History has amazing highlights and the civilizations
that helped build the world we know of today
have a lot to take credit for.
From the monolithic pyramids at Giza
to the brilliant and provocative artworks of the Renaissance,
you would think that living in any of the centuries
when mankind was reaching for the stars
would be something you would possibily want to witness and participate in,
but I'm here to tell you, you might need to think twice about that.
While being a super cool knight, maybe even at a round table
might sound epic to you
or being one of Socrates' valued students is a high honor,
it's the things that happen in between the knightly duties or the lessons at school
that you should take heavily into consideration.
Because daily life in the Medieval Ages or in Ancient Rome
isn't a real life's nice tale, if you know what I mean.
So in today's video, we are going to talk about some of the things
that may surprise you about daily living in historical times.
So here are 5 horrifying realities of daily life
in the early centuries of the world!
Number 5: Plumbing Problems
How you're gonna poop should be one of the top question on your mind
whenever you go anywhere in the world.
I mean, seriously, you need to be prepared.
But one of the greatest inventions introduced
into human civilization is indoor plumbing.
It is something we take extremely for granted on a daily basis.
To us, it's just part of a routine we go through every morning or every night
or after every Taco Bell run.
I mean, we sit, we flush, we wash,
and once our business is literally down the drain and off to the sewer system,
it is, well, not our business anymore.
As they say, out of mind, out of sight.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for people
living in the days preceding indoor plumbing.
Because, voiding your bowels is an almost non-stop horror movie
that you have to live through every waking day
and every waking moment of your life.
For example, let's talk about the Ancient Romans.
You would think that for a civilization
that has pioneered a revolutionary system for irrigation through the aqueducts,
they would have found a better solution to their plumbing problems.
The Romans did have a way of making a donation at the porcelain altar,
of course, the porcelain altar didn't really exist back then.
And instead of that, there were public toilet
where one would already be risking his or her health
by simply sitting on one of the latrines with pipes
that lead directly to a river of poop.
Believe it or not, you are even at risk of catching fire
using one of these public facilities
because of the large amount of methane build-up
that's steaming out of each toilet seat.
Also, they didn't have toilet paper back then
So guess what they did.
I got two words for you that will strike fear in your very soul.
Communal sponge.
Yeap, communal sponge, think about that.
The Medieval Age was no better.
In those days, people tried to be innovative and creative
in terms of getting rid of their, you know, stuff.
Some would dig cesspits and bury their waste,
but it would eventually spill over to a neighbor's yard.
One woman named Alice Wade created a sophisticated wooden pipe system
that ran underneath her neighbors' yards and home
and led directly to the street where her waste would end up.
It was a clever contraption
until it clogged, backed up her neighbors' sewage
and, of course, you can't fail to notice
the accumulation of poop on the street.
If you think that is already horrific,
well, most people in those days simply "went" in the streets
or wherever it is that they need to do their business in
like, buildings or public squares, and even marketplaces.
So yeah, image walking into a Kroger and down the veggie aisle
and somebody is doing their business there.
Number 4: Traveling Can Be Tricky
Another everyday activity that we can freely do these days is, well, travel.
With the convenience of modern transportation,
we can safely move from one place to another
no matter the distance.
But back in the day, traveling abroad – or even to a nearby town,
is no easy task.
We have all seen movies
where commoners traveled armed only with a walking stick
and a rucksack filled with their personal belongings.
I mean, they would be lucky if they had a horse to ride.
And one of the most challenging parts of traveling in the ancient world
was finding a safe and clean place to rest.
In fact, many travelers had no choice
but to sleep out in the open and be vulnerable to the elements
and either freeze to death or may be attacked by wild animals.
Travelling in a group may sound like a logical way to keep safe
but you would still run the risk of armed bandits
who would not think twice of slitting your throat
before running off with your belongings or,
in a sudden, ironic twist of fate, run the risk of being robbed and murdered
by your companions themselves.
Then you got language barriers
And being ignorance of local customs in a foreign land
may also prove to be a problem.
