As HBO’s “Rome” draws to a bloody, triumphant close (tonight at 9), some viewers can be forgiven for thinking they’ve stumbled across a particularly convincing re-creation of the ancient world courtesy of The History Channel.
But how accurate is “Rome”?
The 12-episode series roughly covers the years 53 to 44 B.C., from Pompey’s war against Julius Caesar to the assassination of Caesar. Octavian - the future Augustus Caesar, considered one of the greatest Roman rulers - was 18 when his uncle was murdered.
The two main characters, Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) and Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), are fictional, representative of the sort of men who lived at the time.
Many of “Rome’s” citizens, however, do have real-life counterparts, in name only, at least.
The historian Suetonius wrote that Brutus’ mother, Servilia, was indeed the love of Caesar’s life.
Cleopatra did give birth to a son in 47 B.C. that Caesar accepted as his own - though Suetonius reported rumors that the child was not his.
“Rome” has great fun at Cleopatra’s expense, implying the child could have been fathered by even a lowly legionnaire. Given that DNA tests on TV have become as ubiquitous as eye exams thanks to the “CSI” franchise, “Rome” reminds us of a time when you could only take the mother at her word - and maybe not at all.
“Rome” takes its greatest liberty in the character of Atia, Octavian’s mother. As played by Polly Walker, she is a she-devil in opulent robes, masterminding her ex-son-in-law’s murder and the brutal mugging of a rival, and pushing her young son into sexual and military situations to secure his position as an heir to Julius. She’s Julie Cooper of the B.C. “O.C.”
The resemblance to the real Atia appears to be slight. Suetonius blames the son-in-law’s death on Caesar, who apparently was trying to arrange a marriage between his family and Pompey’s. The real Atia was seemingly a deeply religious woman who didn’t want her son involved in politics. But the producers made a choice that makes for juicy drama. This Atia is involved with Mark Antony (James Purefoy), who eventually married her daughter Octavia - no doubt we’ll see those hysterics next season. Who said ancient history was dull?
The attitude toward slaves - treated like objects, mere marks of social status - is dead-on but unusual in a contemporary presentation of sympathetic characters. As Vorenus’ situation improves, Niobe (Indira Varma) happily crowds their home with more slaves - even leasing two to simply stand by the front entrance.
As for Caesar’s personal habits, Suetonius notes he was all too happy to wear the laurels offered by the Senate. They masked his receding hairline.
Caesar, it seems, practiced the first combover.