The Mystery of the Last Roman Pagans

[@toldinstone]

Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at www.stamps.com/toldinstone. Thanks to Stamps.com for sponsoring the show!

[@therizeenosaurid]

This service is a SCAM!

[@phoule76]

I helped out at a Roman temple dig in Evreux, Normandy, and one of the archeologists said there was a text that told of a "crazy" Roman priest still hanging out at the temple when Evreux had a bishop already. Imagine a pagan hermit, like an anachronism.

[@Game_Hero]

Where can we look at the text?

[@bonesapart8210]

Got a reference?

[@phoule76]

@@Game_Hero I'll try to find it!

[@bonesapart8210]

@@phoule76 thanks

[@mustafaemrecnar4221]

Have you managed to find the text? İ would love to be able to read it

[@Game_Hero]

The fact there were still roman pagans in Harran in the 11th century is mind-blowing to me, like that Ancient Egyptian believer in the 7th century.

[@sauravnarayan2294]

There are still many left in the world

[@1funnygame]

@@sauravnarayan2294 I've only ever seen atheists larping as pagans for some kind of ideological reason, never someone who actually believes in European pagan gods directly. As far as I can tell it's just new age religions without the beliefs and traditions of the past. Do you have any good examples of what you're talking about?

[@trevornapier4373]

@@1funnygameThere’s a Greek pagan group in Greece that consists of about 40-50 thousand people, that goes by the name of Labrys. Been around for about 3 decades or so. I don’t think one can call them larpers. They have managed to recreate the rites and traditions of Hellenism using archeological and written records. They even won a case in the Greek Supreme Court that recognized them as a religion in Greece, the first time any religion other than Christianity has been legally recognized in Greece

[@1funnygame]

@@trevornapier4373 Thanks. Tough for me to tell whether or not it's just a new religion, duplicating the rites of an older religion with new perspectives. I've often seen pagan nationalists in Scandinavia for example, who seem to follow a new age norse religion and view christianity as a weak and foreign religion. It would be very interesting if you're right though. Maybe I'm just being arbitrary

[@holdingpattern245]

​@@trevornapier4373that's a new religion though, not continuous with the old religion

[@janegardener1662]

Temples operating "under new divine management"--in spite of your deadpan delivery, you have a great sense of humor and fun.

[@johnladuke6475]

Meet the new god, same as the old god.

[@sweeeetteeeeth]

great line

[@garrettholtz5358]

The Greeks steal from the Minoans. The Romans steal from the Greeks. The Christians steal from the Romans. But it never has been "stealing". Just adapting to circumstances. Love your videos

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

It actually reminded me an old animated comedy series from Greece known as " ouk an lavis Para to mi echontos" "You won't get from those who don't have " The ancient Greek quote was used as a pun in the series meaning " you won't get money from the broke one '' According to the series premise it's time for The old Gods to retire and give the administration to the Christian God Charon is one of them but there is a problem, he can't close his" business books " because Menippus the cynic owns him money ( one coin for the passage to the other world) and Judas the.. Newly appointed tax collector won't allow him to get retired until the dept is settled 😁 As you can imagine playing around with philosophy religion and politics, the series didn't lasted long

[@ivanmp3e48]

Here in northern Spain is very common to find churches and chapels built near trees that the Celts thought sacred. The one in my village is from the 18th century and the tree from the 16th

[@lmonk9517]

surely the celts were gone by the 16th century

[@carlosfrancisco1003]

@@lmonk9517 They are still there, just not called Celts anymore. And, in any event, the legacy persists.

[@The_InfantMalePollockFrancis]

Celts were LONG GONE in the 16th.

[@The_InfantMalePollockFrancis]

@carlosfrancisco1003 No they aren't, no it doesn't. Galicia is a sad example of Celtic culture. There is more suebi blood and customs than Celtic.

[@jontalbot1]

The same is true in Britain. There is a tradition of having yew trees in churchyards. There is one near me estimated to be 1300 years old. In the pre Christian Era they were regarded as symbols of eternal life. It is also common to see Pagan symbols in churches. Winchester cathedral for example has a carving of the Green Man, a pagan deity of woodland. There are also wells and springs venerated by Christians but which were previously significant for pagans. Even the concept of Christmas is pagan rather than Christian. They needed a birthday for Christ and people were not about to give up on mid winter revels

[@thomash8079]

I remember reading somewhere that the ancient Mesopotamian religion survived until around 400 AD. Crazy to think that people had practiced it for over 3000 years by that point.

[@qboxer]

I wonder, do people feel the same way about Christianity, which is a 2,000 year old religion draped on top of another 1,000 year old one?

