Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Was Rome close to an Industrial Revolution? Build up your own settlement in Bellwright today: rebrand.ly/invictabellwright
In this historical discussion we examine how close Rome was to an Industrial Revolution. Its a deeply complex subjects which I've long considered. To answer the question, we are joined by Chris who is a historian with an expertise in Roman social and economic systems. Our talk begins by debunking the concepts of linear tech trees and neatly defined historical periods. In its place is a more chaotic model for understanding history which is more akin to evolutionary theory as it applies to the ways in which civilizations seek to adapt to their environments. With this new framework in mind we introduce the general hallmarks of the Industrial Revolution from our own timeline. In the following sections we then compare the conditions of Rome to those of Britain just prior to the Industrial Revolution. This involves several key factors: political stability, agricultural productivity, water, natural resources, and world view. Finally we conclude by assessing to what extent Rome was industrialized at the height of its power. This includes their sources of power, material sciences, and means and methods of production.
Sources:
"The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World" by John Peter Oleson
"Technology In the Ancient World" by Henry Hodges
"Roman Metallurgy" by Jonathan Edmondson
"Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution" by Eric Hobsbawm
"Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy, 1000-1700" by Carlo M. Cipolla
"The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective" by Robert C. Allen
"Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity" by Daron Acemoglu
Timestamps:
00:00:00 I. Intro
00:03:59 I.A) Fallacy of Tech Trees
00:08:27 I.B) Dynamic Model of History
00:16:06 1.C) The Industrial Revolution
00:20:20 II. Were the Conditions Right?
00:24:19 II.A) Poltical Stability
00:30:26 II.B) Agricultural Surplus
00:38:15 II.C) Water
00:43:05 II.D) Natural Resources
00:48:20 II.E) World Views
00:55:38 III. Roman Industrialization
00:56:23 III.A) Human/Animal Power
01:00:16 III.B) Solar Power
01:03:19 III.C) Geothermal Power
01:05:03 III.D) Hyrdo Power
01:08:57 III.E) Fire Power
01:12:03 III.F) Steam Power
01:20:19 III.G) Mettalurgy
01:24:50 III.H) Steel
01:30:28 III.I) Glass
01:34:50 III.J) Roman Concrete
01:39:03 III.K) Machinery
01:47:03 III.L) Mass Production
#history
#rome
#documentary
Was Rome close to an Industrial Revolution? Build up your own settlement in Bellwright today: rebrand.ly/invictabellwright
In this historical discussion we examine how close Rome was to an Industrial Revolution. Its a deeply complex subjects which I've long considered. To answer the question, we are joined by Chris who is a historian with an expertise in Roman social and economic systems. Our talk begins by debunking the concepts of linear tech trees and neatly defined historical periods. In its place is a more chaotic model for understanding history which is more akin to evolutionary theory as it applies to the ways in which civilizations seek to adapt to their environments. With this new framework in mind we introduce the general hallmarks of the Industrial Revolution from our own timeline. In the following sections we then compare the conditions of Rome to those of Britain just prior to the Industrial Revolution. This involves several key factors: political stability, agricultural productivity, water, natural resources, and world view. Finally we conclude by assessing to what extent Rome was industrialized at the height of its power. This includes their sources of power, material sciences, and means and methods of production.
Sources:
"The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World" by John Peter Oleson
"Technology In the Ancient World" by Henry Hodges
"Roman Metallurgy" by Jonathan Edmondson
"Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution" by Eric Hobsbawm
"Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy, 1000-1700" by Carlo M. Cipolla
"The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective" by Robert C. Allen
"Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity" by Daron Acemoglu
Timestamps:
00:00:00 I. Intro
00:03:59 I.A) Fallacy of Tech Trees
00:08:27 I.B) Dynamic Model of History
00:16:06 1.C) The Industrial Revolution
00:20:20 II. Were the Conditions Right?
00:24:19 II.A) Poltical Stability
00:30:26 II.B) Agricultural Surplus
00:38:15 II.C) Water
00:43:05 II.D) Natural Resources
00:48:20 II.E) World Views
00:55:38 III. Roman Industrialization
00:56:23 III.A) Human/Animal Power
01:00:16 III.B) Solar Power
01:03:19 III.C) Geothermal Power
01:05:03 III.D) Hyrdo Power
01:08:57 III.E) Fire Power
01:12:03 III.F) Steam Power
01:20:19 III.G) Mettalurgy
01:24:50 III.H) Steel
01:30:28 III.I) Glass
01:34:50 III.J) Roman Concrete
01:39:03 III.K) Machinery
01:47:03 III.L) Mass Production
#history
#rome
#documentary
![True Size of a Samurai Army [c. 1600] 3D DOCUMENTARY](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/deV34RTyPO8/mqdefault.jpg "True Size of a Samurai Army [c. 1600] 3D DOCUMENTARY
History documentary on the True Size of a Samurai Army! Watch the Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer (https://ubi.li/1bL6W) and pre-order the game now (https://ubi.li/qF6Fe)! Thanks to @AssassinsCreed for sponsoring this episode.
In this history documentary we seek to bring to life an army of the Sengoku Jidai. Such a task is quite the undertaking given the poorly documented and fast-evolving nature of the eras military forces. Yet we can nonetheless model a typical Samurai army which captures most of the key themes of the period.
We begin with context on the history of Japan from the early Heian period though the Kamakura, Muromachi, and eventual Sengoku eras. Next we establish the general structure of a Daimyo Kashindan and how this network of vassals mobilized its forces. This includes mobilization records of the Koku based system which give us a sense of each vassals obligations. We then inspect each type of soldier which went to war. This includes peasant non combatants, ashigaru troops, and samurai warriors.
Finally, with all these pieces in place we see how the mustered forces were organized into an army. This begins at the smallest level of the Go (squad) and rises up to the tactical unit of the Sonae (battallion). Multiple Sonae would in turn be configured into the major elements of an army in the field. We conclude with a final positioning of such forces as they may have existed in an actual Samurai battle of the Sengoku Jidai.
Sources:
Samurai Armies of the Late Sengoku Period - Volume I by Till Weber
Samurai Armies of the Late Sengoku Period - Volume II by Till Weber
Samurai Armies 1550–1615 by Stephen Turnbull
The Samurai by Stephen Turnbull
War in Japan: 1467–1615 by Stephen Turnbull
Credits:
Research = Sophia Ware and Paul Liu
Script = Invicta
Narration = Guy Michaels
Art = Penta Limited
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:31 Historical Context
05:17 A Daimyos Kashindan
06:59 Systems of Recruitment
09:01 Troop Types
13:02 Ashigaru Go (Squad)
15:34 Samurai Go (Squad)
16:52 Ashigaru Kumi (Platoon)
18:30 Samurai Kumi (Platoon)
20:22 Sonae (Batallion)
21:09 Combat Units
22:17 Command Group
25:01 Banner Group
26:04 Baggage Group
27:35 Sonae Statistics
29:03 Sonae in Battle
32:40 Samurai Army
35:20 Outro
#AssassinsCreedShadows
#AD")
