Quotulatiousness

October 5, 2021

Belisarius Part 1: The Emperor’s Sword

Filed under: Europe, History, Middle East, Military — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Epic History TV
Published 30 Sep 2021

Thank you to our sponsor Brilliant – the first 200 to sign up to their Premium service get 20% off: https://brilliant.org/epichistory

Big thanks to Legendarian for Total War: Attila gameplay footage, check out his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOI2…

Total War: Attila gameplay footage used with kind permission of Creative Assembly — buy the game here: https://geni.us/qDreR

Thanks also to the 555 mod crew for modding support, find out more about their mods here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfile…

🎨 Original artwork by Miłek Jakubiec https://www.artstation.com/milek
🎨 Thanks to Igor Dzis for permission to use his painting, Battle of Dara.

📚Recommended reading (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases):
📖Procopius, History of the Wars https://geni.us/L3Pgc
📖The Wars of Justinian by Michael Whitby https://geni.us/Xxrd3
📖Rome Resurgent by Peter Heather https://geni.us/ZFoU1
📖The Armies of Ancient Persia: the Sassanians by Kaveh Farrokh https://geni.us/jMQo3z
📖Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236–565 (Osprey) by Simon MacDowall https://geni.us/XMGl

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#EpicHistoryTV #RomanEmpire #EasternRomanEmpire #Justinian #Belisarius #ByzantineEmpire

I first discovered the Eastern Roman Empire in Robert Graves’ brilliant novel Count Belisarius which I read nearly 50 years ago and still re-read every few years. If the raw history isn’t your bag, try the historical fiction — closely based on the works of Procopius — heartily endorsed by pre-teen me.

October 4, 2021

History Summarized: Sicily

Filed under: Architecture, Europe, Greece, History, Humour, Military, Religion — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 1 Oct 2021

The plot twist of Medieval Italian History is that the main event was happening in the South — In the centuries before the Renaissance, Sicily and southern Italy were sporting one of the most spectacular cultures in the world, combining the greatest hits of Mediterranean history in one place. It’s way cool, you guys.

SOURCES & Further Reading: Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History by John Julius Norwich, The Great Cities in History by John Julius Norwich, Great Courses Lectures “Muslims in the Court Of Roger II – 1130” from Turning Points in Middle Eastern History by Eamonn Gerron and “Renaissance Italy’s Princes and Rivals” from Renaissance: The Transformation of the West by Jennifer McNabb

This video’s topic was requested by our patron Salvatore Corasaniti. Thank you for supporting our channel!

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

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From the comments:

Overly Sarcastic Productions
2 days ago
I can’t even begin to describe how much Ancient Sicily Content™ I had to cut for time.
Fear not, Magna Graecia will get the spotlight it deserves in another video.
-B

September 26, 2021

I finally made GARUM | Ancient Rome’s favorite condiment

Filed under: Europe, Food, History — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Tasting History with Max Miller
Published 9 Jun 2020

In nearly every recipe we have from Ancient Rome, a key ingredient is Garum or Liquamen; fermented fish sauce. While it usually takes two months to make, I use an ancient recipe for same day garum which gave me plenty of time to look at the history of Ancient Rome’s favorite condiment.

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LINK TO COLATURA DI ALICI: https://amzn.to/30o2Dmg

LINKS TO SOURCES**
The Roman Cookery Book by Elizabeth Rosenbaum: https://amzn.to/2zg73QV

Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill: https://amzn.to/2Affi01

Ferment by Holly Davis: https://amzn.to/37bDtIK

https://coquinaria.nl/en/roman-fish-s…

The rise and reorganization of the Pompeian salted fish industry – Steven Ellis: https://www.academia.edu/678386/The_r…

**Amazon offers a small commission on products sold through their affiliate links, so each purchase made from this link, whether this product or another, will help to support this channel with no additional cost to you.

