Fun fact: a few years ago a robber in Brazil was captured by two tattoo artists, who tattooed "i'm a thief" into his forehead. Both tattoo artists were arrested for doing it, probably never knowing that they were engaging on a millennial practice.
There's the novel and film "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" in which the titular girl does the same thing to her rapist, except on his chest. She is not arrested.
Please everyone boycott China and it's products don't buy cheap made in China armour and weapons . please don't fuel China's modern war machine or it's efforts in the pacific
These roman military markings where probably quite small tattoos. It takes far longer to ink someone without a modern tattooing machine. Also a smaller tattoo means less chance for infections.
@@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y yea I was gonna say since I assume you don't have any tattoos but as a guy who got it done the quick way with modern equipment, tattoos take fucking ages
This is correct, we have direct archeological evidence of this because we have uncovered kurgans (Scythian burial mounds) Some of these are in permafrost and hold insanely well preserved artifacts including mummified human bodies. These Scythian bodies are so well preserved they still have the skin on, and the tattoos are plainly visible. It's fascinating stuff, it's why I had these exact tattoos copied directly from the mummies and tattooed on my arms; being a big history buff myself, and having ancestry in ancient Scythia.
@@diversityforisrael2305 Oh sorry, was I supposed to go around pillaging and attacking people with bows in a Scythian war party to "earn" my tattoos? It's 2021 nobody is "wearing a shield" into battle. lmao
@@benderrodriguez5425 The going on raids part? I guess It would make a good story in a prison, or a mental asylum: "How did you get those tats bro?" "I had to earn them first, I believe I'm a 1st century Scythian tribal leader and I raided a Walmart with a bow, dragged the manager behind my horse, That's how I ended up in here, 25 to life.."
@@dorianphilotheates3769 literally over half of the scholastic sphere knows that the Torah is early Iron Age. The evidence is intimate knowledge of the peoples, nations, and cultural details that was specific to the Levant in the late bronze age to early iron age.
Nearly every known primitive drive, idea of posing or mysticism, such art, wordless expression was done in such ancient times of heros and losers, glory or being nothing - at some individuals and groups. So...
The video is really well edited, adding scenery like hadrian's wall and the sea during the episode of the satyricon really elevate the video in quality Well done, metatron!
Damn, that was a bad film, in terms of of historical accuracy. At least it didn't make the same mistake as in Braveheart in claiming to be historical. Mel Gibson's attempts at historical portrayals are laughable, not least The Patriot and Braveheart.
I read a series of science fiction novels involving time travel that has a character with an iron collar inscribed "escaped slave" who expresses relief that he was not tattooed. Apparently the collar would be removed after a period of good behavior. I've always wondered how much of that was fictional.
I think much of that would depend on the household the slave belonged to (or the company that owned them), or the county which they resided. Some companies were known to be quite brutal to slaves of any origin, while some households used silk bands to mark house or pleasure slaves. And some owners were known to be quite kind (for Roman slave owners) to their slaves, so much so that laws had to be passed to stop so many being freed after the masters passing.
@@crose1466 Can't recall author or titles. The premise was temporary time-portals started opening allowing people to move from one era to another. A group in roughly our time decided to try to police the effect, sending expeditions into other times to set up some kind of barricades or inject social stigmas against going near the portals. So naturally they intercepted a lot of accidental time travelers and had to try to integrate them into the modern era. Hilarity ensued.
RU-vid recommeds this video as "people who watch Scholagladiatoria also watch this" Me: Yeah... including me, I have been a subscriber for a long time.
"the latin word for tattoo is 'stigma' and its interesting that its still used in the english language but it still has some negative conotations" .... sooo would you say there is a certain... stigma associated with the word 'stigma'?
It was a Greek word before it was adopted into Latin. And it's still used in modern Greek, figuratively mostly. στίγμα (stígma, “brand”), from the verb στίζω (stízō, “I mark”).
