Ancient Military Historian Rates 9 More Battle Scenes In Movies | How Real Is It? | Insider

[@SirHenryMaximo]

_"This is why they call him Cyrus The Great, because he knows the use of a good ditch."_ This man is a treasure!

[@Thickcurves]

Roel is awesome. He's such a good presenter also. He never fails to make me laugh. I watch everything he puts on youtube. :)

[@dsmiley53]

He knows his own meme. Love it!

[@msavas2003]

Ditch guy approves

[@Dra-go-noid]

I laughed so hard

[@lordingus]

"the sea. the mother of all ditches." lol great vid.

[@BillyBobJoeJonson]

i almost choked on my dinner when he said that lol

[@HowardLogan-gv5kc]

Dude's a Legend!

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

Sea is just a very big moat

[@MartialCardist]

That is the title of the next Roland Emmerich disaster movie.

[@AncalagonTheBlackMetalHead]

every geological feature on earth is just some variation on a ditch. mountains? nah. inverted ditches

[@garrettgiles8669]

"So, I have many opinions...all of them bad" Is a perfectly quotable line 😂

[@RubenJansen-jy6cv]

Went to the comments to read this sentence. It was the second comment, the internet never disappoints

[@ragingtomato04]

Perfectly meme-able line

[@greenfocus5236]

its going to be a great meme, I feel it

[@Dzokhar]

"Ridley, we talked about this"

[@coachprescott72]

Great line

[@bantehayes9973]

Keep bringing him back. We love him.

[@Bloodark124]

Don't know. He seems tired of it and towards the end just rushing through things. It's the same thing and same thing over again.

[@burgundian-peanuts]

@@Bloodark124 I'm sure what we see is heavily edited. The uncut footage was almost certainly significantly longer, which would explain why he gets tired toward the end.

[@corsair831]

​@@Bloodark124 probably very good for his career to be on very popular videos on KZbin. Gives him an opportunity to write a book, an advantage in research funding, etc. Doubt he'd turn down the publicity.

[@xMorgothx]

He has been in many other videos between this and his last appearance on Insider

[@mejuliie]

@@Bloodark124 Probably because he's got a cold. Don't know if you've seen other videos featuring him, but he just sounds like he's at the tail end of a URI.

[@paull.3631]

4:05 "...and also where is my ditch? I need one!! " -- gotta love this man.

[@Joshua-dx7zn]

He knows his audience

[@xNAICOMx]

Either it's the microphone but he suddenly has a completely different voice than in the other videos...

[@Batini]

BEST. LINE.

[@Bendesho]

​@@xNAICOMx he sounds like he's getting over a cold or something

[@davetheodd]

"Dude, where's my ditch"

[@coldturkey5333]

Me: Damn this looks amazing Roel: Disgusting Me: Disgusting

[@michaelwinckowskiakacptmik5618]

Yep 👍

[@laniemon]

Pretty much 😂

[@Wilhelm-100TheTechnoAdmiral]

You've had a thousand years to build defenses, not even a roof or a ditch

[@jonathanlo2116]

Me

[@chingrimungrei]

Yup

[@JustWandering]

“The Return of the King is always going to be an Awesome out of Ten.” Correct.

[@gingerbaker_toad696]

Whereas RoP doesn't even make the scale.

[@JustWandering]

@@gingerbaker_toad696 I mean, according to Dr Konijnendijk that specific scene makes a 7/10 for realism, so.

[@barbarossarotbart]

But even there he complains about the lack of a ditch although Minas Tirith did not have one in the novel.

[@barbarossarotbart]

@@gingerbaker_toad696 Well, he gave the siege of Ost-in-Edhel a 7 out of ten.

[@zh2266]

And then The Hobbit gets an A for Atrocious

[@daanvisser2325]

The return of the Dutch Ditch Historian!

[@guilzd5836]

Ayyy😂

[@AnthonyStJames-yn8nr]

"Where are my ditches?!"

[@JarrodFrates]

Every time I hear him talking about ditches, I hear in my head "MORE DITCHES! MORE DITCHES!" like the "MORE DOTS!" from the old Onyxia Wipe video.

