I've been obsessed with the Roman empire since I was a small child, but that's the first time I've actually seen such a good explanation for the use of the pugio, superb job .

@TheDocLamkin

Жыл бұрын

Same

@larrysingleton2864

Жыл бұрын

Roman and Greek History, Etc. (My Library) If you're into “Roman” stuff Michael Curtis Ford's “Gods and Legions is the book to read. If you're into history I suggest you get Ammianus Marcellinus' History. The ass kicker here is that Marcellinus actually went to battle with Emperor Julian. The Loeb Classic is almost an adventure novel all by itself. As far as Gladiators, a couple of “definitive” books are The Way of the Gladiator by Daniel P. Mannix and Spartacus by Howard Fast. Here are books from my library. Ass kickers every one. Ammianus Marcellinus History Loeb Classical Library The Battle for Gaul by Julius Caesar Illustrated edition by Anne & Peter Wiseman. Caesar: The Civil War by Jane F. Gardner Suetonius: The Twelve Caesars by Robert Graves The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon The Way of the Gladiator by Daniel P. Mannix Spartacus by Howard Fast Julian by Gore Vidal Gods and Legions by Michael Curtis Ford The Ten Thousand by Michael Curtis Ford The Sword of Attila by Michael Curtis Ford The Fall of Rome by Michael Curtis Ford The Last King by Michael Curtis Ford Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield Tides of War by Steven Pressfield The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield Thucydides: History of the Peloponesian War. Alexander the Great by Paul Cartledge The Spartans by Paul Cartledge Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge The Last Legionary: Life as a Roman Soldier in Britain AD 400 by Paul Elliott Gladiator: The Roman Fighter's (Unofficial) Manual by Philip Matyzak Legionary: the Roman Soldier's Manual by Philip Matyszak On Roman Military Matters (De Re Militari) by Flavius Vegetius Renatus Marius had long ago showed us that the legionary has a weapon that is the bane of the civilized world, one more formidable than the dual-edged Roman short sword, more effective than the bronze-headed javelin, of greater defensive strength than the concave bronze-sheathed shields. It is a weapon in which the legionary is trained from his first day of induction and which he uses daily, in peacetime or in war, on the march or hunkered in camp under siege from flaming missiles. And upon their arrival at The miscyra, every able-bodied Roman immediately whipped out this most fearsome of all weapons: The Legionary's shovel. Before even breaking to rest or scouting for supplies, the Roman troops had unpacked their shovels and commenced digging, and the dirt flew, and the dust rose. In the space of an afternoon, a Roman camp for thirty thousand men had been constructed just beyond range of our catapults. Before dark it had been ringed on all sides with a trench twelve feet deep and three feet across, the dirt thrown up into an embankment ten feet high inside the ring. Topped with a thick palisade of sharpened stakes. Inside, four sturdy walls were constructed of felled trees, guarded by squat log towers twenty feet high, stationed every fifty feet and surmounted by bolt-hurling field catapults. Inside, a space of a full two hundred feet was left between the walls and the tent line, a distance calculated to prevent our missiles and burning arrows from reaching the tents. This space was occupied by prisoners, cattle, plunder and supplies. Within a few hours, the Romans had constructed a stronghold that would be the envy of a lifetime's work of many civilizations poorer then theirs. A fortress impregnable. Yet this was not a permanent stronghold they had built. This was the Roman's usual daily campsite, Every day of a legionary's working life he would dig such a trench, construct such an embankment, hew trees, and build such palisade. All to be torched at sunrise, when the legions marched off to their next encampment. Javelins, when thrown, may miss their mark entirely. Shields may cave upon impact with a Scythian battle-ax; and a sword, though reliable at close quarters, still dulled, broke upon ribs. Or shivered if struck upon armor. But the shovel...the shovel was the legionary's best friend, his most faithful protector, the one weapon that allowed him to sleep soundly at night, behind his magnificent trenches and embankments. The shovel could stop a cavalry charge cold, stymie hordes of barbarians. Rome conquered not with its brutal leaders, not with the strength of its soldiers, not with the ingeniousness of its weapons...but with the most rustic, pigheaded, inglorious, gods-bedamned tool of them all...the shovel. Michael Curtis Ford “The Last King”

