Were there Police in Ancient Rome? DOCUMENTARY

[@InvictaHistory]

This video is Part 5 in our series exploring Law & Order in Ancient Rome! Be sure to catch up on the rest of the episodes for full context: kzbin.info/aero/PLkOo_Hy3liEI9UdgTyxSrJuzcKQFd9cgY

[@GRBoi1993]

Invicta damn Oakley the quality of your vids has increased dramatically since I first followed you years ago!

[@kingofnuclearfallout39]

Question did the Germanic people like the Roman empire

[@simonmalki585]

Are the caesar episodes going to continue or should i just give up on life

[@itshunni8346]

when you're still waiting on a part 2 of a certain video.

[@ScarletRebel96]

Law and order of china?

[@thepepchannel7940]

I think battles are fun and all, but these videos about “mundane” events that affect the daily lives of the Romans do far more to bring history back to life

[@mylesjude233]

Totally, history isn't just about war after all.

[@MisterCynic18]

these kinds of videos are why I'm subscribed

[@michaelpettersson4919]

Sadly, earlier attempts of showing life for the ordinary people have often been heavily politicised. As such what we have been told have rarely amounted to more then "the rich opressed the poor".

[@alfredogarbanzo2276]

ABSOLUTELY!!

[@Geckogold]

@@michaelpettersson4919 That's not really much different than today if you think about it.

[@jesseberg3271]

In the Roman justice system, the Principate is represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the Vigiles who patrol the city, and the Cohorts who defend the Imperial Household. These are their stories.

[@hermask815]

Thank you for not including the totally annoying signature sound.

[@evanremillard5640]

Dun dun......... sorry I had to.

[@jameswilliams3241]

Brilliant 👏

[@mkvenner2]

@@evanremillard5640don’t apologize we all thought that

[@dirtyjack6300]

See...a period drama about a urban cohort team, their interactions with the Praetorians and the vigils, the bandits they have to face, corruption, family, politics...That would be a show to behold

[@lemonvariable72]

Maybe ten years ago. Now Rome will a African city. And your urban cohort will be a sassy black woman, a jew, and a fat chick

[@ShinigamiInuyasha777]

@@lemonvariable72 Well if its a ROMAN city settle in Egypt that wouldnt be far off...

[@Hugh_Morris]

lemonvariable72 I always see these kind of comments from people, I’m just curious on what basis do you think this would be the case

[@dirtyjack6300]

@@Hugh_Morris Tbf, they made Achiles into a black fella in that Netflix show.

[@ShinigamiInuyasha777]

@@dirtyjack6300 Thats because they people behind are hipocrates. If they really care about diversity they'll adapt a myth from Nigeria or an historical adaptation of the kingdoms of Etyopia

[@neutralfellow9736]

12:28 - Local girl: So what do you do? Me: I shoot balista bolts at flaming buildings to save lives

[@SomeBody-rm6hf]

That's a panty dropper for sure

[@AyarARJ]

@@SomeBody-rm6hf Subligaculum dropper indeed

[@gargoyles9999]

That’s fuckin metal as fuck dude

[@luciano9755]

You've outdone yourself with these little windows into everyday Roman life. It's incredible to think of something as essential to our quality of life as the use of police officers and firemen, things we take for granted today but must've been a great leap in security back then. Augustus seems to have really improved Rome, apart from his ubiquitous propaganda. Keep on with the great content! Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷

[@InvictaHistory]

Glad you enjoyed. We have a whole playlist of these in our "How They Did It" series

[@Hugh_Morris]

Augustus was a benevolent dictator

[@huntclanhunt9697]

@@Hugh_Morris X to doubt.

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

Invicta: One of the major duties of the armed guards is... Me: Oh boy, there comes something new. Invicta: Guard People

[@SwissSareth]

Don't know what you expected. XD

[@bobby_greene]

@@SwissSareth butt stuff

[@kayhaych05]

Sareth I don’t know. Something amazing, I guess

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

@@bobby_greene lol no. I was wondering some interesting admistrative stuff 🤣

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

@@kayhaych05 I was wondering some wesome detective stuff. 🤣🤣

[@Uncle_Fred]

Imagine doing night patrols in ancient Rome. Much of the city was filled with dark, tight, winding corridors. That sounds like a nightmare.

