Invicta

Romans in the Heart of Africa: The Expedition to find the Source of the Nile (60AD)

Surprise, new video! 

Punic Sicilian Wars part II will debut later this week. For now, enjoy this video on the Roman expedition to the heart of Africa.

In this documentary, we explore this history of ancient Africa as it was understood by the people of the Mediterranean. We begin with the stories relayed by Herodotus through his accounting of the places, animals, and people that inhabited the vast lands of Libya. We look specifically at examples of Phoenician and ...

2022-08-08 02:13:13 +0000 UTC View Post

[Teaser] Punic Sicilian Wars Part II

We're releasing the second part of the Punic Sicilian Wars this weekend, so here's a snippet of the script (which is still a WIP). Enjoy!

Intro

As Carthage sought to flex its military might overseas, King Hamilcar, leader of the powerful Magonid clan, was keen to gain a foothold on the strategic island of Sicily. Thus it was that in 480 BC he launched a grand campaign to assist local Greek allies against the reigning powers of Akragas an...

2022-08-04 12:28:01 +0000 UTC View Post

[HD Art Package] Female Gladiators

Enjoy the latest art package :)

Female Gladiators- Did they Exist?

NEW VIDEO: Female Gladiators, Did they Exist?

Enjoy :-) Have a great weekend!

In this history documentary we seek to answer the question: Did women ever take to the sands of the arena as female gladiators?

Did women ever take to the sands of the arena as female gladiators? It turns out that we do have many records of this occurring from ancient writings, artistic depictions, and archaeological findings. As one might imagine, the idea of women fight...

2022-07-30 18:34:32 +0000 UTC View Post

LIVE STREAM EVENT

Join us this Friday (July 29) at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time/ 2:00 PM Pacific Time for our Live Stream event on our YouTube channel.

We will be doing a round table of questions and answers from our panel of researchers on the latest episodes released on the channel.

Looking forward to catching you all there!

[HD Art Package] The Carthaginian Navy

Happy Monday! Here's the awesome art package for the release of Carthaginian Navy.

Warships of the Carthaginian Navy

NEW VIDEO: Warships of the Carthaginian Navy

Carthage is primarily remembered through its conflict with Rome over the course of the Punic Wars. Its history, however, stretches far beyond this brief window and includes a long naval history worth discussing. In this video we seek to trace the long history of their exploits at sea starting from the rise of Carthage to its eventual fall.

Enjoy!

[Teaser] Female Gladiators

Two months ago, we polled our YouTube community page on what episode of Gladiators y'all would be interested in seeing. At 44% of the total vote, FEMALE GLADIATORS dominated the poll!

Therefore, I'm very eager to give you all a teaser for our next Gladiator documentary on the FEMALE GLADIATORS. Enjoy!

Intro Hook

The ancient crowds of the Roman arena always hungered for new forms of entertainment. This desire could only be sated by ...

2022-07-24 04:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post

[Teaser] Carthaginian Navy

Here's a little teaser of the script for our newest documentary on the Carthaginian Navy. Enjoy!

Intro

Before the Punic Wars, the Carthaginians stood as the most pre-eminent naval forces of the era. This was a legacy centuries in the making built over many wars often overlooked by history. Today let us get to know these forgotten sailors of North Africa and the warships with which they forged a vast Empire that nearly took down the Roman...

2022-07-21 16:19:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll: Which HTDI would you like to see us cover?

We like polls, don't you?

Here's a brief snippet of each of the videos part of our How they Did It series:

Training a Gladiator- Life in the Ludus: Life in the ludus was as ordered as possible, in line with all the Roman sensibilities of the idea. From the moment a new recruit was bought by the lanista - the owner of the school - their new life would begin. Their rights, depending on what brought them to the sch...

2022-07-21 16:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post

[HD Art Package] Punic Sicilian Wars

Here's the art package for the newest video on the Punic Sicilian Wars. Enjoy :-)

Punic Sicilian Wars- the Battle of Himera (480 BCE)

NEW VIDEO: Punic Sicilian Wars

Our newest documentary examines the Battle of Himera in the First Punic Sicilian War (480 BCE).

Long before Carthage and Rome faced off in the climactic Punic Wars for control of the Mediterranean, the island of Sicily played host to a series of 7 great wars between the Carthaginians and the Greeks. But to understand these Punic Sicilian Wars, we must first understand the region. This documentary begins with an exploration of the geography a...

2022-07-16 18:44:40 +0000 UTC View Post

[HD Art Package] Roman Vacations

Better late than never, here's the art package for the Roman Vacations documentary. Enjoy :-)

Also, how awesome is the Welcome to Sparta image?

[HTDI] Roman Vacations: What Were They Like?

NEW VIDEO: Roman Vacations 

The newest video explores what vacationing was like as an ancient Roman! Life can wear us down, and vacations are a great way to rest and recover. Often we think of this as a modern pastime, but people in the past worked just as hard as us and were also looking for opportunities to unwind whenever they could. Let’s pack our bags and see what it was like to go on vacation in Ancient Rome.

Watch it now!

[Teaser] How They Did It: Vacations in Ancient Rome

🎵 Summertime // Hot short days / Long sweaty nights / The changing of the equinox // Its summertime / And the livins easy 🎵

Here's some of the script for our upcoming video on Vacations in Ancient Rome, enjoy!