@Prosper661

Жыл бұрын

​@@larrysingleton2864wow. Admire your passion and effort put into this post. Still not sure about logistical reality of building fortified camp every afternoon to specs described above. Surely some of it must have been roman propaganda

@larrysingleton2864

Жыл бұрын

@@Prosper661Good point. It reminds me of the "bias" that might be said of people like Josephus or Caesar in his book The Battle for Gaul. (And weren't a lot of these writings by Caesar and others political speeches?) But the Romans did build those forts, as can be seen in archaeology, and there's a good argument that the Roman soldier's primary weapon was one of "prevention"; The Legionary's shovel. Also I seem to remember in the book The Battle for Gaul(?) Caesar's emphasis on keeping the soldiers busy. Thanks for the response. Surprised you got through the censors. I get almost ZERO replies in comparison to the dozens and dozens of comments I submit.

Excellent work. The extra flourishes in post-production are appreciated, but I think they are fine at the current quality. Don't fall into the trap of incorporating ever more time-consuming details post-production, as this quickly leads to burnout! If the videos remain like this going forward, we will all be plenty happy.

@DG-dy4tv

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

@3stone1

Жыл бұрын

Agreed.

@elissitdesign

Жыл бұрын

As someone who knows this field well… I agree!

The dagger was important in medieval & Renaissance warfare, so it's not surprising it was a serious weapon in the Roman military. One late-16th-century treatises mentions how pikers often lacked the space to use their swords effectively in the press of battle & had to employ their daggers. Roman formations may not have been as tight, but I suspect the same situations still came up from time to time.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

What a great example indeed, it indeed demonstrates perfectly how even a relatively short thing like a sword can be too unwieldy in (super) close combat. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing :)

@EllieMaes-Grandad

2 жыл бұрын

English archers in the middle ages used knives, to kill downed horsemen, who could not rise from the ground when in heavy armour.

@skaldlouiscyphre2453

Жыл бұрын

@@EllieMaes-Grandad The idea of downed horsemen not being able to get back up is greatly exaggerated, unless they're exhausted, suffering from heat exhaustion or already wounded.

@TheJarric

Жыл бұрын

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 yes you can do back flips with knight armor

@mathiasbartl903

Жыл бұрын

You also need a weapon, in case you've fallen to the ground.

Really love this episode, never heard anyone else talk about Pugio so deeply. thank you.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, these kind of comments motivate us to continue our work.

@laisphinto6372

2 жыл бұрын

maybe not too deeply senators like it probably too. ouch...

It says a lot about how narrow visions of popular history can be that I never thought about the soldiers of the greatest empire of their era keeping something as simple and universal as KNIVES around before now.

Incredibly professional, entertaining and detailed historic channel about Roman militrary history, keep it up

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated Andy, the best is still to come:)

@renatoricci2010

Жыл бұрын

Very good!

@sovietonion9542

Жыл бұрын

@@renatoricci2010 best

Always interesting to draw parallels throughout history and just how little some things change. A Roman soldier had his gladius and pugio just as the soldiers of recent history have rifles and handguns. A Roman officer may own a decorated ivory handle pugio just as a high ranking officer in say WW2 may have owned an ivory gripped 1911. A status symbol that also acts as a backup.

