Why Roman Soldiers Were Pretty Scared of Britain

At the start of the first millennium, the Roman empire set its sight on invading Britain. There was just one problem: Roman soldiers were absolutely terrified of the place.
From the Series: Mystic Britain: Hadrian's Mystic Wall bit.ly/2yMZn4M

[@murphyrutledge5590]

“Are you supernatural?” *stares intensely* “No.”

[@barryhumphreys2083]

Are you hiding something *head spins* no

[@ponoma773]

Roman: What's your religion? British: Mountain Roman: *intense fear screaming*

[@masteryoda7207]

😂😂😂

[@scottyb5039]

@Skyhawk Apodaca I would despise the ottomans more

[@ballerlarva4214]

@Skyhawk Apodaca Least despised.

[@ballerlarva4214]

@Skyhawk Apodaca Think what you want, the fact of the matter is that Britain is not hated in the majority of it's former colonial possessions. Britain is actually a very popular country, which would be strange given how recent it's empire was if it really was the most despised in history.

[@marcusgotti8231]

🤣🤣🤣

[@notevensexy26]

Dear Callum the hobbyist: I think you’re cool m8. Keep dressing as an Iron Age Briton and ignore the trolls.

[@MintRobin]

Slay the trolls*

[@dianheffernan3436]

A bita ta blurnay stoone!

[@nat2nathan2005]

I agree. You do you, Callum. And if anyone disagrees, spear them.

[@morgans3770]

Keep the culture alive!

[@morgang5666]

He should do some sit ups and jogs as well though

[@MrBelmont79]

Wow! Britain’s soccer hooligans had a reputation even back then.

[@Byzantine41]

Lol

[@carterishere3851]

“Soccer”

[@boosie4l133]

CarterIsHere he can call it whatever he likes

[@maycontainnuts3127]

@@boosie4l133 No he can't.

[@okkcomputer]

football

[@keighlancoe5933]

Fun fact, Britain was the only Roman province that had a rebellion for every single year it was part of the Roman Empire. That's 300 years of constant war.

[@kevinmurphy65]

Then turn about: Ireland almost did pretty much the same thing to England...for 900 years.

[@brad5426]

@@kevinmurphy65 not even a quarter as much

[@kevinmurphy65]

@@brad5426 Riiiiiiight.

[@zippyparakeet1074]

Most of those weren't by actual Britons but the local governors of the province lol. You see the conquest of Britannia led to a unique situation. The legions and governors there were thousands of miles away from Italy and seperated by the sea. This meant that Britannia was given a large number of legions and the Roman navy to fend for itself. Any governor who was stationed there for a long time eventually would have the brilliant idea of taking the Britonic legions, some local reinforcements and either just march on to Rome to take the throne or he'd declare himself independent. Even Constantine the Great himself did the same.

[@keighlancoe5933]

@@zippyparakeet1074 That probably played a part, but wasn't the whole picture. Britain was also the least Romanised province in the Empire with local indigenous leaders left in charge for the most part. It was kind of like Romes version of the Wild West. Not to mention, though there were Legions in Britain, they probably weren't British Legions because the Romans were smart and didn't base native soldiers in their own lands to avoid any chance of fuelling an insurrection.

[@rodittis]

“they ran up against blue-painted locals who were savage, handy with a sword...” and a little bit tubby.

[@GingerBeard24]

@rodittis Don't judge a book by its cover. Anyone can be a formidable fighter, if the person has been training, knowing how to fight, going into battles, and in war.

[@riograndedosulball248]

@@GingerBeard24 that guy isn't a terribly good fighter. Just NO

[@GingerBeard24]

@@riograndedosulball248 I was talking about the Celts that might look like him.

[@redhedkev1]

I'm afraid that one would bloat in a bog.

[@bobdocot9823]

Kevin D. Herlih

[@Z3N1T4]

That dude is probably reading these comments and having a mid life crisis.

[@JonsTunes]

😂😂😂😂

[@davidconnellan6875]

Good maybe he will try a sit up or two

[@mursalwarsame5839]

😂

[@nolanolivier6791]

Looks about 20 something who has a stable relationship with Gregg's...

[@ErikBramsen]

About time.

[@graysonphillips8022]

"This video is sponsored by Britain"

[@danielcarthy9250]

Which is hilarious when you realise that when these people talk about how scary the "brits" were there actually referring to the og British the celts. And the people who are bragging about how scary they were are English also known as Anglo-Saxons who weren't even on the island at the time. Idk why it just rubs me the wrong way ik it's not that deep

[@keithrose6931]

@@danielcarthy9250 oh shut up ! No nation is of pure breed we are all a mixture one way or another. We have been as we are for almost a thousand years so laugh that off happy boy !