I just submitted an essay about (Tattoos associations with crime and honour) I wrote about the history of tattoos and some cultures perspective. I kinda hoped you uploaded this video 2 months ago haha. Thank you soo much again for teaching us again, I really appreciate that!
I am really enjoying your videos regarding Roman history. I am writing the unknown ( mostly ) story of Pilatus. I have been using almost 700 pages of material from actual correspondence between Pontius Pilate and the emperor's of that era. So much of it is so personal and your information brings the human exploration by science and data of the Romans of that era as the added flavour to enhance my book that I have named, " Pilatus " . It will bring so much added flavor of what growing up Roman was like. You have now become one of my favorite sources of great reference sources. Thank You. One of these days, I would love to hear what you have found out about Pontius Pilate in regards to his beheading along with his two children and wife, for becoming Christian, due to the healing of his two children's disabilities by an Apostle, who was most likely Paul.
Hey, interesting comment, & I know it’s over a year, but can you answer this question: Is the letter of Pilate describing lesus fake? I always thought it was, but still wonder.
@@ReactionaryKulak Jesus is a man of great historical and Spiritual importance. The correspondence between Pilate and the Emperor about Him, adds additional historical corroboration, leaving little doubt to His Reality. P. S. - Wonder is one of the first steps for curiousity. Curiousity brings forth questions, and questions awaken the mind to all possibilities.
In North America especially (modernLatin America ) Aztec and maya and many other tribes tattoos where very common, idk why tattoos have a strangely deep and long history
@@reedy_9619 Well there is kind of a point. A red hot iron sign will burn the skin, stop the bleeding, and keep it from getting infected which was rather dangerous back then
@@marekverescak2493 the Fate series specifically Fate/Grand Order Emperor Nero of the Saber Class Emperor Caliguia of the Berserker Class fair warning though, there timeline is not the same as ours and the summons are only a portion of the full legend
@@Sawtooth44 those two emperors are pretty much common knowledge as really bad and mad emperors. It's almost like saying "I recognized caesar because of a video game." Everybody knows caesar.
The art of tattoo is usually linked to its social usage, so you can imagine that even the legion marks were very simple and underdeveloped. You can find examples of great and advanced tattooing in some of the brazilian indigenous peoples as well as other cultures were tattoos were more significant.
Interestingly(in the english speaking world at least) if you go back to even my parents generation prior to the 1990's. Only 3 groups of people really had tattoo's, Criminals, members of the military and rockstars. it is only in the modern day that they have started to become more commonly accepted. I do wonder if that tradition comes from the romans to a certain degree.
I don't think what Legio a soldier is a part of would be a part of the tattoo. Rank? Yeah, more dots = higher rank. But a soldiers Legion isn't a permanent thing. That soldier could very well be transferred to other Legions, or merger, etc. A permenent mark for the Legion wouldn't be ideal.
@@Riceball01 I somewhat think that would be too complicated. The writings said a "series of dots" correct? It could very well be as simple as a series of dots. EDIT: 5:57 "Inscribed with permanent dots in the flesh"
Interesting thought. There’s would be records of you. Taxes paid, properties owned, military service and what not. I imagine it was sort of we all know that guy or we know his family or someone else that can vouch for him or conversely maybe as simple as he speaks the right way and wears the right clothes so he’s obviously one of us. I’m curious now.
Nice to remind the steps in soldiers identification: when enrolled the recruits would receive the "signaculum" a real dog tag made by lead, to be kept around the neck. During the probation period ("probatio") this was the only identification sign. Only at the end of probatio and after the swear of allegiance they got also the tattoo.
Fascinating! I didn't really know too much about tattoos in Ancient Rome, other than the bit with the slaves...By the way, just have to say that (as someone who's studied Latin) I LOVE listening to you speaking Latin!
Thank you for another fantastic video. The production quality is excelent! Filming in some historical roman location would improve it even more though. Damn I wish I could sponsor a roman villa for you.
