him living freely in the establishment around the world that have blood on their hands...

[@brokeandtired]

Like the entire list of Epstein clients that not one have been prosecuted by the Biden regime.

[@redblade8160]

@@brokeandtired Epstein clients are not worried of being prosecuted, they know Biden's government will protect them!

[@ledbus36]

yes, they call themselves democrats.

[@PaulWelsh]

I was going to say the same thing! We have plenty of world leaders who have done worse and got away with it.

[@grinningchicken]

might even be elected president

[@AvioftheSand]

One of those rare moments when the real story is actually darker than the Hollywood fiction.

[@serronserron1320]

Much of this history was written after his death or by his political opponents who may have exaggerated or completely lied about is life

[@chza1181]

I feel like its usually the other way around.

[@metfan099]

Commodus’ cruelty/inefficiency has been a bit overstated. He actually brought peace (ended all the wars) to the empire and brought many soldiers home. It just so happens that the empire flourished BECAUSE of perpetual war/expansion and so thereby bringing peace, he inadvertently dealt a huge blow to the empire’s prosperity (creating many enemies during his reign and in subsequent years).

[@woodcarvertom5373]

And look, when a country got a great leader people love and respect, then the opposite happens to the land.

[@johnrickgrimes5836]

Yeah you can't really trust most of the sources back then

[@OneTruePhreak]

@@johnrickgrimes5836 "back then"? Sources suck to this day.

[@scorpio85]

@@OneTruePhreak A case in point would be dear old DJT the personification of all that is beyond evil. 👹

[@s7e6p19]

@@scorpio85 why? What EXACTLY has he done that is not just evil but beyond evil (in your words) that you feel the need to being up in a history video?

[@dominikschwarz2456]

I would be rather careful with the evaluation of people such as Commodus, or Nero for that matter. Caligula is hard to argue for, but those Roman Emperors who have the worst reputations are usually those who were on bad terms with the senate, e.g. for the insolence of seeking to reform the crooked tax system which spared the socielite = senators from paying any taxes. And who wrote the history books? Senators.

[@christophertan488]

Sounds familiar like our country the Philippines that whoever goes against the status quo of the Elite religioPoliticalOligarchs are dead meat politically

[@LuisAldamiz]

Calligula makes better sense IMO: he was more popular and less mad, he rode on populism in ways that Nero or Commodus could not.

[@johnnymcblaze]

@@LuisAldamiz Caligula's most senior Battle commander was his horse.

[@greatcoldemptiness]

Almost all of history is unreliable. Most people who have been vilified by the world are written by their enemies who foam at the mouth to slander them

[@zaftra]

just misunderstood

[@princedaemontargaryen4971]

Fun Fact: John Harington is an ancestor of Kit Harrington (Jon Snow)

[@doomhippie6673]

I believe we have to think of a few facts when it comes to Commodus. He was Emperor at a time when the crisis of the 3rd century b.c was starting out slowly. We have the gigantic breakdown of traditional Roman power at that time. 1. The Empire was too large to centrally deal with various problems. On the eastern border Rome failed to subdue the Sassanid Empire, which was a constant drain of manpower and resources. 2. Rome's economy was a slave economy. With no more areas being conquered, less wars being fought (and won) the basis for the economy (slaves) became a problem to procure. 3. Commodus was from all we know not a strong and efficient ruler but rather more interested in spirituality and culture. He didn't have the strength of character that his father had. 4. We only really hear about him from his enemies, the sources are mostly written by those who were in political opposition to him (as has been pointed out in one of the comments below). And demonizing your political opponent is an age-old tradition. As far as I know there is no real evidence that he was crueler than the average power player at that time.

[@scottanderson4957]

Dont let the truth get in the way of a good yarn 👍

[@burtan2000]

Fake news, huh? jk. Still, there are countless creative writers out there, then and now. But gosh darn it, you can't make some of this shite up. You know enough it is true ( or at least exaggerated from a still horrible truth) that he deserves the hate

[@timb8970]

It wasn’t the 3rd century BC, was it? Or did you mean AD?

[@vCLOWNSHOESv]

That's a possibility but if you are correct all rules should be described in such ways by their enemies but they are not. I guess some parts of history will be left to interpretation.

[@MissCV]

Couldn’t have said it better. “To the victor go the history”.

[@GPGOLDENTEE]

"The Queen is coming, what should we talk about?" "Well.. I have an idea..."