[@AtheAetheling]

@@danielcarthy9250 Britons. British. You're being kind of petty. Celts still exist today amongst the population. Plus its pride in the reputation of the island still, its nice to think of it as a place that's taken seriously.

[@haltdieklappe7972]

@Ali the English are a mix of German, French, Danish and Norwegian. That’s way cooler than Celts

[@jwadaow]

@@haltdieklappe7972 As Germany was the main Celtic heartland in Europe for the first few centuries your statement doesn't parse.

[@beckett746]

Why is everyone so mean to the guy? I bet half the people in this comments section are chubbier than that. Like geez.

[@baldrickthedungspreader3107]

Yeah you come for the history not to mock people’s weight

[@tomwilkinson7879]

Baldrick The dung spreader but it doesn’t represent the people of that time... therefore it being incorrect history, therefore people noticed it and commented on it

[@baldrickthedungspreader3107]

Tom Wilkinson good point

[@Jayce_Alexander]

Are you assuming everyone watching this video is North American? Because that's the only way you'd get to that ratio.

[@beckett746]

@@tomwilkinson7879 Yeah, I just think people don’t have to ridicule the video and those who made it. But you’re right, they could have gotten a better person for the role.

[@gerardandrew4820]

The Romans where sick and tired of English weather, rain and rain and more rain.

[@JoeVington]

i hope you're joking and you don't actually think our weather is always like that

[@paulcollyer801]

@@JoeVington, he forgot the fog, eh what?

[@maxpower1337]

Savage weather 🤧👍

[@JoeVington]

@@paulcollyer801 Last time i saw fog was up on the mountains near Yorkshire

[@paulcollyer801]

@@JoeVington, seen it many times, but the worst was on a navex at Leek. Marching on a baring was literally sending a man forward to the limit of sight, having them move left or right into the baring, then catching up, at times only 8 paces.

[@obviouspropaganda8200]

Y'all laughing at this man but when you're starving to death during a long roman siege, he'll have the last laugh.

[@King_of_Railways]

This blue painted fella is quite scarry. Especially his athletic body...

[@King_of_Railways]

@@Observationistic and maybe I call you smart...

[@Gcalt]

@@Observationistic I think he's being sarcastic 🙄

[@SpaceGodzilla4242]

Body shaming be like that

[@curelessodin5808]

@@Observationistic r/wooosh

[@mikemackay86]

Romans were afraid of being eaten.

[@piratexxxking]

Lol imagine putting an ad out for a "Strong, intimidating male model" and this guy is the only one who shows up

[@cwmyr]

Warriors were not bodybuilders.

[@boosie4l133]

piratexxxking oh I assume you are a pure lump of muscle, Adonis reincarnated huh?

[@dcllaw677]

I know you can’t judge a book by its cover, (actually you can) but Mr. C cup as a warrior just doesn’t work.

[@amandawilcox9638]

@@dcllaw677 You can judge a catty snip by his comments. Maybe you and lockandloadlikehell can get together and compare your cup sizes.

[@Turgz]

@JP JP The fact that hadrian's wall exists proves you wrong.

[@dustinh4175]

He's never endured hunger

[@robdenini6972]

"But they also had a sneaking suspicion that the local's fighting skills were almost supernatural" Suetonius Paulinus: *laughs in Latin*

[@shaun1293]

“We need someone to act as a barbarian.” “Sure, we’ll find ourselves a Geordie!”

[@JimtheEvo]

Didn’t even need to dress him up, he was already topless, covered in blue paint and grumbling about mak’ems...

[@JonsTunes]

Fresh off the High St at 2am

[@Slapnuts9627]

Way aye man

[@gwynbetts29]

Aww...howay the Lad! Aye! 👏🏼

[@mikechaffin8100]

If you're going to war, take a Geordie.

[@troublewithweebles]

Fascinating, the way the Romans described the Brittains is reminiscent of the way Tolkien described the fighting Uruk-hai.

[@jdsheleg8332]

They read Tolkien's writings, perhaps? ;-)

[@dusan19377]

Tolkien copied many myths, names and stories from Slavic history that he used to make LOTR. And he did a magnificent job.

[@MrJustbrowsing12345]

Tolkien had 7 male family members going with one woman?

[@meduseld6610]

@@dusan19377 From European cultures

[@welsh-cymru1588]

Tolkien had alot of inspiration from the native welsh the english didnt arrive in Britain until the saxon invasion the elvish language from lotr is based on welsh

[@gunnerjensen5998]

So the Romans were afraid of warriors with the physique of Seth Rogen?

[@te9591]

Yes.

