Utica (episode of Rome)
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For other uses of Utica, see Utica.
| "Utica" | |
|---|---|
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| The death of Metellus Scipio | |
| Season | 1 (2005) |
| Episode | 9 (HBO; see BBC editing) |
| Air date(s) | October 30, 2005 (HBO) December 21, 2005 (BBC) |
| Writer(s) | Alexandra Cunningham |
| Director | Jeremy Podeswa |
| Setting | Rome, Thapsus, and Utica, Tunisia |
| Time frame | February 6, 46 BC (the date of Battle of Thapsus), possibly into the beginning of 45 BC See also: Chronology of Rome |
| Link | HBO episode summary |
| Prev: Caesarion Next: Triumph |
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"Utica" is the ninth episode of the first season of the television series Rome.
With Scipio and Cato defeated, Caesar returns home to a hero's welcome. Vorenus and Pullo's showdown with local thug Erastes gets an unexpected reprieve from Caesar. Servilia's plan to use Octavia to unearth a secret about Caesar backfires.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
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Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. |
[edit] Memorable quotes
"You look like laundry."
- Titus Pullo to Lucius Vorenus, upon seeing him being fitted with the pure white toga of a candidate.
"Brother, tell me something..." "Ah, now comes the price."
- Conversation between Octavia of the Julii and Gaius Octavian after having sex.
"You fucked your sister, you little pervert!"
- Atia of the Julii to Gaius Octavian, after learning he had had sex with his sister.
[edit] Historical and cultural background
- The Battle of Thapsus, which occurs just prior to the opening of this episode, was the end of the Optimates' influence in Africa. The resistance to Caesar was not yet broken: Gnaeus Pompeius and Sextus Pompeius would rally the Optimates cause in Hispania, where the Optimates would challenge Caesar for the last time at the Battle of Munda.
- In this episode Caesar appoints Octavian a Pontiff. Whether this actually occurred is unclear, but what is clear is that Caesar made Octavian his adopted heir in 46 BC. This would have far-reaching consequences after Caesar's death, as Octavian's legitimacy would lead to the Second Triumvirate, and eventually to the Principate with Octavian becoming Augustus. The adoption is not mentioned in the series.
- Caesar makes the comment that he has the authority to appoint whoever he chooses to the College of Pontiffs. This is because Caesar had been elected Pontifex Maximus for life. While this might seem a historical footnote, given all the other offices and powers Caesar acquired, the religious orders determined the calendar. Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar, which would stand until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII adjusted it to make the Gregorian Calendar in common use today.
- The poem Octavian reads to Octavia of the Julii is Carmen 2 written by Gaius Valerius Catullus (84-54 BC). The sparrow (Latin passer) which is the subject of the poem is often taken to be symbolic of the poet's penis. It is sometimes even stated that passer was an actual slang word for the male member, though if this is so, it is not attested elsewhere.
[edit] Inaccuracies and errors
- Cato committed suicide in Utica, Tunisia, after hearing of the defeat at battle of Thapsus. He was not present at Thapsus as depicted here.
- Although shown as being assisted in suicide by his aide, Scipio was actually killed during the battle of Thapsus or drowned while trying to escape, depending on the account.
- Titus Pullo tells his slave Eirene that he too was born a slave. This is of course a complete impossibility since only Roman citizens could enlist in the legions. Non citizens (freemen from allied states, freedmen, foreigners) could join the auxilia and receive citizenship upon honorable discharge from service.
- Vorenus seems unfamiliar with the practice of putting on a toga. This is strange since, as a citizen, it would have been expected that he should have worn it on some formal occasions before, the toga being the very emblem of the adult Roman citizen with full entitlement to his rights.
- Timon explains his unusual headgear in the episode's final scene as an element of his observance of the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur. This presumably refers to the well known custom among Jewish men of covering one's head as an expression of reverence for God. However, the practice of wearing a skullcap uniquely designed for this purpose (also known as a kippah or a yarmulke) was not devised until the Middle Ages. Although Timon's preference for a skullcap of this sort is not necessarily inaccurate, the intimation that he would own such a hat is anachronistic.
- In the same scene, Timon's companion sarcastically refers to Timon as a rabbi. Use of honorific term Rabbi, which means "my master" in Aramaic, is not attested in the 1st century BC, and appears to have developed in Judaea in the mid 1st century, several decades later than the story takes place. The earliest known evidence of the term's use in Italy is a late 4th-early 5th century epitaph recovered in the Campanian town of Brusciano.
- Cato initially cut his stomach to commit suicide, and was found by a slave, who took him to a doctor to be stitched back up. Cato then requested some time alone, and tore open his new stitches, bleeding to death.
[edit] Character notes
None yet
[edit] Plot notes
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[edit] Episode characters
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Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. |
possibly incomplete
See also: Character appearances in Rome
[edit] Main cast
[edit] Guest stars
[edit] External links
- "Utica" at the Internet Movie Database
- Plot Summary at HBO