A great lecture, thank you! I would be interested to know to what extent circumcision was widespread in Rome? I once read about soldiers who had themselves circumcised because they were stationed in desert areas and wanted to avoid inflammation from the sand. Could that be? I know that in Greece circumcision was considered offensive, was that also the case in Rome?
I remember reading an article a couple years ago suggesting that even knights would have tattoo's of their coat of arms. I really need to dig around and find it because that would be super interesting if this turned out to be true.
For future reference if so usage is desired: Epitome is pronounced "eh-pit-oh-mee". Dont hate me, I liked and subscribed! Great content as always, legionarius!
Dear Metatron. Please can you tell me the correct Roman / Latin spelling of the phrase 'Taxes Paid' as it would have appeared on slaves, as per circa 4:44 of this video? I would love nothing more than to have this authentic phrase tattooed upon my person, in salute and fraternity with those poor humans who history treated so unfairly. Thank you !
6:48 I thought about that, like Roman legionaries having tattoos showing numbers like XXI or XV, or even the whole Legion's nickname (Rapax/Apollinaris) in their arms, but I think that would be more informal than anything, if the Roman army would have marked their men with the legion's number/name, what happens when you reassign that troops to another legion? They were tattooed again? It wouldn't be useful, a lot of soldiers went through different legions around their lives and It would be weird and notable if some guy named Titus had his whole arm with a list of Roman numbers, I guess some historian would've mention that. Same if they retired or something, they could've been mistaken with desertors and be stopped by the authorities every few meters.
I was just about to say the same thing about retired Legionnaires and thought maybe they had a second tattoo when they left to show they've left legitimately, but then you'd get deserters just paying some shady tattooist to get it done, IF they could get far enough away from their posting and find one, I wonder if there's any records of anyone being busted for illegal tattooing at the time. Side note: underworld tattooist, idea stolen from myself for D&D use.
I'd love to see how well their tattoo removal process works! I don't know if would work with the modern inks we use today though. Also I'd Love to see how red their red inks turned out on the skin & how much they faded. Red was always a problem color. Imagine being able to time travel & having to try an explain your tatts!? 😂😬
In late antiquity the Roman army commonly _pressed_ men into service against their will. One theory says that the term 'pressed' comes from _impressed,_ as in _stamped_ or _marked,_ and this was done to the men, as the video mentions, by branding or tattooing.
Hey Raff, remember how in one of your recent livestreams I sent you a superchat asking you if you were aware of public nudity being normal in Japan before the Meiji Reformation? I was wondering if you would ever do a video discussing how nudity was normal throughout the non-Judeo/Christian/Islamic world even POST Antiquity, and how it became taboo. It'd probably be an interesting watch for those who've been feeling embarrassed about nudity, ESPECIALLY if at the end, you mention some interesting ways in which people in different parts of the world have tried to help people realize how it's only because of CONDITIONING, like how Japan's Studio TRIGGER released the anime Kill la Kill, which uses its gratuitous fanservice to convey that message.
Public nudity is still considered normal in Japan in certain context, like onsen (hot springs), sentou (bath houses) and comedy. The Abrahamic religions have truly poisoned the world with the idea of shame.
@@ErebosGR on THAT, we agree; humans DID invent clothing for some LEGIT reasons, but they're a TOOL, and one shouldn't HAVE to have a tool on them at all times and feel SHAME for not. To make that point REALLY clear, I myself am naked at the time of my typing and posting this reply.
@@ErebosGR also, I was well aware that the Japanese BATHED naked publicly, but what sort of COMEDY performances in modern Japan involve public nudity? I'm curious as to that.