[@JonatasAdoM]

If they run there's no formation that's going to hold the weight.

[@dragonking322]

29 30 if you heard those.. you know what it means

[@kysike666]

😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Rustsamurai1]

😄

[@johngta7172]

SO Scared that they demolished their army and ruled for hundreds of years

[@TheyCallMeRabbit98]

Couldn’t make it into Scotland or Wales. Then got absolutely slaughtered by the Germanic tribes out East.

[@Ingulf_The_Mad]

Jeez, still butthurt because they were conquered by the most formidable empire that ever ruled over Europe 2k years ago. This is even more pathetic than Asterix. Those cel... anglos.. mmhhh.. dane... whatever, are really rancorous.

[@dancefan-raul1013]

LOL, comment of the day 👍 >"SO Scared that they demolished their army and ruled for hundreds of years"

[@drewfoster2375]

@@Ingulf_The_Mad hah yeah theres been alot of peoples on the island lol

[@TheyCallMeRabbit98]

DVN otherwise known as “couldn’t invade”

[@Ps-tc9ko]

Great video, I like the fact that people take an interest in history and taking part in the re-enactment keeps it alive, that fella is a good sport🐝

[@nanirossakenchana7141]

Woman : Are you supernatural? Pictish man : No... Woman : *TERRIFYING*

[@matchedimpedance]

When a potential enemy asks “Are you magic?” the correct answer is “Maybe!”

[@philiphicks1273]

Just about knackered himself on the scabbard in that charge!

[@markogrady8993]

Yup, nothing more terrifying than a sales clerk doing weekend cosplay, decorating his face with war paint copied from Skyrim.

[@mirabai305]

I'm going to require further elaboration on this "certain kind of food" that prevents hunger or thirst.

[@DropdudeJohn]

Pork Pies

[@R.M.MacFru]

Pasties?

[@jacobuponthestone9093]

Id like to know myself. Sounds more like certain kind of drug. Or rumour.

[@Mega6501]

Crumpets and herbed tea.

[@mybirthday1986]

Almost sounds like some sort of amphetamine.

[@medicinemanboxing3222]

pretty sure the natives of the isles, didn’t look like they’d spent the last 10 years of their life between the couch and the pub lol

[@Silverfirefly1]

This was never about how scary the natives were, it's a story about how mystery and fear of the unknown leads humans to fill the void with their own imagination and dread. The real bravery was that the Romans crossed their forces despite the superstitions of their soldiers, not because there was an absence of them.

[@eduardgherasim2896]

nah, the video is just bad... It forgets to tell you that the Romans already invaded and defeated Britons 100 years before Claudius... Caesar did it... fearing Britons made no sense

[@thegreenmage6956]

@@eduardgherasim2896 Caesar was repelled by the Britons and fled back to Gaul, which had already been softened up by Roman scheming. On every occasion that they came, the Romans brought other Celtic tribespeople with them who know the local customs and terrain, and this is what truly allowed them to overcome their fear.

[@OriginalGrasshopper]

The Romans weren’t scared of “Britain” (otherwise they wouldn’t have occupied all of England). They were scared of Scotland, and only Scotland. Thus Hadrian’s Wall.

[@sammaclintock8017]

They did actually go into Scotland a second wall was built it’s the highlands they wouldn’t go into probably due to a united front from the tribes/clans as the usual divide and conquer wouldn’t work plus a lack of any resources worth going north for .

[@iMertin90]

Aye present day Scotland. Picts back then and it’s Antonines wall and that goes through central Scotland, a good bit from the highlands

[@medievalhistory169]

They were all Celtic tribes who inhabited the island of Britain, there was no notion of "England" or Scotland". Are we really trying to point score by ignoring historical facts?

[@joshuaperry7199]

@@medievalhistory169 completely agree. Im currently writing a book on my theory on how i think the tribes could have retaken the island from rome. And possibly what britain might look like if the tribes had united, leaving no cause to form England, Wales or Scotland.

[@netheniahscrim2787]

Not only did Scotland not exist (it found its genesis through the Romans in the building of Hadrian and Antonine's walls) but new evidence suggests that the walls were at least partially built to facilitate trade and impose taxes more efficiently. This would suggest that the Romans had far more control over the celts than previously thought. Furthermore, there was little in Scotland to be desired. The Roman empire stretched across the whole of Western and Southern Europe, North Africa and Western Middle east. Why would you waste men and resources taking a barren land when you were facing very real threats from the Germans and Persians, whose lands actually held wealth (especially the middle east, which was of such economic importance that Constantinople became the new capital of the Empire).