[@mortified776]

I actually have an 18th century commode right next to me. Currently it is serving as a bedside table but all the porcelain is still intact and perfectly capable of being returned to its original purpose should the need arise lol

[@-Sierra117-]

Are you seriouz lol? Shitty modern art at itz absolute worst Ffs buhd

[@dbz9393]

I too like to shit in my bedside table drawers mate no need to boast

[@kylecruel]

Your night table is the shit... literally.

[@orchunter8388]

Alcohol will do that

[@soulergy1soulrgy1]

At least you don't have to go very far in the middle of the night.

[@phillipnoetzel7637]

He seems at least as sane as our so called leaders today.

[@johnnymcblaze]

The Fed decided that the emails directly implicating Hillary in pizzagate could not be recovered. Seth Rich was murdered in a robbery where nothing was taken, so nINe of it was suspicious at ALL.

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

I have never heard of Commodus. I guess that would really have pissed him off.

[@darthghengis]

Or your just not very bright

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@darthghengis Do I have to have knowledge of every historical figure ever?

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@darthghengis It is You're, not your, in this context.

[@redblade8160]

@@canuckprogressive.3435 You must have being paying attention to me because I'm always telling people that! Very few are grateful for being corrected by the misuse of words, the tiny few just stay quiet and most get aggressive when told!

[@mgmcd1]

Commode is used quite often in the US, where a toilet is enclosed within a larger bathroom.

[@JesusFriedChrist]

Never heard of that my whole life up in western Canada.

[@deanwalker6262]

@@JesusFriedChrist ha! I prefer my Jesus blanched myself. Sometimes broiled

[@rexxarwatch9057]

"Today, Commodus would be locked up". No he wouldn't. The powerful families who run this world are sky high above any law that you obey. They are the law.

[@keithfaulkner6319]

Look at Hillary.

[@dannylo5875]

Look at queen Elizabeth the 2. She robbed me legally of several million dollars and the FBI had to step into protect me and also tried to rip me off with Joe bidens permission. Talk about corrupt. These people are the law.

[@QT5656]

First video I've watched on this channel and I've decided to subscribe.

[@CIS101]

Great video. Very educational.

[@petehayes8779]

I have always used the term "thunder bucket" for commode.

[@khrisyeet8022]

I use "crapper" still to this day. Didn't know why it was called a crapper, but now I know.

[@rparl]

There's a book called Flushed With Pride which talks about Crapper.

[@Ease54]

So we were almost relegated to taking a "Tom" instead of a "Crap"?

[@charjl96]

If for no other reason, I appreciate you for giving us Johnny and the Crappers.

[@youtubewatcher6953]

Great video

[@bada5h231]

Fun fact: Actor Kit Harrington is a direct descendant of Sir John Harrington.

[@creativewriter3887]

That might explain his acting in Game of Thrones. "yer meh queeeen".

[@sarahwithadragon6729]

No he’s not they just share a last name

[@simonmacek9009]

Y he is toilet senior

[@arcotroll8530]

@@creativewriter3887 FFS let go of it already! I didn't like the ending either, but you people have become ridiculous...

[@bada5h231]

@@sarahwithadragon6729I know it sounds fake but he really is. He's on record saying that he is several times. Google it and see for yourself. I've seen him talk about it in many times in various interviews. He's not the only GoT star with famous relatives either. Oona Chaplin who played Rob's queen is Charlie Chaplains granddaughter.

[@darthtaiter]

When my father, an old fashioned southern gentleman of the first order, was quite young he absolutely infuriated my aunt by introducing my baby cousin, who was potty training at the time, to the terrifying notion of the Commode Monster.... lolol

[@LuisAldamiz]

LOL

[@sinjinmonsoon9055]

Liked and subbed. Good channel

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

amazing introducing

[@peronik349]

In the series of characters from history who left their name because of a thing or 2 about the toilet. There is also the Emperor Vespasian. He was attributed, probably wrongly, the institution of public toilets with a tax for the collection of urine (source of ammonia for the tenturiers). Mocked because of this tax he would have said "the agent has no smell" .....

[@Galloglaoch]

Well actually the phrase is "Pecunia non olet" which in Latin means "money does not stink". It's related to a complaint by Vespasian's son that the nature of the tax is disgusting and Vespasian pulled a gold coin and asked him if he's offended by the smell of the coin. Lesson being money has no smell, or money is money regardless of how it is gathered. At least thats what we have been taught in school and university.

[@certainly2509]

Interesting equating a throne- like instrument in which one relieves one's bowels with that of a sadistic emperor.

