Julius Caesar: The Legacy Of Ancient Rome's Greatest Dictator | Caesar Revealed With Mary Beard

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 14. 06. 2021
  • Mary Beard is on a mission to uncover the real Caesar, and to challenge public perception. She seeks the answers to some big questions. How did he become a one-man ruler of Rome? How did he use spin and PR on his way to the top? Why was he killed? And she asks some equally intriguing little questions. How did he conceal his bald patch? Did he really die, as William Shakespeare put it, with the words Et tu, Brute on his lips? Above all, Mary explores his surprising legacy right up to the present day. Like it or not, Caesar is still present in our everyday lives, our language, and our politics. Many dictators since, not to mention some other less autocratic leaders, have learned the tricks of their trade from Julius Caesar.
    Odyssey is your journey into the world of Ancient History; from the dawn of Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome. We'll be bringing you only the best documentaries that journey into the mysteries and ruins of worlds long lost.
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Komentáƙe • 1,2K

  • @johane4764
    @johane4764 Pƙed 3 lety +578

    She and Egyptologist, Dr Joann Fletcher are my two favourite people; their genuine enthusiasm and storytelling are simply captivating.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 Pƙed 3 lety +15

      Yes you can feel their passion !!

    • @LSUrugby8
      @LSUrugby8 Pƙed 3 lety +5

      TBH, I'd probably hate to have her as a history professor in uni. She seems like she would be terrifying to study under

    • @relazar
      @relazar Pƙed 3 lety +12

      Lucy Worsley is pretty great as well.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 Pƙed 3 lety +8

      And yes Lucy Worsley is also one of my favorites. Also Dan Jones, he has a way of making history come alive too

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 Pƙed 3 lety +16

      @@LSUrugby8 Why? I feel like I would love showing up to her class!

  • @robotslug
    @robotslug Pƙed 3 lety +131

    Well, my bedtime documentary is now chosen. Thanks Odyssey.

  • @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739
    @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739 Pƙed 3 lety +53

    I love this lady. Her passion for ancient Rome is second to none. I'd love to spend a semester in her classroom.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon Pƙed 2 lety

      "None" = a LOT of historians.

    • @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739
      @bigbensarrowheadchannel2739 Pƙed 2 lety

      Ok

    • @jesuscampie4099
      @jesuscampie4099 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Come on the first ten minutes is literally covered in bs murdered in the senate house? No he wasn’t it was being repaired or renovated, they met in a theater house, the Roman republic was not a democracy, there are way better historians

    • @taroman7100
      @taroman7100 Pƙed rokem

      I'd prefer Andrew Wallace Hadrill.

  • @glenn-younger
    @glenn-younger Pƙed 2 lety +88

    She made a brilliant observation when she observed that even though they killed him, they didn't have a forward plan and so ended up with the very thing they didn't want: Rule under one person. Thank you for sharing this.

    • @thrallion
      @thrallion Pƙed 2 lety +6

      Hmm no offence to her but I wouldn’t call that a “brilliant observation” lol
 it’s literally the main takeaway of the whole saga
 probably the single most common observation anyone makes when learning about Caesar’s assassination. Sorry not trying to be rude, just thought that was kind of funny

    • @glenn-younger
      @glenn-younger Pƙed 2 lety +10

      ​@@thrallion Hmmm. For someone "not trying to be rude", you've managed to come across as a little snotty. I won't take it personally, though. Perhaps you're just having a bad day or a lonely one? Actually, when I made the comment, I was thinking of how politics can make people dense. Fast forward to more current days when a group of Americans stormed the White House with obviously no forward plan beyond the actual moment of doing the deed. People might know history, but it doesn't mean they learn from it.

    • @charlesincharge3404
      @charlesincharge3404 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@glenn-younger "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to PEACEFULLY AND PATRIOTICALLY make your voices heard"...that what Trump clearly stated to those people who you say stormed the Capitol. In fact, they were ushered in by the Capitol police and government agents like Ray Epps and the scaffold commander directing the crowd via a bull horn. And we have video of every bit of it. In fact, there's an additional 40K hours of video that Pelosi refuses to release showing more of the disgraceful actions of the Capitol police on that fateful day. That video by the way belongs to the taxpayers, not the corrupt lefty politicians. And that's the same Pelosi who declined Trump's suggestion to bring in national guard troops. Dereliction of duty on steroids. Not a single person who entered the Capitol on Jan 6 was armed...so an unarmed insurrection took place that day? How is that suppose to work?...explain prey tell. What a sham...shame on you for falling for it. 2000 Mules...watch it!!!

    • @glenn-younger
      @glenn-younger Pƙed 2 lety +2

      @@charlesincharge3404 Sigh. There are dirty dealings all around. I do wish people on the ground had posted videos showing that. Without real proof
 đŸ€·đŸ»â€â™€ïžIt’s becoming increasingly harder to separate fact from individual agendas. At any rate, thank you you for sharing your perspective. Maybe next time can you do it without the name calling? All of us need to learn to communicate with each other with respect. Otherwise we’ll never get through this mess and find a common meeting ground. Wishing you well


    • @charlesincharge3404
      @charlesincharge3404 Pƙed 2 lety

      @@glenn-younger First & foremost, there ABSOLUTELY IS video of Ray Epps and the scaffold commander urging & pleading with people to force their way into the Capitol. And there's also video of the Capitol police ushering them in. There's also evidence of Ashley Babbitt being gunned down in cold blood by employee of Pelosi while presenting no threat of violence whatsoever. I've seen it all, in all its disgusting glory. But I'm not not shocked in the least to hear that you haven't seen any of it because the media sources you get your fake news from won't show it to you. I challenge you to take the time to search for it...you'll find it. You won't, however, because it goes counter to your agenda. And as far as your condescending accusations are concerned, take it somewhere else. Just like millions upon millions of likeminded patriots who happen to love their country, I'm fed up and no longer interested in trying having so-called respectful conversations with globalist lefty types who have no issue with all of the destruction being caused by the dangerous politicians and activist groups your type supports. 2000 Mules...watch it and learn something.