[@airzorne]

"The Roman soldiers were pretty scared of Britons" *Shows a Saxon*

[@Fatelovesirony960]

The majority of all people in the islands are mixed...not going to find a pure Briton. Use your head

[@scumf6862]

@@Fatelovesirony960 Mixed? The native Britons, the Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Frisians were all genetically indistinct and share the same ancestors

[@cymro6537]

The Saxons had yet to arrive in Britain when the Romans invaded...

[@jolopanda8797]

@@cymro6537 britons were the picts and caledonians if i can recall my history class

[@cymro6537]

@@jolopanda8797 Correct.

[@Tobberz]

An extremely weird video with some extremely weird and misinformed comments.

[@fasterthandragons7908]

On the comment section...or comments in the video?

[@joshuaperry7199]

I know, as a lover of this period in history, it drove me nuts.

[@bigjohn697791]

Joshua Perry the ancient Britain’s sound very much like the Celts/Gael’s of next door Ireland? From the last time I was in trinity university Dublin.

[@joshuaperry7199]

@@bigjohn697791 thats because they arguably were the same. The people of Gaul (France), Britain and Ireland were all Celts, with the exception of a handful of tribes.

[@johnfraire6931]

​@@joshuaperry7199 Can't forget the Celts of Iberia, or even Turkey; they were very widespread at one point.

[@hi-am-pat2k176]

"Are you supernatural?" "no" "See, terrifying"

[@riforgiate74]

What about Julius Caesar arriving in Britannia 100 years before?

[@riforgiate74]

@Improve Your English with Nick This clip acts like the Romans had never fought against the British Celts.

[@gery8218]

@@riforgiate74 They did!

[@hannibalburgers477]

Yea, but he needed to get back because of terrible weather conditions, endless forrests and potential mutiny. Something Varrus needed to learn from

[@julianhermanubis6800]

Caesar fought some battles, but they were inconclusive. He didn't conquer the island.

[@eduardgherasim2896]

@@julianhermanubis6800 Still made them bow to Romans, at least on paper... The reality was that they were so poor and decentralized it was a huge waste of resources to keep them under control for absolutely no benefits... People forget that even Gaul was actually a black hole in the Roman budget (who are you gonna tax when they can barely grow enough food to survive in that climate and with such low population density)... Pretty much most of the revenue came from Egypt and the East of the Empire (from the civilized areas with cities, trade and industry), and partially from the Spanish sliver mines. That is also why Rome never expanded across the Rhine permanently.. Even England, once they did for the mineral reserves, was not really worth it considering they had to keep quite a big, costly garrison (unlike Gaul, in winter they could not really send troops accross the channel so it was logistic nightmare)... and then it backfired because it gave the Governors too much power (having too many legions) which led to a few of them declaring themselves Emperors and crossing into Europe trying to take the crown... Constantine The Great for example actually managed to do it.

[@user-yk4gg1gi5n]

Was that the worst video about history ever? Probably yes..

[@MoebiusSound]

Yeah really, think they used Asterix as source material.

[@jwenting]

nah, the entire "project 1619" gets that reputation, hopefully forever

[@drott150]

Woke history brought to you by feminists.

[@buffcommie942]

yes its really quite bad

[@MTKRAILROAD]

Didn't the Roman Empire actually conquer most of Britain?

[@williamj7343]

I feel like the historical record doesn’t agree with this at all. The Roman army was highly professional and very experienced. They had fought Celts before I’m Gaul and crushed them. They had been fighting the Germans on and off for sometime; the Germans had actually managed to give the Romans some stinging defeats and yet the Legions weren’t terrified of them. Furthermore, the Britons won almost NO major battles against the Romans until Boudicca’s revolt and even that was eventually crushed. Smithsonian also seems to forget that many British tribes actually sided with Romans against their fellow Britons. So much for a common foe. Deeply disappointed, Smithsonian....

[@Roman-ey3yi]

The term Celts and gauls was used to describe many different types of tribes in different geographical areas. Sort of a catch all term like barbarians or immigrants.

[@mushtaqahmadkhan2767]

Britains Are very Good At ReWriting History

[@robertgiles9124]

and where is your book of perfection?

[@bieituns]

Yes Brtain is able to write the history because they were able to conquer a quarter of the world. As Churchill said, "history shall be kind to me, for i shall write it". History is written by the winners.

[@apokos8871]

@@bieituns history books arent written just by Brits. if you were studying history in a decent uni you would know that

[@bieituns]

@@apokos8871 The losers of great wars and battles are usually killed so how can they write good things about themselves. Britain won most wars and so can write what they like and hide what they dont like.