[@zpy-nq7wv]

LOVED ALL OF THE INFORMATIVE INFORMATION SIR ! 👍

[@Tom-dn6gx]

Yes , I am having a great time reading all replys . A great subject . So many clever people chiming in !

[@5.56_Media]

Enjoyed

[@robertgoff6479]

"But of course, today Commodus would be elected president of the U.S." Fixed it for you.

[@randalthor6872]

"elected"? you mean Selected ; P haha People still think voting isn't rigged

[@WinkLinkletter]

@@randalthor6872 Installed.

[@triptideshmukh863]

True

[@CarlosCruz-mz6xz]

He was. Biden.

[@Brandi6666]

@@WinkLinkletteryup

[@neohelios77]

It's so difficult to imagine that so much of history was "written" (i.e. lived and created) by people in their 20's and 30's. Basically just a mere decade from being teenagers.

[@lukeherrington8555]

Children and teenagers are coddled these days. Folks weren’t as ignorant and naive then, they were expected to be responsible as a young age and most were working/apprenticing into teenage years. These days kids aren’t expected to work until their 20s. A huge development flaw that stops people from being their own person. Why you wrote “written” in quotations is quite weird to me. Do you suggest that this history isn’t true? You are aware this and many, many, many other texts have been formulated by people too, right? Just curious why you are questioning history or if you just have issues with Commodus’ history as we know it.

[@neohelios77]

@@lukeherrington8555 - oh, no, no! :) Good eye, no, I was just struggling with the usage of "written" since historic people didn't technically "write" their actions --they "lived" their actions. Hence the added parenthesis. But from a present perspective, we see history as written text. I really overcomplicated that!! I'm getting old, I guess, ha ha. Apologies for the confusion, though!

[@jimmymartin1902]

@@lukeherrington8555 Spot on!

[@annalisavajda252]

Yeah people used to grow up fast now people who were mature early and had many accomplishments in their teens or 20s are resented by those still behaving like children in their 30s as that's normal now.

[@mikemondano3624]

Through the vast majority of human history, people lived an average of 25 years. They had started families by 13 or 14. A person of 30 was a rarity. A large number of them died from infections or starvation due to impacted wisdom teeth and some smashed their own faces open to relieve the pain.

[@IRELAND_MY_LOVE]

Narrator goes from CE to AD - It shows that good things never go away. The intellectuals stick to AD.

[@nefariumxxx]

I've seen a bronze coin with his profile gauged several times by intentional deep gashes on his neck. I heard that "Damnatio Memoriae" was ordered to be done to all his coins otherwise they could not be used.

[@charleswest6372]

America is going the way Rome did. Falling

[@17primemover]

Gladiator movie: Commodus was a psychotic monster Real Commodus: Hold my wine goblet

[@paulrichardson3222]

I believe there is a stone lintel bearing the name of Commodus in the crypt of Hexham Abbey in The North of England, a stone removed from a Roman building and utilised in the Abbey so never found and his name never deleted.

[@fdfsdfsvsfgsg4888]

"The story I read", says random KZbin commenter. So that settles that.

[@johnallright6847]

You spoke about it!

[@keithnicholson4787]

Very interesting subjects that are intriguing and give me some good family time with my teens Keith LaVernia TX

[@erictaylor5462]

6:00 What would the "dead" slave's status be after that? Surely he would no longer be a palace slave, as meeting the boy after this would not be good for anyone. Could he have disappeared and passed himself off as a free man?

[@felixjones9198]

I was wondering exactly that.

[@PacificDark]

From my understanding, this event happened at an outpost, not in Rome. Commodus was just passing through and it was actually Quadratus who gave the order.

[@TheCoolProfessor]

Commodus was a certified lunatic but wasn't nearly as bad as Caligula and nowhere even close to Nero's level of madness.

[@chickencharlie1992]

Your accurate impression of 70s New Yorker Archie Bunker with a Texas accent is totally accurate 🤣

[@akreebs93]

One thing I like to add is that he almost bankrupted Rome with his gladiator games.

[@peterkliamenakis5559]

the story i read was that he did indeed chase his older sister and when she refused had her killed but his younger sister didnt want the same fate and agreed to relations.

[@dsrtflwr6093]

My southern grandparents always called it a commode. They also called their couch a divan. They overcooked their vegetables and meat too, which seemed to be a southern trait, but maybe it just runs in my family. My cooked vegetables are still crisp and my cooked beef is rare. I'm considered odd by my family. I always rendered them speechless by saying I don't like white gravy or burnt okra. They didn't know what to do with me.