LINK TO Making A Cure for the Black Plague | Galen and the Four Humors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCKA…

GARUM
ORIGINAL RECIPE From The Geoponica
If you wish to use the garum at once — i.e. not expose it to the sun, but boil it — make it in the following manner: Take brine and test its strength by throwing an egg into it to see if it floats; if it sinks it does not contain enough salt. Put the fish into the brine in a new earthenware pot, add oregano, put it on a good fire until it boils — i.e., until it begins to reduce. Some people also add defrutum. Let it cool and strain it two or three times, until the liquid is clear. Seal and store it away.

MODERN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS (Amounts are approximate)
– 2 Quarts (1900ml) Water
– 1lb (450g) Sea Salt
– 2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
– Defrutum or Honey
– 2lbs (900g) Whole Fish (oily)

METHOD
1. Add salt to the water and stir to dissolve. You may not need the full amount, so start with about 3/4s. Place an egg in the water and if the egg floats, stop adding salt.
2. Add the whole fish and the oregano (and defrutum if you are using any) to the water and place over medium-high heat and boil for 30 – 40 minutes. Every ten minutes, mash with a spoon to break up the fish.
3. Once the water has reduced to about half the amount, remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool.
4. First, pass through a colander and then strain through a kitchen cloth or paper towel until the garum is free of particles. Then bottle in a sterile bottle and refrigerate.

Music Credit
“Gigue” From 3rd Cello Suite
Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…

Photo Credits
chef PNG Designed By CHENXIN from https://pngtree.com/
Garum Mosaic – Claus Ableiter / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Adana Mosaic – Dosseman / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Galen – Wellcome Collection / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Snails Mosaic – Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…)
Seneca & Nero – By Eduardo Barrón – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index…

#tastinghistory #garum #ancientrome #foodhistory

July 27, 2021

History Summarized: The Crusades

Filed under: Europe, France, Germany, History, Humour, Middle East, Military, Religion — Tags: , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 11 Jun 2017

Making a video exclusively about the crusades? That’s a bold strategy, Blue, let’s see how it pays off.

RELEVANT LINKS:
History Summarized: Islam: https://youtu.be/Uvq59FPgx88​
History Summarized: Christianity: https://youtu.be/A86fIELxFds​
History Summarized: Judaism: https://youtu.be/aKB6WduDwNE​
History Summarized: Christianity, Judaism, and the Muslim Conquest https://wp.me/p2hpV6-gQv
History Summarized: Venice (Part 2): https://youtu.be/byMleAJ5kRs
History Summarized: Byzantine Empire: https://youtu.be/-ucHQVu8Dw0

History Summarized: Abrahamic Religious Philosophy: https://youtu.be/B7myRRt0Mn8​

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May 25, 2021

536 AD – Worst Year in History

Filed under: Environment, Europe, Health, History, Middle East — Tags: , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Kings and Generals
Published 11 May 2021

Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉 Get 6 months FREE when you sign up for 6 months! ➡️ HERE: https://go.babbel.com/6plus6-youtube-…

Kings and Generals’ historical animated documentary series on the history of Ancient Civilizations continues with a video on the year 536 AD, which many historians consider the worst year in history, as plague, famine, volcanic eruption, and extreme weather patterns changed the fate of the millions, especially influencing Sassanid and Eastern Roman Empires.

Support us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/KingsandGenerals or Paypal: http://paypal.me/kingsandgenerals We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o…

Art and animation: Haley Castel Branco
Narration: Officially Devin (https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficiallyDevin)
Script: Matt Hollis

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#Documentary #WorstYearInHistory #536

March 25, 2021

The Crusade That Ruined Everything

Filed under: Europe, History, Middle East, Military, Religion — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

KnowledgeHub
Published 16 Jan 2017

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The Fourth Crusade was a blunder of epic proportions and ended up ruining one of the greatest empires ever seen in Western civilization. While the Crusades can be tales of knights and religious battle, this was a war of infighting, petty deals and financial debt.

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AltHistoryHub

Music by Holfix: https://www.youtube.com/user/holfix

The second channel from AlternateHistoryHub. Since I can’t talk about everything on that channel, I decided to have a channel where I can? Geography, history, economics? I can talk about anything, as long as it’s knowledge!

I discuss the different parts of history and try to bring a new perspective on education taught in schools.