[@sunnyjim1355]

Corridors are internal to buildings. You mean alleys.

[@VarangianGuard13]

Yeah, their minds were probably playing tricks on them a lot during their first few patrols, or during large-scale unrest.

[@tallswede80]

they used dogs i'm sure

[@darkraven5106]

Normal People: Who watches History at 3:00 AM? Me: Oh boy! 3:00 AM!

[@erikjs]

Dark Raven 510 - I would be doing the same, except it’s only 2:00 AM where I’m at. 🙂 You must be on the East Coast. Gotta love insomnia.

[@mikecimerian6913]

I am a night bird and a geek. I did classical studies, Latin and civilization. But i can't translate Cicero anymore :) Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?

[@silverrain530]

5:00 A.M. casuals.

[@christopherg2347]

3:00 AM? Time for a krabby patty! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYXEl5-ldtCjeac

[@SomeBody-rm6hf]

I'm a cop watching this video while sitting in my car at work.

[@PhiGuy1717]

Last time I was this early, Rome was still a republic.

[@MarcusVipsaniusAgrippaLXIII]

Rip

[@wesleyfilms]

😢

[@redsoldier7220]

@Underdog yikes

[@daddy8884]

Ted Hubert Pagnanawon Crusio can you ask him to give me one to?

[@tomlxyz]

@Underdog damn tinfoil hats, son

[@hpdpco6634]

Who noticed the "gifted woman" sitting in the arena?

[@bosbanon3452]

Who?

[@misterkefir]

yeah.. that was pretty funny

[@hpdpco6634]

Clue: 9:45, 2nd row. 2nd to the rightmost.

[@masonburton7676]

lol i saw and looked for a comment about it

[@beyondheartmindsoul3443]

Thirst Alert!

[@berkleypearl2363]

I love so much that you have a bibliography for each of your videos. Loads people upload really great content but then don’t credit their sources anywhere. It’s so annoying when I want to do further reading. But you always provide proper sources for research an it makes me so happy

[@Stinger913]

*clicks on spear infantry* *spear infantry:* VI-GI-LES!

[@Root174]

TOWN WATCH!

[@3lcost3]

Total war!!!!

[@Droll3]

Were there Police in Ancient Rome? Me: Imagine Ancient Roman version of "COPS" tv show.

[@Droll3]

@@dennisthemenace3695 Heh, I was actually thinking Skyrim's 'COPS' series, with the guards crack down drug users, chase thieves, dealing murder cases and fighting bandits. :)

[@brendanthebomber.]

What about a version of Reno 911?

[@JRGProjects]

Live PD: Roman Style.

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

5:19 I love how the "bodyguard" is basically a "bandit" who you cleaned up and gave a uniform😆

[@Strider91]

. . . . . .honestly, that's what they were. A cleaned up bandit won't hesitate to do what ever you order him, so long as you pay well. Truth is the line in ancient times between "Bandits" and " Mercenaries" was often pretty blurred

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

@@Strider91 wasn't too blurry though! Like you said, the line was were you paying them enough or not! 😄

[@niedersacksen]

You catch criminals with criminals 😂

[@singlesinceforever1964]

having visuals to go along with these historical text is great. Thank you Invicta team for your work.

[@benjamino.7475]

Those fasces that the lictors carried were again used as symbols of power by the fascists in 20th century Italy, mainly under Mussolini. This is where the term fascism originated from.

[@solomonoftm]

Fun fact: Fasces is the root for the word "faggot". It's still the term for a bundle of rods/sticks among other unsavory meanings. The implication was one stick was simple to break. But a bundle was impossible or at least very difficult. Thus it was and is a symbol of strength in unity

[@worsethanjoerogan8061]

Damn I never knew that. Not surprising since Mussolini had fantasies of reviving the Roman Empire

[@abstractfactory8068]

Obviously biatch

[@nerysghemor5781]

I was wondering that...I’d heard about there being some sort of bundle of sticks tied together, but had never actually seen what that looked like or where it originally came from until now.

