What Did Ancient Rome Smell Like?

[@toldinstone]

Use TOLDINSTONE to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird: sbird.co/3xKMMgl

[@garlicbreathandfarts]

With the war in Ukraine and inflation, I struggle to make ends meet. I need your vids though. Please do one on Butrinti, Albania. I am sure you know how overlooked it is. Respects!

[@j0nnyism]

Do you know what a satyr play is? Ancient Greek comedies seem to be already satires so it begs the question what exactly is one?

[@Confused_Dog]

Gross advertising, soulless shilling for overpriced garbage you would never use. Be better.

[@botvinny608]

I love when someone asks a question I've never considered before. Well done.

[@szurketaltos2693]

Hm, I did ask this question a while ago... I wonder if that germinated the idea?

[@adamroodog1718]

there is a novel called "perfume" patrick suskind. about a boy with an exceptional sense of smell who lives in paris in the 18th century. if you found that interesting and would like to expand on it.

[@Super6ix0ne]

I lost my sense of smell nearly 5 years ago and this was such an amazing journey to close my eyes and be transported and regain a sense lost. Thank you this was a great on so many levels .

[@callithasmed8468]

Your ability to appreciate something you have lost without despair is admirable.

[@thehermitman822]

I've heard of aromas bringing back memories but this is the first I've heard of stories of smells bringing back the sense. Stay smelly my friend 👃👍.

[@Curdle7]

There is a way to bring it back you should look up Luca Turin and bringing back lost sense of smell, it can be done

[@Curdle7]

Ah I can’t find it but it was in one of Luca Turin’s main books.

[@Curdle7]

Ah I’m sorry I believe it was the emperor of scent by chandler burr. But that book features Luca Turin scent scientist

[@ventu2295]

I always think this question whenever time travel comes into a discussion, higyene and smell.

[@khumbaaba]

This narrative approach is so much fun! I believe, "quivered on the edge of transparency" is my new favorite phrase. Thanks!

[@hashbrownz1999]

When I was younger, it was the obvious that interested me. Who ruled who, who fought who, who lived, who died and how. Now it's these less obvious questions. How did they live? Why did they live that way? What changed them? How did these changes effect who ruled what, and who fought who?

[@kellysouter4381]

What was for lunch, how were the children raised, what games did they play?

[@Yuvraj.]

@@kellysouter4381 "What was for lunch" is a perfect question!

[@callithasmed8468]

What was "vibe" of day to day life in any given period? Did life in Rome "feel" different, how did individuals in society perceive it? How different were these peoples from ourselves, and how? And of course- have we forgotten or are we taking something for granted?

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

I read your answer on Reddit the other day about why Greek didn't diverge into several distinct languages like Latin and the Romance languages; it was an immensely interesting read! Thank you for all the fantastic knowledge across platforms, you're a gentleman and a scholar🙏

[@silverbackag9790]

Which sub?

[@dmdrosselmeyer]

@@silverbackag9790 r/AskHistorians

[@silverbackag9790]

@@dmdrosselmeyer Thanks!

[@hattorihaso2579]

Link?

[@hg8843]

The writing on these scripts simply get better and better. This is outstanding. Thank you

[@brendand468]

I loved the format of following a fictional character on a tour of what you wanted to show

[@creely123]

A surprisingly interesting question for a more civilized age, but a welcome one.

[@Duterasemis]

I love how Gaius works so well as a ready-made name for a hypothetical Roman. He's just... he's just this guy, you know?

[@yankeecornbread8464]

My sojourn into Rome began as the express train approached from the north. Everything was moving together toward a great destination; the center of the world. The aqueducts especially impressed as they marched towards The City. Even before reaching the outskirts I was experiencing centuries simultaneously. Grander than I could have ever imagined.

[@cb7235]

Did you really have to call it a sojourn

[@jileelmcdaniels7331]

​@@cb7235 Its an English word. Why does everyone insist on speaking like a vagrant these days.

[@aarinisles]

You are always covering topics I have thought about but didn’t know where to find answers. Discussing topics like this just makes history more accessible and, perhaps, a little more immediate. I would like to see some information on what and how ordinary people talked. What was their vocabulary like compared to others. What slang was used and it’s origins. What things were considered important and what things were held in contempt and how were these things discussed.

[@toldinstone]

That's a very interesting question. I'll add to the topic list!

[@thehermitman822]

@@toldinstone That'll make a nice trip through the city.