[@bobbyhill1110]

@@qboxer its all based on pagan middle eastern beliefs as long as sumeria so technically older.

[@qboxer]

@@bobbyhill1110 a matter of interpretation, but there are certainly aspects which evolved from that.

[@bobbyhill1110]

@@qboxer a matter of facts, not interpretation. Considering most elements of abrahamic religions have been adopted from the older religions in the area.

[@arvidwahl]

Just received your book in the mail yesterday. So far I’ve only read some of the “very short history” in the back, but I really enjoy your witty way of writing. Looking forward to reading the rest. Cheers and happy holidays!

[@alioshax7797]

Fun fact: Sin, the moon-god of Harran, was actually an insanely old deity, already venerated by the Akkadians in 2300 BCE (Sin was the main god of the ancient city of Ur). And technically, under an older, sumerian name, Nanna (just like one could say Zeus became Jupiter, although syncretism is not that simple, but still), the same moon-god was a major divinity of the Sumerian pantheon and we have evidences of it being venerated as early as 2800 BCE and probably even earlier. That would make Sin's cult one of the longest lasting religions in known history, with 4,000 years of attested cult, much longer than Islam (1400 years) Chirstianity (2000 years), Judaism (2800 to 3000 years) or even Hinduism (2800 to 3500 years) and Shinto (only attested since 700 BCE). All the dates I give are the ealiest attested proofs of the said cult, religions could be much older without us knowing it.

[@syahran1518]

damn... people really saw anything and think "they could give me stuff" ever since the dawn of time

[@DangerB0ne]

​@@syahran1518Some chimpanzees are known to slam and throw rocks at a specific hollow tree stump for unknown reasons. It isn't for food, shelter, warmth, territory, or mates yet they do it and pass that practice to their offspring. One could argue that this is a ritualistic behavior, though that may be anthropomorphizing a behavior we don't yet understand. If that's truly a chimp ritual, then it would stand to reason that humans, their closest relatives, probably have an innate drive for faith as well. All faiths share a common vision of hope, where be it the appeasement of a fickle nature spirit to the veneration of a monotheistic god that promises paradise after death or even the path to remove oneself from reincarnation and thus suffering, all faiths deal in hope. Maybe hope is a result of abstract thought, and the ability to visualize a better future. Regardless, people will find something to worship, given enough time.

[@the_demiurg]

Speaking of Sardinian pagans, we can talk about the rites of Maimon, the ancient god of rain that was invoked fro the last time by a small town in western Sardinia during the harsh drought of 2000. The local kids would parade through the streets carrying a wreath made out of periwinkle branches. The elderly people, then, would spray some water over the wreath as it was carried by the kids. The garland was eventually symbolically drowned in a creek to call for the rain. It actually did rain a couple of days lot after the ceremony 😂

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Coincidence? I think NOT! Checkmate, nonbelievers!

[@LeoJackson98]

Thank you, I've found the video of the ritual in Sardinian. It's a shame noone does it anymore

[@JP-zz7en]

It's so similar to another ritual that was practiced in the balkans, called Dodola Perperuna, was practiced in greece, North macedonia, bulgaria and romania, the ritual was a type of rain dance, the last ritual was ejecuted in 1850's.

[@JP-zz7en]

​@@LeoJackson98Where is the vídeo? I can't found it.

[@LeoJackson98]

@@JP-zz7en search: Su Maimone Aidomaggiore

[@johnlemon8581]

in Serbia we have a tradition called "slava" (glorification). Every house has its own patron saint and one date of the year is celebrated in his name. There is a big celebration with lots of food and music. Not many people know that the old Slavs in this area believed that every house had its own patron god and when their ancestors were forced to convert to christianity, they changed the names of their patron gods in christian saints but left them with the same characteristics. The most famous example is Saint Ilija who is identically described as the god Perun. Also we have many old slavic rituals for christmas, easter and other hollidays.

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Yeah, Roman pagan tradition also featured gods of homes and other buildings (like warehouses, etc.). These were called Penates and Lares, and they later also became patrons of families and even cities. In the folklore of some parts of Romania (namely Transylvania and northern Moldavia) such entities still exist, but they're not gods, but rather spirits. One is called Știma Casei (the House Spirit) and has the shape of a snake. It is believed to live under the homes themselves, or under roofs, and when you hear a "mundane" knocking sound in the house, it's believed that the Știma is making it. Some traditional homes in Transylvania still have snake-shaped doorknobs as tribute to the Știma, believing that they ward off evil and people bearing evil intentions. A being called Știma Apelor (the Spirit or Goddess of Waters) is said to govern bodies of water, especially rivers, but takes the shape of a maiden, similar to the Greek naiads. This one is obviously different, just included her for general knowledge. In Slav tradition you have house spirits such as Domać or Domovoj (not sure what you call them in Serbia), and these were apparently gods too, originally.