[@D.Jackson141]

The Praetor’s symbol, the fasces (axe and rod bundle) is still seen today in the US Army’s military police crest.

[@solwen]

It's also on the French passport. A lot of western countries took inspiration from the Roman symbolism

[@Oryxification]

Its also from an Aesops fable, the bundle of sticks. One stick is easily broken, a bundle is not.

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

9:36 Saw Gladiator couple times, never noticed those magnificent tatas.

[@Kamarovsky_KCM]

Tittus Maximus

[@OldBaas]

That's not gladiators. It's a screenshot from the Spartacus Blood and Sand series

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

@@OldBaas Oh, that makes sence. Its that series that outporned Game of Thrones, isn't it?

[@OldBaas]

@@tomaszskowronski1406 Yep it is

[@3John-Bishop]

Bodacious Maximus

[@keithrosenberg5486]

Actually the job of modern police is to defend and preserve the Rule of Law. They are not there to defend the individual.

[@PiotrDzialak]

The role of the police is to protect the wealth of the rich from the rage of the poor.

[@ASleepyMoose]

Piotr Działak simp

[@SteveSmith-ty8ko]

Piotr Działak SIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMP

[@nerdybacon6244]

@@PiotrDzialak Looks like we have another anti-police mfer in here

[@danielmilewski7659]

9:41 the best part of the video

[@georgeptolemy7260]

I told my fianceé I was going to bed, when she leaves me for being a liar I expect you to buy me a new one!

[@STB-jh7od]

When "vigilance" committees formed in US in late 1800s, they took their name from the Roman groups. To this day, Montana state police motto is based on 1800s vigilantes, who would give suspected wrong doer's a notice of 7-7-77, which gave them 7 days, 7 hours, 77 minutes to leave territory before being lynched.

[@nerdybacon6244]

Unfathomably based fr

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

I'm so early that Invicta's video on Evolution of the Roman Legions: Part 1 just got released. -Part 2 when-

[@ralphjosephacobo8014]

I'm so early the channel was still called THFE Production

[@RemusKingOfRome]

yes, according to THFE, Romans still fight as phalanx ... I think ?

[@illyrian9976]

I'm so early that THFE is still doing Total War faction guides.

[@JonatasAdoM]

We got the siege of Jerusalem. Someday we will get part 2. Part 3 on the other hand....

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

At this point I think he's just fucking with us.

[@inigomontoya8929]

I thought I had just learned that the rods stood for strength in unity: that one rod can be broken but when all the rods are bound together they are stronger and unbreakable.

[@PiotrDzialak]

The name "fascism" is based on the same logic, it comes from Italian "fascio" which means a bunch of sticks.

[@brycevo]

This is so fascinating. It's so different, yet it set out modern groundwork

[@LemSportsinterviews]

its beyond me why we don't have an open-world RPG in Rome a la elder scrolls

[@Strider91]

That would be glorious

[@theeccentrictripper3863]

If you've ever played Mount and Blade: Warband there's a pretty cool mod for it called Bellum Imperii, start as a nobody during the time of good ol' Marcus Aurelius and slowly build up your army, pillage and conquer your way to the top. Bonus points if you use Parthian cataphracts alongside veteran legionnaires.

[@LemSportsinterviews]

@@theeccentrictripper3863 this is a kickass recommendation. my nuts are numb after playing this mod. thank you brother

[@theeccentrictripper3863]

@@LemSportsinterviews Any time man, a friend in need is a friend indeed but a friend with legions is better.

[@alexandremartins8935]

Your videos have always a superb quality!!

[@honda6353]

Everyone is gangsta until the 5 peasants who are making a road, pulls their swords and hacks down 20 of your bros

[@sneeringimperialist6667]

Those revolting peasants again...

[@shans4167]

Everything was great and my attention was high until minute 9:49 and everything went downhill. The video is still paused at that point.

[@cristianvillanueva8782]

For real

[@stoutyyyy]

I don’t get it, what’s so bad about undercover cops?

[@adidascap9441]

@@stoutyyyy boobies

[@kubajcz]

thank you invicta for your videos, they are so informative!