[@apokos8871]

@@bieituns in how many wars in history the losing side lost all their rulers and historians??? especially in modern (past 16th century) history. also, in pretty much every war there were neutral observers that wrote down what happened. even for your example, when Britain was the top dog, you seriously think we dont have writings from French, German and Russian historians? visit the site of any university, (not the one for PR, the one for students), go to the library options and check the list of suggested books. you will see writers from all over the place. i can even give you my university's suggested bibliography so you can check the sources

[@filthyheathen8760]

The tribes of Germania just called. They said something about a “teutoburg forest” and “the sacking of Rome in 410 and 455”?

[@riforgiate74]

Nearly 400 years after the events they are talking about.

[@alessandroturci6750]

Actually, Teutoburg forest happened some years before the invasion of Britannia by Claudius.

[@riforgiate74]

@@alessandroturci6750 2 out of 3 happened around 400 years later.

[@alessandroturci6750]

@@riforgiate74 yeah that's right. I wanted to be fair and square ahah

[@eddiel7635]

Alessandro Turci nope, about 50 years after...

[@luigidisanpietro3720]

They have Celts on the North with a Red haired Princess called "Merida" and her Mother is a BEAR.

[@baylonaj]

Looks like he's personifying his spirit animal alright.

[@ryanstucke7811]

🐷

[@netzah613]

They weren't wrong. Probably the most resource draining conquest in the history of the empire. A lot of Scottish historians maintain they never had significant control of the north.

[@poeticmic6219]

Don't be silly, they were already fighting the gauls and the Germanics long before they fought us, they were used to barbarian savagery lol

[@todo9633]

Like it or not, this is what peak performance looks like.

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

In the battle of Watling Street, 10,000 Roman legionaires defeated 230,000 Britannic warriors, having ca. 800 men lost of their own, whereas Boudica's army lost est. 80,000 warriors. Roman legionaires had no reason to be scared of the Britannic tribes. The Romans had an overwhelming military superiority.

[@benmacdui9328]

We only have the Romans word for that.

[@jurikurthambarskjelfir3533]

Sure they defeated 230,000 Britons.

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

@@benmacdui9328 The Anglo-Saxons hadn't arrived on the British Isles yet. The Celts were no good fighters.

[@RS__7]

@@c.norbertneumann4986 Stop lying 🤥

[@johnmacaroni105]

What happened at Camulodunum deserves special mention as it was not simply a battle, but a systematic slaughter of every Roman who lived there. The rage of the occupied Britons is hard to overestimate. The wound that had been festering among the British tribes at the rough handling of the indigenous people was finally cauterised with the systematic butchering of every Roman in Camulodunum... Camulodunum was no different to any other Roman occupied town at that time. *With the indigenous peoples being taxed to pay for their own servitude, the occupation was universally despised*

[@kentmerrill8925]

You guys are great

[@notably5233]

EVERYONE. They are talking about Welsh (Britons) and Scottish (Picts). The Anglo-Saxons came to Britain after the Romans pulled out.

[@jakehanson216]

Did you guys really expect a dude who does this in his spare time to have a superhero physique lol

[@entropy5431]

Fair point. But if I was looking for a hobby role as an ancient and I had his body, I'd go for a historical period when they used armour.

[@edwardoliver7610]

They did have armour but this guy probably couldn’t aford the chain mail

[@entropy5431]

@@edwardoliver7610 The Briton's didn't have chain mail at this point.

[@damionkeeling3103]

@@entropy5431 Yeah they did, the Kirkburn burial dates somewhere from 250 - 160 bc, that's at least 100 years before Caesar invaded and at least 200 years before the Claudian invasion. It includes a chainmail shirt.

[@entropy5431]

@@damionkeeling3103 One imported example found on an extremely wealthy individual is not really the point.

[@jchisholm1968]

That Celtic Warrior should have remembered to paint a six pack on his midsection before filming.

[@WanderingNuts]

I think the first Roman invaders encountered the blue warriors called the "Smurfs".

[@GM-vt6is]

Romans were not scared of the British Isles, they were just not very interested in them. Not particularly rich in natural resources, very far from the centre of the Empire and costly to maintain even with the Antonine and Hadrian's walls in place. Being assigned there for a Roman prefect was a sign of disfavour and waning political clout.

[@damionkeeling3103]

Sure, that's why Britain was one of the most heavily militarised zones in the whole Empire. The Romans kept a disproportionate amount of their army in Britain just to waste money. If it wasn't worth it then the Romans would have abandoned Britain like they did northern Scotland. They first invaded Caledonia around 80, fought some great battle apparently and then left. They had a go at invading Caledonia a couple more times before giving up for good in 210. Give the reasons you like but for the Caledonians they held off Roman attempts at occupation for 130 years before the Romans found something more pressing to do.

