The fall of the Roman Empire is still shrouded in controversy and mystery. Mary Beard delves into if this superpower of the Ancient World really collapsed and if so why and when.
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49 Comments
It's like Netflix for History: the world's finest documentary streaming service — use the code 'Odyssey' to get 50% off your History Hit subscription! https://bit.ly/3AQ8pPJ
Why Did The Roman Empire Collapse With Mary Beard – Strange title. I didn't think Mary was old enough to collapse the empire, and she did it all on her own too! Impressive.
Economic migrants? Fighting on the periphery? Declining society? Liberals recipe for destroying a nation……
Thanks WOW THAT'S AWESOME AMAZING TERRIFIC
It may have collapsed with Mary but I doubt it's her fault.
Just follow what US politicians are doing now, and you'll know how Rome fell…
Pretty sure the Roman Empire didn't collapse with Mary Beard. For one thing, it collapsed many centuries before she was born.
Did the Roman Emprire collapse with Mary Beard? Really? How? Did she sit on them?
Whats wrong with this woman? What drugs shes on ? 🤣🤣🤣
❤🙏❄️❄️❄️🏴
She is not really answering the question, just retelling episodes of Roman history.
Mary Beard's book is one of the best ones I've read on the subject.
Omg don't tell anyone Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism – any Christian I know would be deeply offended 🤭
Mary Beard is so accessible, smart and authentic. I could listen or watch her all day!
https://youtu.be/T2sgalCgrVk
"`Why did it fall?' they asked in the fifth century"??
In the fifth century they still had another thousand years of falling in front of them.
(America) Oh, look. A mirror!
They outsourced their military. That's what got them in the end.. it weakened Rome
41:00 what makes me also wonder about the martyrs is the Roman horror about human sacrifice. By the story of the Roman perception of the destruction of the Briton druids and the massive human sacrifice they turned their deaths into making the Romans unwilling participants, I wonder how the mood was towards Christians turning their public executions into a religious act of sacrifice making the Romans in theory offer human sacrifice to the new unknown God. I doubt that they had an indept understanding of Christian doctrine but they must have noticed that Martyrdom became of significant religious importance to that new unsettling religion
Thanks for this. In my opinion, one of Mary Beard's best documentaries.
"There's a little bit of the Romans inside the heads of every one of us." Wonderful.
Why? Because they were assholes. My German ancestors gave Rome what it deserved.
Mary Beard suggests that the Roman Empire evolved into Christendom
The central figure of Jesus and the the battle of good against evil are in Zorastrainism when also Saoshyant, their Savior, will be born of a virgin from the lineage of Zoroaster ….many similar religous myths that fitted in with Christianity existed in the religions of Augustus's time.
The transition from previous religions and god systems was also made by the Northern tribes. (adapting the Northern pagan Beltain for Easter) and of course doing Christmas at the Winter Solstice. Christianity is a follow on from the Roman Empire ..without a doubt.
And now Christianity is evolving into a system similar to Mary Beards description of pre-Christian Romans and their personal Gods. The "pick and mix" system.
RELIGION is a like a blanket of ORTHODOXY thrown over the mystery of life on earth. Some things covered by the Orthodoxy are true and some are false, fable or myth.
What is true in the Christian religion and also recognised by the Romans is that "we are born to co-operate with each other" (Marcus Aurelius Meditations. Start of Book2). This passage is very descriptive of the kind of people commenting here.
It does not matter if the story of Jesus is a fable or not….because the central TRUTH in Christianity ….that Science and Western Democracies all now fully understand…. is the power of SYMBIOSIS ..SYNERGY or call it just TEAMWORK … in a family or in a nation or in the whole world….instead of conflict and cheating
"that ye love one another" John 15
I've no idea why they don't intersperse documentarys like this in schools along with the book and written academia.. I've always loved history but would of done a lot lot better if that was the case I'm sure..
So Christianity caused the fall of the Roman Empire, got it. We must not allow it to end the American Empire.
History is written by the victors – take it with a grain of salt. Especially when considering religious sources…
What happened to the theory that Constantine and his close supporters decided which sources to use for the Bible, ultimately using it as propaganda to win the Christians over?
Was she too heavy?
If it collapsed with Mary Beard, she must be quite old.
They created a desert and called it peace. wow
I cant think of a good word to say about the Roman Empire .Hundred of thousand years ago Rome was the City of Angels.but the people were very different
Well done, but she didn't really answer the question did she?
This woman is so repugnant!
Why? Christianity.
Hello – All great civilisations rise to their apex, and then inevitably fall once they have run their course. Looking back, we see exactly the same since Yanini (the original Earth), Lemuria, Atlantis, Greece, Rome … That is the natural progression of societal development and evolution and the way it was meant to be. The current status quo is based on the previous order. Thank you. – RevDrD
Personally??? It was a combination of everything. Events. Mother nature. Famine. Disease. Debasement of their currency. Inflation. Slavery. War. Debt. Corruption. A too top heavy colossus that became totally decadent and rotten to the core. — YES OR NO. KINDA LIKE THE U$A IN 2022 ??? what goes up always comes down when it runs outta gas ⛽️
Smart smart boy that Constantine. If u cannot fight them and beat them ??? Exactly. Join them. Two sides of the control coin. And the rest is history. Nice work if you can find it ??? Sign me up. And don't forget your 10 % I love history
Anything by Mary Beard is always worth watching
Rome was ruined by the Democratitious. Historical fact.
Hmm I don't think Palestine existed back then. Jews always lived in the land of Israel!
Constantine was the sole reason the Roman Empire collapsed – after he defeated Licinius he abolished the legions to make it impossible for anyone else to usurp power the same way he had, replacing the legions with small mobile heavy cavalry units called Comitatus and weak border units called Limitanei. The goal was to reduce the number of troops loyal to any single commander, but the end result was a critical weakening of the empire
Elagabalus also tried to introduce a new god into the Roman state religion – he was the hereditary high priest-king of the sun god Heliogabalus, represented by a black conical rock, and after defeating Macrinus brought this sacred rock to Rome and renamed the Temple of Claudius in its honour. This is all confirmed by his coinage – he issued commemorative denarii bearing the legend "Sacer dei solis Elagab" (priest of the sun god Elagabalus) and "Summus Sacerdos Aug" (High Priest Emperor)
Incidentally the black rock of the Kaaba in Mecca is believed to be the current residence of the god Heliogabalus.
To be fair, it probably would’ve collapsed without her too.
AND then the Xtians did to the Jews what the Romans did to them. So much for 'Christian Charity', huh?
It's also a major factor that the combination of cosmetics, jewelry, and wine consumption, all of which were loaded with lead, had a lot to do with the decline.
Maybe she did something to upset the Roman Empire? Always knew Mary Beard was trouble.
The Roman Empire fell for the very same reason every other Great Empire in the world fell, ( Greece, Egypt, Babylon, MU etc. ) Why!… Because of its "Open Door Policy " And it's the very same reason the good ole' u.s.a. is going to to fall. He who invites anybody into his/her world invites disaster from every body in his/her world. This has gone on since the dawn of time.
I read the title and wondered what Mary Beard did to collapse the Roman Empire.
Don't bother telling us where the gate in Germany actually is, Prof. We'll just start in Schleswig Holstein and walk southwards till we find it.
Useless presentation.