[@ArmouredProductions]

Fun Facts about the Fasces: -Where the term "Fascism" comes from, since it was Mussolini, an Italian, who came up with it. -The Fasces is still a widely used symbol today, especially in America, where you can see it everywhere. For instance on the Lincoln Memorial, or the Seal of the United States Senate.

[@Vondracar]

In Norway two Fasces adorn each side of the badge of the police.

[@powerist209]

So does this mean that anarchists and anti-establishment people were right all along?

[@ArmouredProductions]

@@powerist209 No, because it's simply a symbol of authority and power, which is not inherently a bad. The Fascists appropriated the symbol same with the Swastika, how it was a symbol of peace. Unlike the Swastika it has avoided becoming stigmatized because the symbol is used by many different Nations and Republics.

[@danielatiganas4638]

I love how you used images of Pullo and Timon the Jew, that Rome series was the best piece of cinema ever made. Time to watch it again:)

[@solinvictus1234]

A clarify upon the Republica era. Rome indeed had organized "police" and Public order, they where the Magistrates that had the task of manage the cities, the "Aedili Curuli". The Aedili Curuli gived dispositions to the "Police" on the field in the city, other lower ranked Magistrates, that was the "Nocturni" that was around the city only the night and had Police tasks. Then there was also a "neighbor Police" a kind of Force a lot close to the population and they was the "Vicomagistri" (vico=alley/Magistri=Magistrates) that act during the day also with Police tasks.

[@lcgs5061]

these videos are so interesting!!!!!!! you're one of the channel that i like the most

[@angelooo6091]

I love the series of everyday life in rome, keep it up please and thank you

[@DrinkingStar]

Content of all your videos is always fascinating and fantastic. You and others like you are ushering in the new wave of how education will be provided in the future. Schooling will move from the classroom to "Distance Learning" in the home via the internet and/or TV. I see this as how education will gradually evolve.

[@jaymonius546]

Can we just have a moment of solidarity for our boy titus pullo

[@mantis2048]

Amazing videos. Seeing the daily life, laws, and the general Roman perspective on how society should function is infinitely interesting.

[@jefferynelson]

Excellent video as always.

[@waplington]

You guys are really doing for bit for the lockdowns, pumping out so much great content atm

[@maincoon6602]

Great video 👍🏻

[@exitolaboral]

Who registered how old was each soldier in order to check how many years of service had a specific soldier done?

[@alexvalealexvale1105]

great video as always,will be interesting a video on how minor handicap affect soldiers in ancient time,like myopia, colorblindness,stutter etc etc

[@SkyRaker77]

the vigiles and fire brigade stuff is really fascinating!

[@rgm96x49]

3:32 PULLO!

[@Spartan265]

Keep making videos on similar mundane type stuff like this. Seriously stuff like this I've always wondered about but it's hard to find info because generally wars, battles, generals, etc are more exciting to talk about than this.

[@Adde-hy7wx]

I think Rome was such a cool piece of history because some aspects of Rome were lost until even the Renaissance and also how the city Rome was almost like a time machine because of how advanced the city was for it's time.

[@kingofnuclearfallout39]

Invicta you videos are the best

[@mantis2048]

Keep up these amazing videos! One pronunciation change I might make at 11:00 is how you said aggrandizement. I said that word wrong for years but apparently it’s pronounced differently. The “correct” pronunciation sounds worse though if I’m honest. I’m only letting you know because I think it’s nicer for someone to let you know than to not say anything.

[@idiocracy9020]

Oh boy! 2 am history!

[@dreysantillan]

5:00 AM boi

[@augustoes4495]

Invicta, could you make a video about how the Romans dealt with mafias and criminal large scale organizations, if there was anything like the mafias or terrorists of our time in acient Rome. Thank you!

[@PatriceBoivin]

Rome expanded and enriched itself by looting nearby cultures... One could say that they were themselves a massive criminal organization. They killed so many people.

[@matehavlik4559]

Patrice Boivin FFS, this is really not the place for retroactive virtue signalling..

[@brethartaquino3976]

@@PatriceBoivin literally at that time every winner pillage loser. It is just we have different view of war.

[@jic1]

5:14 Was it deliberate that the bodyguard and the bandit looked like the same guy in different clothing?