[@GM-vt6is]

@@damionkeeling3103 Except Britain wasnt one of the most heavily militarised zones in the empire, so your argument has a flawed basis... Aside from the southern coastal areas, it was a backwater.

[@thiagorodrigues5211]

as far as I know the british isles had silver mines. Most people ignore also the fact that romans copied many things from the british. The roman spatha for example was basically a celtic longsword. Just like the gladius was copied from iberian swords and the helmet with cheek protection was copied from the celts as well.

[@damionkeeling3103]

@@thiagorodrigues5211 But what did the Romans copy from the British?

[@thiagorodrigues5211]

@@damionkeeling3103 longswords were from Britannia

[@aceshotz5051]

It’s hilarious how the mid to late Romans feared the Britons when their ancestors went toe to toe with Carthaginian war elephants If Mars were watching he wouldn’t allow such a disgrace....

[@ashika1009]

Really need a more formidable Briton to represent the Briton.

[@pintorpi333]

Well, there's always... Prince Charles.

[@danielcarthy9250]

Yeah like a scot or a Welshman not a saxon who weren't even around at the time

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

Nah, that’s an accurate representation of a Briton and I support the decision.

[@cutterschoice7482]

Well he's english so hes probaly two thirds celtic.

[@mikesaunders4775]

They actually needed a Welshman rather than a Geordie.

[@CaptainAmaziiing]

Sooo, magic beans? I hear if you plant them a vine will grow up into the clouds where giants live.

[@santaclause4285]

And if you eat them they will create clouds of magic fog....which makes giants run

[@jordankenny8179]

Not Britain they were afraid of , they feared the Gaelic celts from Ireland and Scotland , not you puffs they steamrolled England.

[@jordankenny8179]

@Sprite so submitting 😂😂

[@jordankenny8179]

@Sprite true I’d be a tyrant

[@pabloduke2887]

Lol the Roman Empire didn’t struggle as much as these two would like to speculate 😂 Boudicca was the best form of resistance the English presented.

[@Lingist081]

Boudicca wasn’t English she was Celtic. The people we know as “English” didn’t show up in Briton till after the Romans left. The Anglo-Saxons were German tribes that migrated to Britain in the 5th century

[@pabloduke2887]

I never directly said she was.. but the island as a whole didn’t fight as vigorously as indicated. Thanks for the history lesson though!

[@Tobberz]

Haha the English? The people at this time were more Welsh than English. Also, the 'people of this island' put up enough of a fight to stop the Romans conquering the northern third. Also remember the first two attempts failed...

[@SerTempleton]

There were no 'English' around at the time, just Britons, Celtics and co

[@Reach1335]

The English Channel and the Cliffs of Dover gave the Romans more trouble than the populace.

[@mercedes1254]

I like these videos but they always end without telling the whole story. They should be a little longer. As for the sacred food, eaten in little bits, that made them endure almost anything, it was probably a naturally occurring narcotic. That is often the case with many ancient warrior tribes. They took the "magic" because it made them fearless.

[@kodesh1674]

Tbh if I’m a Roman and I see a blue tattooed man coming at me I’m running the other way.

[@LiterallyGod]

They were so scared that they conquered almost the entire island.

[@Mr.HotDogShirtGuy]

1:23 that face paint design is straight out of Skyrim (based on the Celts or Picts of course, but my character has that exact same facepaint lol)

[@app4902]

“Everyone is scared of us we are the best” - Every Briton ever

[@julienielsen3746]

Americans weren't afraid.

[@app4902]

@@Drazhoath1 weren’t afraid not even once. Remember the French only decided to help after we started winning

[@simonrobson7468]

A PP no actually your Independence Day is the Irish and the French against the British same old same old .... 🙄🙄

[@geoffas]

Nobody wanted to see British battleships enter their harbour. It was truly a scary sight!

[@panismith1544]

Moaris aren't afraid.👅

[@gatocles99]

Savage, blue painted cannibals who burned their enemies alive... Yes... exactly true.

[@satch5471]

The romans weren't scared of the britains. They just got fed up from the locals only talking about their 'footie clubs' and the horrible food and weather.

[@tjlocust]

3:16 Actually, digestives are slightly bigger than a bean but the guy was more or less right

[@ljnv]

I don't think the local Britons had kfc back 2000 years ago.

[@vonarcadiusfriends9104]

"Aho, Marius come here! Look at that: mortacci sua, he's in the swamp again!" "Mbeh? Are you scared?" "Ma 'sti cazzi, Marius. 'Sti cazzi".

[@carlomagno7092]

look at those minnazze Marius, wish mia moglie had them

[@carlthornton3076]

Very Good!!!