Two problems I had with “Gladiator” was branding iron and Maximus killed Commodus with a dagger. I read Commodus was strangled to death by a choke hold and the guy was a wrestler. Commodus was fond of going down into arena for sword fights which he won since he was an excellent swordsman. Apparently not so hot at hand to hand combat. Achilles almost lost to Meriope?, Amazon Hippolyte (Queen). Not described as a fight in the Iliad but grave mentioned as only the gods knew where it was... so very private burial since Amazons quit the war. I suspected they were like Viking kings who actually ran around in small packs like Beowulf. Read it & thought the Norse were idiots. (I mean really, so Beowulf only caught and killed Grendel because he didn’t drink that night. Saw Grendel come up out of floor. Mystery of how Grendel got past the guards outside the MeadHall solved. Still going with idiots, drunk idiots, and Hippolyte is only leader of a warrior band)
I have a question for you. I have a great fascination with Roman military. But the way they saluted there superior officer is often said that there is no prove they saluted that way. You saw it in the great HBO show "Rome". Can you tell me if there is any proof that they saluted that way?
Stigma is not a Latin word. It's Greek "ΣΤΙΓΜΑ". Αnd it means something that marks or a mark or even the influence that somebody or something has in a specific moment or time period. Also the word" ΣΤΙΓΜΉ " that has the same root with stigma, means the moment. That's why the word stigma in Greek has to do with time as much as a definition. I enjoy your videos, I hope I helped you a little in your path to knowledge as you helped me....
I love seeing the names of figures printed out on screen when you mention them. Greatly helps anyone wanting to look further into their works. You say the Thracian priestess is “clearly” tattoos. What says they’re tattoos and not (removable) body paint?
I think we have to give the movie a leave pass for putting SPQR on the tattoo. As your video says, they had SOME form of marking, but modern audiences wouldn’t know what those markings were. So, having SPQR is like a transaction of those markings for modern audiences. How this is different to Mel Gibson wearing kilts and blue woad, I don’t know… it just is lol
You should join the genetics forum Anthrogenica. Lots of theorizing and analysis of ancient samples. There was a recent paper on Roman era Lazio that showed that Roman era central Italians went from plotting like modern day North Italian and Tuscan Italians in the Republican age to plotting genetically like Southern Italians (was only after the fall of Rome that the population of Lazio began to plot more northwards due to both italic & Germanic migrations. The original shift South was due to heavy migration from Hellinized Middle easterns into the Italian peninsula from the various Polis & Magna Grecia. None of the Roman samples contained Subsaharan admixture. Some did contain Berber North African admixture. The current consensus is that although the Berber component includes more ancient Subsaharan admixture that Roman era North Africans were much less Subsaharan than there modern descendants today. So the majority of Roman North Africans would have been on the lighter range of todays Berber North African populations. As for the skeletons of York I think some have now been tested and they are of Berber North African stock not Subsaharan. So to pertain to the subject of your video I agree with you that there would have been a limited amount of Ethiopian Subsaharan auxiliaries in the Roman Army but the majority of the North African auxiliaries would of been Mediterranean/Berber in appearance not less Subsaharan than today.
Am I the only one who was confused when he said Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus while showing a picture of Cicero (5:30) ? However, nice video, Metatron!
Hello, I am glad you finally came up on RU-vid I have watched every episode of Time Team but als really am interested in history ...as a ex U.S. Army I can say that tattoos can kind of be cmmon it like life all depends on the person I did and so did a couple of guys who I served with over seas get a tattoo to honor the guys who we knew that did not make it back so just sayin in history military things have been around a long time...Thank you very much for your videos I love them.
Another great vid, Metatron, however: Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris, because in the animation of the tale from Satyricon, your ship is going backwards.
I don't know where I heard it but I think the Roman soldier's "permanent dots" tattoo was three dots on the web of skin between the soldier's thumb and index finger.
On my way to Rome whilst walking through Foligno. I saw the letters SPQF on the manholes. Senatus Populusque Foligno was even written on the city hall or sthg like that.
Interesting but I'm not really surprised as the Roman legionary was much in contact with tattooed people such as the Picts and was, from what I understood, also the Gauls and Celtic people as it was apparently quite common. What I was a bit surprised that it wasn't that common amongst Legionnaires to have extended tattoos! Anyway as usual you did an excellent job again 👍👍
This is the specific evidence that he is implicitly calling upon to say they would think tattoos were barbaric. I was kind of surprised that Metatron didn’t explicitly cite this briefly.
