The way you manage to inject a hint of melancholy into every subject, even the story of the spoilt rich who banqueted as the world collapsed around them, is a testament to your talent as a story teller. That it's all thoroughly researched historical analysis is just the icing on the cake!

The Chinese have a saying, "After 3 generations the money is gone." It's down to a) spending money is easy, making it is a rare talent, b) spoiled children who think the money will never stop coming, c) division of wealth from parents to generation 2 (4 children + 4 spouses), generation 3 (32 children + 32 spouses), d) inflation. It takes ferocious estate management, ruthless inheritance and luck to keep a dynasty going.

The Scipio family tomb is worth a video itself!

*62 years after the Battle of Carrhae* Augustus: "...And that was the story of how we lost a great amount of soldiers in Parthia" Germanicus: "Woah, grandfather. That Crassus man really messed up with the enemy, doesn't he?" Augustus: "Yeah, boy. Glad things have changed since then and our men are now much more efficent than..." Slave: "Excuse me, Caesar. But a soldier from Varus' division in Germany has brought you news. They're about something that happened in Teutoburg..."

Ultimately, the wealth of the Roman aristocracy was the land and the people who worked it. That land is all still there today, the only thing that changed is the immaterial concept of "ownership".

Would have been nice if you at least named the families that survived into the Middle Ages. Their stories would be interesting.

I always wonder where rich Romans kept their cash since banks did not exist back then. They probably had rooms with chests full of cash guarded by guards 24/7.

Very interesting topic. I have always been curious as to what happened to Roman family names and how and at what time did they morph into Italian names. I would be interested in seeing a video explaining what we know about that process.

I can’t believe you’re not the most viewed KZfaqr of this niche. You present very interesting questions that you answer with detail and subtle humor that help me paint a more whole picture of antiquity. Seriously, I’m baffled

I've always been interested in this topic, how did so many roman families survive from the earliest republic (heck even from the time of the monarchy) only to fade away so quickly in late republic. The obvious answer is that many old families were proscribed to extinction by Marius, Sulla, and the second triumvirate, in addition to those who naturally died out, were killed a bit more honorably in the civil wars, or who had n'eredowell children who squandered their fortunes as is natural. The factor I would suggest is less obvious is the enfranchisement of Italians after the Social War. Prior to the Social War, the patrician families had many legal advantages over the Italian allies in gaining and keeping wealth, not the least of which was use of the public lands that the Gracchi fought so hard to abolish. After the social war, though it wasn't immediately apparent, the empire was not run by Romans for Romans. it was run by Italians for Italians, and especially in the early imperial era, when Augustus struggled so hard to find enough competent magistrates, it was simple for an italian minor aristocrat who had great merit to get ahead in Roman society, which would have been unthinkable before the Social War. In short, being an aristocrat became more competitive as more people entered into the arena. Without a monopoly of government and magistracies, the Roman aristocrats were forced to compete with Italians more and more on their merits and the emperors more and more chose correctly, especially with military high commands and the path to wealth and power that entails. So yeah, I think the socio-economic fallout from the Social War is not to be underestimated. Way off topic, but this ofcourse happens again after Caracalla grants universal citizenship and opens the pool to even more men to compete for wealth and power. Not surprising that the 3rd and 4th century was dominated by Emperors born outside of Italy who may never have set foot in Italy as a result.

It's horribly wrong to say that some families' wealth lasted into the Middle Ages without mentioning who and where they were.

Crassus had 200,000x the average annual income, compared to the GDP per capita of modern America, that would be 10 billion USD, an insane fortune to be sure, but I've heard he was possibly the wealthiest person ever, obviously the conversion isn't accurate, but interesting to compare.

Interesting that even the rich children had high mortality rates, I wonder why this happened, as with poor children one might expect poor hygene and disease, but rich children should have had good living standards.

this dude plugged masterwork in the slickest way, I could even tell it was an ad section at first

Fascinating subject! Thank you for your efforts!

Crassus was one of the wealthiest people in the history of the ancient world. Most of his wealth was invested in land and businesses all over the Roman Empire. However, it’s not clear where all of his wealth ended up after his death. Some historians believe that it was divided among his heirs and others believe that it was lost or spent by the Roman Empire. However, there is a common theory that a portion of Crassus’s wealth ended up buried with him in a pyramid-like tomb made entirely out of gold. This is just an old legend, but it makes for a good story!