[@Potatotenkopf]

Just finished watching the idubbz simp life video, so sad, the fall of another of the great 4 brings a tear to my eye.

[@gabibbo4145]

Just to say that the urban prefect was in charge only on the Urban Cohorts while for the praetorian there was the praetorian prefects (there were 2 of theme initially then became one under Tiberius)

[@pietervandervyver516]

Hey Invicta Your graphics are amazing - Thank you At 14:19 you show sculpting on buildings - Will you elaborate on that one day, please What I miss is Roman soldiers marching or was that not done at that stage We only see soldiers strolling with smoke and blood and war effects Maybe the word is Parade march or parade inspection Thank you kindly for your time

[@jfish953]

I love the black armour with purple cloth it’s badass

[@hellomynameishuman]

Yeah, they were called the townwatch.

[@Khorne926]

Did anybody else catch the hose in one of the bits of art around 12:00 minutes in?

[@simonetrevisan2406]

Invicta, in one of the next episode can you explaing the type of troops of the Romans? (Like legioner, triarii, hastati etc)

[@Gordons1888]

Operating is misspelled as Oeperating, I like finding mistakes in education videos, it's the same feeling when you correct your teacher :)

[@felixc.3444]

I REALLY love your art it’s super awesome to look at

[@PyroK8]

can't believe you missed the obvious: Law and Order: SPQR

[@rezandrarizkyirianto-1933]

*Dum dum*

[@utpalninjajedi]

"oooh the lictors guild very good. Only rally the flute players and the bakers and you can put on a festival.'

[@marcusaureliusantoninusaug2161]

Fantastic video!

[@chryasor9254]

Imagine looking out your window and seeimg the fire brigade setting up a trebuchet to clear your house out of the way of a fire

[@ippolit23]

Some sources claim that praetorians wore no armour and hid their swords under their tunics because arms were generally forbidden within the Pomerium. True?

[@whatthef911]

Want to see a buddy cop movie set in Ancient Rome.

[@BrandonCorrea-v8n]

Very good biodeo since it explains the evolution of what the police in Rome were at that time and how it has evolved over time

[@cc0767]

Super interesting video, great job! How did this look like in the rest of the empire? Did every city do its own thing?

[@Callmecel]

There are two more episodes coming up that talk about just this question :)

[@Arkeze]

I was having breakfast with a Roman citizen once, and he walked over and dumped salt in my oatmeal, then he beheaded me.

[@alevegaliolios]

oh god, did you die? or did you get better?

[@bobdinitto]

I went to the Magellan TV link and when signing up was offered only a week of free trial, not a month.

[@lostin_bass]

more egyptian history pleaseee great content

[@porcus123]

Couls you repeat what you said through 9:43 for some reason my mind keeps fading

[@farhadzaker2377]

I love these series! P.S. could you please introduce reliable books on these subjects? there are so many and I am not actually the best person to choose from them.

[@Callmecel]

There's a bibliography/suggested reading list in the video description :)

[@farhadzaker2377]

@@Callmecel Thanks! I didn't see that

[@robertclifton5795]

This was very interesting to as I've always wondered how legions weren't allowed to enter the city of Rome , how was the peace kept

[@Northstar1989]

The Praetorians and Urban Cohorts, as he described, could enter the city. An interesting note on the Urban Cohorts is that they were sometimes used specifically as a counterbalance against the influence and possible corruption of the other two police units- the Praetorians in particular. Thus, Emperors who were concerned about the power of the Praetorians would expand the numbers and training/equipment of the Urban Cohorts- whose loyalty was more reliable (they rarely turned on the Emperor the way the Praetorians often did...) This relationship even sort of made it into games: in the original Rome Total War, the Urban Cohorts were actually armed slightly better than the Praetorians to reflect this use as a counterweight (although it might not be accurate to actual history in most periods) and had higher base morale to reflect their greater loyalty to the state/people- although they were a unit only available very late-game, unlike the Praetorians (who were available in any city with an Imperial Palace)- and thus would typically have much less combat experience than the Praetorians (and die/run from battle sooner as a result) unless there were a lot of major revolts the player had to put down with them (their best/intended use was to crush major revolts in Roman cities with dangerous rebellious legionary units- they were far too expensive and difficult to replace to be much use in actual conquests... Even Praetorians were an expensive unit best kept in reserve until the moment of decision in a hard battle, due to how expensive and slow they were to replace...)

