Uploaded June 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here we have a video heavily linked to the next History Time documentary - Liutprand of Cremona's account of his diplomatic mission to Constantinople; an effort to find a bride for his Emperor's son, Otto II of the Holy Roman Empire.
Suffice to say, he and the then Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas do not see eye to eye...
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to our primary channel History Time, where we make full length historical documentaries:-
youtube.com/historytime
—Join our community on social media:-
Twitter:-
twitter.com/HistoryTimeUK
Facebook:-
facebook.com/HistoryTimeOfficial
Instagram:-
instagram.com/historytime_ig
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
- Joss Edwards Music:-
soundcloud.com/jossedwardsmusic
Kevin MacLeod
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
Are you a budding artist, writer, illustrator, cartographer, or music producer? Send us an email! No matter how professional you are or even if you’re just starting out, we can always use new music and images in my videos. Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Cplakidas
By Holy Roman Empire 1000 map-fr.svg: Sémhurderivative work: OwenBlacker | Discussion - Holy Roman Empire 1000 map-fr.svg, originally based on HRR 10Jh.jpg (2005)., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16239633
Ichthyovenator [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Playing Futures: Applied Nomadology from The Netherlands [CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
PHGCOM [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
АНО "Международный нумизматический клуб" [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Clio20
No machine-readable author provided. MapMaster assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Photographer: Ajepbah; edit: Crisco 1492 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)]
Here we have a video heavily linked to the next History Time documentary - Liutprand of Cremona's account of his diplomatic mission to Constantinople; an effort to find a bride for his Emperor's son, Otto II of the Holy Roman Empire.
Suffice to say, he and the then Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas do not see eye to eye...
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to our primary channel History Time, where we make full length historical documentaries:-
youtube.com/historytime
—Join our community on social media:-
Twitter:-
twitter.com/HistoryTimeUK
Facebook:-
facebook.com/HistoryTimeOfficial
Instagram:-
instagram.com/historytime_ig
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
- Joss Edwards Music:-
soundcloud.com/jossedwardsmusic
Kevin MacLeod
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
Are you a budding artist, writer, illustrator, cartographer, or music producer? Send us an email! No matter how professional you are or even if you’re just starting out, we can always use new music and images in my videos. Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Cplakidas
By Holy Roman Empire 1000 map-fr.svg: Sémhurderivative work: OwenBlacker | Discussion - Holy Roman Empire 1000 map-fr.svg, originally based on HRR 10Jh.jpg (2005)., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16239633
Ichthyovenator [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Playing Futures: Applied Nomadology from The Netherlands [CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
PHGCOM [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
АНО "Международный нумизматический клуб" [CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Clio20
No machine-readable author provided. MapMaster assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Photographer: Ajepbah; edit: Crisco 1492 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)]


![Roman Scholar Describes Ancient China // 1st century AD // Pliny the Elder on the Seres
In recognition of the enthusiasm surrounding last weeks video on Chinas perspective, here we have a video exploring the reverse.
There are however very few Roman accounts of China that have survived to us - and those that we do have are very limited. Here we have two short extracts from Plinys magnum opus Naturalis Historia, in which he describes what he knows of the people of Serica and its surroundings far to the east, and how they in turn affected the Rome he knew at the time. In the second extract he describes a mysterious people (who he again dubs Seres) whom the people of Taprobane (modern day Sri Lanka) apparently crossed a mountain range to trade with.
As with our previous video on China, a lot of the locations (and indeed the peoples) mentioned are still debated by scholars. In the coming weeks we will further explore Ancient Chinas worldview, and descriptions they gave of other cultures that seemed wholly alien to them. Stay tuned for new videos, twice weekly.
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
— Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to subscribe for new videos every single week! & Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see covered in the future.
— Don’t forget to subscribe to our other channel History Time, where we make full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
Are you a budding artist, writer, illustrator, cartographer, or music producer? Send us an email! No matter how professional you are or even if you’re just starting out, we can always use new music and images in my videos. Get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Yeu Ninje [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Gabagool [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]
Gary Lee Todd [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] Roman Scholar Describes Ancient China // 1st century AD // Pliny the Elder on the Seres](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vCSZQj8yvD4/mqdefault.jpg)



![Ancient Chinese Historian Describes The Xiongnu // Before The Mongols // Book of Han (111 AD)
A thousand years before the Mongols, China had to build the worlds longest wall to defend against incursions from a truly ancient enemy: The Xiongnu. Here we have an extract from the Book Of Han that describes their customs and origins - a people amongst whom the strong and robust were held in esteem, while the old and feeble were treated with contempt.
https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/hantxt1.html#beginning
If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the patreon and join up!
patreon.com/voicesofthepast
— Don’t forget to subscribe to my brothers channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Thomas Lessman
Philg88 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27876174
https://worldhistorypics.weebly.com/about.html
JesseW900
Khiruge [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)] Ancient Chinese Historian Describes The Xiongnu // Before The Mongols // Book of Han (111 AD)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnNEAQkADFM/mqdefault.jpg)


![Japanese Historian Describes First Contact With Europeans // 16th cent. Teppo-ki // Primary Source
Get MagellanTV here: https://try.magellantv.com/voicesofthepast & get an exclusive offer extended to our viewers: an extra month FREE. MagellanTV is a new kind of streaming service run by filmmakers with 2,000+ documentaries! Check out our personal recommendation and MagellanTV’s exclusive playlists: https://www.magellantv.com/explore/history
Here we have something special - the Japanese perspective of the first Europeans in Japan. In 1543 two Portuguese traders - men whose physical features differed from the locals - arrived on a Chinese junk, with a gift that would change the course of Japanese history. Recorded for posterity by Nanpo Bushi half a century later, this account gives us the view of a people coming into contact with Europe for the first time.
Translated by Olof G Lidin in his book Tanegashima: The Arrival Of Europe In Japan and published by NIAS press: http://www.niaspress.dk
If this channel is something you like, if you think saving primary sources is important, head over to the patreon and join up!
patreon.com/voicesofthepast
— Don’t forget to subscribe to my brothers channel History Time, where he makes full length historical documentaries:-
https://www.youtube.com/historytime
— Music courtesy of:-
- Epidemic Sound
— Voice actor & editor:-
David Kelly
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please dont hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.
Thanks to:
Image Credit: NASA Goddard/MODIS Rapid Response Team
alisdair [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
ryochiji [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
みっち
PHGCOM Japanese Historian Describes First Contact With Europeans // 16th cent. Teppo-ki // Primary Source](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xZnaCel6LdU/mqdefault.jpg)