  • @sabthie5836
    @sabthie5836 Pƙed 2 lety +144

    I love Mary Beard, she has such a lovely way to present to us the old Rome, Pompeji, Caesar etc. She is unique, smart, full of humor and great knowledge. A wonderful presenter, a wonderful woman!

    • @amyRMA
      @amyRMA Pƙed 2 lety +8

      You can tell she loves history and makes it fun! I would LOVE to take a class or listen to lectures by her!

    • @charlesmcelravyjr.2129
      @charlesmcelravyjr.2129 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Yeah she's legit.

    • @taroman7100
      @taroman7100 Pƙed rokem +1

      I wish I wasnt so vain.

  • @MichelleIbarraMHAEdD
    @MichelleIbarraMHAEdD Pƙed 2 lety +59

    I adore her! She has no fear, she's animated, super intelligent, passionate about her topics, and has a wicked sense of humor 😃! And those shoes are the bomb! 💜💛💜💛

    • @jimr9499
      @jimr9499 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Lol her shoes are memorable in everything she's in.

  • @jacklyv
    @jacklyv Pƙed 2 lety +10

    I love this whole channel so much but Mary Beard is definitely my FAVORITE! shes so enthusiastic and relatable, she has help rekindle my love for classical history đŸ€—

  • @Wayzor_
    @Wayzor_ Pƙed 3 lety +240

    Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this.

  • @lindaduncan2723
    @lindaduncan2723 Pƙed 3 lety +17

    Thank you Mary. I just love watching and learning with you! Your my favorite!
    Have a blessed day!

  • @gingersnaptrack9337
    @gingersnaptrack9337 Pƙed 2 lety +5

    I love this channel with Mary Beard making history fun and interesting.

  • @bonniedawson6999
    @bonniedawson6999 Pƙed 3 lety +36

    Mary Beard is great. I love the way she explains everything and is down-to-earth :)

  • @thewol7534
    @thewol7534 Pƙed 3 lety +140

    "Cesarean section" comes from ancient Roman law (Lex Caesarea) which mandated the cutting out from the womb of a child whose mother had died during labour. The law was originally enacted to comply with Roman ritual and religious custom, which forbade the burial of pregnant women, but the procedure was later pursued specifically in an attempt to save the child’s life. "Caesarea" comes from the Latin root "caedere " meaning "to cut".

    • @JC-vg5gl
      @JC-vg5gl Pƙed 3 lety +7

      ya i read somewhere that if caesar was in fact "cut out," his mother would never have survived, and she was found in later texts.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 Pƙed 3 lety +7

      Somehow I had never heard that explanation of a cesarean. I knew Caesar couldn't have been born that way. His mother was still alive when he became pontiff

    • @BuckleBunny
      @BuckleBunny Pƙed 2 lety +1

      He wanted people to think he was great, that’s the name he chose. I don’t think his real birth name was ever revealed in history. Remember she said he told this tail to be part of his greatness even though he had a meager life.
      I do wish she gave more of the actual definition though before skipping into his real childhood.

    • @darthjoey8986
      @darthjoey8986 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      @@BuckleBunny who are you talking about?

    • @JayM409
      @JayM409 Pƙed 2 lety +7

      @@BuckleBunny - He was named after his father, also named Gaius Julius Caesar.

  • @benjaminrobinson5552
    @benjaminrobinson5552 Pƙed 3 lety +38

    Any salad can be a caeser salad, you just gotta stab it a couple times.

  • @destroyer0685
    @destroyer0685 Pƙed 3 lety +30

    The real issue on why Ceasars is Caesar is that the Roman Republic had morphed and its method of government and culture could not handle the stress of governing such a large enterprise.
    The proto Caesar is his uncle Marius. Marius redesigned the Roman army and turned it from a Militia based on economic standing to a professional force. This army came to be because most of the eligible men were no longer able to campaign as they were either dead or too old. So Marius formed his army from the Capitei Censei, the Roman head count, essentially the poor. He armed them, trained them and they fought for him and Rome. Sulla did the same thing as did Pompey. Caesar did it better. The reason for this is that the army did not really swear allegiance to Rome but to their commander, who was called Imperator. By doing this, Sulla, Marius and the rest overthrew the social contract that the "metropolitan elites" as she calls them hung their hats.
    Remember Rome was not a democracy it was a Representative Republic. The United States is modeled on the Roman Republic not the Empire. Caesar, like other great personalities in the world changed society by knowing and using rules or:
    Tell Mark Antony to keep his legions intact as they make the law legal.
    Compared to the aristos or Optimates the Roman people loved him.

  • @captainnemo1402
    @captainnemo1402 Pƙed 2 lety +22

    Thanks to the producers for this interesting documentary. Also maybe interesting to know in Persian mythical stories it was Rostam who was such a big baby to be born by a Cesarean section on Roudabeh (mother) by Simorgh (mythical intelligent bird). So some call it Rostamineh here in Iran!