March 4, 2021

How the Roman Army Became the Byzantine Army

Filed under: Europe, History, Middle East, Military, Weapons — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Kings and Generals
Published 2 Mar 2021

Video is Sponsored by Ridge Wallet: https://www.ridge.com/KINGSANDGENERALS​ Use Code “KINGSANDGENERALS” for 10% off your order!

The Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on the evolution of the Roman Army continues with the first episode of the series on the Army of the Eastern Roman Empire — the Byzantine Empire. In this episode, we’ll mainly focus on how the Roman army was transformed into the Byzantine army and talk about the armies of Justinian and Belisarius described by Procopius.

Support us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/KingsandGenerals​ or Paypal: http://paypal.me/kingsandgenerals​.​ We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o…​

The video was made by our Arb Paninken http://bit.ly/2Ow3oC8​, while the script was developed by Leo Stone. This video was narrated by Officially Devin (https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficiallyDevin​)

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#Documentary​ #Byzantines​ #Romans

March 2, 2021

The Evolution of Shock Cavalry – From Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Filed under: Asia, Europe, Greece, History, Military, Weapons — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Invicta
Published 1 Mar 2021

Learn about the evolution of shock cavalry from antiquity before the use of saddles and stirrups! Check out The Great Courses Plus to learn about shock cavalry in the campaigns of Alexander the Great: http://ow.ly/osex30rvhjf​

In this history documentary we explore the topic of ancient cavalry. The basic idea is that these units often get depicted in media as performing glorious massed charges headlong into the enemy ranks as seen in such scenes as the Charge of the Rohirrim from the Battle of Pelenor Fields. In reality this would have been a very dangerous situation for cavalrymen even under the best circumstances. But to make matters worse, riders from antiquity fought without the use of either saddles or stirrups. So how on earth did they manage to dominate the battlefield with these handicaps. Let’s find out.

We begin by covering the history of cavalry with the first domestication of the horse and its introduction to warfare first as member of the baggage train and soon after as a part of chariot crews rather than as actual mounted forces. This was in large part due to the lack of riding experience and technology on behalf of the rider. Soon after the Bronze Age Collapse however cavalry began to rise to prominence across the armies of the Mediterranean. We speak about the various forms of equine practices which ranged from riding bareback into combat as with the Numidian Cavalry to the use of simple bridles and cloth seats as with Greek Cavalry and Persian Cavalry.

We then cover the techniques used by these cavalrymen to mount, ride, and fight. As a part of this discussion, we rely heavily on Xenophon’s Manual on Horsemanship which provides excellent first hand details from the period. We also show how these techniques were successfully used by shock cavalry of antiquity such as the Macedonian Companion Cavalry, the Saka Steppe Lancers, and the Persian Cataphracts to great effect even without the use of saddles and stirrups.

Finally we do pose the question of why they didn’t use the saddle and stirrup given its seemingly obvious advantages. To answer this question we look at the history of its development from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages.

Bibliography and Suggested Reading
On Horsemanship, by Xenophon
Adrian Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army
Adrian Goldsworthy, Roman Warfare
J.C. Coulston, Cavalry Equipment of the Roman Army in the First Century A.D.
George T. Dennis, Maurice’s Strategikon, p. 38.
Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili
Russel H. Beaty, Saddles

#History​
#Documentary​
#ShockCavalry

From the comments:

Invicta
13 hours ago
I was inspired by comments on our latest Units of History episode covering the Companion Cavalry which asked about how shock tactics worked in an age before the stirrup and saddle. I went down the rabbit hole finding answers and present to you my findings in this video! One awesome source we used was the Manual on Horsemanship by Xenophon which you can read for yourself here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1176/1176-h/1176-h.htm

January 3, 2021

QotD: Literary stasis in the Byzantine empire

Filed under: Europe, Greece, History, Middle East, Quotations — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