[@tribunateSPQR]

This is excellent - I'd love to see more content on this religious shift, like when the last Vestal Virgin abandoned their post or the last Flamen Dialis finally put on a belt with knots

[@M_Hoodh]

Your channel is the reason I am a walking library of amazingly interesting ancient info. Love your humor. Learning should be this fun always

[@forcelightningcable9639]

I’m Czech and up into my early teens, we would still celebrate šmigrust. Check out some photos because it’s practically Lupercalia with clothes.

[@thetruekhanofkhans]

Been to both Harran and Urfa. Really cool to hear about their histories.

[@nathanielokkonen643]

I love your channel, it teaches me so much

[@jpmojo]

Saw the title and it felt familiar… I purchased the book this summer ‘22, meanwhile I was subscribed to the channel for over six months … this book is entertaining, informative, allows you to dive further If so desired with tons of footnotes. Highly recommend reading for Roman history buffs, casual fans, or anyone that likes quirky stories of antiquity.

[@WelcomeToDERPLAND]

I read somewhere years ago- either in a book or an article (not on wikipedia, but some obscure history site) that the last Roman/Greek Pagans survived in Greek enclaves either high up in the mountains or in secluded communities on the myriad islands of the Aegean- all the way up to the fall of the Byzantine empire- when they were finally snuffed out by Ottoman genocides after being found accidently.

[@communistcuphead2901]

Oh man I by any chance you remember where you read this I'd be interested on reading it too a link would be appreciated

[@Matt67012]

Ah, the Turks, such a lovely and purposefully forgotten, brutal colonial history

[@ambiorixdeseburons4939]

“Ottoman genocides” lol As if the Romans didn’t destroy their own tradition

[@camj4253]

@@ambiorixdeseburons4939@Matt67012 look at this guy forgetting

[@WelcomeToDERPLAND]

It truly is one of the greatest crimes against the heritage of all of humanity that many thousands of ancient masterpieces were destroyed simply due to being crafted by Pagans... always hurts to think about.

[@adrien5568]

And it still continues in some parts of the word...

[@Zveebo]

We are very fortunate that when items and buildings were re-discovered in the Renaissance, people (and even the papacy) were wise enough mostly to appreciate them as valuable historic artefacts and preserve them in some form - we could easily have lost a whole lot more!

[@r0ky_M]

Such is the ignorance and arrogance of Xtians,.

[@Diogenes_43]

The destruction of the library of Alexandria still makes me upset when I think about it.

[@r0ky_M]

@@Diogenes_43 The 48 BC library fire may not have been intentional..but simply a result of battle, however the fire of the 4th century was likely started by Xtians who stormed the library then tortured and kill pagan philosophers.

[@flamencoprof]

Around 1997 I visited Cyprus and found there were still "holy trees" with cloth tokens tied to the branches for "luck" or "blessing" in many places. I have since learned they can be seen across Europe and do predate christianity.

[@TaeSunWoo]

I’m bout to watch this on my lunch break. Let’s goooo

[@garyfrancis6193]

I lived in Northern Greece for nearly nine years. Certain cities still revered certain goddesss and you were not to say anything bad about them. One was Demeter when I lived in Thrace. Her image is on the logo fi the Trapesa Agrotiki the Agricultural Bank. In Greece Macedonia it was Athena and Hera even though the Biblecrecords that 2000 years ago Diana was revered there. The old gods have not completely disappeared. I still have a kind of souvenir left in a forest grove near the ruins of a temple of Pan. I still call it thr gift of Pan.

[@abbasalchemist]

Beautiful!

[@kornelszecsi6512]

​How are you here Abbas, your comments are everywhere.@@abbasalchemist

[@abbasalchemist]

We travel in similar circles, friend. I seek to help reveal and foster the energeia of the gods, wherever praise of them may be (including where they are not favourably received or maligned). A hunter of sacred shadows on the eternal hills.

[@kornelszecsi6512]

@@abbasalchemist I agree, do you view the gods in the Neoplatonic sense, because if yes, we certainly do share the same view, the henads are glorious and good, however true blesedness is found in union with the One.

[@abbasalchemist]

@@kornelszecsi6512 of course! I will have to make another video about henosis. There's a lot of confusion as to what union with the One entails. Rather than a simple dissolving of egoic particularity into universality, it is much more nuanced---especially if you take a polycentrist Proclean henadalogical perspective.