Unlike some daggers, The pugios broad blade would clearly make good size wound. Interesting with combat blades like seax, bowie, dirk, baselard, kukris etc. Good video! Thanks👍

Interesting- and a convincing set of arguments for why more pugio could have been used in the northern regions, and/or be more likely to be buried there. Also solid reasoning on the greater value of the pugio in defense against ambush- I admit I was familiar with all the tropes about the superiority of the gladius itself in close combat especially formation combat, over longer swords. Although it makes much sense, I hadn't really thought through that the gladius itself would be too long and awkward a weapon under many conditions.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Random observer, we are glad you learned from our video, thanks for sharing your experience.

@j.f.fisher5318

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like the shorter swords or long knives that were shorter than other greeks' swords adopted by the Spartans for very closely packed presses between formations. In that context moving away from the gladius to a longer sword could be seen as moving from a sword that was a compromise in both close and more open formations to a longer sword for more open fighting and a long dagger for closely packed fighting.

Wow ... I've learned about Roman Empire militaries these recent times, but it first time I found out details of Pugio. I'm really glad to watch this awesome video.

I just wanna say how your ancestors would are rolling in their graves right now seeing their future men wearing Roman armor! You guys make amazing content and I look forward to new videos every time.

@roffels11-gamingandhistory69

2 жыл бұрын

Let them roll. Rome, despite being brutal like any other society of the time, brought at least some peace and lots of trade connections to southern and western Germany, so this is a perfect way to show our gratitude. ;D

@kimashitawa8113

Жыл бұрын

To be fair didn't a lot of Germanic tribes in the what is now current-day Netherlands wear Roman armour too? Like the Batavians?

Once again a wonderful piece of work, glad to support.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Carde!

Given that the PUGIO is about the same blade size as the Spartan ZIPHOS, it does seem that when two Shield Walls crash , a shorter weapon is a very practical thing. Good video.

This channel is the best kept secret on KZread. Amazing work guys.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Keeping it a secret won't help us much though haha ;)

@TheElitemarketing

2 жыл бұрын

@@ImperiumRomanumYT Agreed we must share.

I love how you tackled the pugio. The thing of the pugio being used in replacement of the gladius was very interesting. I'm also surprised it was mainly for military use. I thought for sure that a notable number of citizens would carry it around for protection.

@stevenscott2136

2 жыл бұрын

I suppose many citizens would have used household knives or hefty sticks for cost reasons. Or maybe it was simply unfashionable to carry a military knife -- considered pretentious, disrespectful, etc.

I can already tell this is-going to be one of my favorite historical channels on KZread.

I’d like to posit that the reason that pugio saw very little to no use further east may have been because of the cultural influence of the Greeks. Perhaps the reason that pugios were so uncommon was that a Greek or other eastern dagger may have been playing the role of the pugio.

Great Episode! Never knew how vital the Pugio was in adapting to local Germanic fighting styles. Truly interesting and the application of how it was used otherwise was something I’d never head before. Props to everyone who worked on this episode!

24.1 thousand subscribers.. that means every video should have 24.1 thousand well earned and deserved likes. This content is great and not as appreciated as it should be.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jesse, we really hope to hit the 100K again, lets see how far we get!

@NathanDudani

2 жыл бұрын

@@ImperiumRomanumYT hear, hear

I absolutely love your style of telling Roman history and the amazing realistic scenes!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Milush, we are glad you like it:)

That's the best look at the pugio I've ever seen

"Pugio gladius brevis est" is an excellent book on Roman pugios.

Love your guy's commitment to historically accurate reenactment and bringing light to lesser-known aspects of Roman history!