[@dsrtflwr6093]

@@Endgame707 Oh. So does that render my original reply as having no connection to the video? I was trying to relate. The video IS about toilets. And in my mind, bathrooms and toilets and such are inexorably deeply connected to family and the growing up years. Toilets aren't as exciting when you're all grown up. But hearing the word commode again after many years got me enthusiastic and took me down memory lane.

[@marcuscicero9587]

okra, horrible slimey stuff

[@cindyirvine7575]

That’s why it’s so good in soups and stews. Thickens it. And it’s why it’s often fried. Those two methods minimize the slime.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

In Denmark we call it Komode

[@f0ry0u81]

I'm calling it the commode from now on.

[@EskChan19]

It's always incredible that Romes entire history is basically people slaughtering the emperor because of how awful he was, and somehow every next emperor was like "Wanna bet I can be worse than that guy?"

[@ailouros24]

the legend of the giants with the snake legs is from the myth of hercules. the gods went to war against the giants and hercules fought with them. it makes sense that he would want to recreate that fight since he thought he was hercules reborn.

[@EskChan19]

But somehow I think beating up some cripples you armed with cotton balls is considerably less impressive than killing giants with snakes for legs.

[@ailouros24]

@@EskChan19 oh well the guy only wanted to cosplay as his hero, have some fun and leave actual ragnarok style battles to real heroes.

[@Theywaswrong]

"The Crapper" was sold primarily through the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

Ironically if you only had an outhouse you might use the pages of the quite extensive Sears Roebuck catalog catalog as part of your outhouse ritual.

[@jasonharrison601]

i was certain the senate would be renamed, The Stinky PooPoo Head Circus lol

[@mrtnalvrz]

Commodus has been heavily vilified after the exaggerated not very accurate Gladiator movie. Yes, Commodus was a weak emperor, and made many strategic mistakes, but most of the Roman people loved him specially because of his participation in the Colosseum games. He was murdered mostly because of his enmity with the politicians of the time.

[@mikestone6078]

Same old story, as with Nero and Caligula. It's impossible to find out what actally happened and what was attributed to a person hated by the people writing the history books (or redacting them). You just gotta look at what already gets forgotten, rephrased and outright reinvented about times like WW2 in our time to see how easily things can be misrepresented and misremembered. It's possible that the most vilified Roman emperors MIGHT have been the nicest guys ever.

[@donald8066]

We have no fair description of him, everything we know come from his enermys Was he a good emperor ? No Was he pure evil ? No. Nero dont burned Rom and dont played any Instrument ( Rom burned every few years ) and was not crazy.. Caligula were crazy, but no monster, everything else came again only from his enermys. You must allways remember, that we have only one side of the medal.

[@randalthor6872]

was it Napoleon that said "History is written by the victor"? Makes you wonder about all kinds of things we read in history books.

[@joshjackson6064]

'Nero dont burned Rom'. The English language is finished.

[@donald8066]

@@joshjackson6064 Not everone is a nativ english speaker. There are more then 2000 Languages ( excluding many more with only a few hundred speaker ) worldwide. Remember that you for billions of people an idiot, as you dont speak a single Word of there language.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@joshjackson6064 - Evolving! Just as Latin did, we can after all discern what commode or cómodo means today almost as it was understood in Rome and even among educated provincials long before Emperor Commodus was born.

[@LuisAldamiz]

Nero may not have burned Rome but playing the lyre while the city burned was in very bad taste. Any half decent ruler takes a bucket and joins the firefighter line, only tyrants play the lyre when things go wrong for their subjects.

[@koksalceylan9032]

I knew Commodus and in Company he is a jolli good lad.

[@Hygelac1000]

I think you meant to say Harington developed the primitive flushing device in the late 1500s not 1600s. He died in 1612.

[@channellegendarium7677]

If anything, it seems that the classic film "Gladiator" downplayed his character's malevolence and megalomania. His actions remind me of some 20th century mad dictators.

[@querelleturner7325]

Yup Biden comes to mine.....and Obama with his tranny.

[@grinningchicken]

He seems closer to Joachim Phoenix other character Joker

[@fanofcodd]

Dictators weren't mad. They were violent and disregarded human life , yes , but they weren't mad. Most of them witnessed or took part in the first world war , civil wars etc etc. Violence and human life were not as valuable at that time

[@channellegendarium7677]

@@grinningchicken I'm inclined to agree. Except I think Commodus was more over the top. :)

[@channellegendarium7677]

@@fanofcodd A good point. If they'd been mad, then they wouldn't have held power very long.

