Commentary on Metatron's "Were The Ancient Romans Nordic? The Truth" (part 1)

Boom! Such a great content, and I am just at the beginning.

Thank you so much man. Your channel is refreshing and I truly appreciate it.

I love so much how you quoted the VERY Italic sources stating how they projected themselves as blonde and the ones that explicitly say to be wary of the "darker". I honestly have no idea what Metatron was thinking, skipping the very Aeneid and other illustrious sources while quoting Malalas (that he even spell Malasas) to pretend that a 6th century Syrian author would be the key point that Romans were "white" but not "blonde". The worst was by far the distinction between flavus and sub-flavus, has this guy even ever read classical Latin literature?

Damn, the part on flavus was really painful. How did Metatron even come up with that?

Interested in your comments about the racial identity and racial angst of the Imperial Romans. Have you made any videos on this topic? Was very bothered the other day when a historian I follow made the claim that racism originated with the American slave/master dynamic. I feel that these strange suggestions (ironically using reactionary rationales to progressive ends) is co-emergent with the nordicism you’re correcting in this video.

I also feel that while Metatron's work is generally positive, he tends to use the same identity politics card to make a point, emphasizing his "Mediterranean" or Sicilian background as if it were a suitable middle ground between "blondes" and "blacks" (or whatever) as a racial categorization: which is painful enough, especially having a basic idea of what Italians themselves actually look like. This aligns with Schwerpunkt's channel theme which suggests that we should recognize that being born in a particular place does not necessarily equate to a deep understanding, competence, or expertise in local history. Schwerpunkt's videos, including this one, truly exemplify the superior quality of historical content on the platform and highlight the stark class divide.

One of the issues associated with larger channels is that they gain popularity by familiarizing the audience with shallow content. Nowadays, it seems like people are no longer actively seeking specific content; instead, they are drawn to individuals who claim to be experts and only tune in if it strokes their ego. By simply taking a glimpse at Schwerpunkt's videos, one can comprehend the substantially higher quality present, without even boasting about competence, truth, and other elements.

These are the clear dangers of creating a 20-minute video on a topic that is actually much more intricate. One cannot attack the misguided Nordicist narrative by first exaggerating the concept way beyond what the original authors discussed with some level of caution, and then selectively quoting random information from one author to suggest it goes beyond the well-documented and nuanced examination of the racialistic issues of ancient elites. This is particularly problematic when claiming to adhere to logic, facts, objectivity, and "TRUTH", while blatantly disregarding the contradictory sources and conveniently ignoring any mention of the Nordicistic ideology or similar references found in recognized scholarly literature (which appears too challenging). I appreciate Schwerpunkt for showcasing the distinction between a PhD and an individual with a master's degree - their video aligns perfectly with other instances where people claim "academic" authority without even comprehending its true meaning.

I loved all the 3 hours

I love the part on the tawny haired guy of the Ausonians

The most shocking part is when Metatron says that being blond or red-haired was "unnatural" for the Italics (wtf?)

Thank you for sharing that. It is widely known that the Italian population has largely remained unchanged since pre-Roman times, with fair hair and light eyes being commonly found among natives with only a small contribution from later invasions. Unfortunately, many people, especially from the US, have been influenced by self-referential racial stereotypes and inadequate education or parenting, leading them to erroneously believe that Italians are invariably dark. This misconception is consistently perpetuated in various pseudo-historical reconstructions throughout all the media from generations. I appreciate your inclusion of primary and original Roman sources that openly refer to the blondness among Italic and Latin individuals, as well as highlighting the difference between proper education and amateurism.

As an archaeologist I was definitely surprised to hear Metatron speaking of an 'objective truth', I am not sure what his involvement in the discipline has been but even a cursory knowledge of archaeology would dissuade you from imagining this is achievable. Not even scientific factors such as stratigraphic analysis are beyond subjectivity and usually any claim requires lengthy discourse and revision among peers. I was also shocked to see there was no discussion on what 'nordic' means specifically, especially being a concept used for modern populations being not neccessarily relevant to antiquity, especially in the mediterranean sphere.

