SATURNALIA - Rome’s Most Popular Festival

The Ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia might have been the OG December festival, originating as far back as 500 BCE. For over a thousand years, Romans from the Kingdom, Republic and Empire would drink and make merry in the name of the Titan Saturn, father of Jupiter. Emulating a bygone Golden age, slaves would become masters, commoners could become kings, and even soldiers campaigning in the coldest Winters would sit back and enjoy the week. Learn all about the customs and history of this ancient festival as we move into our own holiday season. Io Saturnalia! Support the channel at Patreon, suggest ideas, share knowledge or even see your video idea come to life! Regular social media updates: Instagram: Facebook: Twitter: Reddit: Sources Used Ancient Texts: Aulus Gellius - Attic Nights (Noctes Atticae) Cassius Dio - Roman History (Ῥωμαϊκὴ Ἱστορία) Catullus - Poems (Carmina) Cicero - Letters to Atticus (Epistulae ad Atticum) Horace - Satires (Satirae) Justin - History of the World (Historia Philippicae et Totius Mundi Origines et Terrae Situs) Livy - History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita) Lucian of Samosata - Saturnalia (Κρονοσόλων) Macrobius - Saturnalia Martial - Epigrams (Epigrammata) Ovid - Metamorphoses Pliny the Younger - Letters (Epistulae) Plutarch - Life of Numa (Βίοι Παράλληλοι: Νουμάς) Seneca - Moral Letters to Lucilius (Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium) Seutonius - Lives of the Twelve Caesars (De vita Caesarum) Statius - The Forest (Silvae) Credits If you see any of your artwork in the video, please let me know so I can give you credit! Film, TV & Game Clips: ’Barbarians’ (2020-2022) | Heckmann, Nolting & Scharf | Netflix © ’Domina’ (2021) | Simon Burke | NBCUniversal © ’God of War II’ (2007) | Santa Monica Studio © ’God of War III’ (2010) | Santa Monica Studio © ’Rome’ (2005-2007) | Milius, MacDonald & Heller | HBO © ’Spartacus: Vengeance’ (2012) | Steven S. DeKnight | Starz © Music: All Music is licensed by Epidemic Sound Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Saturn Who? 03:56 Let the Games Begin 07:19 The Slave becomes the Master 09:22 Saturnalia through the Ages #Saturnalia #AncientRome #Holiday #RomanRepublic #AncientHistory #ClassicalStudies #Classics #History #Latin #Greek #AncientGreek #Mythology #RomanMyths