@larrysingleton2864

Жыл бұрын

Roman and Greek History, Etc. (My Library) If you're into “Roman” stuff Michael Curtis Ford's “Gods and Legions is the book to read. If you're into history I suggest you get Ammianus Marcellinus' History. The ass kicker here is that Marcellinus actually went to battle with Emperor Julian. The Loeb Classic is almost an adventure novel all by itself. As far as Gladiators, a couple of “definitive” books are The Way of the Gladiator by Daniel P. Mannix and Spartacus by Howard Fast. Here are books from my library. Ass kickers every one. Ammianus Marcellinus History Loeb Classical Library The Battle for Gaul by Julius Caesar Illustrated edition by Anne & Peter Wiseman. Caesar: The Civil War by Jane F. Gardner Suetonius: The Twelve Caesars by Robert Graves The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon The Way of the Gladiator by Daniel P. Mannix Spartacus by Howard Fast Julian by Gore Vidal Gods and Legions by Michael Curtis Ford The Ten Thousand by Michael Curtis Ford The Sword of Attila by Michael Curtis Ford The Fall of Rome by Michael Curtis Ford The Last King by Michael Curtis Ford Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield Tides of War by Steven Pressfield The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield Thucydides: History of the Peloponesian War. Alexander the Great by Paul Cartledge The Spartans by Paul Cartledge Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge The Last Legionary: Life as a Roman Soldier in Britain AD 400 by Paul Elliott Gladiator: The Roman Fighter's (Unofficial) Manual by Philip Matyzak Legionary: the Roman Soldier's Manual by Philip Matyszak On Roman Military Matters (De Re Militari) by Flavius Vegetius Renatus Marius had long ago showed us that the legionary has a weapon that is the bane of the civilized world, one more formidable than the dual-edged Roman short sword, more effective than the bronze-headed javelin, of greater defensive strength than the concave bronze-sheathed shields. It is a weapon in which the legionary is trained from his first day of induction and which he uses daily, in peacetime or in war, on the march or hunkered in camp under siege from flaming missiles. And upon their arrival at The miscyra, every able-bodied Roman immediately whipped out this most fearsome of all weapons: The Legionary's shovel. Before even breaking to rest or scouting for supplies, the Roman troops had unpacked their shovels and commenced digging, and the dirt flew, and the dust rose. In the space of an afternoon, a Roman camp for thirty thousand men had been constructed just beyond range of our catapults. Before dark it had been ringed on all sides with a trench twelve feet deep and three feet across, the dirt thrown up into an embankment ten feet high inside the ring. Topped with a thick palisade of sharpened stakes. Inside, four sturdy walls were constructed of felled trees, guarded by squat log towers twenty feet high, stationed every fifty feet and surmounted by bolt-hurling field catapults. Inside, a space of a full two hundred feet was left between the walls and the tent line, a distance calculated to prevent our missiles and burning arrows from reaching the tents. This space was occupied by prisoners, cattle, plunder and supplies. Within a few hours, the Romans had constructed a stronghold that would be the envy of a lifetime's work of many civilizations poorer then theirs. A fortress impregnable. Yet this was not a permanent stronghold they had built. This was the Roman's usual daily campsite, Every day of a legionary's working life he would dig such a trench, construct such an embankment, hew trees, and build such palisade. All to be torched at sunrise, when the legions marched off to their next encampment. Javelins, when thrown, may miss their mark entirely. Shields may cave upon impact with a Scythian battle-ax; and a sword, though reliable at close quarters, still dulled, broke upon ribs. Or shivered if struck upon armor. But the shovel...the shovel was the legionary's best friend, his most faithful protector, the one weapon that allowed him to sleep soundly at night, behind his magnificent trenches and embankments. The shovel could stop a cavalry charge cold, stymie hordes of barbarians. Rome conquered not with its brutal leaders, not with the strength of its soldiers, not with the ingeniousness of its weapons...but with the most rustic, pigheaded, inglorious, gods-bedamned tool of them all...the shovel. Michael Curtis Ford “The Last King”

Great video. The acting in full gear really makes it come alive. Your videos always sound like they are very well researched. Well done & thanks!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Ryan!

Yes that's exactly why I started supporting you via Patreon, great content!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Great to see you again Caspar:)

A very interesting argument! I'm not savvy enough to weigh in myself, but I very much appreciate the high-quality production and excellent information offered.

Would be cool to see you level some old ruins with a trebuchet. You have my full support ;). Jokes aside, great doc. again. Cant wait for the next one.