[@ChelseaH1]

I feel like I was picked up and dropped right into Ancient Rome. You have an incredible gift for description.

[@paulkoza8652]

Garrett, you are hilarious. Especially in the commercial. I love these "man in the street" videos.

[@vaiker.]

These topics aren’t covered anywhere else. Your eye for topics that enthrall the average person is unmatched on the platform. God bless

[@dream_emulator]

This format is phenomenal! Really brings history to life by looking through the eyes (and now noses) of people in the past 👌🙏✨

[@Botoxcorvette]

I always jump on a new video from toldinstone!

[@just4commentsable]

Another question about ancient Rome that I had: How was music notated and taught? My thinking is, maybe more people in ancient times knew how to read music than actually read Latin. Because I imagine that music was more universal than the need to read/write. So how did music literacy compare with literacy literacy?

[@SonofSethoitae]

There's not much proof that the Romans had any codified system of music notation. There's speculation that they may have borrowed a Greek system called "enchiriadic notation", but it's not directly attested in Roman sources. That would suggest that far fewer people read music than read Latin, just as today far fewer people read music than read English. Most people learned music by doing, or by verbal instruction from a teacher.

[@drraoulmclaughlin7423]

A great re-imagining of their world 🙂 Cinnamon might have been a very common fragrance in Rome. Vast amounts were being imported from the distant east. This sweet scent is also highly effective at masking the smell of body waste. Street sellers peddled unguents outside busy theatres and other over-crowded venues. Maybe your ancient traveller made a purchase?

[@toldinstone]

I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it! As it happens, I can return the compliment, since I had the pleasure of reading "The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes" while researching my last video.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

definitely a very nice sketch of the atmosphere in Ancient Rome... very evoking.

[@asheland_numismatics]

You have the perfect narrative voice for Ancient Rome videos. 👍

[@charissabihl1731]

You really did right by Scentbird. I’ve never seen a KZbinr match the theme of the their video to a Scentbird sponsorship so well. I hope they appreciate you and the effort you put in.

[@Bill_tyler]

Wow, I was there for just a moment, thank you

[@goldenineke]

I wonder what happened to all the grave monuments lining the Appian Way after the fall of the Roman Empire? Did they gradually deteriorate, with the stones being used for other structures? It would be great to explore the sad unpacking of the great Empire.

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

I will not be surprised about it being reused. "Spolia" is coined to describe such stone recycling...

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 I wonder how many grave monuments were dismantled and reassembled into churches? 🤔

[@apteryx01]

Absolutely wonderful video! Never before have I gotten such a vivid sense of the bustle, size, and reality of Ancient Rome.

[@TetsuShima]

The picture showed in the thumbnail of the video is quite poetic and ironic, actually. It shows an environment full of beautiful flowers with a wonderful smell worthy of the best places in Olympus. However, the center of the image is occupied by Emperor Elagabalus, one of the most loathsome and infamous figures Rome ever had.

[@pattheplanter]

Depicting the possibly untrue story of his killing a bunch of people by smothering them in tons of roses.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Loathsome and infamous? Because Elagabalus was trans and used self referential feminine pronouns? Or because E. was a horny gay teenager who couldn't get enough of the 'd'? Everything we have about this emperor comes from historians who described the person with venom.

[@Random_Guy_On_The_Internet2023]

Very immersive storytelling!

[@blindpringles]

That was really interesting. You've got a play in there or something. Maybe just a poem. It seems like you take these weird sponsors sometimes as a challenge to do a tie in for them. THis was great man.

[@RealmsofPixelation]

Gaius? Or however that's spelled....has a strong resemblance to one Sylvester Stallone. 😄

[@rizmid]

Yeah I am commented too!! 😄

[@adalsm]

Aaaadriaaan-opolis

[@jimcourter5633]

Great video! The portrait you used for Gaius had me doing Sylvester Stallone impersonations in my head. Dead ringer.

[@Dave-qy4zm]

I recently bought a bunch of woodworking tools, its a new hobby of mine. But then i thought hay, how about mixing it with my fanboying of roman history! Could you do a video on roman furniture or woodworking??? Im genuinely curious about that

[@toldinstone]

That would be interesting. We have some carbonized Roman furniture and doors from Pompeii, which would provide a great set of examples. Stay tuned...

