The Man Who Discovered The Secret History

Рет қаралды 33,592

Ай бұрын

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This week I was in Rome on a research trip, so I took some time out to tell you the story of Niccolo Alemanni, who rediscovered and published The Secret History 400 years ago.

Пікірлер: 75

@dreamtimeearth3595 Ай бұрын

Great video Tom, just discovered your channel a few days ago but truly appreciate your sensibility for books and your skill for introducing scholar knowledge into pop culture. 🙌

@tomwayling Ай бұрын

Welcome aboard!

@GreenAppelPie Ай бұрын

I just recently visited the Vatican. Along with 2 miles or so of the museum collections. One simply cannot understand the scale of everything until you see it in person. It’s an amazing experience. There’s so much history there.

@southernlady5085 Ай бұрын

My husband and I were privileged to visit twice. It is an absolutely amazing place. In the museums themselves, everywhere one turns, quite literally, is a famous statue, or frescoes created by some of the greatest artists who have ever lived; and that’s just the beginning: the individual paintings, stained glass, tapestries, mosaics, and of course, all the historical manuscripts and books on display, are ALL a feast for one’s mind and certainly, for one’s soul. It’s hard to take it all in during a vacation, and one does so knowing there’s so much more behind the scenes, as well as historians, craftsmen, and scientists who conduct research or who are engaged in restoration or preservation of these priceless works of art . What awesome beauty is contained within the walls of the Vatican! It certainly gave me a completely new understanding of ancient history to be actually at the Vatican and have the opportunity to wander through its museums. To see such magnificent works of art as well as the ancient manuscripts that are housed there, is an experience I will never, ever forget! @GreenAppelPie

@iicydiamonds Ай бұрын

This story is absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing!

@zuzuspetals38 Ай бұрын

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼love seeing a younger person so involved in history⭐️⭐️

@JayeCole Ай бұрын

We must have been a well behaved class because we got an antiquarian field trip! 🤘

@joseevaniersel7280 Ай бұрын

So scientists have always been ready to cancel their friends once they were under suspicion of rocking the boat..?

@maryannec.moravec6289 Ай бұрын

This channel is a true treasure. You provide such valuable nuggets of information. Thank you for your good work.

@Fasciseus Ай бұрын

IMO, Tom, this is your best video to this date. I envy and admire your access to this volume and the Vatican Library; I could live the rest of my life exploring the Vatican's art, library and archives.

@heather333 Ай бұрын

Tom, you are 'The Why Files' of the book world. Great work! ❤

@jaybyrdcybertruck1082 Ай бұрын

Amazing! Thank you for the work involved in this!

@prkp7248 Ай бұрын

At those time there was another scholar that proved himself by discovering ancient text - Poggio Bracciolini that hunted down rare manuscripts going from city to city, Convent to convent in search for them. Poggio discovered Lucretius "De rerum natura", "De architectura" by Vitruvius and many Ciceros speeches in St. Gallen. He also discovered in Monte Cassion Abbey the only known manuscript of "On the aqueducts of Rome" by Frontinus, who was Curator Aquarum when Nerva was emperor. It's very important book for me, as I wrote my master thesis "Aqueducts and Sewage in Ancient Rome", in which Frontinus book was one of the most important sources.

@jadedequeljoe3283 Ай бұрын

I have always wondered about sewerage in ancient cities. Not just Rome,but all throughout the Mediterranean, ancient Mexico and S. America, India,China and where ever in this world huge metropolis’s grew.

@4trahasis Ай бұрын

Glad to be here for more book nerdery and related history.

@ande100 Ай бұрын

Oooh, fascinating! Thank You for another great presentation.

@Lin-1785 Ай бұрын

Is there other written evidence pointing to why Procopious accused her?

@kurjan1 Ай бұрын

I have placed an order for your book Tom. Cant wait to receive it. I sent you a message through your website.😃

@aadamtx Ай бұрын

I love that the Vatican Library has digitized part of the collection and made those items publically accessible. If you get a chance, take the tour that will let you outside on the roof of the Vatican - great view!

@francesbailess942 Ай бұрын

Or go up to the top of St Peter's Dome. Buy a ticket and go alone or with a companion. First it's a lift, then you walk, slowly up and up. Not for the claustrophobic, but keep going. The curved wall to the Dome is on your right, with the outer wall on your left, with occasional windows. At last you climb the final steps or ladder and emerge onto the viewing platform, which allows you to lean on a parapet and see the view from four sides. One way is St Peter's Square and the city. The other is the stunning Vatican Gardens, complete with private railway. Take your time and notice everything. You descend a different route. So worth it.