[@oishicurrypuffus]

@@JarrodFrates classic whelps and moar dots

[@WanderingCoyoteXVII]

Dutch Ditch Witch

[@dwhitey]

5:19 Roel Konijnendijk calling a wall 'basic' is probably the most devastating thing he could say to a fortification.

[@shok24199]

There are houses in Texas with better defences than Eregion in ROP.

[@user-ur4nl6dq2x]

9:59 "RIDLEY, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS" 😂

[@BJack1983]

Ridley: "...you weren't there, mate!" 😅

[@Wilhelm-100TheTechnoAdmiral]

Oh, you were serious!

[@philipthecow]

@@BJack1983 What's funny is Ridley used the "you weren't there" excuse for Napoleon, and Napoleon is actually very well documented since he was "only" 200 years ago.

[@troylentz6580]

"the problem is not the guy on the elephant... It's the elephant" lol

[@Legionusa14]

Roel Konijnendijk isn’t just an ancient warfare expert. he’s the real ‘Ditch Guy’ always ready to dig deep into history! 

[@pexxajohannes1506]

A Man who rates Dragon riders as historically accurate (6/10) is NOT a historian but another DEI hire in UK. Why? How? 🎉 Dragon gay history...

[@Mousy94]

@@pexxajohannes1506 Huh?

[@Zireael_1251]

​@@pexxajohannes1506 He didn't say dragon riders are historically accurate. He only said about commanders leading by example and engaging in combat just like their troops was a thing.

[@260Torrent]

@pexxajohannes1506 Typical right wing brainrot. You might as well be saying skibidi toilet.

[@blitcut9712]

@@pexxajohannes1506 When rating fiction it's very obvious that he's rating it based on accuracy to history as far as it makes sense in the setting. It'd be pretty uninteresting to have him go "dragons don't exist" or "there was never a kingdom called Rohan".

[@benji0001]

The man, the ditch, the legend !

[@kokowheeli6053]

In my best Arnold voice: 'Roel! You son of a ditch!' *manly handshake*

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Heh, that got a chuckle out of me!

[@joanneking170]

You win comment of the video my friend

[@paull.3631]

I'm a simple man, when there is a new Ditch-Guy-Video, I'm ditchting every other activity, just to watch him talk about (not enough!) ditches!

[@Ota-ty1re]

Grab your shovels everyone, he's back, get digging!

[@unarmoredwtf]

lol

[@AntonAdelson]

*salutes* Aye aye sir!

[@lazyman7505]

Dig a ditch! And then dig another ditch! More ditches!

[@modest_spice6083]

I'm doing my part!

[@andrewlee8243]

Hey Zero. What does D-I-G spell?

[@delluminatis]

Ditch timestamps: 4:05 "also where is my ditch? I need one" 4:33 4:49 "this is why they call him cyrus the great, because he knows the use of a good ditch" 5:45 9:53 "the sea. the mother of all ditches." 27:24 "as always, the ditch is not there" Total ditch count: 6

[@rubenvanderlaan4234]

@insider This comment should be pinned at the top.

[@jeniafru]

The grudge against the arrow commands and against the lack of ditches is one grudge we all should adopt.

[@salemxxx5007]

Don't forget the fire balls

[@BillHimmel]

"And also, where is my ditch? I need one!" We know you do! We love you for it! 😊

[@bibliowitch6764]

I was sat in the cinema watching Gladiator II honestly thinking 'I can't wait for the ditch guy to review this' AND HERE HE IS! Pure joy.

[@gogito9000]

This guy needs his own channel literally my favorite person to watch his reactions

[@RasAlHaq]

I saw the thumbnail, clicked instantly. ANOTHER vid with this guy - can't get enough! 👏👏👏

[@hanneslagerroth3244]

The more this man has been forced to watch Hollywood scenes, the more American his accent has become.

[@Jon23189]

glad i’m not the only one who noticed his voice lol

[@willhk4809]

I don't hear that to be honest, his accent has always sounded Irish to me.

[@CaptainTingo]

@@willhk4809 I'm pretty sure he's Dutch but he doesn't have a Dutch accent at all!