[@nicholasgould1532]

The thumbnail and the thumbnail alone is what brought me here

[@colinm2056]

When i saw the title my first thought was :" english soccer fans"

[@user-uf2or9sn7f]

I'am interested in History, Geography, Mythology, and etc.

[@christa-leighjohnson7716]

EYES Ice check out geography now KZbin channel...fun videos on all the countries on earth

[@santaclause4285]

Get out of america...

[@Erik_Ahl]

That blue painted local has the same facepaint as my Skyrim character.

[@jammydodger1449]

Big up Callum from the North-east! Keep the culture alive mate

[@sanket834]

I just don't know what to comment after seeing so much cringeness and weirdness in a single video.

[@tubularap]

I know what to say: Warning !! Alert !! Do not watch further than 1:14 !!!

[@MonikaEscobar1965]

@@sharoncombs58 same here

[@vijaygiribabu142]

What small food is that which made them not feel hunger and thirst for days ?

[@jozz2248]

Probably psychedelic mushrooms, I'm guessing

[@Katzztar]

ITs whatever that person who wrote that tall tale wanted it to be.

[@loboestepario2424]

and still made them flabby...

[@riforgiate74]

Lembas, one small bite can fill the belly of a grown man. He had more than a small bite.

[@janibeg3247]

Roman soldiers were worried that their armor would rust in all the rain and fog.

[@GimliLordOfGlitteringCaves]

That is peak performance right there....that is it

[@hoasjhdfiadsf]

AND WORST OF ALL... they didn't even have gym memberships and ate too many chips

[@paydenladeroute7129]

Britain, at the time of the Roman Empire, was a cold, misty, wind-swept land that is much like the forests of Germania. While the Romans were able to beat these peoples on a pitched battlefield, this advantage evaporated when the locals figured out that they could ambush, surround, or in the case of this video, use psychological warfare against the Imperials. Roman soldiers dreaded being posted there as it was unlikely they would be able to survive their entire enlistment period. Even though Hadrian and Antoine built walls to "keep out" the Caledonians, Picts, Hibernians, and other peoples living north of these walls, they did little else than essentially trap themselves in with the Iceni, Brigantes, Dumnoni to name the most prominent tribes at the time of the Roman conquest. While on this side of the walls, the Romans, and eventually the Vikings, Saxons, and Normans managed to wipe out their languages; Irish, Welsh, Manx, Cornish and the Gaelic languages are a glimpse of what these people spoke. Britain is a nation with the most prominent "Celtic" cultures and it was their tenacity, strict adherence to their cultures, and surprising cultural and scientific innovations that ensures this culture remains.

[@eduardgherasim2896]

How much of actual British culture is Celt though??? I mean most of the language is a combination of Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) Latin and French (Latin of origin brought by Normands who were Norse by blood but became French)... like how many words are actually of Celtic origin? what % of English? BTW trap themselves with Iceni? Looking at that wall the only thing north of it is Scotland, the cold, rainy, dark place where no Roman wanted to live anyway and a small part of the Isles. I would say the Romans had the biggest and most livable part of Britain and avoided overstretching.

[@CarvedStones]

@@eduardgherasim2896 Most of the modern celtic languages are, celtic languages were sadly never written down besides celtiberian in Iberia, however the celts there obviously got romanized.

[@boulevarda.aladetoyinbo4773]

"Roman Soldiers Were Pretty Scared of Britain", but Julius Caesar conquered Britain for the Roman Empire, and then Rome ruled Britain for four centuries? OK...?

[@bernarddebleser1749]

cold, rain, fish and chips.., writing home begging for knitted woolen socks

[@fallinginthed33p]

I can imagine the tubby warrior guy kicking a Roman envoy into a deep hole while shouting "This... is... Britannia!"

[@entropy5431]

If his body had the same CGI it is possible.

[@PraiseworthyNobleman]

So you have a helmet on your head but not an armor on your body, kinda pointless 😂😂😂

[@PseudonymsAreGovnoYaEbalGoogle]

Not really, shield provides a good protection for allmost entire body (at front). Only piece of armor you actually need is helmet, since shield would not protect it without obstructing the user's vision.

[@PseudonymsAreGovnoYaEbalGoogle]

The problem is what this guy is shieldless.

[@danmeyers708]

So terrified that they ruled Brittan for nearly 400 years.

[@julianhermanubis6800]

@SupersonicSongbird And Wales and a part of southern Scotland, at least for a while.

[@t0m653]

that guy is very scary i mean just the glance of his belly bounce make even the dragon run away lolol

[@GMZohar14]

"Why Roman Soldiers Were Pretty Scared of Britain" "they weren't"

[@johnfraire6931]

They were very much scared of northern Britain; maybe these people just mixed bits and pieces throughout Rome's contact with the island.