[@matismf]

Today, Commodus would be a major Western leader! Maybe even Slow Joe!

[@PaulWelsh]

More like Trump I reckon. I can imagine Commodus saying shit like "Nobody is a greater leader than me, nobody could run Rome as good as me, no one treats slaves better than I do, I am the greatest" blah blah blah

[@Tom-dn6gx]

TodayCommodus would be played by Hillary Clinton . Bill was Caligula.

[@johnbrownbridge873]

Here in North-East England , Miss Anita (Netty) Bogg , daughter of the Clerk of Works for Bog Houses, lends both of her names to the toilet in the Geordie dialect.

[@marcusaurelius5576]

One can see clearly where the researchers and scriptwriters developed the Gladiator story and subsequent theatrical release.

[@smokeymoe842]

Roman citizens were quoted saying in his presence " Let's go Commodus"

[@Tom-dn6gx]

Sounds like a current stadium chant , with three sharp claps following.

[@44unknown83]

Fun fact John Harrington is a relative of Kit Harrington the King in the North

[@teamground0229]

And not to be confused with the amazing guitarist Jon Herington.

[@JohnDoe-tt4fm]

Wait, is the expression "to take a crap" derived from Thomas Crapper?

[@tonyclough9844]

I was told a commode was a toilet that had no flush and had to be emptied. It was mainly used when ill in bed.

[@ShadesApeDJansu]

Christian Finnish Royalism dedicated to here oh the shows were in private when he fought, i learned something new about ancient Roman Emperor's today

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

Commodus: "What being do I have to face today?" Senators: "A bear, Caesar..." Commodus: "A bear, huh? I've heard of them. I think they'll give my audience quite a show!" Senators: "Caesar...are you sure of what you are doing?" Commodus: "Of course I am! I am Hercules reincarnated and also a descendant of the Gods Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius (I don't give a sh*t about Antoninus Pius). There is nothing that can stop me..." Voice of Laurence Olivier: "Commodus was killed by the bear in the Colosseum in front of all the spectators, who watched in horror as the bear ate Commodus's guts while he was still alive. Faced with such an unfortunate death, the Senate said that a slave had strangled him so that his end would not be so pathetic"

[@votpavel]

wow

[@skandababy]

ummm, ok?????

[@cam5816]

Wait, so your quotes are fake???

[@DankMemes-xq2xm]

The people replying don't get the joke

[@buckrodgers1162]

Having a Crapper's crapper in your commode. Now that's the perfect bathroom right there.

[@James-dx2vs]

Why I had no idea!

[@TheMicroTrak]

No, no, you have it all wrong. Commodus was killed by a gladiator from New Zealand!

[@Tom-dn6gx]

I thought Crowe was from Australia ? Still my favourite actor , loved him in Master and Commander , too bad Crowe kills off his best characters especially himself.

[@TheMicroTrak]

@@Tom-dn6gx He's a Kiwi alright! ( Any Australian could kick any Roman ass at any time, so the Emperor's life was subject to questionable risk at the hands of a Kiwi, a notoriously passive group of sheep-herding people.)

[@chza1181]

@@TheMicroTrak Depends on the era of New Zealand if you want to call them passive, for a lot of New Zealand's history it was fulled with civil war, cannibalism and severed tattooed heads were used as a form of currency. This only ended in the 1800s which isn't that long ago.

[@TheMicroTrak]

@@chza1181 Yes, I take your point, but this is like comparing the high school marching band to the Apache indians!

[@Redflowers9]

I've worked in elderly care and a lot of elderly people can't sit on toilets due to their impaired mobility and staff not being able to hoist them on the seat and keep them upright, so they use a supportive portable chair with arm rests and a hole in the seat with a removable bucket underneath. In the UK we refer to this as the commode. I never knew the origin of the word until now but judging from this video, commode appears to be the old fashion term for toilet and I guess it's use in a care setting is in order to promote the dignity and homeliness of the individuals being cared for - resembling a different time and culture that probably feels more familiar and appealing to them.

[@niranjandeo7010]

In my native language 'commode' is used for toilet

[@Redflowers9]

@@niranjandeo7010 what's your native language?