[@lemonicowo]

@@CaptainTingo​​⁠He is Dutch! But a lot of Dutch people use American accents instead of our native ones because it sounds more fluent that way. I’m pretty sure he works in the UK so I’m guessing it’s a mix of American and English influence (making him sound a bit Irish). As a Dutchman myself I can hear some Dutch in his k or t sounds (like 6:31 “become” and “time”) but it’s so subtle I don’t think I would notice if I didn’t clock him as Dutch from his namw (which is the Dutchest name ever lol)

[@KiltOfIron]

@@lemonicowo That explains the dutch character on Ted Lasso! I understood why the Montreal player sounded mostly North American (although with very little of the accent I actually hear from people from Quebec) but it always confused me why Jan had, like, a perfectly neutral American dialect most of the time.

[@quangvule262]

"This is why they call him Cyrus the Great because he knows the use of a good ditch" This is the best statement so far

[@kamonichan1111]

"Where's my ditch?" He said the thing! HE SAID THE THING!

[@MrCosmik1]

Had this absolute gem of a man in my mind as I watched Gladiator II and saw the trebuchet... "Roel isn't gonna like that!" Thank you for bringing him again ! And when you run out of movie abstracts, consider doing a longer format where he explains how to build a good ditch etc

[@Scottington666]

Firing arrows in volleys gives your enemy an advantage, they can maneuver safely after each attack, much better to 'make it rain' so to speak.

[@jerbil9353]

Yep! And speaking as a hobbyist archer, making them all wait to fire in a volley is a terrible way to have a group of archers shoot accurately. Let them pick their own moment of release!

[@logirex]

I always though at the Battle of Agincourt they made use of opening volley fire.. You don't need to make archers wait minutes to fire in volleys you could call out a bow draw and fire within seconds to maximize impact especially on cavalry.

[@hrotha]

@@logirex The issue is not waiting minutes, it's having to wait at all even if it's just seconds. That extra exertion quickly adds up

[@RackEmUpButtercup9376]

@@logirex Yeah but there is no point to it. Even seconds adds to exertion and even seconds gives your enemies a lot of time to close the gap on your frontline, especially on horseback. Never mind the fact that each archer is too different to make volleys work. They all have different speeds and strength and stamina that very quickly your volleys will lose cohesion so why bother in the first place?

[@czoborarpi]

Actually I think nomadic horse archers also used some kind of volleys. They had a trumpet guy who would give a signal when to fire the initial volley. They would not hold onto the bow waiting for the command of course but it was similair somewhat to giving an order to a musket line.

[@tjhartman1019]

"Return of the King is always going to be awesome: 10 out of 10" My fearless Ditch Man loves Lord of the Rings. He only continues to impress and inspire...

[@IIIJG52]

Isnt what he said "Awesome out of 10" at one point ?

[@ErwinPommel]

@@IIIJG52 Yes. He rated it "Awesome out of 10"

[@avp6730]

But 8/10😅

[@kelseylogas1580]

So happy that there is more content from Dr. Konijnendijk. He has to be one of my absolute favorite historians in the genre of "Let's see how real this is" from media. And bless whatever cold or event made his voice drop an ocatave. He sounds great. I don't think we can get enough of this guy. Fantastic video and more please!

[@amirmoezz]

I'm so glad they brought him back. Already a minute into the video, and I'm loving it.

[@VilleKivinen]

I'm not satisfied until Dr. Roel Konijnendijk has rated every single fantasy, medieval and ancient scene in every film. I'd dig a ditch to save that man.

[@spirit9091]

Completely agree, but I think Hollywood does not crank out enough of these. Maybe they should let him loose on Korean movies and shows.

[@jwhan2086]

I saw Prof Ditchman in the thumbnail, so I expected to hear some useful advice about digging ditches. From my experience serving in the Army as an infantryman, I PERFECTLY agree with this opinion about ditches. In fact, when my foreign friends often ask me, "You have served in the Army, so you have shot the gun! How was it?" I tell them, "Bros, the real weapon for an infantryman is not a rifle, but a shovel. Trust me"

[@RyanJames1995]

What a awesome surprise. I could listen to this guy talk for hours.

[@AliciaQuality]

I'm convinced Roel is actually a time traveller who witnessed these battles first hand and that's why he's so passionate about what is accurate and what isn't.