[@Peterblack12]

@@johnfraire6931 those weren't Brits they were picts.

[@johnfraire6931]

@@Peterblack12 Oh I'm sorry, I was referring to the island itself, not the nation which came much later; I probably should've just said modern-day Scotland to avoid confusion?

[@Peterblack12]

@@johnfraire6931 the British were Welsh. The original British. The Picts were a different tribe. They both were Celtic people, so biologically similar, but very different culturally. Had different language and customs than the Welsh or Brits.

[@kysike666]

Nah they fear the Forests and the bad weather..

[@russelllapua4904]

"These savages were covered in animal skins and painted in tattoos." How is this any different from a weekend on the raz in Newcastle in modern day

[@janfilby7086]

Battle hardened savages in toon 😂

[@bigricky5742]

Probably one of the best comments on KZbin.

[@thepotatolad376]

“Are you supernatural?” “...no”

[@uiriamu4242]

When people hate on Britain for being an empire once i just think we were once the victims of an empire and got our vengeance and becsme the superpower

[@MrIlleism]

They were so scared of Britain they stayed for 400 years and built Antonine and Hadrians wall. Which was all to protect themselves against Scots :O

[@TheSm1thers]

Ik you're being sarcastic but those walls actually were for protection against the Britons (btw Scots hadn't spread from Ireland back then). They didn't see it as worthwhile to invade though.

[@MrIlleism]

@@TheSm1thers OK

[@kampilandelacruz4925]

There's no Anglo Saxon (English) that time. They just replaced the Roman and some Roman joined them to push the Britons to the corner.

[@Hub3rtCumb3rdal3]

This was fantastic! Thank you Smithsonian!

[@mwnciboo]

Thumbnail... *ME* Is that Chris Pratt as Andy playing a Celt?

[@rajj8074]

“They have never conqured brittania” *me googling if it happend* Wiki : yes

[@TheSm1thers]

Well not truly cos they had to build walls to keep them away from Roman forts and also even when travelling between forts on their side of the wall they'd have to bring a small army with them cos they didn't manage to actually conquer the area and would constantly get attacked by nearby tribes. They needed a huge garrison to maintain a presence there and trade with the locals to establish friendly relationships.

[@TheSm1thers]

Also they struggled to deal with the hit and run guerrilla tactics used by Britons, with chariots being a specialty. They basically conquered Britain in the same way the Americans conquered Vietnam or Afghanistan.

[@i3olverkr622]

I would have loved to have been alive back then, don't get me wrong, it's still a beautiful island, but the chance to see it before industrialization and overpopulation.

[@drrd4127]

@3:19 I have a feeling that the Romans were talking about oats. Even in the modern age oats are very filling even after a small portion.

[@Yehnah677]

I too if feel threatened jump into swamps just like my ancestors. Always a bloody pain having to re apply the paint after though.

[@OG-dp1kx]

I think they are talking about Scotland, the Picts in particular were never conquered by the Romans

[@adamkhan4451]

Who will win, The professional army that conquered the world with discipline and tactics Or one chunky boi

[@richardhall6034]

It took them 100 years and then they built a wall to keep the jocks out because they were even worse than the English lol (still are)

[@buckers67buck77]

@@richardhall6034 If you say so. You don't know many real Angle/ Saxon Englisc then, do you!

[@nacholibre1962]

The British Empire was bigger than the Roman Empire, the Macedonian Empire and the Ottoman Empire put together. And lasted longer. All you Yanks have veer had is big pharma, big business and big mouths.

[@Gazmus]

Clive bloody Anderson! What's he doing here? :D also...we should bring back senzu beans!

[@alexpeterson849]

They are referring to the heath pea which is know to suppress your appetite for days if not weeks.

[@rebelliousnature4795]

3:18 never realized the Brits had tea back then...

[@xBrabus76]

He was almost castrated while running!!!

[@letsgetround1346]

bro 👁️👄👁️

[@Ericmanriquez9123]

@3:22 Inspiration for the Senzu bean in Dragonball?

[@Schwarzorn]

It's actually just "Senzu", or in English "Hermit Bean". And Dragon Ball is two words unless you're referring to......Dragonball Evolution... D: * Shivers * But as for Toriyama's knowledge of this bit of history... I dunno. VERY few Japanese tend to care (or know) about history, so it seems unlikely. Maybe the tale did somehow make its way to Asia, tho, and became some Asian legend that Toriyama might have heard. That kind of stuff happened a lot in history, I think, as tales traveled by word of mouth (and thru translation to translation).

[@tylercrowe1259]

Did I just find the birth of the Senzu Bean?