Rome Season One: History Makes Television

In Julius Caesar's final years, the city of Rome is steeped in power, greed, betrayal, and political intrigue. Few periods of human history reverberate through popular culture in the twenty-first century like that of ancient Rome - especially the turbulent years leading up to Caesar's death in 44 BC. And rarely has this fascinating time been brought to life as vividly as in Rome, Season One, an award-winning joint production between HBO and the BBC. This wildly popular series is a richly layered drama chronicling life in ancient Rome during its violent transition from Republic to Empire - a time that had an enormous impact on world history.

Rome, Season One: History Makes Television is history-making in its own right. The first scholarly text to examine the series' inaugural season, it collects thought-provoking essays by some of the world's most influential - and cutting-edge - scholars in the fields of classical antiquity and popular culture. Focusing on the series' historical framework, visual and narrative style, thematic overtones, and influence on popular culture, the book also addresses the authenticity of the production and considers its place in the tradition of epic films about ancient Rome.

Erudite and highly entertaining, this volume is an invaluable resource for students and instructors alike in its thorough analysis and examination of one of the most compelling decades of Roman history.

Monica S. Cyrino is Professor of Classics at the University of New Mexico. She is the author of Big Screen Rome (Blackwell, 2005) and In Pandora's Jar: Lovesickness in Early Greek Poetry (1995), and has appeared as an academic consultant on the television show History vs. Hollywood on The History Channel. Dr. Cyrino was awarded the American Philological Association's national teaching award in classics (1998-1999).

List of Illustrations.

Notes on Contributors.

Episode Guide.

Introduction (Monica S. Cyrino).

1 Televising Antiquity: From You Are There to Rome (Jon Solomon).

2 Making History in Rome: Ancient vs. Modern Perspectives (W. Jeffrey Tatum).

3 What I Learned as an Historical Consultant for Rome (Kristina Milnor).

4 Rome's Opening Titles: Triumph, Spectacle and Desire (Holly Haynes).

5 The Fog of War: The Army in Rome (Lee L. Brice).

6 Caesar's Soldiers: The Pietas of Vorenus & Pullo (Brian Cooke).

7 Becoming Augustus: The Education of Octavian (Barbara Weiden Boyd).

8 "Not Some Cheap Murder": Caesar's Assassination (Alison Futrell).

9 Women's Politics in the Streets of Rome (Antony Augoustakis).

10 Atia and the Erotics of Authority (Monica S. Cyrino).

11 Her First Roman: A Cleopatra for Rome (Gregory N. Daugherty).

12 Gowns and Gossip: Gender and Class Struggle in Rome (Margaret M. Toscano).

13 The Gender Gap: Religious Spaces in Rome (J. Mira Seo).

14 Staging Interiors in Rome's Villas (Alena Allen).

15 Latin in the Movies and Rome (Ward Briggs).

16 Spectacle of Sex: Bodies on Display in Rome (Stacie Raucci).

17 Vice is Nice: Rome and Deviant Sexuality (Anise K. Strong).

Bibliography.

Index.