[@zhengbq]

Ridley really said "bros let's reuse some of that trebuchets left over from Kingdom of Heaven in Gladiator 2 💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥"

[@PatrickBonte-w2b]

Mrvi

[@josephdedrick9337]

Both on land and on at least one of the ships.

[@immortal5383]

After a few videos this guy has taught me about the importance of ditches and archers dont wait for volley commands, plus he likes LOTR. GOAT of history reactors!

[@firstlast6796]

referring to the OCEAN as "the mother of all ditches" is hilarious, on brand, and true i guess lol

[@danielcarrillo4385]

The Man, The Myth, THE DITCHES!!!!!

[@spirit9091]

But I think I would also like to see a few of his lectures. Must be interesting to have such an engaging professor.

[@anikibruh4296]

The MOAT

[@marksplane]

As someone who is highly experienced in Skyrim I can confirm that, when things aren't going well in combat, summoning a dragon is generally a sound tactic.

[@Calve88]

I demand more movies with ancient warfare for this man to scrutinize. Never let him run out!

[@acdragonrider]

We must have him analyze the ditches in The Game of Thrones long night battle! And react to all of 300 and 300 Rise of Empire

[@modest_spice6083]

@@acdragonrider Dude, he already did! You can find him even giving some pointers on how to make a better defense of Winterfell.

[@andrewlee8243]

There needs to be a war movie about making ditches.

[@Calve88]

@@andrewlee8243 or a ditch movie about making wars

[@modest_spice6083]

@ or a making movie about ditch wars

[@waterzap99]

Having ridden motorcycles. When I see dragon riders, I always think goggles or a face mask. No way you are staying on that dragon when a nice big beetle smashes in your face.

[@yyc2987]

Nah, the airspeed velocity of an unladen dragon is only about 20 miles per hour. 😅 Not much wind at all

[@ccptube3468]

They would be blind! Only moves do this where riding without any sort of visor or lens is possible.

[@jerbil9353]

@@yyc2987 European or African dragon?

[@yyc2987]

😂 👍👍

[@HorizonOfHope]

Also as a motorcyclist, what do they do for ear protection? No helmet, no ear plugs - Targaryen family members must all be deaf.

[@markdietrichcochran2274]

My favorite ditch reference to date: 4:50

[@Corporate_Zombie]

I was looking for that comment.

[@jakobjansen9541]

I love that he is fully embracing the meme now

[@rickylafleur9855]

This guy could do this every week I'll still be here

[@HorizonOfHope]

I love how he gives the depictions their due of what they do well but then is honest about what is rubbish while still being really polite about it.

[@Matticusism]

Like the Groundhog, I emerge from my ditch to end the winter of not having Roel Konijnendijk videos for a while.

[@Maazzzo]

'Ridley! we talked about this!!' 🤣Roel is very entertaining and interesting. More, please!

[@mariolemur2778]

The legend returns! A must-watch!

[@Vballnut2117]

What I love about this guy is how he judges the battles based on the context within the film/show

[@sheeyanramos]

"Awesome out of Ten." My guy spitting honesty about LOTR.

[@ashleywaner1284]

Yes, the Ditch Man is back! I have never clicked on a video so fast after refreshing the home page!

[@nachtschatten8710]

Same here

[@katrinasokolova5791]

I’ve been waiting for this video since Gladiator II came out ❤

[@treydixon5399]

"Ridley, we talked about this." Worth the whole video, just for that.

[@KevinThornComedy]

Roel is the best. Can you imagine being in one of his classes?

[@HorizonOfHope]

It’s actually really hard to hear him because there is a massive ditch between him and his students.

[@HowardLogan-gv5kc]

​@@HorizonOfHope well played 😏

[@KevinThornComedy]

@@HorizonOfHope That would be great. If people had to sit on the other side of a ditch in the class

[@nachtschatten8710]

​@@HorizonOfHope probably at least two. That man doesnt do ditches by halves. But I agree: well played. 😊

[@aleshain5479]

I wouldn't want to be in one of his classes he probably has his students digging ditches 😅. I am obviously joking :D

[@josef3588]

Insider dug the ditch and found a gold mine with this historian legend.