[@izyadamson2815]

Thank you for all the work you do on this channel and your other two. I've convinced a couple of friends to buy your book and they both loved it. I told my brother about it so many times that I finally loaned it to him. He blazed through it in a matter of days. Your content is always so accessible while staying novel and true to the sources

[@MKdross]

I bought a copy of the history written by Zosimus (I think, now I'm uncertain lol) because I'm super interested in how paganism fell out of fashion and how that affected Roman society! Thank you for this and all that you do🙏

[@plasmapanasonic4741]

Cos of jews

[@missmorla1339]

Paganism didn't fall out of fashion its still very much alive and well surviving the slaughtering of christians because their arrogance and ignorance of the multitude of pagans in the world far out numbered the immoral detrimental genocidal sheep and their psychotic deity.

[@widsof7862]

‘maruading bands of monks’ is so different to how i would have pictured monks behaving. great video, thanks.

[@polarmouse3943]

Great topic, that's exactly what i was wondering about not a long time ago, i want your book now)

[@shounakbanerjee8904]

Reading stuff like this makes us understand how much Hindus are an oddity in the world. We saw not one, but two waves of monotheistic persecution and yet we still survive. May the Ancients rise again.

[@giuseppersa2391]

Ahh yes Christianity... We come in peace.. as long as it is our peace.

[@MikeS29]

"We come in peace, we leave you in pieces..."

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Pax Romana in practice.

[@missmorla1339]

They were the liberals of the day, except they slaughtered everyone who didn't join them.

[@wavecast64]

Love this content, could we get a video on the final days of the roman senate?

[@ambiorixdeseburons4939]

Read Cassiodorus, the Senate in Rome experienced a renaissance under the Ostrogoths.

[@williamkinkade2538]

The Roman Senate ended after the Gothic wars in the 6th century.

[@LuDux]

Loved "St. Demetra"

[@Timodj13]

Hey I have a question. How did they depict Ancient Rome in the Middle Ages? Between 800-1500 were there any depictions of Caesar or of any wars of the republic or early Roman Empire?

[@joeblow9657]

I found this fascinating

[@TSEliot1978]

Your videos are excellent. Keep up the good work!

[@ZackTeitelbaum]

It'd interesting if you made a video on the ancient vs. modern days of the week. It feels like a topic surrounded by a lot of misinformation, so a well-researched video would be cool.

[@MrPeterheather]

your videos are always super interesting!

[@ELLHNIKA]

the “idol smasher” erected an idol in the old idols place💀. Gotta love that blind hypocrisy

[@pandakicker1]

Tyrants must destroy what they cannot control, lest it rise up and depose them. They are human tyrants worshipping a tyrannical deity that has blinded them from ever knowing any other way.

[@TetsuShima]

Christians before being legalized: "We only want a World in which Christ's justice and love rule us all..." Christians after being legalized: "...AND THE SWORD HE BROUGHT SHALL MAKE SURE OF THAT!!!"

[@hanz3967]

All monotheistic abrahamists are alike

[@ofthecaribbean]

@@hanz3967 They have more in common than they do apart

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

christianity was always legal. the reason christians were persecuted is because they refused to follow roman laws, particularly the ones about making offerings to certain roman gods.

[@TetsuShima]

@@boarfaceswinejaw4516 Saying "before/after being legalized" is just a colloquial way of referring to the prohibition of your beliefs and self-restrictions. What I write should not be taken literally

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

@@Nathan-jt8zt what are you on about?

[@garywait3231]

" ... from my first book ..." As you have used this phrase a couple of times recently, I'm wondering whether it foreshadows the happy news that you have a second book in process? 🤔🙂

[@toldinstone]

It certainly does! Stay tuned...

[@garywait3231]

@@toldinstone : Delighted to hear it! Looking forward eagerly to its appearance.

[@hamiljohn]

@@toldinstone can't wait!

[@joeshmoe8345]

Really interesting stuff here big dog, thanks for sharing.

[@kirgan1000]

7:35 The days of the week (atlest in english) is not from the Greco-Roman pantheon, but of the Nord-Germanic pantheon.

[@richardglady3009]

Wonderful video. A great lesson and a smile. thank you.

[@luciuscornelius4037]

Is it possible that temples in ancient Rome stayed closed and virtually untouched (the city kept repairing them), although devoid of the statues and other works of art, for 2 centuries till they started being converted into churches?

[@toldinstone]

Much appreciated! There were imperial edicts ordering the preservation of the temples and ancient monuments of Rome; and in the case of the Pantheon, at least, these seem to have prevented serious pillaging. Other temples, however, were certainly destroyed for building material during late antiquity.