  • @petersclafani4370
    @petersclafani4370 Pƙed 3 lety +65

    The senate feared him because of his legions were loyal to him. He has 12 legions well trained veterans, disciplined

    • @pexxajohannes1506
      @pexxajohannes1506 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      Anybody who carried out genocide in Gaul carried also aura of real fear. JC was not a pleasant or easy man. He had his way easy, hard or deadly way. Not fearing Julius Caesar was usually quick way to death...

    • @petersclafani4370
      @petersclafani4370 Pƙed 3 lety +8

      @@pexxajohannes1506 hatred of the gauls goes back to early rome when it was invaded. Second the gauls fought with Hannibal in the 2nd panic war. Caesar did what he had to do with power tribes was to send a msg. To other tribes.

    • @westoncampbell1268
      @westoncampbell1268 Pƙed 3 lety

      @Roger Clemens Close it's sillius soddus

    • @donnieboughton1730
      @donnieboughton1730 Pƙed 3 lety

      @@pexxajohannes1506 what?

    • @pexxajohannes1506
      @pexxajohannes1506 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      @@donnieboughton1730 if you manage to inspire a civilwar, you are feared person. There are lot of folks who like Caesar and there is nothing wrong with that. But reality is that Caesar was also a wolf and a political predator and rightfully feared. He boasted with killing enormous number of gauls. Gauls who had trade and client links with Rome and romans. If needed, he would starve women and children dead. Only if you read and believe all imperial propaganda of divine Julius Caesar, you stop seeing Caesar also as a man, politician and deadly and not at all nice warrior.

  • @OcarinaSapphr-
    @OcarinaSapphr- Pƙed 3 lety +38

    I like Mary Beard & her style of documentary, normally- but, I’m kind of surprised with the title of the documentary, to see she ignored so much of his earlier life - I was glad she mentioned he wasn’t of the first rate aristocratic families, *however* , he was related through his mother to some powerful people, & related by marriage to Marius- one of **the most famous** later (not late) Republican era Roman leaders.
    Caesar’s childhood/ teenage years - which could arguably be considered more formative than almost _anyone_ has previously indicated- were marred by near-continuous civil war.
    Caesar’s earlier years could be a documentary/ mini-series in its’ own right...
    He himself became a target of Marius’ erstwhile ally & later deadly foe, Sulla- due to his connection with Marius - the irony was, that this targeting by Sulla (the other big famed later Republican era leader) included stripping him of his inheritance, & depriving him of a highly constrictive (though very respected) religious office, that would have prevented his leaving Rome for extended periods - arguably, this single event was what helped make his rise possible...
    Also; No mention of his study of oratory in Greece, followed by his capture by pirates on the way home (& the terrible revenge he took on them)- his time at the court of Nicomedes- & maybe connecting to modern celebrity rumour-mongering/ scandal-mongering - it might have been interesting to understand what ancient people considered a scandal.
    I get his appearance at the tale-end of Spartacus’ revolt amounts to scarcely a footnote, but still- it links to his later relationships with Crassus & Pompey, & their political alliance... or mentioning anything else of his earlier years, other than the Alexander the Great statue incident...?
    Edit: word

    • @zeusnitch
      @zeusnitch Pƙed 3 lety +7

      I agree. This 'documentary' was definitely lacking some context/information, like the political intrigue Caesar was exposed to early on

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Agree with all your points...

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      Would add his influence on Octavian Augustus...

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Caesar family was patrician, but whose wealth had declined because of legacies in the family estate!

    • @nycbearff
      @nycbearff Pƙed 2 lety +3

      Documentaries are constrained by time. She filled the time completely with significant things about him - a lot more had to be left out.

  • @Temujin1991
    @Temujin1991 Pƙed 2 lety +11

    This woman is the reason I want to get a degree in classical history, I owe her so much.

  • @DASDmiser
    @DASDmiser Pƙed 3 lety +28

    4:19. An exquisite example of the aphorism "it is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt".

    • @ivanaradojevic7015
      @ivanaradojevic7015 Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci +2

      Give them a break. These people were on holiday/a leasurely stroll when a tv crew came up and asked
      them a history question 😂

  • @farmag
    @farmag Pƙed 3 lety +25

    lol 3:59 mark "I know [Caesar] came over here for a reason, he wasn't meant to cross the river" -The erudite tourist

  • @alexanderfaust4192
    @alexanderfaust4192 Pƙed 3 lety +115

    Caesar was not assassinated in the senate house believe it or not. He was assassinated in a theater dedicated to Pompeii Magnus (whom he defeated in Greece) where the senate was meeting for that day. The senate house was being repaired at the time and it was not unusual for the senate to move it's sessions around to different parts of Rome. He died at the foot of a statue of his rival. The gods had a clever sense of humor.

    • @brasschick4214
      @brasschick4214 Pƙed 3 lety +14

      I call it not the gods having humour but the Senators giving serious shade. It payback par excellence.

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta Pƙed 3 lety +17

      How the hell does Mary Beard not KNOW that? Now I can't trust anything she says.

    • @alexanderfaust4192
      @alexanderfaust4192 Pƙed 3 lety +12

      @@Ken_Scaletta funny enough I read that in her own book: SPQR

    • @LeontiusInvictus
      @LeontiusInvictus Pƙed 3 lety +4

      That's where she was standing

    • @Ken_Scaletta
      @Ken_Scaletta Pƙed 3 lety +9

      @@LeontiusInvictus The Curia of Pompey doesn't exist any more. The site of the assassination is underground and inaccessible. Plus she SAID it was the Senate House.