[@drummer265]

What's up my ditches? Our guy has returned!

[@RollingExistence]

I love every video with Roel Konijnendijk (yes I copy pasted the name). Great sense of humor paired with unparalleled knowledge.

[@m_akos567]

Went to find my shovel as soon i saw the thumbail.

[@Eodeon]

My favourite historian, thanks for asking him back. I could listen to him for hours.

[@vitoravila9908]

18:30 - I've experienced police cavalry crashing into crowds of protesters and football fans many many times, and it's terrifying, the horses charge and trample anyone in their path even when they're just trotting, and it's almost impossible to defend yourself from the police baton blows coming from above... of course we're talking about (mostly) unarmed crowds, but still

[@Matisto1]

If you're often on the receiving end of a cavalry charge, it does seem to suggest you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[@vitoravila9908]

@@Matisto1Not necessarily…Latin American police forces (Brazil in my case) are not well known for its kindness, respect for basic human rights and appreciation for free speech 😅 Use of cavalry and tear gas ARE NOT last case resources, but a rather mundane incident for most football fans

[@josephdedrick9337]

To be fair most crowds aren't in a tight formation with pointy sticks(spears/pikes) to ward off a charge.

[@vitoravila9908]

@@josephdedrick9337you’re right, I’m attesting to my experience of seeing horses trample and stomping

[@GreyHunter88]

@@josephdedrick9337 Nor were most medieval formations, either. Weekend warriors and militia with spears likely wouldn't have ranked their odds very highly against a charging wall of fully armoured men and destriers. It's hard enough to put a horse down cleanly when it's crippled on the ground, let alone when it's cantering towards you. Even if you somehow manage to land a kill shot on the rapidly moving target (unlikely, especially with armour), you're still dead. That's like 1500+ pounds slamming into you at full speed. You and your four buddies behind you are dead, and the rest of the cavalry are now inside your spear range and knocking you around like bowling pins. It's a pretty steep ask, honestly. If you've spent a lot of time around horses, you realize just how unlikely it seems to hold your ground against a cavalry charge and survive. You'd need balls of absolute steel to even attempt it, and I really doubt most formations in the medieval world would be willing to roll those dice.

[@jwb590]

The ultimate irony is that no one in their right mind would ditch this guy’s class 🤭 love him, good on ya Business Insider, never too much Prof Roel!

[@WhereIsTheIntruder]

HE'S BACK!

[@aethelstan3279]

I will watch any video that has Roel on it.

[@Zireael_1251]

Roel Konijnendijk (the ditch enjoyer, Hollywood's fireballs and archers shooting in volleys hater) and Jonathan Ferguson (the keeper of firearms and artillery in the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history) are my favourite experts to watch 😅

[@chengkuoklee5734]

Don't forget Tobias Capwell

[@thevahandbook]

This man is swoonsomely knowledgeable.

[@ELGLADIADOR45210]

For us this was the return of the king, we need more of him pls

[@nielsgeivaerts9609]

my favorite historian and resident ditch expert

[@revontheus17]

I dug 100 ditches in preparation for the Ditch Man!

[@HowardLogan-gv5kc]

🗣 NOT ENOUGH!

[@sacredband7089]

Im happy that after many years, the rohirrim charge was finally featured here😢

[@vincentrivas-flores9641]

There isn't a ditch in the world that could keep me from watching another of this man's videos.

[@schuelr]

“that’s why they called him Cyrus the great - because he knew the value of a ditch.” - WHO DOESNT LOVE ROEL?!?!?! ❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@DJ3602]

I truly enjoy everytime that Professor 'Dig a ditch' Roel is coming back!

[@butkusfan23]

My parents told me digging ditches wasn't important. I wish they could've seen what this man has to say.

[@awesomness36]

But your dad had to dig into one for you to be born…

[@Subagya-ti8hs]

what i love about him is that he point out real simple things like "you could have used a ladder" lol

[@amirmoezz]

4:06 oh yeah, it's so soothing to hear it. That's exactly why I'm here.

[@jlinblazin]

Him ranking the charge of the rohirrim awesome/10 is so great. That scene is perfection, this dude has the best vids

[@klappspatenkamikaze]

Thanks to Roel i felt forced to make ditches for wargaming. How could i play ancient/medieval/fantasy wargames all these years without ditches?

