Rome is coming!

The second season of HBO's series Rome debuts tomorrow night and a certain blogger is very excited about it.



Last season ended with the assasination of Julius Caesar, and this season I envisage to be about the rise of Octavian (as brilliantly played by the talented Max Pirkis). It appears that the central event this season will be The Battle of Philippi. This was where the Triumvirate led by Octavian Caesar and Marc Antony defeated the armies of the conspirators Brutus and Cassius.

Here's how Anthony Everitt
described the second battle (there were two battles over 24 days) in his book AUGUSTUS.

Late in the afternoon of October 23, he (Brutus) led out his troops and combat commenced. There seems to have been little in the way of maneuver; the two sides simply slugged it out like tired boxers. Octavian's troops fought bravely, and silence about his whereabouts suggests that their general was sufficiently recovered to lead them. Eventually they began to push the enemy back "as though they were tipping over a very heavy piece of machinery." Retreat turned to rout. Antony led the pursuit until night fell.

In other words, a bloodbath. It should make for good TV.

In the meantime, which Roman Emperor are you?

You scored as Trajan. You are quite fortunate to rank as the emperor Trajan, possibly the greatest of Roman emperors. You have relentlessly expanded the empire and even humbled the mighty Parthian empire. Loved by all, vastly larger than life, you are the model for all future emperors. It is hard to find a bad thing to say about you. HAIL CAESAR! Trajan 89% Augustus 82% Hadrian 71% Marcus Aurelius 71% Nerva 61% Antoninus Pius 57% Tiberius 54% Claudius 54% Domitian 50% Vespasian 50% Vitellius 46% Commodus 43% Nero 32% Caligula 4% Which Roman Emperor Are You? created with QuizFarm.com