[@becmckinlay5073]

The image of Gaius is a Fayum mummie portrait that I reckon looks a bit like Sylvester Stalone. There's another reminiscent of Minnie Driver and several remind me of friends....art nerd here. Enjoyed your video about the far travelled Egyptian Roman Gaius 😄

[@toldinstone]

I thought about using a random marble bust, but decided that a mummy portrait would be much more evocative. The fact that this particular guy looked so much like Stallone was icing on the cake.

[@SloppyJoe413]

Long cemetery on the side of the road? With people living among the tombs and running taverns? Sounds like something out of a dream lol

[@BTY69.]

Hands down the best channel on KZbin! Absolutely love your work. I always thought I was weird growing up being so interested in Rome. Turns out I was based all along

[@FunSam]

This is a question I never thought to think but I'm glad I get to learn about it.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Vinegar was probably a common source of odour. Posca, a blend of vinegar and water, was a favoured soft drink, and sponges dipped in vinegar were often used to clean up after using the latrine.

[@ironhills]

I love how well you segue your sponsorships into the topics of the videos themselves. Unparalleled!

[@thehermitman822]

I wasn't expecting it to be so relevant. 👁👃👁

[@kirby282]

Loved this style! enraptured the whole way through

[@nickmerlini8453]

Someone once described to me the smell of New York in a very similar war. Trash roasting in the sun, weed, exhaust fumes, and expensive perfume, all coming together in a strangely addictive cocktail of scent.

[@thegatorhator6822]

disgusting.

[@pandakicker1]

NYC is horribly hideous, so it isn't worth going back. I hated it. I LOVED Rome.

[@mbterabytesjc2036]

Nicely done, thanks for the very descriptive and imaginative story. 😀 God bless you, your family, and your work. Perhaps a story of the change to Rome when the Christians began to take control, how did this change the fabric of the city and empire?

[@stevenjames5874]

In the best way you can say this: this video put me to sleep. Your voice, the picturesque scene you paint, and the intriguing world of Ancient Rome lulled me into a nice sleep. It was great.

[@jovanweismiller7114]

I was born with anosmia (lack of sense of smell) so I wouldn't have smelt anything, but this was still fascinating. Thanks.

[@T.A.R615]

Thank you for the very insightful video, toldinstone! I was wondering, though, what texts you referred to for this narrative? I never thought this aspect of Roman life would intrigue me so much, so thank you for that!

[@toldinstone]

It was really a blend of sources, but the epigrams of Martial were especially useful for helping me imagine the ancient city.

[@T.A.R615]

@@toldinstone Thank you very much. I'll add it to my reading list!

[@T_Mo271]

No one else does content and sponsor plugs with such style.

[@violetagardenia]

This was amazing! Thank you for the ride

[@miguel9070]

This is definitely one of my favorite channels on KZbin. This was another great video 🤠

[@colleennobbs7218]

Thank you Garrett. Always a pleasure to travel back in time with you. ☺️

[@mparis130]

If you ever write a novel set in ancient Rome, i'd totally buy it!

[@withouthavingseen]

Very clever. Love it.

[@jorehir]

Beautifully told. I'm not so sure about the entity of the smell from biological waste though... The aqueducts delivered an average of 1 ton of water per person every day. Strabo tells us how most houses had plumbing (presumably for fresh water). Pompeii had upstairs toilets with piping. And, by the 2nd century, Roman homes were even connected to the sewage system. My point is that the waste must have been hugely diluted and easily carried away, vastly diminishing its smell.

[@ShereeR99]

And people washed in the public baths and uses public toilets that had running water and were clean, unlike the public toilets of today.

[@absalomdraconis]

As I recall, actual complaints about the sewage in the river have survived to today.

[@798Muchoman]

This is an amazing video. It's so well written and entertaining. Good use of visuals too. I've never felt so immersed in Rome

[@A808K]

I can almost smell your atmospheric re-creations. They're delightfully transportive to times of yore. 😎

[@robertosans5250]

Excellent video. It made me imagine that day in spring 21. Marvellous

[@eugenekupiec2802]

So appreciate learning from you, thank you Garrett

[@thewaywardpoet]

With the scattered ruins being all that's left, we tend to forget that Rome in its day as an imperial capital was just as busy and complex a city as it is now. This video, along with the epigrams of Martial that I've just begun reading, attest to the fact that it was a loud, bustling metropolis of about a million people, a number that wouldn't be surpassed in Western Europe until the 19th Century by London. Thank you for taking us on this sensory and, aside from the feces part, rather pleasant tour.