[@NikeonaBike]

@toldinstone In De Adminstrando Imperio, Constantine Porphyrogenitus informs us that the Maniots of the southern Peloponnese were still worshipping traditional greco-roman polytheism in the 9th century. They were forcibly converted by Basil I, but my guess is these people were the legitimate final worshippers of the greco-roman religion.

[@Erik_123]

beautiful ending speech

[@kuglepen64]

Let’s not forget Festivus which is still celebrated, around the unadorned aluminium pole, to this day.

[@Wyattinous]

The one topic I wanted to know about the most. Are you a mind reader? Edit: Just wanted to give a well wish to the New Year for Garret and everyone else hear on toldinstone! May everyone have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a Warm Yule and Io Saturnalia 🎉❤🥳🍾

[@toldinstone]

Happy holidays to you too!

[@generalfailure9730]

A nail tree - or in French: arbre à clous - is something you can encounter especially in Belgium and north of France. An old folk belief with roots in pre-Christian customs that by hammering a nail or a piece of cloth that has hit your sore tooth into the tree, you transfer the “evil tooth spirit” in your body to the tree

[@theeccentrictripper3863]

What's even more interesting is the paganism you don't see. Neoplatonism, while being an esoteric take on Hellenic philosophy and religion, passes on into Christianity through Augustine of Hippo and others. It remained present in the manuscripts of philosophers, alchemists, and theologians throughout the Medieval period, and to this day exists as a scaffolding for a great deal of theological musing, re-framed with Christian axioms. People will point to the saints, the statues, the robes, and the incense as signs of the lingering pagan influences on Christianity, and Christians will reply that these are trappings merely inherited through culture, but in her very bones the Church is a product of Hellenic pagan theological/philosophical speculation fused with the messianic Judaism common in the early Empire.

[@RamManNo1]

Kinda is. You’d be surprised how often Aristotle gets brought up in homilies at Catholic Churches. Once I even had a priest drop some Plato.

[@avam5634]

Very cool video!Could you please make one about plants in ancient greek arts?I have to do research on that for my paper and would love to hear your unique perspective on that!

[@TetsuShima]

Pagans after being ilegalized: "Wait, didn't your God say that you have to love everyone without hesitation?" 😢 Theodosius: "I missed the part where that's my problem..."

[@KevinJohnson-cv2no]

Christians realizing that they're still oppressed peasants after opening their eyes from prayer: 😡😡😡

[@hanz3967]

@@KevinJohnson-cv2no They would be promised their prize in the "afterworld" though - Which is why this slave religion was so appealing to the peasant class (and Empereors as a tool to rule them)

[@histguy101]

@@hanz3967 It seems to have grown more among urban dwellers and the middle class, as well as the army. Most early Christian writers were from the provincial upper class.

[@joellaz9836]

@@KevinJohnson-cv2no Peasants were pagan (that’s basically what pagan is describing). Christians were city dwellers.

[@joellaz9836]

@@hanz3967 All wrong. Seems like you’re just badly coping about your “strong” paganism getting BTFO’d by Christianity lol. Stark argues that contrary to popular belief, Christianity was not a movement of the lower classes and the oppressed but instead of the upper and middle classes in the cities and of Hellenized Jews. Stark also discusses the exponential nature of the growth of religion. Stark points to a number of advantages that Christianity had over paganism to explain its growth: - While others fled cities, Christians stayed in urban areas during plague, ministering and caring for the sick. - Christian populations grew faster because of the prohibition of birth control, abortion and infanticide. Since infanticide tended to affect female newborn more frequently, early Christians had a more even sex ratio and therefore a higher percentage of childbearing women than pagans. - To the same effect: Women were valued higher and allowed to participate in worship leading to a high rate of female converts. - In a time of two epidemics (165 CE and 251 CE) which killed up to a third of the whole population of the Roman Empire each time, the Christian message of redemption through sacrifice offered a more satisfactory explanation of why bad things happen to innocent people. Further, the tighter social cohesion and mutual help made them able to better cope with the disasters, leaving them with fewer casualties than the general population. This would also be attractive to outsiders, who would want to convert. Lastly, the epidemics left many non-Christians with a reduced number of interpersonal bonds, making the forming of new ones both necessary and easier. -Christians did not fight against their persecutors by open violence or guerrilla warfare but willingly went to their martyrdom while praying for their captors, which added credibility to their evangelism. Stark's basic thesis is that, ultimately, Christianity triumphed over paganism because it improved the quality of life of its adherents at that time.