[@niranjandeo7010]

@@Redflowers9 marathi

[@Redflowers9]

@@niranjandeo7010 cool

[@renezee1011]

Wow so thats where the phrase "going to the crapper"cane from

[@johnwatts8346]

in billy connolly's auto bio- he said in these big blocks of flats back in glasgow the 50s, there used to be not 1 toilet per flat, but rather only 1 per floor to be shared. they called that 1 toilet the dungeon, shortened to 'dunny', dont know if that is the correct etymology or not? but we certainly use that one here in NZ and the Aussies use it too, id say the term 'bog' is self explanatory...

[@ahfez]

Randomly choose 10 people from the streets and give them absolute power. I'm sure at least 1 of them will be a terrible person who would use his power to kill anyone that he wants.

[@jaeusa160]

We already have hundreds of them in congress. They're simply outgunned by the commonfolk if they did what they want to openly.

[@HassanZargari]

You're quite optimistic, I would say at least 6.

[@headhunter1945]

Your mom

[@ahfez]

@@headhunter1945 Well, how about your mom..? 😁

[@markewings7525]

Abraham Lincoln said any man can withstand adversity but to test his character give him power

[@misterflibble6601]

History seems to be more opinion than fact. As each successive generation re-examines and re-evaluates the historical record they form their own opinions and, more often than not, come to polar opposite conclusions from the previous generation

[@EskChan19]

History is fact, what we learn from history is opinion. The fact that events happened are not opinion. But if we judge these things as good or bad is. It's a fact that slavery existed for millenia. It's a fact that most people at these times who examined history came to the same conclusion as the previous generation, that slavery was fine and dandy. It's an opinion that we now think differently. But it's not an opinion that history states that slavery existed.

[@kermitec]

It's odd to me that you switch from AD in part of the video to CE in other parts.

[@andrewhamric9221]

AD = After Death is not accurate. Anno Domini means "The Year of Our Lord". So by tradition, Year 1 would be when Jesus was born to 365 days old (though the calendar probably did not have 365 days per year at the time, the beginning of the year didn't always start January 1, etc.). I believe the year before 1AD would be 1BC, somebody correct me if I am wrong. If AD meant after death, then there would be a gap in the BC/AD continuity amounting to the time Jesus was alive.

[@i-am-evil-morty6710]

How didn't you mention Meditations by Marcus Arrilius Edit: not bothering to spell check

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

4:18 Speaking of Nero, of all the depictions of the Emperor in popular culture, the best and closest to the monster that ancient romans describe is the one played by Anthony Andrews in the miniseries "A.D.", which tells the origin of Christianity from the resurrection of Jesus to the death of Paul of Tarsus. While many versions of the Emperor show him as a spoiled and manipulable lout who you feel more pity than fear (Peter Ustinov's Nero in "Quo Vadis" is a great example of that), the Anthony Andrews' portrayal depicts him as an attractive, charismatic and clever monster who believes himself to be the greatest artist that ever existed and whose evil and cruelty know no limits. Also, something really shocking about this Nero is that (unlike many other versions of the character) we never see him pay for his crimes. The last thing we see of the emperor on screen is him laughing at the beheading of Saint Paul...and that's it. THAT'S HOW YOU REPRESENT AN ANTICHRIST

[@wlodek7422]

Yeah but remember that those descriptions are made by senatorial class mostly, which didn't like nero afaik. Also Christians during later ages had their own share. There were really worse emperors than nero, i wouldn't call him more of a monster than other emperors or people with power back in those days.

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

@@wlodek7422 In any case, the evil Nero that historians describe is much more interesting than the one that surely existed, to the honest. A mad emperor obessed with becoming the greatest artist sounds pretty cool, actually

[@wlodek7422]

@@OptimusMaximusNero fully agreed

[@skandababy]

Mom!!! Hey mom!!!! Can you come over here and roll your eyes with me? I want it to be as sincere as possible.

[@jaeusa160]

@@wlodek7422 And such would be the case for the surviving records here. How much stock can you put into the records written solely by one's enemies who conspired to murder them? In their records, after all, they are heroes saving their world from someone who is surely a purely evil megalomaniac. You need only look at almost all of western media from ~2008 onwards, and especially 2016 onwards, for prime examples of the corrupt wealthy defaming people they want dead.

[@JoeR203]

I remember my social studies teacher in high school telling us about an Emperor who would have women and children raped by baboons in the Colosseum.

[@erictaylor5462]

John Crapper, asa a reward for his great work, his name is literally "dirt".