I find this tremendously comforting. Rich or poor, we are all transient and the wealth that people spend lifetimes accumulating and hoarding turns to dust in just a few generations. I just wish that wealth did not bestow such unhealthy power over the rest of us, especially in the modern age.

so enjoy your insights ! fascinating - thank you

One of the best KZfaq channels.. thank you

"600 of us were crucified as a warning to any slave dreaming of rising against Rome, but the Romans never found Spartacus' body. I like to think he's still out there. Of one thing I am sure. When the centuries pass, few will remember the name of Marcus Licinius Crassus...but Spartacus' will live on forever. Because he showed us something we never knew before: that a slave didn't have to just take it. He could be free..." *Oenomaus*

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="507">8:27</a> Domitian: "A woman who carries no less than 10 living romans in her womb deserves nothing less than pure respect. The Gods must be very proud of you!" Woman: "Yes, Caesar. My prayers to Vesta were not in vain!" 😊 Domitian: "OH, COME ON!!!"

When you hear about the wealth of the Roman elites, you really start to understand Spartacus and his slave army rampaging and killing trough the estates of those elites during the third servile war.

Had wondered this for a long time, thanks for the video

Nice subject, super stoked to watch this one

Wasn’t expecting a George HW Bush reference. Another reason you’re simply the best.

Thanks so much,always really appreciate your efforts.

I like very much the way this brilliant scholar focusses history. His analyses are insightful and make you think a lot on the personal sense of past.

I went to Rome two years ago and we had a tour guide certified by the vatican and assume majored in history as well. I asked about the plazas and building and was shocked to learn some of those families from the middle ages / renaissance still owned plazas and buildings 😮 i honestly thought the govt wouldve seized it all.

Great voice for listening and learning 🤔

You have such a soothing and illuminating way of speaking

Hey Dr. Ryan! Love the new intro with the stone carving sounds! Also I’m almost done with Naked Statues! I’ve gotten lots of questions about it from my university peers/professors

Fantastic work, per usual, Garrett

Your videos are excellent. I always learn something interesting from them.

Fascinating!

Thank you for an interesting story. "Croesus" or "Crassus", no wealth on Earth can save us from life some day coming to an end.

Love the new opening music and sfx

Great segment.

does anyone know what painting that is at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="312">5:12</a>? the one captioned "Gladiatorial contest at a banquet"? i tried googling that phrase as the most obvious thing (and then adding "painting") but i got nothing. it's gorgeous

Numerous late antique wealthy Romans gave their wealth to the Church. During the Gothic War of the sixth century, about 300 members of the great Roman families were taken hostage by the Goths in Italy. Things went South, all the hostages were killed, and the great Roman families disappeared from history.

Please more videos like this

Great video

Your videos are excellent!

Fantastic video..thanks..

nice topic!

Excellent channel!

Outstanding as always. What is the artwork featured at the 5min 12 second mark? Enjoy learning from your video essays. Bravo

I didn’t know I’d been wondering this until I saw the title well done

Excellent

What will I do with all my wealth? Raise an army I guess.

A little depressing to hear that a family's wealth is short-lived, but it's also good to know that wealth and resources are recycled into society or allowed to return to a natural state in the case of land that goes untended.

fascinating

That looks like Robin Leach! In the 1980s there was a show he hosted called: Lives of the Rich and Famous.

The reason so many fortunes fail is because people got too extravagant, spent money foolishly, and just assumed there would always be more to spend, not taking into account things that could go wrong. If I were an heiress (hopefully in a future lifetime), I'd divide the money; if it was 20 million, I'd save 5 (whichever way would earn the most interest), invest 5 in real estate, stocks, bonds, etc., donate 5 to worthy causes (a nice thing to do and also tax deductible) and with the other 5, have a whole lot of fun! I'd also remind myself never to go overboard or take anything for granted. And now, I'll shut up!

Super!

If it were just the diseases, that prevented families from lasting, the romans would die out, as lower-class families had even more of a problem with these. I think that it is caused by the wealth itself. Like in the modern world, as people reach a certain standard of living for an extended period of time their birthrates nosedive. This, combined with the problems mentioned in the video above, caused most families to end within a couple of generations.

wow I always wondered about Crassus and his wealth

START <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="296">4:56</a>. That's shockingly bad.

This is a question I have had since watching Historia Civilis videos mentioning how wealthy Crassus was.

So there were some families that maintained some wealth from Roman times to the middle ages? Interesting!

Could you do a video following one of those elite families that lasted into the dark ages?

so you're not going to tell us about these roman families who persevered into the middle ages...?

Are there names of such families that survived into the Middle Ages? Thank you for a wonderful program. 🏆🏆🤩🤩

In a history documentary I watched years ago, on lead poisoning in the elite of Rome. You touched on lead piping. In the doc they pointed out the that richer you were the more elaborate was the dishes and serving ware and so forth for food - most of it coated in Lead paint, that leeched heavily. Is this a possible good explanation for the very low birth rates and high mortality rate? Where did the wealth of such families ceasing go, to the Emperor or the Senate or elsewhere?

Incredible stories...I read a lot about Rome and you never fail to teach something in each video!