[@Novusod]

The last "influential" pagan was a man named Tribonian who lived in the time of Justinian. He was a legal scholar who rewrote all of Roman law under the direction of Emperor Justinian. Tribonian was the last Pagan to hold high office in the empire. His legal reforms became the basis of Roman common law which was used throughout the empire and into the middle ages. This Roman common law became the underpinning of all modern legal systems. This is really the last and greatest legacy of Paganism. They gave us a legal system that was independent of the Church because the laws were written by a Pagan who did everything in his power to limit what the Church could do to a person legally. Separation of Church and State starts with Tribonian.

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

Damn, wish I knew this back in school, wouldn't have gotten on the law teacher's bad side. :D (this is a serious comment, by the way, even if I used a smily)

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

Fascinating reflection on the subject. It would be worth analysing the survival of paganism in the Catholic veneration of the Holy Virgin and the saints, which Luther rejected as a trace of paganism.

[@MJ-lx8pc]

Great info

[@adizmal]

I often think about the decline of Rome and the rise of Christianity. If I could run with a bit of Edward Gibbon's take and give my own brief opinion, it would be thus... **The decline of Rome occurred [in part] due to a decrease in individual and collective civic duty and accountability, which makes a lot of sense when considering that Christianity encouraged believers to focus on their own personal salvation.**

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

One of the main problems with the notion that Christianity doomed the Roman empire, was that the Roman empire continued on until 1453. It had over a thousand years of being Christian.

[@adizmal]

@@ahorsewithnoname773 Not really. Eastern Rome was not Western Rome. Besides, Rome had over a thousand years of being pagan.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

@@adizmal Eastern Rome was quite literally a direct continuation of the Roman empire. Constantine had shifted the capital to Constantinople in 324.

[@adizmal]

@@ahorsewithnoname773 Wasn't the same thing, everyone knows this. Not going to debate it.

[@clenesuniversaisx5173]

and the city of rome wasnt' even a metropole by the time

[@oscarhans3712]

The Gods never die

[@TheSkelzore]

I love your channel, I'd also love to see you as a guest on forehead fables again. I think they secretly liked having you on the show.

[@toldinstone]

If Sam ever invites me back, I'm game!

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

I haven't caught up on forehead fables since like episode 5, toldinstone was on there? wild

[@TheSkelzore]

@@toldinstone I will begin petitioning.

[@TheSkelzore]

@@vitriolicAmaranth Yup! Episode 69 funnily enough.

[@Sunnason]

Great video! Very informative and non-biased. I very much appreciate that

[@AldemirVieirajrchem]

The Vestas became the nuns. The Pontificex Maximus became the Pope. Some saints history is very close to the history of some gods. Saints Cosme and Damian was very accepted in Rome in allusion to Romulo and Remus. The Genius became the angels. The lararium became the shrine in some houses. Lupercalia is the Carnival.

[@ambiorixdeseburons4939]

No, this is bad history and ignores the brutal destruction of institutions. This is like saying I became the Roman Emperor because I took them name Caesar. The Vestas were raped by mobs and kicked from their temples.

[@RamManNo1]

Castor and Pollux were absorbed by Saints Peter and Paul. Patrons of travelers.

[@nicolasclermont893]

Amazing channel

[@idontknowadam2744]

BABE TOLD IN STONE JUST UPLOADED

[@polymathable]

Love you, toldintone. Tell us more about fat gladiators next year 🤭🤭

[@WildMen4444]

Hail to the last of the Pagans before the modern era! There are those that remember you and aim to carry on your legacy. May you be with us.

[@funkkymonkey6924]

I love unique sponsorships.

[@dominicperez3777]

Marauding bands of monks is something I'd never thought I'd hear.

[@udaaz]

Very nice 👍

[@SUDMONEYBAGS]

Here in Armenia we still have a roman pagan temple

[@kasrkaiser6686]

In Northumbria, England, Roman Paganism, although in a heavily damaged and broken form, managed to slip through the cracks and survive, right up until the 1800s. It was noted on more than one occasion that Isolated villages would drag ancient broken statues of Juno, Ceres and other roman goddesses that were dug up or pilfered from decaying Roman Ruins, through their fallow fields in order to bless their future harvests, despite possessing no knowledge on who these status were of except that they were pagan gods.

[@jackholloway1]

This is a huge misunderstanding, they were not Roman pagans but continuing Anglo-Saxon traditions, the name of the goddess Ceres was used by the German chronicler describing the events but it's clear from understanding Germanic paganism that he was simply using the name of the equivalent Roman goddess to the Anglo-Saxon fertility one (possibly Frig). They also didn't use Roman statues, you have misremembered, but made idols out of corn (this is a practice that sort of survives to this day too)

[@pandakicker1]

Awwwww may the Gods feed them honey! ❤❤❤

[@HistoryFirst]

I really like your videos, and they are always well made and offer new perspectives on the ancient past. Would you ever consider making videos on Iron Age India? Its certainly an interesting subject and had a lot of influence on the Roman Empire. Im currently writing a research video on Croatians in India, though this is in the more modern period. Best, GH

[@usergiodmsilva1983PT]

I can´t recommend this book enought, great stuff!