Undoubtedly, the Mediaeval Romans – now exclusively Greek in their language – made little effort to be original in their literature. They had virtually the whole body of Classical Greek literature in their libraries and in their heads. For them, this was both a wonderful possession and a fetter on the imagination. It was in their language, and not in their language. Any educated person could understand it. But the language had moved on – changes of pronunciation and dynamics and vocabulary. The classics were the accepted model for composition. But to write like the ancients was furiously hard. Imagine a world in which we spoke Standard English, but felt compelled, for everything above a short e-mail, to write in the language of Shakespeare and the Authorised Version of the Bible. Some of us might manage a good pastiche. Most of us would simply memorise the whole of the Bible, and, overlooking its actual content, write by adapting and rearranging remembered clauses. It would encourage an original literature. Because Latin soon became a completely foreign language in the West – and because we in England were so barbarous, we had to write in our own language – Western Mediaeval literature is often a fine thing. The Mediaeval Romans never had a dark age in our sense. Their historians in the fifteenth century wrote up the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in the same language as Thucydides. Poor Greeks.

Sean Gabb, “The Mediaeval Roman Empire: An Unlikely Emergence and Survival”, SeanGabb.co.uk, 2018-09-14.

December 25, 2020

“Swedish Pagans” – Vikings & The Russ – Sabaton History 099 [Official]

Filed under: Europe, History, Media, Religion, Russia — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Sabaton History
Published 24 Dec 2020

It was a sword-age, a spear-age — an age when fearsome Northmen, savage Vikings, and mysterious pagans from across the sea haunted the shores of northern Europe. The Swedish pagans, believing in the fate of the old Norse gods, traveled south across the Baltic Sea and deep into modern-day Russia. With their sleek longships, they sailed along the big rivers, ever southwards to reach Miklagard. Miklagard — the Great City — that was Constantinople, where the Swedish Pagans sold slaves and goods from the north for silver and coin. Those who made the long hazardous journey and survived the treacherous country were to be rich men.

Support Sabaton History on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory

Listen to “Swedish Pagans” on the album The Art of War: https://music.sabaton.net/TheArtOfWar

Listen to Sabaton on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/SabatonSpotify
Official Sabaton Merchandise Shop: http://bit.ly/SabatonOfficialShop

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Brodén, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Community Manager: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Editor: Karolina Dołęga
Sound Editor: Marek Kamiński
Maps by: Eastory – https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory
Archive: Reuters/Screenocean – https://www.screenocean.com

Sources:
Swedish National Heritage Board
Kulturhistorisk museum
Museum of Cultural History, part of the University of Oslo, Norway
Pictures of Runestone courtesy of: Berig, RJürgen Howald & Bjoertvedt from Wikimedia
AU Library, Campus Emdrup, http://galleri.au.dk/aul/#14891850309…
Longship sketch with a keel courtesy of Cornelis from Wikimedia
Map from 878 courtesy of Hel-hama – from Wikimedia

All music by: Sabaton

An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.

© Raging Beaver Publishing AB, 2019 – all rights reserved.

December 15, 2020

History Summarized: Spread of Christianity

Filed under: Europe, History, Middle East, Religion — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 10 Jan 2017

Things I learned when making this video: 1) when your script goes beyond 4 single-spaced pages, you’re heading into the danger zone 2) Gregorian Chants are awesome and you should totally listen to them, 3) editing always takes longer than you’d hope 4) self care is huffing frankincense for breakfast lunch and dinner and single-handedly sacking a levantine city!

Have a question about something I mentioned, or maybe something I might have left out? Leave it down below and I’ll do my best to respond!

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December 13, 2020

How the Romans Stole Silk Production Secrets from China

Filed under: China, Economics, History — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Kings and Generals
Published 31 Jan 2019

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Silk production was one of the biggest secrets of China and one of the most lucrative industries of the age. So it is not a surprise that the Roman emperor Justinian was eager to learn this secret. In this video we will discuss the start of the silk production, its importance and the story of how Justinian managed one of the first industrial thefts in history

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The video was made by our friend Cogito

This video was narrated by Officially Devin (https://www.youtube.com/user/Official…)

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#Documentary #Justinian #Silk

December 5, 2020

The Fall of the Byzantine Empire — History Summarized

Filed under: Europe, History, Humour, Middle East, Military — Tags: , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 4 Dec 2020

At long last, the concluding chapter of Roman history! Let’s tie the bow on Byzantine Constantinople as the empire comes to an end, slightly earlier than we might think, but far later than anybody ever could have expected.