  • @wizzardofpaws2420
    @wizzardofpaws2420 Pƙed 3 lety +30

    Nobody can make you love history like Mary Beard

  • @wizzardofpaws2420
    @wizzardofpaws2420 Pƙed rokem +1

    I am absolutely DELIGHTED AND HAPPY to see a new Mary Beard video!

    • @Drewbalicious
      @Drewbalicious Pƙed 4 měsĂ­ci

      How could this video have been new to you when you wrote this? You left a comment here from a year before.

  • @wanderalmeida9584
    @wanderalmeida9584 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    I love Mary BeardÂŽs books. Great video. Thanks from Brazil.

  • @davidstewart5811
    @davidstewart5811 Pƙed 3 lety +61

    Absolutely terrible that so many folks have little if any information about one of the most important people in history. Sad.

    • @RavenStillBeguiling
      @RavenStillBeguiling Pƙed 3 lety +14

      You have to think about what the producers choose to show. Many probably did know about Caesar but it was cut.

    • @davyroger3773
      @davyroger3773 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      And we know even less about Alexander!

    • @daniel3231995
      @daniel3231995 Pƙed 3 lety +4

      its a repeating phenomenon. forget the greats so new ones (populists) prop up so they seem an entirely new thing. ONLY thing is TRUMP WILL COME BACK GREATER! MAGA2

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon Pƙed 2 lety +1

      If you choose to enumerate the areas of public ignorance, you have set yourself a mighty task.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 Pƙed 2 lety

      Why don't you cry about it?

  • @johnmooers5594
    @johnmooers5594 Pƙed 2 lety +13

    Hard to believe a classicist as accomplished as Ms Beard didn’t specify Caesar was killed in the portico of the Theater of Pompey rather than the “Senate House.”

    • @stanlygirl5951
      @stanlygirl5951 Pƙed 2 lety

      Yes, it was where the Senate was meeting at the time, but it was *not* the "Senate House."

    • @Consrignrant
      @Consrignrant Pƙed rokem +4

      Wherever the Senate met was a Senate House.

  • @commendatore2516
    @commendatore2516 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    thank you a thousand times for this superb documentary! i was searching it for months now!

  • @Bethany_Marie
    @Bethany_Marie Pƙed měsĂ­cem

    Mary Beard needs her own show, she's just amazing. I have just found her and am looking everywhere for all her shows.

  • @dragonfox2.058
    @dragonfox2.058 Pƙed 2 lety +12

    Of all the ancient Roman tales, I like Colleen McCullough's "First Man in Rome" the very best. Her research was exhaustive. Of course she never received much recognition for them which was a disgrace. That woman could WRITE! I think Julius Caesar was a universal genius

    • @lekkki1
      @lekkki1 Pƙed 2 lety +4

      He was truly an amazing man. Boundless energy and intelligence. It's laughable to hear him described as brutal and ruthless in accordance with current thought; in his day he was a bit of a lightweight in the "political treachery" milieu. If you want a monster; look to Sulla, who preceded Ceaser by multiple years.

  • @lesilluminations1
    @lesilluminations1 Pƙed rokem +5

    I have been studying Latin and reading about the Romans for years. But no one brings it to life like Mary does. What's more, it isn't just passion she brings. There is a nuance to her interpretation so that a complex picture is left in the reader's mind. She is truly a gift to the world.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Pƙed rokem

      She's extremely subjective.
      Also these shows wind up being more about her than the subject. I guess that's what average tele viewers might want.
      He was brutal - as was warfare in those days - but he did NOT COMMIT GENOCIDE of/in Gaul.

    • @lesilluminations1
      @lesilluminations1 Pƙed rokem +2

      @@stutzbearcat5624 Yes, the word genocide is overused these days. So much so that the word is in danger of losing it's meaning. So I would agree that she exagerates here. Her point seems to be that Caesar killed a lot more people in Gaul than one would imagine from reading his commentaries. But the many Gauls who lived successful lives during and after Caesar's conquest are evidence that genocide is not the word to describe what happened.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Pƙed rokem

      @@lesilluminations1
      I'd suggest he was not shy talking about how many people were slaughtered in his writings.

    • @lesilluminations1
      @lesilluminations1 Pƙed rokem

      @@stutzbearcat5624 He was indeed quite proud of the killing. And it is likely that more died from the collateral damage resulting from the destruction of forests and villages than even he could calculate.

    • @stutzbearcat5624
      @stutzbearcat5624 Pƙed rokem +1

      @@lesilluminations1
      Yes BUT - (I'm not a Julius Caesar expert but have read a few books) Caeser would happily extend a hand for those who went along - but if you effed with his troops - lookthefukkout!
      In Zela the king Pharnaces had been castrating all Romans after he broke away from the empire - so Caeser let his troops have their way with the city after the victory. It's where he said, “Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came I saw etc).

  • @NoraBiehle
    @NoraBiehle Pƙed 3 měsĂ­ci

    Fabulous! Well done! Loved the well thought out and thorough fill in on such a Heroic Tragic figure. A dramatic portrait. What an ending, bravo. Coins tossed. Love your delivery style as well. Come rain or shine.

  • @reginahigginbotham2777
    @reginahigginbotham2777 Pƙed 2 lety +2

    Brilliantly documented! I love her style of telling the stories

  • @joannamallory2823
    @joannamallory2823 Pƙed 3 lety +10

    Another amazing program with Mary Beard. Love them.

  • @Ubique2927
    @Ubique2927 Pƙed 3 lety +9

    Wasn’t he killed in the theatre of Pompey? Wasn’t the Senate building closed?

  • @tmgarcia2002
    @tmgarcia2002 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Whoopie! a new documentary by my fave historian. More!