Life can certainly wear us down and vacations are always a great way to rest and recover. Often we think of this as a modern activity but people in the past worked just as hard as us and were also looking for their own opportunities to unwind wherever...

2022-07-08 05:21:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Poll: Vote on a new series!

We are thinking of introducing a new series to the channel (indeed, how exciting!). What would you all be interested in seeing as a series? Here are some descriptions below:

Rise of the Byzantines: Our story begins, as many did in the 3rd Century, with an assassination and an acclamation. At the close of the third century the Roman Empire was a state suffering under its own weight. Military momentum had long since died out, and th...

2022-07-07 16:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post

[HD Art Package] Rome's Gay Emperors

Behold, the newest HD art package from the latest video release. Enjoy, and happy pride :-)

Being Gay in Ancient Rome: Emperors and Soldiers

NEW VIDEO: Being Gay in Ancient Rome

Cultural ideas of sexuality have evolved over the centuries and were very different in the ancient world. For the Romans, records show that they were less concerned with the gender of partners so much as they were worried about who played the active role. Therefore, free male citizens were expected to be dominant in all relations, be they with men or women, to preserve their virtue. 

In this episode, we seek to explore these ancient ideas ...

Poll: Which of these lore topics would you like to see in a video?

Hey there, lore and fantasy fans! Which of these topics would you like to see covered in a video topic? 

I forgot to mention this in the previous poll, but please note that whichever video wins these polls won't be released for a while! Now, without further ado, here are some brief descriptions of the options:

Gondor- Fountain Guard: The White Tree was the physical embodiment of Gondor’s ancient Numenorean heritag...

2022-06-30 16:01:07 +0000 UTC View Post

[Teaser] Rome's Gay Emperors

We are ending the month of June and Pride with an exclusive sneak peak at our upcoming documentary on Rome's Gay Emperors.

Societal ideas regarding sexuality have long been evolving over the course of human history. In our own time we bear witness to how just a few generations can affect the changing of the tides. Thus, it should be no surprise that millennia ago, during the age of antiquity, things were very different for our ancestors. Today I’d like to explore this fascina...

2022-06-27 22:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post

HD Art Package: Star Wars

Here it is, the latest art package for the Star Wars video!

Friendly reminder to join our Discord server and start chatting about episodes, memes, anything of interest.

Enjoy! :-)

Edit: I have added the zip file now. I am so sorry for not including that initially!!

Units of Star Wars: Jedi Knights of the Republic

In the premier episode of Units of Star Wars, we explore the galaxy of Star Wars lore and its history. This documentary covers the history of the Jedi Knights of the Republic. Enjoy!

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic before the dark times, before the Empire."

Poll: Which of these Units would you prefer to see in the near future?

Hi, we want to hear from you! 

Tell us which of these Units of History videos would y'all like to see at some point? Here's a brief description of these videos before you make a choice:

The Byzantine Infantry: This video discusses Byzantine Infantrymen which, much like the western peasant soldier, was a levied farmer. These men were given land by the Empire and in return they held a Strateia, roughly translating to ...

2022-06-23 16:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post

HD Art Package: Did Ancient Battlefield Booby Traps Like This Exist?

Woohoo, the new HD art package for booby traps! Enjoy.

The next art package is going to be "out of this world." ;-) Follow us on our social media pages for the preview of our next lore documentary!

Did Ancient Battlefield Booby Traps Like This Exist?

Hollywood battles often culminate in some clever traps used by the underdog to turn the tide of battle. These include the pit traps of Spartacus: War of the Damned, the hidden pikes of Braveheart, the flaming logs of Spartacus, flaming balls of Centurion, and the flaming fields of King Arthur. Such battlefield traps are quite effective on camera and seem relatively easy to pull off. But did they ever exist? 

This video explores the fascinating world of ancient battlefield booby tra...

[Teaser] Were Giant Pit Traps Used?

Here's a teaser of the script for the upcoming Deadly Moments video, Were Giant Pit Traps Used?

Introduction

It's often the highlight of a Hollywood battle when one side deploys a clever trap to turn the tide of battle. This might be a hidden pit or spikes, but will generally involve some flashy pyrotechnics; be it the flaming balls in Centurion, the flaming logs in Spartacus, or the flaming fields in King Arthur. While certainly cinemat...

2022-06-17 19:08:18 +0000 UTC View Post

Live History- What was Roman Army Basic Training Like?

NEW VIDEO: Roman Army Basic Training

Continuing our Live History series, we explore how the Roman army trained raw recruits into soldiers with reenactments. This video was made possible in collaboration with the awesome Imperium Romanum.

This episode is largely based on the detailed account of Vegetius of how the Roman army of the Early Roman Empire was trained to peak efficiency. This all...

2022-06-15 16:43:39 +0000 UTC View Post

HD Art Package: Did the Romans Meet the Dinsoaurs? Ancient Fossils

Better late than never, but at last, here's the art package for the latest video! 

Enjoy :-D

Did the Romans Meet the Dinsoaurs? Ancient Fossils

NEW VIDEO: Did the Romans Meet the Dinosaurs?

Enjoy the newest video, which is just in time for the newest Jurassic World movie. :-D Enjoy!

[Teaser] How They Did It: What Did Romans Think of Dinosaur Fossils?

We're so stoked about the release of this documentary. Here's a teaser of the script for our upcoming video, slated to be released this Friday.

If you're not following us on our other socials, you totally should. Give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, Faceb...