Incapaz de gobernarse a sí misma: Roma de HBO

Abstract

The historic television series Rome (2005-2007), which was created by John Milius and William J. MacDonald, was a turning point for the genre. Coinciding with the rise of cable TV channels, HBO sought to prioritise a product that addressed subjects that would appeal to a more adult audience, so it chose to recreate the great, late-Republican city of Rome during the power struggle between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey. By taking advantage of the only two legionnaires mentioned in Caesar's famous commentaries on the conquest of Gaul, referring to Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, the programme, which was filmed in the prestigious Cinecittà studios, aimed for an in-depth analysis of all the elements that comprised the ancient world (slaves, merchants, senators, patricians, centurions, common women, criminals, and others). The research herein attempts to focus on the potential for learning offered by the two seasons of the show, highlighting the contrast between fiction and classical source data, as well as recent advances in research on this particular historical period. We have also noted a gap in the television story, as the first part advances the protagonists forward in parallel to historic events, while the closing part tries to fit the events into the dramatic plot lines of its characters.