  • @neilwinchester9187
    @neilwinchester9187 Pƙed 2 lety

    I'm very glad I've discovered these programs. Just excellent!

  • @estefaniabarrionuevo4640
    @estefaniabarrionuevo4640 Pƙed 2 lety +56

    00:00 - Introduction
    02:50 - Julius Caesar in the public mind
    07:15 - The beginning of his successful career
    14:15 - The conquest of Gaul
    22:01 - The exploration of Britain
    24:07 - The accounts of his battles as propaganda
    28:17 - Similarities between ancient and modern politicians
    30:50 - His march to Roma with the troops and the civil war
    34:50 - His designation as dictator
    37:30 - The portrait of Julius Caesar
    41:50 - His populist politics: "bread and circus"
    44:13 - Baldness, adultery and self-confidence
    47:19 - His legacy in our everyday life
    52:11 - The modern sense of the word dictator
    54:29 - His assassination in the senate house
    56:48 - Conclusions

    • @justlikeme2797
      @justlikeme2797 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      No need we watched it all without skipping even for a second. Thanks though now get tf out.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 Pƙed 2 lety

      Thanks for chaptering something that isn't yours.

    • @annjalsa3341
      @annjalsa3341 Pƙed rokem +2

      What is both of your problemsđŸ€ŠđŸœâ€â™€ïž

    • @lewstone5430
      @lewstone5430 Pƙed rokem

      @EstefanĂ­a Barrionuevo, thanks!

  • @jmace2424
    @jmace2424 Pƙed 3 lety +97

    Caesar was not the one who turned Rome into a dictatorship. If you read Livy it seems like there were dictators every couple of years. Marius and Sulla were the ones who made it normal.

    • @lekkki1
      @lekkki1 Pƙed 3 lety +11

      exactly

    • @jeffweskamp3685
      @jeffweskamp3685 Pƙed 3 lety +19

      Someone in that time was gonna knock the Republic off its perch. It could have been Marius or Sulla, or it could have been Pompey, Crassus, or Catalina. Caesar just happened to be the one who managed to pull it off.

    • @scotto7047
      @scotto7047 Pƙed 3 lety +12

      Yeah, for a classicist, I am a bit surprised at some of the factual errors in this and her somewhat disdainful approach to this topic. Even the issue of the coins. It is by no means certain that Caesar put his face on the coins or if this occurred after his death. It seems that prior to his death, he used the likeness of Venus on the coinage.
      Also the Persians had been putting rulers faces on coins for 500 plus years before Caesar.

    • @Ycjedi
      @Ycjedi Pƙed 3 lety +9

      @@scotto7047 And also sanctimoniously applying the agreed upon "moralities" of today to an archaic society 2100 years ago.

    • @TVaz7777
      @TVaz7777 Pƙed 3 lety +11

      These dictators were legal ones because the "lex romana" authorised the senate to grant full power to a dictator for six months in order to solve an urgent problem.
      Caeser wasn't like that. He went into civil war and waged war against his own people to obtain full power. He killed Romans and turned the Senate into an useless elderly house.

  • @mztre2391
    @mztre2391 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    I love Mary Beard! Her shoes in this are rockin! Thank you for making me love Rome more than I already do!

  • @marjolewis9405
    @marjolewis9405 Pƙed 2 lety +15

    Mary fails to mention two occasions, I believe that helped fueled Caesar's ambition. He spent a lot of time in the court of King Nicomedes iv in Bithynia, modern day Turkey. His time at court surely sowed the seeds of a supreme rule in Caesar's heart. Also, his capture by Sicilian pirates surely help fuel his egotism.

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Caesar was like any ambitious Roman aristocrat, but no less and no more, since all had to complete the cursus honorum in hopes of becoming consul !

    • @jmitterii2
      @jmitterii2 Pƙed 2 lety +3

      His ambitions were even prior to be captured by pirates... if accounts of his capture was true... is arrogance is absurdly goofy.
      And accounts he cried at a statue of Alexander the "great". And lamenting about his own older age, that Alexander had already had conquest most of the known world; of course one can only do that if they are crowned princes and kings.
      Family traditions of nobility, the myth of the family was that the family dynasty came from Venus herself, that they were of divinity. Similar to later Christian nobility would claim divine by right and anointed by the those with divine right.
      Mysticism, what a way to enlarge an already bloated ego to then place mysticism and magic and lore of god powers.
      We don't even have that today, and many of the plutocrats are already insufferable pathetic psychopaths/sociopaths.
      I can hear Dr. Evil Jeff Besos explaining how he was visited by his father Mercury and ordained him with the business acumen to take over the world in retail vertical and horizontal monopoly, and his rocketry idiocy was to visit his daddy in the sky.
      Or Musk claiming he's a bastardization of Zeus and Prometheus... that there is dispute between whether his true sky daddy is Zeus or Prometheus... I would go for Prometheus, and not in the enlightenment view... but the trickster side. Con jobber.

    • @nycbearff
      @nycbearff Pƙed 2 lety +2

      It's a short TV show. She didn't have time to cover all the significant events in his life.

  • @galas455
    @galas455 Pƙed 3 lety +24

    I do enjoy your stories Mary, thank you.

  • @giffica
    @giffica Pƙed 3 lety +26

    MARY BEARD!!!! YES!!!! Always more, her passion for the subject is second to NONE!

    • @godfreecharlie
      @godfreecharlie Pƙed 3 lety +1

      Perhaps a little less of her close up face shots, dental structure, scrunched up smile? Try that pose on a 52" and you will see what I mean.