[@david4rancibia34]

4:06 "Where's my ditch? I need one. Thats bad" This guy is amazing

[@domicius]

Top marks on the pronunciation of ξίφος!

[@rockandrolljew89]

Konijnendijk is one of the best, along with Tony Capwell and David Rawlings. Never get tired of watching any of them

[@RaulGalhardi]

OH MY GOD As soon as I saw the miniature of the video in my KZbin, i cliked. Long live to the Lord of the ditches! I am so happy that HE IS BACK!

[@grplayer0]

THE MAN,THE MYTH,THE DITCH! So glad Dr.Roel is back!

[@bp9696]

the ditch guy! love seeing this guy

[@dylanrieck6671]

Turns out its tough to balance historical accuracy and dramatic visual storytelling, kudos to filmakers who can do both

[@HowardLogan-gv5kc]

I'm a simple man. I see the Ditch Historian, I put a Like ✅️

[@FREDERIKBK-q2m]

fun fact the word oliphant is an old term for an ivory carrying elephant (as in it had tusks) from ivory and elephant From Middle English olifaunt, from Anglo-Norman oliphant (“ivory, elephant”) and Old French oliphant (“ivory, elephant, musical horn of ivory”), from Latin elephantus (“elephant”), from Ancient Greek ἐλέφας (eléphas, “ivory, elephant”). the most accurate part of the depictions of the siege of xiangyang is the lamellar the guns and the helmets

[@rabidpeanut3703]

This guy needs 10 more returns to Insider.

[@ultronemperor3525]

Good to see a honest review about the Siege of Eregion not blinded by hate or false informations. There were surely some over the top stuff, but it's called fantasy for a reason. Just one thing: the walls were actually pretty recent, they were build by the dwarves during season 1 in a few months.

[@ccptube3468]

My Fave Historian!

[@emob9246]

I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed listening to this man talk about battle scenes, but hearing him profess his love for Return of the King and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields just took my appreciation for him to a whole new level

[@teruphoto]

Ditch Dude! Welcome back, we missed you!

[@lalabrouhaha]

I adore this guy! I see a video with him and I watch it immediately. Seeing someone so enthusiastic about their passion is always fun to watch. Cheers dude🥂

[@bastiangugu4083]

A note on the Rings of Power battle. It might be a good idea to divert a river, but they block it. Where does the water go? And additionally, the riverbed seems to be not especially rocky. A charge through deep mud seems to be a bad idea. Or am I wrong?

[@lord-licht]

This video found me in a time of need. Absolutely love this guy and his insight and analysis, even more so after what he says abt the ROTK scene! BRING HIM BACK PLEASE

[@mm9773]

Start digging, it’s Roel Konijnenditch!

[@lemonicowo]

funnily enough the “dijk” part of his name means dike the manmade geological structure, which I would say is the exact opposite of a ditch lol

[@mm9773]

@@lemonicowo True

[@gannonmcnall356]

Look up modern dressage, it’s essentially the horse version of fencing. Medieval battle techniques for the horse and rider that have evolved to be more about the form and technique than killing, but they can 100% do that move where the horse jumps and kicks out in front and behind, I forget the Italian name but in English it’s often called the ‘airs above the ground’. Very neat and lots of people still use these techniques today!

[@salemxxx5007]

Thumbs up if you want Roel to supervise a historic ancient war movie

[@Floreal78]

Love how Roel just owns the ditch meme by now. :)

[@YouKnowYahKnow]

Include The Last Kingdom scenes in these vids. Haven't seen one covered yet

[@samwell2386]

Yes it’s a great show

[@isthatrubble]

the delivery of "ridley..... we talked about this" is just iconic

[@omnomnomnomm]

Seeing a trebuchet in 200 AD Imperial Rome is like seeing the Normans sending out M1 Abram Tanks when invading England doesn't make any goddamn sense 😂😂😂

[@nachtschatten8710]

But imagine being a historian and seeing that jist out of the corner of your eye...😅... epic double take followed by an equally epic eyes roll....😅

[@lordpelagius5078]

Right... but I now want to see that film