Thanks for this video. Another thing Metatron actually didn't address is the similarity between European populations in general. Whether conquerors were fairer, they would have blended at that point to an average dark look: it's impossible for the Celtic population to have been even close to red-blonde hair in prevalence by Early Imperial times and it's pretty obvious as well that many Italians were themselves of Celtic descent and/or blonde/blue-eyed because of the prior Italic, Illyrian, etc. invasions. So I don't really understand where Metatron is supposed to go: was there ever anyone who seriously claimed that Italians or Gauls were Nordic at any point in history?
I also particularly appreciate how Schwerpunkt pointed out that there is obviously no significant trace of Germanic linguistic influence among the Italics because by the time of the Indo-European invasions, the various linguistic branches of these peoples were not even differentiated yet. And yes, there are studied similarities between early Latin and Norse poetry that can easily indicate the obvious and millennia-old contact that Southern, Central, and Northern Europeans always had, intensively, also due to their common ancestry.
Finally, I find it commendable of Schwerpunkt to quote the right sources about the Italics speaking of their "flavian" beard as much as their older heroes being fair-haired and even red, which are more abundant and representative than Metatron's choices. It's paradoxically mistakes like these that fuel Nordicistic narratives: the fact that Central-Northern-Baltic Europe was obviously fairer than the Mediterranean one has little to do with claims of the "unnatural" character of colours that could be easily found in the very Italian genetic background, let alone those ancient Latin sources that make it clear how blonde and red hair were part of the ancestral Italic onomastics since the origins of the peoples.

The most beautiful thing about this channel is that it's designed exclusively for intelligent people. If you're not one you can't even begin to understand which is wholly what you deserve

Thank you for this piece of academic erudition. We Europeans are quite self-aware of our ethnic characteristics and as we grow old we're shocked to learn that Americans generally believe us to be separated into racial categories. It's definitively not strange or unnatural to see a Nordic-looking person as part of the habitual phenotypic Southern European landscape. Many non-Europeans don't seem to be able to cognitively accept that and have to make it up the explanation through a real obsession for racial mixing that was developed in the 19th century to comfort the suprematistic inferiority complexes of the masses that couldn't afford the Empire. In other words, Romans could not have ever been blonde like Scandinavians in any way and if today one sees an Italian looking as such it must be because of the Normans and not because of the Indo-European migrations millennia BC, including the Italic ones (without any attempt of explanation, if in the US people even know what Italic history is or means). I remember looking at some early Osprey art drawings depicting the Romans as uniformly short, dark skinned and dark-like-peech haired, without any variation: this is the mindset in which most people have been raised in the Anglosphere and unfortunately I see also many Southern Europeans playing on the stereotype as they hear their history being told by someone else in need for attention.

Interesting. I never thought how much Reddish hair was a thing in the ancient past, although even in bible there is a character with red hair Xd.
I remember reading that Scipio Africanus was a blonde man and seeing his bust, he is no different from any other roman statue so I started wondering about how much "dark" the romans were.
I mean, isnt it possible that maybe because enviroment some developed a more darker tone of hair? Or that they "dark" was just a tan?

Btw good to see the roman bloodline got preserved. Catholicism and the papal states pretty much preserved Roman Identity in the turmoil of the migration period. Kinda Sad how English scholars like to portray the church as 100% evil while making racial claims about all mediterranean. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't like if the anglo saxons were portrayed looking like Mr Bean

Finally some intelligent historical content on the Internet. Really appreciate the round up of Romano-Italic sources expressly defining the blondness and even red-hairedness of their ancestral identity. How can anyone go out there with a straight face claiming the "truth" about such a topic by ignoring the single most important sources of Latin literature like the Aeneid? Just a simple search...

Of all the quotes Horace and Tibullus' were the coolest! Thanks Schwerpunkt. I also don't understand how a person in the 21st century can ignore the loads of Latin literature or a basic genetic history of major Western countries. There was notoriously plenty of blue eyed and blonde and red haired people in Romano-Italic history.