[@zpxlng]

Edo's population had rapidly grown to a million by around 1700, for one. But maybe you meant only in western Europe.

[@geordiejones5618]

@@zpxlng also ignoring Alexandria, Baghdad and the 10 or so in China

[@thewaywardpoet]

​@@zpxlng, thank you for bringing this to my attention! Yes, I meant in Western Europe, but didn't know about Edo. That truly is impressive.

[@kevaughnmerrill6534]

Great video as usual! Just finished the book on audible as well. Will be revisiting it for dinner conversation forever!

[@Biberbro]

Beautifully written. Thank you.

[@danielsula4720]

What a goldmine of a channel. Absolute legend.

[@adanzavala4801]

I was cleaning my kitchen while listening to your video as a podcast, and let me tell you, it made me scrub even harder.

[@humanbeing-_-_-]

Absolutely would love more of these stories! This is awesome. ☺️

[@knorfft]

I love your writing! And the choice of images. It's all so spot on and hits just right! Please keep it up, this channel is so dear to my heart! 11 year-old me hated Latin class, but looking back on it, it contributed a lot to my enjoyment of your channel! As someone who grew up in a town founded by Marcus Aurelius, the Romans always had a special place in my experience of history and art, but this channel tickles that nerve like no other!

[@IsaacShelp]

the advert fit in so seamlessly that it wasn’t disturbing

[@gordonkennygordon]

Double bonus points for "off-scourings" Well done as always! Peace

[@2MuchPurple]

Thank you for this evocative video. I enjoyed the descriptions of street life, and especially of the Appian Way - it sounds very similar to Varanasi, India, that I visited once as a tourist. Varanasi is a sacred city Hindus go to to die and be cremated, and still has the look and definitely the feel of its ancient origins.

[@user-fi1kn3oq4m]

Nah bro it definitely smelled like piss

[@Tsumami__]

Armpits and fish sauce, that’s what I’ve always assumed

[@OptimusPrinceps_Augustus]

Farts too

[@toldinstone]

Well, pretty much...

[@yourethehippopotamus9266]

I didn't realize I wanted to be a tourist in ancient Rome until now. I probably couldn't blend in well as a 6'3 250 lb white male who speaks no Latin at all and very weak Greek, but just to see, smell, and hear it for one day would be amazing as there really aren't any analogs to classical civilizations left to experience.

[@ericschmuecker348]

When he paints ......told in stones ...masterpiece!.

[@b.a.erlebacher1139]

Roses in Roman times bloomed only once a year, so their blooming season was well worth celebrating.

[@violetfern9885]

I’ve ordered the book on audible, it’s really fun thanks! Love the dry humor! 🤣

[@airplanetowardsthesky3265]

I love videos like this about what it really would be like to have been alive back then

[@Zlorthishen]

this is great. more narrative videos like this please!

[@goaliesforpres]

Told in stone. I would like to tell you this video sat in feed for 5 days even tho I did not click it. Where as other subs videos will disappear after one day of not clicking. So KZbin smiles upon you as of this week.

[@SkateboardCaes]

General Sam brought me here and I bought your book. We’re not all dumb.

[@texterity3873]

Another wonderfully evocative video!

[@jreiland07]

“CLEAN YOUR BUTT WITH THE SPONGE TIMULUS!” Probably didn’t smell great

[@theajshortman]

So beautiful and vivid as always 😍

[@DoeSwiftandBond]

It was a beautiful day to take a walk through Rome. We can imagine the sweet countryside air, outside of the city and away from the defecation and urine.. where a much younger earth hosted grazing cows and wild animals we never seen before- trees in abundance alongside a smooth trailing wind that lifted the heart closer to the sun, skirting in the whims of the tender breathing land.

[@brittlebricks10]

Excuse me, the transition into ScentBird 🤣

[@juliusnepos6013]

Lol yeah

[@Robert...Schrey]

the contempt for past times finds its perfect expression in the widespread believe that the past must have smelled much worse than our time.

[@KajiCarson]

Nice thumbnail. Alma-Tadema, great painter.

[@mm-yt8sf]

"i found a riverfront apartment" "oh how unfortunate. perhaps something will open up next year"

[@t.j.payeur5331]

That was some good prose there, great story, thanks.

[@112steinway]

A fantastic video that answers a very interesting question...and a lot less fecal matter than I originally thought.

