SciShow
5 Things Humans Got Really Wrong About Our Bodies
Throughout history, people have been trying to figure out how our bodies work and how to fix them when things go wrong. This has led to some ideas that, with the benefit of hindsight, seem very strange
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Distorting Madonna in Medieval art - James Earle
After Rome was destroyed, people were wary of attachment to physical beauty. As Christianity gained traction, Romans instead began to focus on the metaphysical beauty of virtue, and art began to follow suit. James Earle discusses how...
Crash Course
Roman Engineering: Crash Course History of Science
The Romans developed a lot of infrastructure like roads and aqueducts to both help their cities flourish and to... you know... be better at war. But the interesting thing about Roman Engineering is how it was almost all focused on Techne...
TED Talks
TED: How food shapes our cities | Carolyn Steel
Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why should you read Virgil's "Aeneid"? - Mark Robinson
In 19 BC, the Roman poet Virgil suffered heatstroke and died on his journey back to Italy. On his deathbed, he thought about the manuscript he had been working on for over ten years, an epic poem called the "Aeneid." Unsatisfied with the...
SciShow
4 Ways Ancient Infrastructure Can Prepare Us for the Future
Ancient civilizations developed clever solutions to their unique challenges and environments, and learning from those engineers can help us build a greener world today.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: A brief history of goths - Dan Adams
What do fans of atmospheric post-punk music have in common with ancient barbarians? Not much ... so why are both known as _goths"? Is it a weird coincidence _ or is there a deeper connection stretching across the centuries? Dan Adams...
SciShow
4 Things We've Forgotten How to Make
Our knowledge of specific technologies or techniques can sometimes be lost to time. And that can be because of changing economic conditions, or, sometimes, it's because the technology was so deadly that only a few were allowed to know it.
Crash Course
Dances to Flute Music and Obscene Verse. It's Roman Theater, Everybody: Crash Course Theater #5
Today, Mike Rugnetta takes you from our beginnings in ancient Greek theater, and moves on to the development of Roman theater. Which, it turns out, is A LOT like Greek theater. Because the Romans were real Grecophiles, they modeled their...
TED Talks
TED: A precise, three-word address for every place on earth | Chris Sheldrick
With what3words, Chris Sheldrick and his team have divided the entire planet into three-meter squares and assigned each a unique, three-word identifier, like famous.splice.writers or blocks.evenly.breed, giving a precise address to the...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Who were the Vestal Virgins, and what was their job? - Peta Greenfield
In ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins were tasked with keeping vigil over the flame of Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth. The flame represented two things: the continuation of Rome as a power in the world and the continuing virginity of...
Crash Course
Florence and the Renaissance: Crash Course European History
The Renaissance was a cultural revitalization that spread across Europe, and had repercussions across the globe, but one smallish city-state in Italy was in many ways the epicenter of the thing. Florence, or as Italians might say,...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Dissecting Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi - James Earle
The scene of the three wise men offering gifts to a newborn Jesus was widely painted during the Renaissance era, so how did painter Sandro Botticelli create a version that's still well known today? James Earle describes who and what set...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: History vs. Augustus - Alex Gendler and Peta Greenfield
His reign marked the beginning of one of history's greatest empires . . . and the end of one of its first republics. Was Rome's first emperor a visionary leader who guaranteed his civilization's place in history, or a tyrant who...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: History vs. Cleopatra - Alex Gendler
She was the most notorious woman in ancient history, a queen who enraptured not one but two of Rome's greatest generals. But was she just a skilled seductress or a great ruler in her own right? Alex Gendler puts this controversial figure...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The philosophy of Stoicism - Massimo Pigliucci
What is the best life we can live? How can we cope with whatever the universe throws at us and keep thriving nonetheless? The ancient Greco-Roman philosophy of Stoicism explains that while we may not always have control over the events...
Be Smart
Why Does February Have 28 Days?
Why does February only get 28 days when all the other months get 30 or 31? The answer is part superstition, part politics, and parts astronomy. Basically, it's the Romans' fault.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The Romans flooded the Colosseum for sea battles - Janelle Peters
Starting in 80 CE, residents of Rome and visitors from across the Roman Empire would fill the stands of the Colosseum to see gladiators duel, animals fight and chariots race around the arena. And for the grand finale, water poured into...
Crash Course
Catholic Counter-Reformation: Crash Course European History
When the Protestant Reformation broke out in Western Europe, the Catholic Church got the message, at least a little bit. Pope Paul III called a council to look into reforming some aspects of the Catholic Church and try to stem the tide...
Crash Course
Nostrils, Harmony with the Universe, and Ancient Sanskrit Theater: Crash Course Theater #7
Ancient Sanskrit theater is one of the oldest theater traditions, and thanks to Bharata Muni and his treatise on theater, the Natyashastra, we can tell you quite a bit about it, all the way down to eyebrow and nostril poses. This week...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The great conspiracy against Julius Caesar - Kathryn Tempest
On March 15th, 44 BCE, Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of about 60 of his own senators. Why did these self-titled Liberators want him dead? And why did Brutus, whose own life had been saved by Caesar, join in the...
Crash Course
Roman Theater with Plautus, Terence, and Seneca: Crash Course Theater #6
In which Mike delves into the theater of ancient Rome. It wasn't all gladiators and Christian-killing, you know. There was theater, too. Roman drama drew heavily on Greek drama. So heavily, in fact, that many of the stories and...
Curated Video
What was the Secret Weapon of the Carthaginian Empire?
What was the Secret Weapon of the Carthaginian Empire?