SOURCES & Further Reading: Byzantium: The Decline and Fall & A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich, Osman’s Dream by Finkel, https://www.ancient.eu/Despotate_of_t…

This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

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July 26, 2020

Hagia Sophia

Filed under: Architecture, Europe, History, Religion — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 05:00

Lars Brownworth (author of the excellent Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization) on the building of the Hagia Sophia by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian in Constantinople:

Illustration of the Hagia Sophia from European History: An outline of its development by George Burton Adams, 1899.
Wikimedia Commons

The Hagia Sophia was the brainchild of a unique figure in history. At birth, Justinian was a nobody among nobodies in a grindingly poor part of what is today North Macedonia. By his mid-40s, he was a Byzantine emperor. His appetites were large, his dreams larger. The man who knew what it was like to have nothing gave new meaning to the idea of luxury. For one memorable celebration, he spent almost two tons of gold on decorations.

Justinian had no time for small things. By the second year of his reign, he had decided to codify all of Roman law, founded several new cities, and had started construction on at least eight new churches.

The money for all these projects inevitably came from the public. And by the fifth year of his reign, his subjects had had enough. Already upset by rampant corruption, an inefficient bureaucracy, and crushing taxes, they hit the boiling point when Justinian severely restricted public games. A mob tore through the streets, overwhelming the unprepared police forces. Several stores were set on fire, and the wind quickly spread the flames to a nearby hospital, which burned down with its patients inside. An inferno raged. For five long days, Constantinople burned.

By the time Justinian reasserted control, more than 30,000 citizens were dead, and perhaps a third of the city was a blackened shell. It looked as if some barbarian horde had sacked the capital. The fact that its own people had inflicted such a wound hovered like a black cloud over the streets.

Characteristically, Justinian saw a perfect opportunity within the ashes. This was a blank canvas on which to create a new city in his image. The transformation would begin with the cathedral. The original building, known simply as the Magna Ecclesia — the Great Church — had been built by a son of Constantine the Great in the fourth century, but had burned down a few decades later. Since it was a standard Roman basilica — a large hall with square walls and angled wooden roof — it had been fairly easy to rebuild along the same lines.

But of course, Justinian had no intention of following the tired plans of an earlier age. This was a chance to remake the cathedral on a new scale, something worthy of the ages. It was to be nothing short of a revolution, equal parts art and architecture, the enduring grandeur of the emperor himself frozen in physical form.

Everything about this project was audacious, including his selection of architects. Instead of choosing a traditional builder, he picked two teachers who — like himself — had more vision than practical experience. This was a lifelong pattern with Justinian. He had a habit of plucking genius out of the common crush; his wife was a reformed prostitute, and his greatest generals were an elderly eunuch and a former bodyguard.

The emperor’s instructions to Isidore of Miletus, a physics teacher, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician, should have terrified them. They merely had to design and successfully build a church unlike anything else the world had seen. Sheer scale wasn’t enough — the empire was full of grand monuments and immense sculpture. This had to be something different, something fitting for the new golden age that was dawning. Expense wasn’t an issue, but speed was. Justinian was already in his 50s, and he didn’t intend to have some successor apply the final coat of paint and claim the project as his own.

Hagia Sophia in the Faith district of Istanbul, 18 November 2004.
Photo by Robert Raderschatt via Wikimedia Commons.

June 2, 2020

The Fall Of The Roman Empire With Tom Holland | History Hit LIVE on Timeline

Filed under: Europe, History, Middle East — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Timeline – World History Documentaries
Published 29 May 2020

The Roman Empire remains one of the most enduring and prolific civilisations of written history. Yet it, like all great civilisations, would eventually come to an end. Join Dan Snow as he speaks to historian Tom Holland about the many contributing factors that would bring this seismic and seemingly invincible empire to its knees.

#StayHome #WithMe #FallOfRome

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