[@cici_tlb4009]

I find it hilarious this was recommended to me beside and actual Law and Order clip. I was very confused why i was suddenly get a bunch of Law and Order videos til i looked closer

[@danijellino1921]

All of this. This is what we need more of in Mount and Blade 2.

[@tucker21222]

Man that would be cool if they had a cops Roman Empire edition just saying it might be a great idea for an animated series

[@cometastral]

Easy to see the good and bad of each aspect

[@rayhamilton4775]

Yo, can we get a credit for the Paintings used in this video for example at 3:10? They are really fantastic and I would like to google them in full resolution and send them to my friends

[@4thcoming]

Great videos. Age of Empires comes to mind.

[@vaidyasantosh8559]

Nice info

[@Number1Irishlad]

Hey, could you do some videos on Baktria after alexander died?

[@christopherg2347]

So, I guess vigiles ere especially vigilant? Or were they more vigilantes?

[@KeetahSpacecat]

Since there was a video about dogs in rome, could there be a possibility of cats in rome?

[@coelediger662]

are you going to do a version of growing up in anceint India?

[@SRosenberg203]

They had Urban Cohorts, IIRC, during the Imperial age, but in the time of the Republic, the closest thing they had to police were lictors, but those were really just bodyguards for magistrates. Maybe the collegia, but those were essentially just gangs that worked for a specific aristocrat. Now I'll watch the video, and see if I was right.

[@brookechildress1751]

Forgot one frumentarii/vulpes they were basically the secret police of Rome Frumentarii appear to have spent a lot of time travelling and had a base in Rome at the Castra Peregrina.

[@Life_Is_Torture0000]

Good video. I would like to learn more about how commoners were typically punished for blood crimes perpetrated against other commoners. I know that during the medieval period, levels of violence could be very high, and it was often handled informally without recourse to the manorial court. I would be interested to know if a similar situation obtained in the Roman world.

[@Hato1992]

I like hand drawn characters, but Praetorians at 7:00 are so inaccurate. Violet robes and black mails? Violet dye was so expensive, only nobility, like kings, could afford robe like this, and it was in middleages.

[@BlurryDoggo]

Isn't rome richer?

[@nkl7345]

@@BlurryDoggo they were but still restricted purple for higher up like emperor and his family. In the republican era, high ranking officials like consuls could have a purple stripe on their togas as a symbol of rank

[@SonofSethoitae]

Praetorians actually did have the right to wear purple. Also, proper Phoenician purple dye was expensive, but there were other ways to dye things purple that weren't as expensive. However, most people were forbidden from wearing it by law.

[@AdobadoFantastico]

Would be cool to see this venture out into other cultures' legal traditions. Persia would be an interesting one, as major contemporaries.

[@NomeDeArte]

Hope you guys talk about security in Athens too.

[@gooddog2001]

I heard that local strong men handed out their own version of justice, like the mob is Sicily. For average person, they had no one in the government to go to for help. And people would probably settle disputes by talking it out or by fighting each other.

[@thehoodedchaser316]

For everyone into this topic I can highly recommend "SPQR" by John Maddox Roberts. Best books regarding that topic so far. If you're German, the audio book series is my favorite of all time. I guess the English one will be splendid too. Cheers guys

[@malleableconcrete]

Were the structures described in this video different in the other major cities in the Empire? Like I assume the Praetorians were mostly confined to Rome, so in somewhere like Alexandria did they have a variation on the Urban Cohorts?

[@bigdogzone3177]

The Vigiles or more properly the Vigiles Urbani ("watchmen of the City") or Cohortes Vigilum ("cohorts of the watchmen") were the firefighters and police of Ancient Rome.

[@alexanderchenf1]

I’ll make Cicero an offer he cannot refuse

[@SMC01ful]

After everything I know about the place, I'd have wanted to live just about anywhere other than ancient Rome. Some place coastal, Pompeii or Herculaneum would have been nice prior to Vesuvius going critical.

[@natheriver8910]

Very interesting