[@adrien5568]

The Maioumas festival must have been something!

[@mcalkis5771]

We Greeks still to this day celebrate "Apokries" every year, a Halloween-like holiday and festival that has its roots in ancient celebrations of Dionysus.

[@steveneardley7541]

The book Night Battles, by Carlo Ginzburg, details an agrarian cult in the Veneto in the 16th and 17th centuries. This was a relic of pagan cult dedicated to the ancient Moon goddess, Diana. Believers would astral project to fight the witches, in order to protect the fertility of the fields. The Inquisition began investigating, but found that these beliefs were so prevalent, even among the rich, that they ended up backing off.

[@roflnosedlolfin]

Hi! I am a long time admirer of your content and also an art historian. What is the name or source of the image that appears at 4:08 in this video? It's arrestingly beautiful and would make a great slide in my lectures!

[@Aldebaran...]

Hey there, I actually remember seeing this fresco at the Vatican! Its called "Triumph of Christian Religion" and was painted by Tommaso Laureti

[@Michael_the_Drunkard]

Harran is Carrhae, of you didn't know.

[@RonJohn63]

0:21 What about Cyprus and southwestern Anatolia?

[@sarahsarah2534]

"Under new divine management" XD

[@bratdfortd]

heartbreaking!

[@teslaoliveira2195]

Super!

[@christopherevans2445]

Gnosticism could be seen as continual and connection to the mystery past and Christian beliefs

[@astrotog7265]

You mentioned your first book; do you have a third one ?

[@JordanBeagle]

1:55 Raids by marauding monks is not a sentence I thought I'd hear

[@dragonrykr]

It's interesting how now in the 21st century we are experiencing a similar major event - the replacement of Christianity by Irreligion, in many places throughout the world. And it is also interesting how the older belief again remains stronger in the rural areas, while the urban ones are more eager to accept the new ways of thinking. Just how it was with Paganism vs Christianity a millenia ago, nowadays it is with Christianity and Irreligion.

[@ianian4162]

I wonder where irreligion will go from there. What might come after that?

[@view1st]

I'm waiting for a Constantine or a Justinian from the USA who will set in motion the destruction of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, possibly by nuclear war.

[@missmorla1339]

No one wants to follow an immoral deity that demands the slaughtering and sacrificing of infants and children, seriously jephthah was a follower and still had to burn his daughter ALIVE. the millions upon millions slaughtered for and by your deity and the many other immoral acts committed and subsequently pathetically justified for by you people. 90% of serial killers do or did follow your psychotic mass murderer of whom you keep a bragging book of slaughtering of which is not a coincidence. There is not a moral compassionate bone in the whole lot of you no one wants to be gaslighted and manipulated anymore and that is all your religion does. You can put bandaid on as many people as you want but it doesn't make up for a mass geocide of Pagan babies and infants you people try to justify.

[@pandakicker1]

It’s not irreligion, it worships the perfected Man at the end of history. It is the same type of tyranny as Christianity, only thing is it either doesn’t recognize that it is a religion or it denies that it is a religion. That is why it is happening in a similar way and just as tyrannical, if not more tyrannical. If it isn’t a religion, why does it act the same way? It has zealots that are the ugliest zealots ever on the inside and outside.

[@missmorla1339]

If this 'irreligion' is anything like you people you should be terrified because it was abrahamic beliefs that started small and pillaged the entire world because of the teachings of hatred and slaughtering of anyone who didn't believe in the Abrahamic convert or die motto.

[@diebesgrab]

“the days of the week [...] are named after the gods” But which gods? What god would be hanging around Heathrow trying to catch the 3:37 to Oslo?

[@harmenbreedeveld8026]

I have come across similar stories of the old and new religions overlapping temporally in Scandinavia. I remember hearing of an early church there, where the builders had also worked a symbol of Thor in the church. Maybe it was a (sensible!) attempt to hedge their divine bets?

[@missmorla1339]

Its an act of defiance when you are forced to convert or die, there are ways to continue to be a pagan covertly. They staid alive and in turn so did paganism.

[@clivebaxter6354]

I thought painting crosses on shields at the Mlilvian bridge was a myth not mentioned until centuries later?

[@toprak8311]

Where do we can find the great art used in this video?