[@IamKlaus007]

By the time this earth finally perishes, we humans, in all aspects of life, could quite possibly say, "we left no stone unturned".

[@misaelfraga8196]

His father like to persecute people as well, but he's often remembered as a philosopher emperor. He lack the intuition to give the empire a proper heir which was his primary duty in which he failed.

[@LuisAldamiz]

Meh. All previous emperors adopted their heirs and none had sons of their own. Marcus Aurelius was the first one to have a biological son. Guess he could have murdered him and adopted some more capable young gentleman... but it's harsh to ask that from a father, you must admit. The whole monarchic concept is just all kinds of wrong and no matter the inheritance system it causes trouble down the road because there's always some heir, biological, adopted or elected who is just inept. It is the inability to remove him (much more rarely her) without blodshed and crisis which tumbles not just dynasties but whole empires.

[@chiararomano1818]

Commodity is also related to convenience via the Latin commodus.

[@skandababy]

ya, they pretty much covered that in the video...

[@chiararomano1818]

@@skandababy Commodus is related to both convenience and commodity. At 1:40 the narrator seems to think the 2 words came from distinct etymologies but they don’t.

[@skandababy]

@@chiararomano1818 ya, they pretty much covered that in the video... learn to read.

[@chiararomano1818]

@@skandababy Ya, no.Learn to listen carefully.

[@skandababy]

@@chiararomano1818 *See previous comment*

[@bitteranjel6782]

I was at a hotel in Connecticut and there was a 17th century overhead flush toilet

[@edmontontech2008]

Some advice, run your voice though a peak compressor. the high end is harsh in your voice.

[@florenmage]

I think that more people should take a look at the internal politics of monarchies and dictatorships through out history. I also think that if they did this they would realize that elected leadership while imperfect is a vastly superior. You can't always stop bad people from getting power. You can with the correct government system stop bad people from getting to much power. You can also provide a peaceful transition of power that will allow you and your country to replace a bad leader without mass violence.

[@woodcarvertom5373]

People love crazy leaders. Deep down we love them so much that we hope they will rule. It feels good to point finger and laugh at the king.

[@florenmage]

@@woodcarvertom5373 I'm not one of those people lol

[@woodcarvertom5373]

@@florenmage . Maybe you don't know yourself. Few people do.

[@florenmage]

@@woodcarvertom5373 I don't want a crazy leader. I want a competent one. I want a leader who is not a psychopath. I want a leader who can protect and empower the people under them so that they can make their own choices in life freely.

[@woodcarvertom5373]

@@florenmage .. No, you just think so. What you really want is to be able to find your own value, by looking at "bad" people. If the president is stupid, then you must be a superman.

[@jonbour7739]

3:40 it’s not pronounced “lukius”, it’s “lootcheeoos” 6:40 same here, not “l’killa”, but “lootcheella”

[@ArgentavisMagnificens]

Classical vs ecclesiastical latin pronunciation my guy. Also, it's unreasonable to expect people to pronounce every single word in every single language perfectly anyway

[@ryalman21]

I'm not expert on linguistics but I'd prefer the C pronounced as an S. So Lucius is Lucy - us. And Lucilla is loo sill a . 😁

[@Alaska-Jack]

No wonder aliens don’t want to want to be known. We humans are really quite horrible!

[@joefearn9694]

Thomas crapper came from Thorne in South Yorkshire. He invented the ballcock. I don't think he is responsible for any toilet euphemism because in the novel Pilgrims Progress, written centuries earlier, one character says, "I'm going for a crap."

[@snotnosewilly99]

Marcus Aurelius was one of Rome's worst emperors. The previous emperors named the best man to succeed them. But, Aurelius named his rotten to the core son to succeed him, and great harm was done to the empire.

[@serronserron1320]

Maybe or others who had ruined Rome through their incompetence chose a scapegoat name for history to remember.

[@cam5816]

Alright that’s cap and you know it. I will say though that I myself find that incredibly frustrating about him too

[@Craven_Moorehead]

Yeah nah I reckon Caligula turning people into candles is probably worse

[@cam5816]

@@Craven_Moorehead “How far that little candle throws his beams! To shine a good deed in a weary world.” -Shakespeare

[@cam5816]

@@Craven_Moorehead Caligula wasn’t a bloodthirsty maniacal tyrant, he was just a liberal arts major

[@robertbright947]

Caligula had a mysterious illness early in his time as emperor that is said to have caused personality changes and madness. Nero I believe was also the victim of his successors in particular the Flavians. Why the Flavians are not better known when they prosecuted the Jewish War only two years after Nero’s death is a mystery. Nero may have had terrible qualities but some of the complaints against do not make sense. He was not in Rome during the fire of Rome but we are told he was and played a fiddle-like instrument. Nero did write the first regulations to reduce the risk of fire in the city and those regulations were used for centuries and well after Western Rome ended.