Language barriers are the obvious hurdles
but in times where political disputes and territorial skirmishes abound,
being misinformed of the goings on may land you a one-way ticket to prison
- if you're lucky.
It also goes without saying that
food and water can be a problem
when you did not plan out your supplies correctly.
Food poisoning is rampant
especially if you end up foraging and hunting for food
that could potentially do more harm to your body than you think.
An inn or a monastery are relatively safe places to find lodgings and food to eat,
granted the elements or wolves or bandits did not get to you first.
So I think it's safe to say that,
back then, if you really don't have to go anywhere important,
just stay at home.
Number 3: No Quarter for the Unemployed
In any government, in any country and in any kind of economic system,
unemployment is a necessary evil in the cogs of industry and progress.
Today, we treat the unemployed humanely
and offer help in the form of welfare, career counseling, and many other programs
that can help anyone get back on their feet and start building a new life.
But the same could not be said for centuries ago
especially in the Medieval Age.
For example, being unemployed in 16th Century England
is somewhat considered as a criminal offense.
Because the unemployed had to wander about
and travel from one town to the next looking for any means of income,
they would often be seen by law enforcement and other locals
as criminals and are swiftly thrown in jail.
Well, the lucky ones at least.
More often than not, the unemployed are tied to carts
and dragged around town while being flogged
and whipped to a bloody pulp.
Talk about motivation.
Number 2: Being a Woman is Really, Ridiculously Tough
The Ancient World, hands down,
is brimming with misogyny and testosterone
that many societies – except for some that also put women in high regard
as their male generals like Sparta
– treat the fairer sex as second class citizens
and just a means of basically producing offspring.
A woman's ordeal in the ancient world begins at birth.
In Athens, for example, it was common practice for a couple
to leave their new born, female child exposed to the elements to die.
Rome is no different.
Especially in poor families,
parents would often choose to raise a son than a daughter
saying that a female child is far too burdensome
and costs a lot more money to rear.
Most families who do have a female infant would opt to kill the child
or leave it exposed to the elements instead.
The virtue of also keeping your virginity
if you were a woman back then was a matter of life and death.
An Athenian man who finds out that his unmarried daughter
is no longer a virgin will sell her off into slavery in the blink of an eye.
Another gruesome story happened in Rome
when a priestess of the goddess Vesta lost her virginity
before reaching the age of 30.
She was promptly buried alive;
and in Israel, a woman who lost her virginity before tying the knot
could be dragged into the streets and be stoned to death.
And, if you think about a dream wedding?
Well, if you were living in the days of the Ancient Romans
and the early centuries of the Chinese and Japanese empires,
you better forget it.
Back then, brides were secured by abducting them through invasion, war,
and whatever conquest their empires are enterprising on.
Number 1: Death by the Common Cold
It goes without saying that the field of medicine
is yet to make a revolutionary step forward
in the days of the ancient Greeks, Romans,
and even the Medieval Ages.
In fact, most deaths that aren't attributed to illnesses
are caused by tiny injuries like cuts and scrapes that, left untreated,
led to severe infection that spread to the vital parts of the body.
If a person is lucky, he gets to keep his life
but lose an infected limb or two.
Among women, childbirth is one of the leading causes of death
because of unsanitary practices and environments.
An infant is also at high risk of dying
due to mishandling and various forms of bacteria
present in the surroundings.
Even wealth and status are no guarantee to keep you in perfect health.
Suffice to say that, with the combination
of an overcrowded urban landscape
and poor medical information,
simply catching the common cold could sign you a one-way trip
to the grave in a matter of days.
I think I would still like the travel back in time
and live in one of these areas.
Personally, I would have picked the Tang dynasty in China,
because that time was supposed to be the height of Chinese civilization.
Now I think I would be really cool travelling back in time,
learn some martial arts,
become a wandering swordman.
Ok, in reality that probably would never happen.
I probably take one look at the toilet and come right back.
But let me know what you guys think.
Would you actually want to travel to certain area in history?
And if you would, which area would that be?
Let me know in the commens below.
Thank you all so much for watching.
I'll see you later.
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