  • @kimm7273
    @kimm7273 Pƙed 4 měsĂ­ci

    Very good. I really like Mary and the way she narrates history.

  • @lynnblack6493
    @lynnblack6493 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    How very informative! Thank you once again Professor.

  • @CH-zc8qx
    @CH-zc8qx Pƙed 2 lety +4

    I don't think the campaign in Gaul classifies as genocide. Did he kill a lot of Gallic people? Yes, but the aim wasn't to eliminate Gaul as a people or a culture. He came to Gaul first to settle disputes between Gallic allies of Rome but never stopped there, and in the end, it turned into a full blow conquest under thinly veiled excuses with debatable legitimacy. The goals were money, territory expansion, propaganda, military power, etc. but it was never meant to be a genocide. And the first conquest was rather tame in comparison. It wasn't until Gaul united under Vercingetorix and rebelled did Caesar come back and put them down ruthlessly and severely. The sheer brutality might look like genocide, but truly it was a conquest.

  • @benw9949
    @benw9949 Pƙed 3 lety +11

    I had a very typical American public education and a typical American history survey course in college. I had an English lit survey course which whizzed by way too fast to really appreciate much, and a French lit course which was a bit better. (Two semesters each.) However, in high school, we hardly covered any world history or European history, as mostly, each year was focused on more modern times. I wish American students got a fuller understanding of world history and European history, a better understanding of the Ancient world and leading into modern times, not just Europe, but everywhere. I know way less about the ancient world and the medieval world and the rise to the Renaissance and Enlightenment than Id like. It would give people a much better understanding if they could be excited by history and really learn from it, not just to memorize a bunch. of names and dates for an exam, but to know the stories, the things that drove events, the people and their concerns. I liked most of my history classes and I had some good teachers and professors. Some really made it great. But I know we also missed out in middle and high school on learning much about older history or world history, and then by college, everyone is focused on a degree and a jo and then on grinding through real life.

    • @marjolewis9405
      @marjolewis9405 Pƙed 2 lety +1

      Unfortunately I didn't receive much of an education, I only finished the 8th grade. I made damn sure to educate myself, and History is my favorite subject. Btw I absolutely know where Africa is on the map.

  • @Dragon43ish
    @Dragon43ish Pƙed 2 lety

    Outstanding Vid SPQR

  • @kenc9236
    @kenc9236 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Awesome video and crazy shoes there Mary. Good job.

  • @marc-andrebrunet5386
    @marc-andrebrunet5386 Pƙed 3 lety +8

    đŸ€I really love documentaries produced in England..
    English is my second language and because of the narration quality I understand very easily everything they talk about.
    Thank you very much from Montreal Canada đŸ»

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      Québec?

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 yes Sir đŸ»

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 you Native? From.. ?
      I'm a friend of native citizens of Canada

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 Pƙed 3 lety +1

      @@marc-andrebrunet5386 Je viene de Kenya

    • @marc-andrebrunet5386
      @marc-andrebrunet5386 Pƙed 3 lety +2

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 bonjour a tous les KĂ©nyans đŸ€đŸ˜ŽâœŒïž je connais un peu l'Afrique, le Kenya est un pays unique au monde..
      J'espĂšre que votre peuple et culture existe pour toujours.
      Salut mon frĂšre

  • @emilysigmund1255
    @emilysigmund1255 Pƙed 3 lety +8

    A very interesting piece of history that holds a fair bit of information about how the future could play out.

    • @lelostimulus9995
      @lelostimulus9995 Pƙed 2 lety

      Ya too bad modern day senators are even bigger panty lines than back then.

  • @morenofranco9235
    @morenofranco9235 Pƙed 2 lety

    I dig Prof. Beard. So enthusiastic. Along with Prof. Anna Fletcher and Dr. Bettany Hughes. They bring History to life.

  • @francpala
    @francpala Pƙed 2 lety

    I just found this channel. Absolutely amazing.

  • @carpediem6842
    @carpediem6842 Pƙed 3 lety +32

    “You can kill him, but you can’t get rid of him.”

  • @PtolemyXVII
    @PtolemyXVII Pƙed 3 lety +21

    52:55 "Civilio Caesari dict perpetuo" means "Caesar speaks forever" implying that his voice was timeless. Dictator forever is "Dictator in perpetuum" completely different!
    As much as I like Mary Beard, I imagine she has never studied Latin

    • @putraappm
      @putraappm Pƙed 3 lety

      ✅

    • @panchopuskas1
      @panchopuskas1 Pƙed 3 lety

      ...don’t be daft.....

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      True. Her pronunciation of "Veni, Vidi, Vici" caught me offguard and I could tell she hasn't studied a lick of Latin...

    • @Beery1962
      @Beery1962 Pƙed 3 lety +6

      @@mwanikimwaniki6801 Every time I try to watch anything with Mary Beard in it, her Latin pronunciation ruins it for me. I mean, I suppose she could have learned to read Latin without learning the proper pronunciation, but to me it screams "I'm not a Latin scholar - I just play one on TV". Maybe I'm just prejudiced.

    • @mwanikimwaniki6801
      @mwanikimwaniki6801 Pƙed 3 lety +5

      @@Beery1962 Naaah man. Think about this. I started learning Latin on my own in my tiny hostel room last year in college and I can still read a considerable amount of Latin. Hers is just a case of pure negligence rather than pretence.

  • @lindascanlan6317
    @lindascanlan6317 Pƙed 2 lety

    Professor Dame Beard is brilliant ...I'm learning so much..