Stunning quality. And super informative, as always.

Thanks for the awesome video once again :) It's interesting to know that such a small weapon could be effective in combat. I would've guessed the moment an opponent sees that you are using such a tiny weapon, he'd try and keep his distance. But I am no expert on ancient combat. Then again, in a way like it was recorded, where they got pierced when climbing onto the ramparts, might also show that it was more effective in that kind of combat, where the enemy climbing up might not have the ways to keep his distance if he wants to get into the camp. And a longer weapon might not be the most useful if you have limited space yourself. Gives one a lot to think about. ^^

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Great to see you again Jeremy! It was indeed highly practical in very close combat, like the situation on the ramparts. It was a secondary weapon, but a very effective one.

What a spectacular little documentary!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Love the content so far. Excited to see what else is coming in the pipeline. Thank you.

Once again an awesome documantery. Thank you for such great and interesting videos!

The work these guys put into their content is amazing. Way better than most produced documentaries about Rome and you can really tell it’s a passion project. Really hope they get the 75. 000 views!

Really interesting deep dive into the roman dagger. I like how your channel focuses on topics not covered by other history youtubers

Came here from M.Laser, definitely impressed by your detailed, insightful content. Although I'm unable to financially support your work, I will share your videos widely. Would love to see you succeed, as I've seen other channels do. Much luck! 🍀

Astounding analysis! The work you do and the revolutionary methods you use with in person acting and time related equipment is absolutely riveting, and more like this needs to be done in this field.

Off to a good start. A well-done and well-researched video, delivered in an entertaining and engaging way.

Good research on one of the most used weapons in history. I'm sure it's use on the battle field decreased due to improvements, an use of armor. Nice video, thanks for your hard work.

Remarkably professional, informative production. Absolutely evident that this is not only a labor of love but total commitment to produce a first rate documentary on the topic. Well done.

It's another win. Daggers always a nice option for up close and personal barbarian slaying

Amazing work Imperium Romanum! Can’t wait ‘till the next one.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Linda!

Love your energy, your commitment, and the passion you put into your recreation of Ancient Rome. Your realness will pay off and be rewarded with increasing subscribers. It will take some time, however, quality+ niche content is usually rewarded. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Thumbs up.

I'm glad to see there are historians out there who respectfully consider the truth in history rather than choosing to fabricate historical myth or historical allusion. I agree wholeheartedly with your theory that the Pugio was strictly a military weapon; its resemblance to a Sykes-Fairbairn is remarkable and I doubt that even the worst of mythmaking "historians" would dare call a Sykes-Fairbairn anything other than a strictly military weapon.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Goblin, we try our best and we are glad that you enjoyed it this much:)

The leaf shape is very difficult to forge, but so iconic looking. I intend to make one this summer. Great video!

These videos are very high quality. It's not just the expert knowledge or the highly accurate equipment. Even the scenery is well chosen. For example, the field the blonde man is standing in at 6:52 was so beautiful that it gave me a strange feeling. It looks like a painting I half remember or a dream I have forgotten. I wonder where it was filmed? Anyway, great job all around.

Thank you, the depth of analysis on the Roman Pugio, is great.

Great info. Looking forward to seeing your channel expand. An episode about the Siege of Masada onsite would be fantastic. Even today, that place is quite magnificent & sad.

Loving this channel and how you are approaching the topic. Going to try forge one of these war daggers

Your video on the plug-in was very educational and entertaining. Very well produced and edited.

Rare to find a roman history channel discussing something that hasn't been spoken about before

Its so fulfilling that as History Channel, Nat Geo, A&E, TLC, etc have abandoned educational entertainment, people like you are picking up the baton. Thank you all so much

These videos are so well done and so insightful. The best Roman content on KZread.

This quickly became a must-watch channel. Amazing work!

I love deep dives like this into single items, every little thing has such detailed histories. Absolutely love the visuals for this video too!

