Authencity of "Rome" tv show?

[ziegenpeter]

Please guys, lets stay ot.
What about the rotation system with the whistle?
Did the soldiers grab the guy in front of them on his hamata?

[Alsatia]

Let us all remember that TV Documentaries are not a good way to reasearch information. Better to get a book.

[teh1337tim]

i assume they did not actually grab the hamata in front of them, a battle scene in the begining and at philipii showed the legionaires as having their sword in the right hand and the shield in their left, unless they have three hands its not really possible. (yes, switch ranks with nothing in sword arm = good plan)


BTW to Chinese used "halberd" type weapons (by european standards) since Mid Zhou era if im not mistaken. And these weaponry are varried among armies and smiths + also units with some as long if not longer than sarissas (it was said during the warring states that some of these units had pikes up to 20 feet long). A infantry would have one similar to a spear length (6-9 feet) while calvalry would have 12-14 foot with chariot riders even longer. Over time they were replaced with the spear and by the three kingdoms era was definately gone from the armies of the Han etc

BOT, that is definately a medieval type halbard...

[Owen Glyndwr]

It looks a lot like the billhooks of the English

http://therionarms.com/armor/polearm2.jpg

Images of Elizabethan billhooks

[Watchman]

Except, you know, they kinda acutely lack the eponymous hook thingy in the cutting side and instead have the "stretched square" axe-blade that was very popular in particularly Swiss halberds at one time.

[Whatever Scortamareva]

I reckon it's better to appreciate the fact that it put the ancient world back into the public eye for a bit, rather than pointing out historical inaccuracies. And, for the main part, there was quite a lot of factual stuff in there. Sexual mainly, but factual too.

[Space_Ed]

From how I understand it Rome is a relatively historically accurate depiction of Rome at the time. One of the things I've never been sure of is how similar the actors playing the Romans look to ancient Romans. To me the Scot playing Lucius Vorenus and his half Indian wife Niobe strains credibility. Not too sure about old Pullo and the second actor who plays Octavian? Any comments? I personally think Atia was well cast as was Posca. I don't think Marcus Antonius was too badly cast either. What do you guys think?

Edit: I thought Cleopatra looked ok to me but I'm not sure about those weird Egyptian costumes in the show.

[moonburn]

as for all the sex complaints i must say that romans where very minded on sex war and strenght wich was the basis of their original society searching for a "vigorous" soldier type that could keep rome safe from all the dangers at it´s doors

someone explained this better by quoting tacitus and other authors on how the imperial era was actually rome´s old age (if we compare it with a normal human life lenght) so yes i don´t believe the sex part (appart from it´s comercial interest) is historically inacurate

as for cato i always found him a facinating caracther of rome cause while he was born in a roman senatorial family (remember he was brutus uncle) and he anexed cyprus to the roman sphere of influence (taking back an huge treasure and roping barrels to every single gold box so that in case of a sinking ship the gold wouldn´t be lost and he couldn´t be acussed of stealing from the roman people) (wich one may add seems very wierd when we know that bibulus cato´s best friend did tryed to steal the syrian gold when he was nominated governor of the syrian province of rome)

cato was very much against the corruption and expecially against epicurists and since he wasn´t an epicurist he hated everything that was considered a luxury like wine or even slaves he only had 2 greek philosophers as personal slaves i believe and was considered a terrible host cause his wine was the cheapest of wine available (but he did married his daughter originally to one of rome´s richest man and most proeminent "lawyer" some soucers claim as a lawyer he and cicero where at the same level)

actually one could write an entire history book on cato wich could explain the several tendencys that romans fallowed during the late republic after sulla´s dictatorship where sulla anihilated 3000 "noble" romans

[bobbin]

To me the Scot playing Lucius Vorenus and his half Indian wife Niobe strains credibility

Given that the character is said to come from the Po valley its not too much a stretch the of the imagination to have a red haired celt playing the part.

I can understand the half indian wife one though(even if the actress is part italian), not that it bothers me indian/middle eastern/european people have quite similar features anyway.

[Watchman]

What about the rotation system with the whistle?

Seems like totally impracticable BS to me. AFAIK all infantry rotated fresh men to the frontline during the inevitable lulls in the fighting - which they pretty much must have had, as there's just no way anyone's stamina could have held up for nonstop hand-to-hand combat for the kinds of times heavy-infantry fighting could go on for.

Did the soldiers grab the guy in front of them on his hamata?

You know I for one fail to see what there is in the hamata for them to grab, anyway... but sounds to me like the makers confused them with one of the posited explanations for those peculiar "yokes", presumably of leather strip, Byzantine infantry around one time wore over their mail; it has been suggested this was in part to adjust the "fit" of their mass-produced mail to the individual soldiers' frames, and possibly so they could if necessary grab a hold of the front guy to brace the formation against enemy charges or somesuch.