I am in love with this series HBO Romes Battle of philippi, Greece, Roman Civil War.
Makes me want a Rome 2 more than ever.
I am in love with this series HBO Romes Battle of philippi, Greece, Roman Civil War.
Makes me want a Rome 2 more than ever.
Are these series historically accurate ?
Wasn't all that chuffed with the battles in Rome. The battle in Gaul was actually quite disappointing, the Celts were some sort of mixture between Halstatt, merovingian and hobbit, and the whole battle scene just looked like an excuse to show "look! we read somewhere that the centurion blew a whistle and the first line got shifted!"
There were definitely too many "look! We cunningly wove ____ (trepanation, some ceremony...) into the plot!"
The battle of Philippi was a bit better, but I found it to be anticlimatic.
P.S.: Not to mention the "blue Spaniards", the completely unhistorical public execution of Vercingetorix, or the fact that Caesar didn't look like Caesar at all...
Here's a funny thing about Rome: the Romans were extremely superstitious, and they had a series of pre-established religion-based exclamations which varied according to the situation and the gravity; in no case were they blasphemous against their gods. There was this fellow, for instance, who committed a great blasphemy (can't remember which) which somehow entailed that the city would be destroyed; they threw him off a cliff and cringed in terror for the next few days...
So it truly shocked me when I started to hear "by Juno's cunny!" and such being thrown about with such nonchalance.
According to his famous bust and the coins, he was a rather bony fellow, with an aquiline nose, prominent cheekbones and a sleek, angulous face.Casting Irish men as Caesar is pretty funny really. What did Caesar actually look like then? and Octavian?
He certainly wasn't a droopy-eyed, plump-faced Ciarán Hinds
I just cannot agree. Let’s just remember Publius Claudius Pulcher and the chickens - clearly some Romans were willing to blaspheme and do it style too. If Pulcher had won the battle you can bet we would have never faced any consequences for his actions.Here's a funny thing about Rome: the Romans were extremely superstitious, and they had a series of pre-established religion-based exclamations which varied according to the situation and the gravity; in no case were they blasphemous against their gods. There was this fellow, for instance, who committed a great blasphemy (can't remember which) which somehow entailed that the city would be destroyed; they threw him off a cliff and cringed in terror for the next few days...
So it truly shocked me when I started to hear "by Juno's cunny!" and such being thrown about with such nonchalance.
IN PATROCINIVM SVB Dromikaites
'One day when I fly with my hands - up down the sky, like a bird'
But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at such a place; some swearing, some crying for surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their children rawly left.
Hyperides of Athens: We know, replied he, that Antipater is good, but we (the Demos of Athens) have no need of a master at present, even a good one.
Indeed they did, but when they did, it was a big event, as it comes out in the chronicles! Furthermore, in Pulcher's tale, we have a Roman public clearly gloating at his blasphemy portraying him as a man with no virtus.
There is no doubt that the Romans did blaspheme, but certainly not to the extent portrayed in Rome!
Could you picture a community of Quakers who spend their day swearing by the bearded balls of God?
Only cause the star of the scene did this in real life.
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
The Romans were no Quakers. The problem is sources, one need simply compare something like curse tablets to Cicero - or Aristophanes to a stuffy aristocrat like Plato. Considering the kind of invocation one finds on lead curse tables I rather doubt profanity was all that uncommon. Certainly place and time is important - what is acceptable profanity in the army camp or the dockyard is not going to be bandied about the senate or the family table.There is no doubt that the Romans did blaspheme, but certainly not to the extent portrayed in Rome!
Could you picture a community of Quakers who spend their day swearing by the bearded balls of God?
I thought he demanded episodes in the movie be modified because he thought those who had not been there would not find it believable.Only cause the star of the scene did this in real life.
IN PATROCINIVM SVB Dromikaites
'One day when I fly with my hands - up down the sky, like a bird'
But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at such a place; some swearing, some crying for surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their children rawly left.
Hyperides of Athens: We know, replied he, that Antipater is good, but we (the Demos of Athens) have no need of a master at present, even a good one.
Last edited by Farnan; June 18, 2009 at 12:43 PM.
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
A repeat thread.
Obviously:
Passchendaele
Battle for Germania
You're pigeonholing every single Roman into some higher standard. Historical sources usually focus on the accepted social norms at the time, never the behind closed doors talk of less "civilized" men. Every society has its cutthroats, hooligans, potty mouths, or just people who dont follow the social norms.
Although I do agree, Rome took it to a high degree, thats good. Extreme is interesting, if they portrayed average people in average lives talking in average ways it'd be boring as hell.
Originally Posted by Hunter S. Thompson
Ahh where the nice ambush scene where Washington said the British General fellow was an idiot come from in Empire Total War, which is funny because Washington during the French/Indian war was actually the idiot officer. Of course Washington wasn't involved in this fictional battle, but the ambush scene is a near copy but insted of indians it's french soldiers doing the shooting on Empire.
Ahh before CGI cannon fodder moments. Poof of smoke and a dozen fall.
First World War Air Combat on The Red Baron. There is nothing better, even WWII is too fast and flashy and not nimble enough. Wooden nimble air planes with shot gun inaccurate machine guns is the way to go.
Last edited by Lumina; June 18, 2009 at 06:37 PM.
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."-- Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973)
“The nation that will insist upon drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking by cowards.”
—Sir William Francis Butler
most epic battle scene ever