Invicta

[ART PACKAGE] Misunderstood Moments in History - Rise of the Aztec Empire

Robbie McSweeney has really put forward some of his best artwork with this one! Enjoy some amazing depictions of the drama surrounding the Rise of the Aztecs.

Misunderstood Moments in History - Rise of the Aztec Empire

Wooohooo! A new Moments episode is out which covers a new period and location we have yet to explore. I'm incredibly excited to be covering the history of the Aztecs before the arrival of the Spanish. Their story is truly incredible and I am sure you all will learn alot : )

[TRAILER] Misunderstood Moments in History - Rise of the Aztec Empire

Its been a while since our last Moments episode but I am happy to announce that tomorrow we will be making a return with one of our longest episodes ever! Stay tuned : )

[ART PACKAGE] A Roman Ghost Story

For Halloween we got some spooky illustrations from Beverly Johnson depicting the haunting of an ancient Athenian house. While there was no Patron charge for this video we will still be giving out the relevant artwork (see attached)

A Roman Ghost Story

Its really cool that we have records of an ancient haunted house in Athens. In this video I attempt to bring it to life just in time for Halloween. You can read the full letter from Pliny here which includes some other supernatural events: http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/Pliny/Pliny07-27-E.html

[ART PACKAGE] How They Did It - Elections in Ancient Rome

Below you will find a zipped folder of the HD artwork put together by our artist Anders Végh Blidlöv for the latest election video. You can check out his full portfolio here: https://www.behance.net/andersvb

Thanks again for your support which has made hiring another talented artists possible!  

How They DId It - Elections in Ancient Rome

With elections around the corner in the US, I decided to present a video on how the Romans voted. I think that this is perhaps one of the most detailed videos on YouTube so far and I have to thank James Conrad, our researcher, for all the heavy lifting he did. I'll be doing a couple quick follow up videos on Roman elections while also moving ahead with our next big Moments episode on the Aztecs!

Note: This is a Patron charge due to the fact that we hired both a researcher and an artists.

[ART PACKAGE] How They Did It - Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome

Below you will find a zipped folder of the awesome HD artwork put together by our newest artist, Beverly Johnson. This has to be some of my favorite content so far and he truly delivered. Thanks again for your support which has made hiring her and other talented artists possible! 

How They Did It - Pet Dogs in Ancient Rome

I am very excited to announce this latest "How They Did It" episode which focuses on the lives of dogs in Ancient Rome. Its a fascinating and humanizing way to look at the past that I am sure you will enjoy. I'm also very excited to show off a new artists, Beverly Johnson, who will be assisting with the illustrations with this series. She has an amazing talent and I think it will really make things look way more professional than my cartoons.

Note that since I have used commissioned art, this ...

How They Did It - Declaring War in Ancient Rome

We discuss the quite elaborate ritual used by the Romans to formally declare war on their enemies. This series first started off as an experiment but I think people have really enjoyed it. The next step will be to invest in the series and I am considering hiring an artist to make the characters. 

Do you all have any feedback on what sort of art style you'd like to see or artists you recommend?

[Teaser] The Heart of Copil

Here is a preview of some of the artwork which will go in to the next Moments episode on the Rise of the Aztecs! I've also listed the relevant excerpt from the script for some context on this scene. 

Seeking a Home

By now most of the valley of Mexico was already claimed by one people or another. The Mexica attempted to occupy territory but were continuously forced to move on. Eventually they managed to settle and fortify a place called Chapultepec, the hill of grass...

Roman Soldier Marching Songs (Ft. Metatron)

As we teased previously, I have now put out a new video in collaboration with the YouTuber Metatron! We use some awesome footage of his legion chanting and it looks fantastic. Check it out!

Any ideas on future collaborative projects?

The Rise of Rome - How Italy Was Conquered

With the approach of a new DLC for Rome II focused on the rise of Rome I figured I'd take a crack at explaining the mechanisms by which Italy was actually conquered. I learned a ton and hope you do too!

Battle of Cannae (Anniversary)

On this day, August 2nd 216 BC, Hannibal Barca delivered his master stroke at Cannae that nearly ended the Roman Republic. For any who haven't seen it yet, I am sharing my series on the battle that goes into great detail on the event.

My Mini-Library Tour (History Books and Board Games)

I just posted a video tour of my book and board game collection! I hope this helps you discover new material to add to your own collection. Feel free to let me know if you recommend any other books too.

New Office Setup!

I am in the process of moving and now have my own office to set up YouTube stuff. A big centerpiece of this room will be my little mini-library. Still some more boxes to unload but so far I think it is looking great! I've been thinking of maybe doing a video showing it off and giving book recommendations. Is this something you all would be interested in?

Metatron Approved : )

In a recent video, we got a shout out and seal of approval from the YouTuber Metatron. For those who don't know he is a historical commentator/reenactor from this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjGKyrdT4Gja0VLO40RlOw

I am pleased to announce that I have since reached out to Metatron (Raffaelo) to discuss plans for future collaboration. Stay tuned for more in the next few weeks : )

Garum, Rome's favorite condiment!