[@williamjhunter5714]

The urinal was invented soon after, because standing up made Neroly missing the Commode a problem. 😅

[@geraldoreyes6146]

After watching this video i feel like I want to use the Commod.

[@veidorje1681]

loo_see_lah thanks 4 sharing : )

[@mikespencer4922]

An Irishman invented the toilet seat on 1692. In 1792 an Englishman made a hole in it.

[@Tom-dn6gx]

😆🎯

[@raymondmartin318]

Commodus was quite dislikeable but not without some good sides to his chracter. For example it is ludicrous to compare him to Nero when his father was far more like a Nero antichrist. Marcus Aurelius punished christians where ever he could even inciting Constantine the great to call him Absurd. Commodus for whatever reason released many people that his father had imprisoned and whilst his drunken general behaviour do not make him admirable he certainly was not as bad as others have tried to paint. Hollywoods silly film Gladiator like most of their products had very little to do with history, the truth or factual satisfaction.

[@joshjackson6064]

* Wherever

[@LuisAldamiz]

Christians were enemies of the state... until they took over the state and then persecuted everybody else for many centuries. Don't waste your tears on such cruel hypocrites.

[@chad0x]

He sounds like a real ray of sunshine

[@delboyoelmundo4718]

I’ve used a bucket and chuck it for years

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

Septimius Severus: "And how are things in the Empire lately, Caesar?" Marcus Aurelius: "Pretty hard, Septimius. Maintaining the sacred pax romana by fighting those barbarians and keeping the Senators happy is much more difficult than what it seems..." Septimius Severus: "Yeah. Anyway, sure a brilliant man like you can preserve the integrity of the Empire. Also, if the pax has been maintained even with incompetent rulers like Caligula, Nero, Vitellius or Domitian, sure it will never fall, don't you think?" Marcus Aurelius: "Yeah. Maybe the Empire can still...COMMODUS, I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO GET RID OF THAT RIDICULOUS LION COSTUME" 10-year-old Commodus: "I wAnT tO bE a GLadIAtoR lIkE HErcUles!" 🤪 Marcus Aurelius: "Sorry, Septimius. Believe me, kids can really bring out the worst in anyone..." Septimius Severus: "Don't worry for me, Caesar. Once I am a father, I will discipline my children until turning them into the most logical and reasonable men in all Rome..."

[@EdrethMaximus]

Nero was actually one of the most loved emperors in the history of the Empire. He was not cruel to the people, but he was hated by the Senate and the noble families. Plus he was hated by the christians, who later in history pictured him as an evil man (still many believe he burnt Rome, but it wasn’t him)

[@kaades_]

Most of our sources about roman history are written from the pov of the wealthiest elites, the senate. Its always good to keep in mind that almost all of them were quite biased. Commodus at the beginning of his reign ruled together with the senate but after a few years he became more independent from them and that is the point from which most of the terrible thing are supposed to start from. Dont know how much is true about commodus but definietly not all that is written

[@-bubby9633]

Sure he was loved by the people but it doesn't change the fact he massively persecuted Christians which is why they didnt like him. The fact you're trying to act like Christians just disliked Nero for no reason whatsoever and that they're the bad guys in this situation is hilarious. Indeed it seems quite sinister - you're conveniently leaving out facts which don't support your argument just to paint others in a bad light.

[@notyourmom850]

@@-bubby9633 Nowhere in his comment was he "trying to act like christians just disliked nero for no reason". He commented "Plus he was hated by the christians, who later in history pictured him as an evil man (still many believe he burnt Rome, but it wasn’t him)" Not one time did he state Nero didn't do anything to deserve hatred from christians. Your comment smacks of fundamentalist indignation. Don't be so weak in your faith, you do us all a disservice.

[@kaades_]

@@notyourmom850 but its easier to argue with the points he puts to ops mouth rather than actually coming up with proper arguments

[@ziloj-perezivat]

@@-bubby9633 Преследование христиан основано

[@windfire5380]

Power corrupts--but is certainly aided by depravity of character.

[@David-wk6md]

great Archie Bunker impersonation bro I thought I was going back 50 years 😋