  • @johnmain78
    @johnmain78 Pƙed 2 lety

    Good teacher her enthusiasm really drives the point home

  • @LateNightHam
    @LateNightHam Pƙed 2 lety +6

    I wanna point out that she said that only a dictator can change time when she's talking about the calendar at 49.30 but ceaser was Pontifex maximus and it's the Pontifex maximus's job to adjust the calendar, and it's doubly true because the seasons where out of sync I think by 4-6 months when we were gifted our modern calendar year.

  • @yisroelackerman
    @yisroelackerman Pƙed 2 lety +4

    I thought Caesar died in the Temple of Pompey - not the Senate - because the Senate was being renovated that day.

  • @sololobo5980
    @sololobo5980 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    Mary Beard is simply the best. If she is narrating I will watch. So good.

  • @cookeeee1962
    @cookeeee1962 Pƙed 2 lety

    Congratulations to Mum and Dad !👏
    Great stuff Proff ( brilliant vid )👏

  • @archer1949
    @archer1949 Pƙed 3 lety +38

    I don’t know. It seems to me that the Roman Republic had been dying decades before Caesar came along. Marius and Sulla, the murders of the Gracchi and the Social Wars. Caesar was just the final nail in the coffin. At any rate, I shed no tears for the assshole Patricians and the Optimates.

    • @larson0014
      @larson0014 Pƙed 3 lety +7

      Augustus was the nail in the coffin, Caesar was the hammer

    • @NodnarbRS
      @NodnarbRS Pƙed 3 lety +2

      It was rotting under the surface for centuries it seems.

  • @ryanwessell4279
    @ryanwessell4279 Pƙed rokem +19

    To those people who are critical of this documentary, about what Mary didn't cover: this is a 1 hr program. She couldn't possibly cover everything that one of the most influential Romans did as a child. She's a world-renowned Roman historian and she gets to decide what she feels is important to include in a documentary on Julius Caesar.

  • @carolelorikeet6002
    @carolelorikeet6002 Pƙed 2 lety +1

    mary beard really makes you feel like your in ancient rome, she is so natural, love her work

  • @lightbeingform
    @lightbeingform Pƙed 9 měsĂ­ci

    Beard has such vigor, such presence: Punctuating lessons with chuckles; Conducting lessons with a spray can in a subway tunnel; Touching things with a lightness, yet with due seriousness. Let this spirit dwell in every striving intellect! Whee!

  • @jakemoeller7850
    @jakemoeller7850 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    Thank you, Odyssey! Love Professor Beard. đŸ‘đŸ»đŸ‘đŸ»đŸ‘đŸ»

  • @dimitargiyrov3266
    @dimitargiyrov3266 Pƙed 3 lety +26

    I dream that one day that great Lady will ask me a historian question so i can show her that i watched all of her videos

  • @qhwlqkdrn
    @qhwlqkdrn Pƙed 2 lety +2

    love the facts and the enthusiasm!

  • @francescapatti2934
    @francescapatti2934 Pƙed 2 lety +2

    Imagine you're just walking around, doing your thing and suddenly there is this group of people in the middle of the square yelling "HAIL CAESAR!"
    would make my day

  • @yomommaahotoo264
    @yomommaahotoo264 Pƙed 3 lety +14

    Think I'll dice me up a Caesars salad right now.

  • @rachaelrogers2104
    @rachaelrogers2104 Pƙed 3 lety +14

    Oh My!! Mary Beard new stuff! Popcorn where are you?THANK YOU MARY! I PRAY LIFE IS TREATING YOU KINDLY!!

  • @z_k_nur
    @z_k_nur Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Great work 👏

  • @delfimalvaro
    @delfimalvaro Pƙed rokem

    This was awesome!

  • @jeremiahcastro9700
    @jeremiahcastro9700 Pƙed 3 lety +13

    Why do these historians keep lying about Rome being a democracy? The histories of the Romans clearly state that after Romulus built Rome, they were ruled by kings *244 Years* before deciding to overthrow them for their corruption in order to found the Roman Republic. This Roman Republic lasted for *464 Years* before Augustus became the first emperor of Rome.

    • @virgilius7036
      @virgilius7036 Pƙed 2 lety

      The Roman republic has nothing to compare with our modern regimes. It was rather an olgarchy where the rich held all the power, the elections being a sham! The society was ranked according to the wealth of the citizens.

    • @stanlygirl5951
      @stanlygirl5951 Pƙed 2 lety +2

      I don't know if she was merely trying (unhelpfully) to simplify things for the masses or what. Many people have trouble differentiating between a republic and a democracy.

    • @JC-zo9xy
      @JC-zo9xy Pƙed rokem

      It's intentional.

  • @petersclafani4370
    @petersclafani4370 Pƙed 3 lety +26

    Caesar became dictator because of the senate. The senate manipulated pompey vs caesar. When he won the contest he knew the senate had to much power and he had to squash it and declared himself dictator.

  • @tah6243
    @tah6243 Pƙed 2 lety

    Amazing & educative for the ordinary person

  • @christobasson3745
    @christobasson3745 Pƙed 9 měsĂ­ci

    I love Mary Beard and her analogies. And her modern references.

  • @path1024
    @path1024 Pƙed 3 lety +4

    It would be the best day of my life if some TV show came up and asked me if I knew anything about Caesar. I could tell them about nearly every battle he fought from Britain to North Africa. They'd have to turn off my mic.

    • @path1024
      @path1024 Pƙed 3 lety

      @@fio123 Not much point given I can Google the answer, and if I can't then does anyone know it?