In this standalone episode we explore the Roman pantry by taking a look at the famous fish sauce! For those interested, I actually based this video on an awesome article from Ancient History Magazine's issue 8 which covers a bunch of topics on ancient dining: https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/ancient-history-magazine/ahm-shop/ahm-8-pdf.html

I am currently in talks ...

More discussions of Roman logistics!

In our last video, a lot of you were asking how the Romans would react when their supply and logistical system came under attack. I am pleased to share an entire video which seeks to provide answers! Keep the questions coming : )

Next we will have a short episode on Garum and then we will turn our attention to the Aztecs as requested by one of the Patrons.

Note that these quick follow up videos are "free" and Patrons only get charged for the main documentaries where we pay for researcher...

Preview of Logistics/Supply Threats Video

I am preparing another quick follow up on logistics and supply as it seems to be a topic people enjoy. The next video will examine some of the threats posed to armies. Above you can see a preview of some graphics I've prepared to show different types of army with their access to food and water. The Roman army on the far left has high food and high water. This is due to two stacked bars. One bar represents supplies gathered locally and the other represents supplies sent to the army. To the right ...

[Preview] Roman Logistics Overview

I've been working on a follow up video for our recent episode on how Roman soldiers ate. For context I figured we would do a quick overview of the logistics of the Roman army. One of the main points I discuss is the supply line. This can be broken down in to several levels.

The strategic base is basically the area outside of the campaign theater which generates the supplies going to the army. Generally one or more provinces would be assigned to a particular army or campaign. These goods would ...

[ART PACKAGE] Everyday Moments - A Roman Soldier Prepares Dinner

Below you will find a zipped folder of the awesome HD artwork put together by Robbie McSweeney. This has to be some of my favorite content so far and he truly delivered. Thanks again for your support which has made hiring him possible!

Everyday Moments in History - A Roman Soldier Prepares Dinner

I am super pleased to announce that our newest episode covers the side of the Roman army often forgotten, the daily routine of cooking and eating. This is such a fun one since you see very little on this topic in documentaries!

Thanks again for all your support and for the great work done by our new narrator! What did you think of it?

[Note: This video is a patron charge]

[TEASER] Contubernium Scene

Our artists, Robbie McSweeney, just sent me one of the latest scenes for the upcoming Moments episode on the Legions cooking. This piece depicts a Contubernium in camp!

Documentary Updates

I wanted to give everyone a heads up on some of the progress on upcoming episodes requested by Patrons.

1. Everyday Moments - A Legionnaire Prepares Dinner
Status: 85% Done (Art is Done, Video Editing Started)

2. Misunderstood Moments - Rise of the Aztecs
Status: 10% Done (Research is Done, Script in Progress)

3. Ingenious Moments - The House of Islam
Status: 5% Done (Research in Progress)

I am also producing some quicker follow up videos to accompany the moments epi...

Dragon Blade - Romans in China

The movie "Dragon Blade", released in 2015, explores the idea of Roman soldiers facing off against Han Chinese along the silk road. Its a not a great flick but definitely an interesting historical what if. Along these lines there is actually a hypothesis that Roman prisoners from Carrhae actually ended up in China. I'll be exploring this idea in an upcoming video discussion! 

P.S. I am still working on Patron requested "Moments" episodes in the background on the Mesoamericans and the Isla...

300k Subscribers! Thanks for Everything

In the last week we just passed 300,000 subscribers! Never thought I would make it this far but it seems that the focus on history has really paid of and people are greatly enjoying the content. Thanks again for all your support here to make this possible. 

I still owe you all videos on the following requested topics:

-Mesoamerica

-The Islamic Golden Age

-Roman Medics

These are in various stages of development so expect to see them coming out over the next few mont...

Rethinking Crassus and his defeat at Carrhae

I just put out a video which casts a critical eye on the common narrative that Crassus was just a bumbling idiot who fell in to the obvious trap at Carrhae. I really liked doing a bit more on an off the cuff episode as a follow up to the previous episode on "Avenging Crassus". What do you all think about doing more of these casual discussion episodes? 

[ART PACKAGE] Deadly Moments - Avenging Crassus

As always I am issuing a package of the art used in the latest Moments episode. All of the scenes this time around were done by Great Helm. Thank you all once again for your support which makes it possible to commission these awesome art projects.

Deadly Moments in History - Avenging Crassus

Most coverage of Rome and Parthia begins and ends with the Battle of Carrhae. In this latest Moments episode I am happy to announce that we pick up that story where most leave it and analyze the opening salvos of the Roman-Parthian wars. This time around we actually hired Great Helm to do that art as Robbie McSweeney was bust on other projects. I think he did a great job and we may find an opportunity to use his talents again in the future. (Note that this video is a Patron charge) 

I did...