[@mademoiselledusfonctionell1609]

When I a few decades ago went with my choir to Spain, we visited quite a few churches. Walking around the churches, I saw statues of Saint Mary of the XX and Saint Mary of the YY, and so on and so forth. Male saints and female saints. All beside each other. It seemed to me that the pagan gods and goddesses that had only been renamed.

[@robertscott4728]

What modern foods would the Romans find terrible to eat?

[@jamisongillespie3524]

Gogurt

[@selectionn]

probably Aspic. that nasty meat inside jelly dish

[@bonesapart8210]

They would probably find things too sweet due to sugar being so common in our diet.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

They'd probably hate the way modern people drink wine. Only barbarians and uncouth soldiers drank unmixed wine (the Romans "cut" theirs with water), and the Romans were also fond of mixing lots of herbs and spices and what have you in with their wine that would horrify most modern wine snobs.

[@pandakicker1]

@@ahorsewithnoname773I would looooove to try their wine! It sound so lovely.

[@michaelhoffmann2891]

Paganism remains alive in THIS household, where I am the high priest of Bastet. Or was I just the temple sweeper and litterbox cleaner and tuna can flunky? It's sometimes hard to tell the difference.

[@EggShen905]

Hey, maybe you hear this a lot and maybe not, but: as a Catholic, I appreciate your very even-handed, "just the facts" approach here.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Paganism in the Iberian peninsula survived well into the 16th century and even later amongst the Basques so much so that the full force of the inquisition was turned on them.

[@Jcecil17]

It's over at 1:50 I repeat it's over

[@valentine8161]

"It's over Anakin, I have Constantinople!"

[@Jcecil17]

Constant no people

[@georgeoldsterd8994]

I remember doing some research on Thracian\ Dacian religion, and apparently there were still some people living in the Balkans, in the 7th century that practiced a form of totemic wolf-worship. This comes from a seemingly throwaway line in correspondence between some Christian missionaries, one of whom informed the other about intending to "take the word of God to those wolves up in the mountains", or some such. Researchers believe these may have been leftover from the non-Romanized Dacians that also avoided conversion to Christianity because they were living in an out-of-the-way and difficult-to-reach mountainous area. Then again, these "wolves" could have been some eastern peoples that came into the area during and after the Great Barbarian Migration. Some of those barbarians came from Asia, after all, and in Central Asian cultures the wolf is an important totemic animal.

[@oh_no_martians]

I need to listen to “Songs for Pierre Chuvin” again

[@Anamericanhomestead]

Most pagan gods were celebrated at the winter solstice. Most pagan goddesses were celebrated at the spring equinox. Christmas and Easter.

[@fareflight2029]

More than just pagan religions celebrate summer and winter solstices. I'm sure you are trying to allege that Christmas is actually just Saturnalia under a different name but I would argue that's just coincidence because Christians just choose around the same time to celebrate. We don't know when Jesus was born so it could really just be any day.

[@charlesramirez587]

I often find the connection with Christmas more excusable as a misconception but nowhere besides England does Easter have a pagan connection, Easter everywhere else is called the day of the ascension. And has a strict traditional date with the calendar for the time that does not correspond to any equinox specifically.

[@charlesramirez587]

@@fareflight2029 Tradition holds to parallel conception to crucifixion and implies 9 months from Easter, this is the assumed day and was celebrated sporadically before any official canon announced in any council.

[@adrien5568]

@@fareflight2029 Today we estimate that it was in April 4 but if I remember well for a long time it was tough to be in summer and it is only later that the day has been shifted to correspond to the biggest "parties" which were in late autumn/winter.

[@OllamhDrab]

Actually 'most Pagan Gods' had their own 'feast days' throughout the year. And often 'the season is the reason for the season' and it was more like people celebrating *with* certain Gods than 'celebrating an anniversary' as like a liturgical calendar would have it. There's generally less separation between the season itself and the Gods most celebrated then than you'll find in monotheism, especially when they kind of make 'christianized excuses' for various cultural customs and themes and holidays that they appropriated/adapted.

[@johnspizziri1919]

BUY THE BOOK!!

[@r0ky_M]

0:48_it remains debatable whether it was Pagan Roman "X" (solar symbol) or an Xtian symbol painted on shields..Constantine after all was a huge 'Solar Invictus' worshipper.

[@michaelscalzo6716]

Love the videos you should do more talking about Christianity in rome

[@kritikalmass1334]

Just glad that many moderns Christians have a tree in their living rooms....

[@cletusawreetus-awrightus2799]

6:55 REMEMBER WHAT THEY TOOK FROM YOU

[@paulo7113]

They took capital letters from us 😆

[@Insectoid_]

I pray to Gaia. Like.. before I even knew about pagan religions it seemed right to worship the world