    • @path1024
      @path1024 Pƙed 3 lety +3

      @@fio123 She didn't fund Cassius. She sent reinforcements to Dolabella, but they defected to Cassius. She also didn't give Cassius part of her navy. Her sister Arsinoe was in charge of Cyprus and gave him the ships. She was likely plotting against Cleopatra.

    • @path1024
      @path1024 Pƙed 3 lety

      @@fio123 Sorry?

    • @dianeaustin2414
      @dianeaustin2414 Pƙed 2 lety

      đŸ€—đŸ‘đŸ‘

  • @kevinderosier651
    @kevinderosier651 Pƙed 3 lety +28

    Absolutely love this woman. Bright as anyone can be.

  • @susanschaffner4422
    @susanschaffner4422 Pƙed rokem

    Excellent presentation.

  • @leofernandez161
    @leofernandez161 Pƙed měsĂ­cem

    Amo a esta profesora, la forma como cuenta la historia... Es imposible no terminar de ver el programa completo.
    MĂĄs por favor mĂĄs 👏👏👏👏đŸ’ȘđŸ’Ș

  • @williamcaton8432
    @williamcaton8432 Pƙed 3 lety +6

    It was Demetrius I Poliocretes of Macedon 294-288BC that was the first ruler to put his own face on coins, not Caesar. Just one of many things she gets wrong about Caesar.

    • @MarcPawlowsky
      @MarcPawlowsky Pƙed 3 lety

      41:25

    • @joshuapray
      @joshuapray Pƙed 2 lety

      Julius Caesar was indeed the first _Roman_ to have his effigy on coins. I think this was just a little misunderstanding on your part, not a signal that Mary Beard is making things up.

  • @pavlothekozak827
    @pavlothekozak827 Pƙed 2 lety +3

    2k+ years later, Gaius Julius Caesar is still the man!

  • @bobm.4268
    @bobm.4268 Pƙed 3 lety +1

    Excellent!

  • @hannahlowe794
    @hannahlowe794 Pƙed 11 měsĂ­ci

    Her standing on that box is awesome!

  • @oobrocks
    @oobrocks Pƙed 3 lety +5

    It's 6/15/21, the ides ofJune, 6:20 pm EST and this is 1 hr old: amazing!!

  • @ZikoHendrix
    @ZikoHendrix Pƙed 3 lety +3

    Any trace about Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus ? These are very important if you have to talk about Caeser Jullius.

    • @stelugud
      @stelugud Pƙed 2 lety

      They are imp in the rome series, in real life the most imp are antoniu, octavian

  • @helpyourcattodrive
    @helpyourcattodrive Pƙed 2 lety

    Good one.

  • @Uli-pt1dq
    @Uli-pt1dq Pƙed 2 lety

    I love your videos! Mary beard is the goat 🐐

  • @KoriePrince
    @KoriePrince Pƙed 3 lety +3

    How can you not love Dame Winifred Mary Beard?!

  • @mikewilliams4438
    @mikewilliams4438 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    If Mary Beard had taught me history at school, I might have sat up straight and paid more attention.

  • @HighMindsetHM
    @HighMindsetHM Pƙed 6 měsĂ­ci

    wonderful Mary Beard

  • @ddandrews6472
    @ddandrews6472 Pƙed 2 lety

    Great doco!

  • @davidstewart5811
    @davidstewart5811 Pƙed 3 lety +28

    I had always understood that the most significant turning point in his life was when he was captured by pirates.

  • @holgerfiallo1343
    @holgerfiallo1343 Pƙed 3 lety +4

    What people do not consider is that his choice was exile from Rome and losing his property and his family becoming poor. So you go to exile or march on Rome. If we are honest with each other, we would make the sane choice.I would march on Rome.

  • @mosads2986
    @mosads2986 Pƙed 2 lety

    EXCELLENT JOB WELL DONE 👏 ✔ 👍

  • @BigMamaDaveX
    @BigMamaDaveX Pƙed 2 lety

    👍 I came, I saw, I liked, and SUBBED!

  • @antoniomartellini3443
    @antoniomartellini3443 Pƙed 3 lety +10

    I have always been convinced that the English historians on Ancient Rome are among the best ever. Only one thing I can't stand, their telling the History of Rome as if the battles had taken place last week so we bring Julius Caesar to the Hague Court of Justice for crimes against humanity. It would be enough a bit of intellectual honesty true prof. Mary Beard and tell that at that time ALL PEOPLES behaved in that way, even the Britons and perhaps even worse among themselves. The Romans were first invaded by the Gauls of Brenno and for this reason in his time they decided that it was better to win them than to lose the wars and acted accordingly.

    • @sailenkatel3436
      @sailenkatel3436 Pƙed 2 lety +4

      @Antonio. Quite so. Caesar was more merciful than almost any leader in history towards his defeated enemies. To call his conquest of Gaul a genocide is to dilute the meaning of the word.

  • @danesovic7585
    @danesovic7585 Pƙed 3 lety +3

    Based on that image at 0:18, I think that Mads Mikkelsen could do a good job playing Caesar.

  • @foreshow1
    @foreshow1 Pƙed 2 lety

    Excellent

  • @sawahtb
    @sawahtb Pƙed 3 lety +7

    If he hadn’t picked Octavian as his heir he would have been forgotten imo. Octavian honored him and kept his name, passing it on and making sure his assassins were killed, plus Octavian was a very successful Emperor.

    • @Consrignrant
      @Consrignrant Pƙed rokem

      @Sarah H Nonsense. At any rate, your "opinion" is worthless.