A minute of silence for all those who think that Metatron is even supposed to be an academic source of any sort or that cheaply researched 15 minutes videos have anything to do with any trace of historical relevance. Unfortunately the masses are becoming ever more mentally disturbed

Unfortunately we live in a world in which the average "adult" literally (I stress here literally as shockingly, speechlessly, incredibly) has never even conceptualized the most elementary notion of the Italic people being Indo-Europeans as much as the entire Roman ethos and spirituality translated in the Empire and Romanity reflecting it. Not knowing history is typical of inferior cultures and not knowing the abc of major Western countries means to be existentially underdeveloped. Thank you Schwerpunkt for showing what it means to be European

In depths of history lies a tale unspun,
Where scholars parse the fabric, woven tight,
Amidst the echoes of those battles won,
Yet visions clash in shadows of the night.

Metatron’s claims, a keen and vibrant spark,
Yet stir within the hearts of learned minds,
For “truth” is seldom found within the dark,
Objective truths—like grains of sand—do bind.

“Nordic” speaks of parties danced in vain,
While language twists and turns upon the stage;
Fair traits, once held in honor, now in chain,
A complex past, reduced to simple page.

Yet Schwerpunkt shines, illuminating lore,
With sources rich in wisdom’s deep embrace,
Each quote a mirror to the truths of yore,
That fairer hues in Italy found their place.

With eyes on Aeneid’s timeless embrace,
Where blonde and tawny flowed through veins of peaks,
Discourse reveals the scars of race and face,
And questions linger deep, as history speaks.

For in the quest for knowledge, myths unwind,
Where ignorance and bias blind the keen;
To claim the darker hues of man defined,
Rejecting shades that sit in between.

So let us rise, embrace the shades of fair,
And challenge notions that do histories taint,
For fairness lies in tales that softly share,
The truths that echo past—a vibrant saint.

In this age of clicks and rapid fire fame,
The depth of knowledge often left displaced,
Let’s seek the voices eager to reclaim,
The nuances in history’s bold embrace.

From ancient Rome to current conflict's sway,
Let’s honor all the threads that interlace;
And forge a path, where learning lights the way,
In history’s embrace, every hue has grace

Sind sie Deutscher?
Fascinating talk. Listening to it in parts. Not a fan of the image used, though, since it has nothing to do with the subject being discussed, but oh, well.

What Metatron (or rather Raffaello Urbani) needs to understand is that it's not about being "Nordic," "Germanic," or "Scandinavian," but simply about having a common Indo-European or steppe ancestry. Hell, even The Etruscans had steppe ancestry, and they didn't speak an Indo-European language.
I doubt he has even seen frescoes from Iron Age Italy portraying blonde and ruddy Sabines, for example. It wasn't just the Romans, or Latino-Faliscans. We have to also take into account the other Italic peoples INCLUDING The Tyrrhenians or Etruscans.

There is undoubtedly a Celto-Italic connection. It's so apparent just in analyzing the linguistic similarities.

I did not know that bit about the Romans calling them "Graeculí." Sources???

Another thing that Metatron fails to realize is that the Nordic phenotype can be very brunette, more often than not.

Conclusion: Metatron is neither an anthropologist nor acknowledging other sources from the Romans themselves that don't fit his narrative.

Not repeating from the "supermarket of citations," as you put it, for studying history is such an excellent point. Listening to the end!

Thank you Schwerpunkt for proving what it means to be a PhD who has studied Latin, Latin literature and Roman history for decades. It's incredible how many people are not able to follow experts' channels and just root with low-key content made by incompetent people.

I would like to point out that thanks to Metatron there are now other 10,000 mentally disturbed people who believe that Central Italy doesn't and didn't have blonde and blue eyed people as a regular component of their phenotypic landscape. I mean, this is not a joke, it's the real world in which we are living thanks to these "people"

It's somehow very telling how the average Metatron supporter can't even listen to 5 minutes of this video to understand that their emotivism betrays the fact that have no clue of what this video is actually about. Imagine being a literal person not knowing that Italics had loads of blondes and blue eyed people and going out there in the world on top of it