@emmahardesty4330 Ай бұрын

Hmm. Based on the actions of Theidora that you cited I can only view her as a unique personality who irritated a frustrated man. Women who show up in ancient history are overwhelmingly slandered via sex. Wonder what she actually did. Yes, gonna buy your book. Congratulations.

@dominofalling2038 27 күн бұрын

Exactly. Historical misogyny was always trying to destroy women’s achievements by reputation assassination. The Romans hated powerful women.

@EyeLean5280 Ай бұрын

Considering that the allegations against Theodora were probably entirely unfounded, it's just as well he didn't stir the pot at that time.

@annfahy2589 Ай бұрын

Lucky man to see and hold all these books 📚 😊

@tassia1954 Ай бұрын

Procopius hated Theodora all of her life's tortures she underwent as a child and young woman were described as sins by him .And she didn't abort she had miscarriages! Maybe she wasn't the best of people but she was true to Justinian!By the way Justinian's laws are probably still tought in law's universities!Thanks for the story of Alemani!I didn't know he wrote about those stories from that far back!

@rl3293 Ай бұрын

LOVE your channel! ❤

@carolinepierson6776 Ай бұрын

Brilliant. Your presentation is fantastically interesting.

@stevedoss5815 Ай бұрын

Your videos along with the accurate information and content is superb sir! Thank you for all the content 🙏🏻

@goldengordon9502 Ай бұрын

Loving this channel. You love books more than me!

@msb8287 Ай бұрын

I absolutely love your channel! Sent it to my book loving daughter too :))

@coriejoelsutherland702 Ай бұрын

Hold up, alemanni published in 1623, without the scandalous chapters that would have “shaken the Byzantine Empire to its core”, and yet this empire fell in 1453 to Mehmet and became the Ottoman Empire. So it kind of seems like it totally wouldn’t have mattered.

@johnkeck Ай бұрын

I recall a FB reel you did on this subject some time ago. The subject is sensationalistic and I'm sure garners views, but the actual book Alemanni discovered sounds like some guy (Procopius) grinding an ax against the reigning regime. For a modern comparison, I'm wondering if any degree of future scholarship would redeem, say, republishing of The National Enquirer. Just wondering what the fuss is really about.

@WordsCanBeLikeXRays Ай бұрын

Great content!

@kirbymarchbarcena Ай бұрын

Thanks to Niccolo for his bravery and wiles. Thanks to Tim for his entertaining video about Niccolo

@glockenrein Ай бұрын

Oooh was it Dan Brown? (I apologise but I couldn’t resist. 😂)

@orglancs Ай бұрын

Do you own those copies that you held up to the camera, Tom? It seems you are at home, so maybe you do? You imply that they are included in that catalogue that you showed us. I'm not a potential buyer, am just interested in how close you have got to these priceless documents. Many thanks for your utterly fascinating videos. They are so interesting.

@MichaelBerthelsen Ай бұрын

I tried to find something else in the catalogue to purchase together with your Secret Histories catalogue, but sadly didn't find anything that was of particular interest at this time. May I recommend, though, that in your filter, you add the option only to display those items currently in stock?😊 I know it can change quickly for high-interest pieces, but would make it a lot easier to look through what's currently available.

@luigisturzo6967 Ай бұрын

Fantastic video, I really enjoyed it! (P.S. 4:15 Your Italian made me smile a bit, sorry)

@RamblinPhoenix 26 күн бұрын

I love this topic. My question for you is, what do you think of the Secret History itself? I have read that, generally, modern historians do not put much historical stock in it, and view it as written as Procopeus possibly venting, writing with a (for lack of a better word) kink to be subversive or as a trump card if Justinian fell (like he almost did during the Nika Riots) to show he was really on the side of the new leader. How accurate do you think it is, or is it perhaps more like the more scandalish parts of Seuitnoeus? Regardless, Alemani is a hero for preserving and publishing such a scandlous text in his own era! Regardless of the factual nature of the Secret History, their is something of worth in the ability to study Procpeus's public writings and private writings and study how and why they differ.