You do not mention this, but I believe that the practice of boiling the fruit juice before fermenting it into wine - in lead containers - might have contributed as well. Remember that at the same time, the Danish barbarian tribes exploded in population growth. They drank mead, not wine. And of course, the lead water pipes contributed too, but the wine was thought to be the most important.

one should also note that the vast majority of cities didnt have positive natural growth until modern times. they grew via immigration from the countryside. this was mostly due to the higher risk of disease.

Can’t wait for masterworks to be the next big sponsor take down.

"A man is not rich unless he can raise an army at his own expense"

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="120">2:00</a> I’m surprised to see a KZfaq video bother to mention what the rich produced to become wealthy.

Three generations! Huh. I read Hugo Nutini's *Wages of Conquest*, which is about the mexican aristocracy, and he came to the same conclusion on how long do family riches last.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="620">10:20</a> can you go into some more detail here, please? I’m dying of curiosity, is there more info ot there in these families

Based on how the busts of ancient Romans looked I would say that they were not the same ethnicity as modern Italians today. I believe they are an extinct ethnic group. The only thing that remains of them today is off shoots of their Latin languages such as French and Spanish. Nobody uses the old Latin language except the Catholic Church and paleontologists when they come up with names of dinosaurs.

So much for the "Generational Wealth" that social activists talk about today. As for the rich guy who traveled to North Africa to sample the shrimp, he didn't like the shrimp.

Do you have plans to do a video on the Roman Secret Police?

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="50">0:50</a> had to activate captions in order to understand what was being said clearly (sailing to Africa to sample shrimps)

Spoiler! He spent it on NFTs

Are those your own photos of the tombs? You really get around!

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="530">8:50</a> Why didnt you mention Augustus? (just curious)

Got the book the other day. Pretty good brain junkfood

As they say "the last shirt has no pockets". He couldn't take it with him and if he had tried to turn his mausoleum into a money vault he'd just have guaranteed it to be plundered in short time.

So Pratsagus mistakenly thought Nero would be satisfied with half instead of all. Turns out all of a lot less was not nearly as much as half of everything not to mention the loss of life and destruction of property that ensued. No problem. Just blame Suetonius and Seneca.

TLDR: Crassus' son Doug spent it all at the ancient casino in Luxor, Egyptian Las Vegas. Egypt had casinos, right? I feel like Egypt would have casinos. They had magic temples. One, at least with no extensive knowledge of Egyptian culture would think they'd have some form of mass gambling especially into the Ptolemaic. What else are Egyptians going to do with all the weird greeks that are literally everywhere for some reason? Joking aside, I do wonder what the gambling capital of the ancient world was... I also wonder if there was ever like a massive international Game of Ur tournament but Irving Finkel won't return my calls :P Oh damn this video was about Crassus

His expression suggests he ate it

intros are getting fancier and fancier

Did you know how Crassus make his fortune? He sales "fire insurances" in Rome, and you better pay him because bad things happen to the people that didn't pay. Don't know why though... bad luck I suppose...

The sheer amount of discreet sarcasm, melancholy and humor is unmatched! Got your book and plowed through it, nicely written although the font was a bit ... not enticing me to read a lot. My brother is a pro in the same field as you, though not a professor, but he really likes your videos for his teaching on ancient science and religion. So much positive feedback!

What is the painting of the dude on the throne?

I very well could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure their compulsion to lead-line everything, had a large role in the infertility amongst the Roman elite.

Maybe this is the position Putin has found himself in? The wealth of Crassus, the power of a Caesar, but no heirs to pass it along to - the dawning panic that you can't take it with you; the late middle age stark realisation of mortality. Wish he'd just concentrate his efforts building a mausoleum like the sovereigns of antiquity and leave the rest of us the f alone but I digress. Massively enjoying your book btw sir, don't want it to end - ty!

This was interesting,. From the title I was expecting something more specifically about Crassus's wealth, but you probably covered all that needed to be said in a couple lines.

Half of everyone died by five. A third of those made it to adulthood. We’re made out of some pretty badass humans.

From the thumbnail I thought we were waiting in line at the Disneyland Haunted Mansion

We're going to need another, detailed Crassus video.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="349">5:49</a> Only problem was that Faberge Eggs were not a thing in Ancient Rome.

Can’t confirm it but the story I hear is that he let someone called Sammus Bankmanus Friedii invest his money.

Crassus these nuts

It would be amazing if a modest Roman middle class savings account somehow survived unclaimed with annualized compound interest for two centuries. Or if a direct line could be traced from Roman family wealth to American elite wealth. Maybe the Roman senate is to be blamed for lobbying and influence on the US congress?

Another banger video from you! This was interesting, thank you. I'm definitely gonna hire a lawyer to make sure my kids don't goof around too much with my inheritance lol

is your intro The Lick from jazz?? cause it really sounds like it

I'm still not certain what happened to the immense wealth of Crassus. Was it just frittered away it two generations? Did an emperor just take it? Would the money go to the state if there were no heirs?