Excellent, for what it is!

I've become something of a devoted little follower of HBO's latest drama-epic, which I do with some trepidation after my supreme disappointment with the way they handled ending my favorite HBO show ever, CARNIVALE. I know my Roman history reasonably well (a liberal education does leave some artifacts), and it is clear to ME that the writers are reasonably well grounded in the history of the Roman Civil War, and more importantly, they did take the time to read historical sources that are divergent from Julius Caesar's self-glorifying account of the conflict.

Mind you, I consider Julius Caesar to be one of the most fascinating individuals to draw breath, but I also know he was an unparalelleled opportunist and talented propagandist to his dying hour.

I'm very impressed with the end result. I knew (of course I knew!) that the producers would inevitably take great liberties with the plot structure, and would create fictional characters to give us the "everyman" view of the historic events as they unfold (thus, the charcters of Lucius Vorenas and Titus Pullo and their plot lines). I suspected that they would take SOME liberties with the general course of the history for the sake of time constraints and narrative flow (much like Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings) and it doesn't really bother me. The end result is probably more Roman history than the average citizen gets in two lifetimes. I hope this is a trend that catches on. Real History (even edited and abridged) can be far more dramatic (and fun!) than almost any fiction, if you give yourself a chance to see the human behind the historical figure. HBO is giving us a chance to see the human Pompey, Gaius Caesar, Marc Antony, etc. and I really commend them for that.

Related to the subject at hand, an "online buddy" of mine, named Jim Adams, recently posted a corrected chronology of the series to his CSW blog that I think is particularly well done:

Now, about Rome and chronology. Here's a list of episodes and the actual timeframes I believe they cover.

Ep 1 - The Stolen Eagle - Caesar's daughter died in 54 BC, and Pompey remarried to Metellus Scipio's daughter Claudia in 52. Caesar was just beginning the first suppression of the revolts at the former time, and fighting the Battle of Alesia at the latter. The episode effectively ends in 51, when Caesar finished his campaigns in Gaul. So, three years in all.

Ep 2 - How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic - It was 50 BC, when the Tribune of the People vetoed the senatorial commands to end Caesar's imperium. Marcus Antonius was elected tribune to serve for the year 49, and the other tribune was bribed by Caesar. It was actually the new consuls who ultimately overrode the legal process and made any attempts at conciliation impossible. Caesar was declared hostis on January 1, 49 BC. So, about a year, perhaps 9 months.

Ep 3 - An Owl in a Thornbush - This covers the crossing of the Rubicon and the evacuation of Rome, perhaps 15 January to the end of February. Caesar's movements around Italy to box Pompey and his meeting with Cicero are omitted, and we're given the impression he moved directly to Rome from Gaul. 40 days.

Ep 4 - Stealing from Saturn - The optimates are still in southern Italy, making it February, but then Caesar arrives in Rome, which was mid-March. He spent, in fact, less than a week in the city, before heading to Spain to deal with Pompey's unled legions. This merges with the folowing episode in a bit of creative timing.

Ep 5 - The Ram has Touched the Wall - Now we see Caesar chase Pompey through Italy, and the Spanish campaigns are omitted. Caesar returns to Rome and then sets out to finish Pompey, but he has departed for Greece, which actually occurred at the end of the chase in early to mid-March. So, we see all the pertinent events (save the Spanish campaign) but in an edited timeline. This episode and the preceding one effectively cover the month of March.

Ep 6 - Egeria - Here we have Caesar leaving Antony in Rome, something that doesn't actually happen til later, but I think they're trying to depict from early on, how Antony disappoints Caesar and eventually loses favour. Antony in fact went with Caesar to Greece, which is where the beginning of this ep finds Caesar, but a Republican flotilla kept Antony from crossing due to limited transport. Caesar headed to Brundisium in late 49 and made the crossing in January 48 BC. So, all of 49 from April to about October is expurgated, which included the Spanish campaign, the failed African war, in which Cato fought against the legate Curio, and Caesar's brief sojourn in Rome as Dictator, during which he cemented his political and legal status and decided Pompey must be beaten. The episode ends with Marcus Antonius deciding to remain loyal to Caesar and bringing the XIIIth across to Greece, which actually occurred in the spring of 48. So, this episode covers April 49 to March 48, about a year.

Ep 7 - Pharsalus - Antony's fleet was indeed wracked by storms and forced to land off course, which separated his and Caesar's forces. The three armies then maneuvered about Thessaly until Pompey brought them to battle at Dyrrachium in July 48. He did indeed win, and should have finished the job. This is depicted in the scene with Cato demanding a decisive defeat of Caesar, while Pompey suggests waiting. As a result, Caesar regrouped and brought about the Battle at Pharsalus in August. Pompey is defeated and abandoned, making his way to Egypt, where he was assassinated on 24 August 48. They missed an opportunity here to capture Caesar's reaction to the battle's aftermath and famous quote "They would have it so, I, Gaius Caesar, after so much success, would be condemned had I dismissed my army." This ep covers, then, April to August 48.

Ep 8 - Caesarion - TBD. Looks like a large period will be covered, perhaps all of the Alexandrian wars and Caesar's "honeymoon" on the Nile.

Attribution: blockquoted text by Jim Adams, on his blog on CONSIMWORLD

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