@JacquesMare Ай бұрын

But..... Procopius... did you actually see the duck retrieve the bread, or.... is this all just hearsay? 😂😂😂😂

@annettecookson4870 Ай бұрын

Hi Tom. LOVE your channel, and obviously love books!!! Would like your advice on an 'old book' I've already had for over 30years, but know it's much older then that! It's a miniture, and part of the 'Arabian nights' series...but I'm struggling to find help discovering who wrote it?, where it came from? Though there is a name hand written inside. Saddly a page at the front, after the front cover has been ripped out 😢😢😢 I'd just LOVE to know it's story 💯💯💯 How do I find help discovering it's history Tom?? Thank you for any help you can offer, and more then happy to spk to you privately 🙌🙌🙌

@incredulity Ай бұрын

Video is awesome. You should do thumbnails differently

@m.o.m.basiclifeskills2986 Ай бұрын

Please summarize the content of the book. What's it actually about?

@metatechnologist 29 күн бұрын

It was rather confusing to me what was and was not published and at what times. Catholics have always dealt poorly with scandals tbh.

@jperez7893 Ай бұрын

i hope you are in a position to verify if the vatican folio #140 still exists. it's an aramaic codex discovered by joseph simon assemani in the chaldean patriarchate and brought to the vatican in 1718. it is an almost complete copy of the 4 gospels minus 10 pages of matthew, and with a colophon of the scribe at the end indicating that it was completed during the reign of the 3rd bishop of edessa in the year of the greeks, 389, or 78 ad. i'm not sure if it was never returned by the french during the napoleonic theft of the vatican library and archives. hopefully it is still in the vatican, otherwise, it might be in the louvre, bibliotheque nationale, or french archives

@brucetidwell7715 Ай бұрын

Has it been translated into English? What edition do you recommend?

@Kinesicz Ай бұрын

Why didn’t he just publish it under a pen name or anonymous? I’m guessing that is why Shakespeare didn’t use his real name.

@tinatieden8499 Ай бұрын

I wonder if you have ever come across Lady Babylon youtube channel. Dr. Ammon Hilman reads some Greek stuff .

@TheOtherSteel Ай бұрын

I sense Robert Langdon somewhere in this.

@PanglossDr Ай бұрын

Of course, the Vatican keeping everything controversial hidden. But, oh, they let Tom in? Could it be that Dan Brown was lying through his teeth?

@user-qo6lk5ec9f Ай бұрын

Alemanni obviously would have German heritage.

@Kokuraman Ай бұрын

Wayne Kerr!

@Soekell Ай бұрын

I think Alimani doesn’t care anymore.

@benitaplummer1401 Ай бұрын

Thank you. Lease do a video about the lost translation assumed lost my n the Birmingham Riots, recently found in th Dr Williams Library 📚 n central London is n 2017. Joseph Priestley and his associates i.e. Mr Garnam .

@markmcarthy596 Ай бұрын

The problem with most of the information gained from an expensive University is it’s false

@benitaplummer1401 Ай бұрын

Sorry, below I meant Please*

@od1452 Ай бұрын

So... this is really about Slut Shaming ? No insults to your Scholarship.

@RuthvenMurgatroyd Ай бұрын

That wasn't the only accusation in the Secret History nor was it published as he said so no, not really. Plus, there's no reason to believe they were true either.

@SG-1-GRC 29 күн бұрын

You can't take religion out of the mix when you read vicious attacks on the character of others. You only have to be familiar with the two faced nature of courtiers in the Tudor court who were either Protestants under a Catholic monarch or Catholics under a CofE one to know what many said and did publicly did not reflect their opinions privately. True, many could privately assert genuine faults against the monarch that did not share their faith, but many also indulged quite readily in insult and slander and in wild and cruel speculation that was presented as having some foundation in truth Procopius was apparently a member of a different religious sect than Justinian and his wife. That and his wife's strong political influence might have just as readily generated resentment and a pack of lies and exaggerations rather than genuine and scandalous truths. Lacking other sources to support or deny the secret history we're no wiser.

@Nono-hk3is Ай бұрын

Medieval KZfaq drama

@ekurisona663 Ай бұрын

how much access do private citizens have to the archives at the Vatican?

@luciatheron1621 Ай бұрын

You can get access. Contact the Vatican with your request. The Vatican authorities, can't just allow anyone access as not all people respect the collection. The Vatican is the world's museum. Like it or not. The preservation and restoration work done by professionals, experts in their field come from different countries different cultures and belief systems...yet they are there restoring for all. We are one.