Could Potatoes have Saved the Roman Empire? @toldinstone

Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

If the Romans had potatoes, history could have been very different...

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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:34 The Columbian Exchange
1:00 Potatoes in modern Europe
2:24 What if...
2:49 AG1
4:08 Potatoes in Rome
4:50 Population growth
5:34 Potato belt economics
6:38 Potential pitfalls
7:23 Spuds and duds

Could Potatoes have Saved the Roman Empire?

$How 99% of Ancient Literature was Lost During the Middle Ages, all but a tiny fraction of Greek and Roman literature disappeared. Heres why. Learn more about Proform Technologies: http://proformtechnologies.net/ If you’re interested in advertising on toldinstone, email me at toldinstone@gmail.com Check out my other YouTube channels @toldinstonefootnotes and @scenicroutestothepast Please consider supporting toldinstone on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/toldinstone If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.” https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Statues-Fat-Gladiators-Elephants/dp/1633887022 If youre so inclined, you can follow me elsewhere on the web: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/profiles/toldinstone https://www.instagram.com/toldinstone/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20993845.Garrett_Ryan Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:39 Papyrus scrolls 2:00 The world of books in antiquity 2:40 Ancient libraries 4:04 ProForm 4:31 Do you own a small business? 5:00 The contraction of ancient literature 6:11 Technological changes 7:12 Tenuous survivals, tragic losses$

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