[@kaloarepo288]

Nothing evokes ancient Rome more than the highly realistic paintings of the Anglo-Dutch Victorian era paintings of Lawrence Alma Tadema and lots of them include flowers including the infamous cascades of roses said to have been desired by Heliogabalus the ultra decadent emperor.

[@krono5el]

Feel like rivers of sewage are what really evoke and capture the essence of europe. never imagined flowers honestly.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@krono5el Actually the Roman empire had an astonishingly efficient and amazing sewerage and water distribution systems from the earliest times.The Cloaca maxima ,the main sewer was built very early in Rome's history in about 400 BCE and the aqueducts that provided water for fountains and colossal bathing houses were equally amazing and many still exist today like the stunning structures in Segovia Spain(Multi-storied)and the Pont du Gard in southern France not to mention the huge networks that provided both drinking and flushing water for the cities of Rome and Constantinople(Istanbul).Such standards were not reached again until the 19th century.Rome had numerous flower festivals that have continued to this day like the flower festival at Genzano near Rome -a famous tourists attraction and they had a flower festival called the Floralia whose descendants are the contemporary flower festivals as in the Netherlands.

[@krono5el]

@@kaloarepo288 sure moving water was around since the five cradles of civilization, the important thing is was it clean water without lead and feces in it : P

[@kaloarepo288]

@@krono5el Romans outdid by miles anything achieved by previous and subsequent civilizations -obviously your knowledge of the astonishing structures the Romans built is extremely limited -the lead thing is a total furphy -once the mineral deposits formed in the pipes it 100%neutralized the lead problem(This is easily proved)Like I said just look up the astonishing aqueducts of which there are hundreds of extant examples all over the Mediterranean and beyond -Roman cities in what is now Turkey and the Levant have magnificent remains unrivalled by any others anywhere.Look at the Pont du gard or the incredible one at Segovia (Look it up)Nothing like them anywhere else -nowhere.And the Sunken palace in Istanbul -was an amazing water cistern with gigantic columns looking like a palace.Have been there -amazing.The water for Constantinople came via magnificent aqueducts 50 kilometers away in the Thracian hills.And then the colossal Roman bridges that still exist everywhere.Unrivaled!

[@krono5el]

@@kaloarepo288 idk i think their diseases and hygiene speaks for itself. no matter how many useless structures are built they couldn't grasp what's most important. clean water and food. clean water and food lead to true astonishing creations like Corn, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Rice, Wheat, and Medicine.

[@pattheplanter]

9:29 That painter knows little of botanical history. Cacti and agaves may be common in Italy now but did not arrive until after the invasion of Turtle Island.

[@user-ls2uq3pv1h]

Wonderfully presented, as always. Your channel is one of my favorites. Could you do a video on dental hygiene in Ancient Rome?

[@toldinstone]

As it happens, I have a video along those lines coming in about two weeks...

[@brettfitzmaurice3317]

4:18 You mention a hike in the Pontic Alps of Turkey, have you done a video on this somewhere else? I am planning my own trip to Turkey and found this anecdote to be personally intriguing to hear what your experience was like

[@freespirit995]

Another excellent video- evocative, informative and inspiring! Thank you!

[@gildardorivasvalles6368]

Great video, as always, but I have to ask: do we really know that chamber pots were emptied in the streets, or is it something everyone just assumes was the case? I remember reading recently about that not being true in (at least several) medieval, renaissance, and enlightenment era cities, so why would that be the case for Rome? I don't mean any disrespect, I'm just genuinely curious about the evidence in favor or against that practice.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Exactly. How do we know that what was true for London ("Garday loo!") was also true for Rome?

[@synthomite405]

That was a godly sponsor transition

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

3:46 My favorite part!

[@ericneiman5556]

Very nice. Pleasant and encompassing. I'm gonna watch more

[@Darkobugs]

Your cologne ad was comedy cold, loved it😎

[@d.m.collins1501]

This was such a good idea for a video! Your brief history of the Aventine makes me strongly desire to see a video of the individual histories of ALL the seven hills! Which ones were dedicated to temples, which to the poor or the rich, which started rich and became poor, and vice versa... and which did Romulus get hauled up to heaven from?

[@TheBazzo333]

You forgot that roses the size we have now didn't exist until the 18th century AD. They used to be much smaller, like in the Italian movie "the Leopard".

[@SobekLOTFC]

Great job, per usual, Garrett 👏

[@Will-Parr]

Well presented. Congrats

[@steener76]

When you think about it manure isn’t so bad. You got “ma,” which is good, and “newer,” which is also good.