Very informative, originally I believed the pugio was more of a symbolic weapon of distinguishing a legionary from an auxiliary but nope I was wrong. Thank you.

Awesome video once again guys! I really like the detailed comparison between the three types of pugios. Can't wait for the next video; keep up the great work!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Yannick!

Excellent work as always

I never liked the pugio until now. Thank you for the great video. I look forward to you covering other Roman Weaponry.

Great video as always

Thank you for the subtitles, guys. It’s an overlooked part of videos like this.

Good job as always. Historical reinactments are such a gift to have. Rather than trying to imagine, experts give is a proper visual in a way we could experience and enjoy

Love your videos, really educational. Keep it up

Fantastic …… you have opened up the Empire history , this makes life back then real .

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Hello John, that is indeed our goal and we are glad you enjoy our videos!

Beautiful video, as always!

Hope you continue this great work

Another superb video, mijne heren! Just popped over to Patreon and signed up. All best wishes for the future.

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Etienne! Your support makes it possible for us to keep on going the way we are:)

Amazing. Thank you for making such quality content

You guys showing real passion in these videos definitely more people need to see.

Yet another great short doc from this team. Impressed.

Thank you for making great content over and over! Your dedication to history through re-enactment is really special!

Detailed and well presented video as always. Excellent work.

I loved this video! Great insight on the pugio. You guys make incredible videos!!

Impressive video! Reenactments like this are under-appreciated, but are SO valuable to give a visual image for people to learn from. Great job!

This channel is an absolute gem. More power to the team behind it!

Absolutely brilliant video

These are some of the best documentaries out there these days, please keep up the good work!

Thank you guys for your work

Amazing work, guys!

Keep up the good work! Interesting to see the development of the design.

I hope you keep posting more videos, I’ll stay tuned 😊

Love this channel. It is nice to see the little things in Roman history get covered. Keep up the awesome work, y'all.

Excellent content! You provide a lot of information, which is presented beautifully. I have to say that your videos are, in my opinion, better than a vast majority of documentaries on TV. The full gear helps here a lot, of course! Keep doing the fine videos, will support you for sure :) P.S. Nice integration of Rome I and especially Rome II music ;)

Live this episode! The footage is amazing!

Loved the video! Hope to keep seeing more content of this kind!

Amazing content and production!

@ImperiumRomanumYT

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot Marco!

Great video like always!

Very very good video , you can tell all the effort on this production. Keep up the good work guys 👍🏻

Very amazing video again

You guys create the most extraordinary content! Please keep it up. I'm always completely captivated by the videos you make. The way you guys dress up in the historical attire and address subjects that are often overlooked by others makes for unique, interesting videos. I know that this channel will explode once people start finding it. Please keep the content coming until they do.

This channel is amazing, very informative and highly entertaining. Awsome work!

Excellent presentation, I learned lots of new info concerning the pugio. Your crew have very good quality reenactment kit, and you present very interesting info in a logical way. Top notch channel.

Amazing video! Good job!

Awesome work. Keep it up guys!

I think the humble dagger gets seriously underrated and underrepresented in historical warfare. It wasn't a secondary to the sword, in real battle, the dagger was more useful than the sword. If you are in a confined space or grappling with someone, you can't draw a sword. But a dagger is out instantly and ready to start poking. It was also extremely effective against armor. It could get into slits, and a very pointy one could go through mail. In ww1, soldiers found this out in the trenches. Daggers, short sharpened spades and diy maces worked great in the tight spaces. Long sabers and bayonets were much less effective.

Fantastic episode, keep up the good work!

Great video, guys!

Love your format, keep up the good work!

Great video (as always) on a not so well known part of the roman equipment. I would love to also see videos about the earlier roman army (republic/late republic) or late roman army.

Awesome production quality and information. Definitely subscribing.

Great episode and great production! Always a pleasure to watch your videos