The Augusta

Is he one of the Cornelii Lentuli?

Hint: He fought some memorable battles at Iudea. Seleukos? (And don't worry GO and MPC - if I've got this right and it's my turn next, I'll give you a handy little tidbit)

Absolutely not - certainly not me, Asclepiades. However, to pick up MPC's point about the actual character of the man himself - admitting that he was cold-hearted and ruthless as a person does not mean in any way that he was less of a ruler. We who admire Augustus on the Forum (and there are quite a few of us) do not for one moment have any misconceptions about his inner character. But I'm sure our MPC knows that. He's just being provocative, the devil May all the gods forbid that the real Augustus should have been anything like Brian Blessed!

I think Caldrail is trying to say that all these things have been overshadowed by Augustus' rise to power, and that today he is solely remembered for his machinations during the civil wars. I'm sorry, but it's rubbish. I'm all for revisionism, but sheer iconoclasm for the sake of it seems to be beyond all reason. We certainly seem to be going down that path with several figures - not just of antiquity, but throughout all history. This kind of stuff comes and goes in seasons, unfortunately.

Herod Agrippa?

I call my iPod 'Darth iPod'. He's black and shiny. That sounds vaguely naughty, Flavia. Oops - that's me in Tartarus, Neph!

Great stuff, Big A! You are right of course - but I'll bet Lord Gaius takes credit for mentioning Scipio to 'give you a clue'. Your turn, big lad. Give us a good one.

I'm sorry, Caldrail, this is total tommy rot! I am not sure what books you have been reading at all! There was the little thing called The Augustan Peace; there was an enormous rebuilding programme and advances in engineering; there was the founding of colonies; there was stability. Augustus's reign was remembered for all these things. And you are not prepared to call them 'events and advances'? Words fail me, for once - they really do.

How about Ariadne, who gave Theseus his ball of string to find his way round the Labyrinth? Think of all those wires inside your Mac...

Late 3rd century/early 2nd century BC. He proved a huge help in a certain crisis! And No to A's and G-Man's guesses.

No to Pius; No to Lucius Verus. Much, much, much earlier - Republican era. ETA: I should add - to be fair - that this seems to be a 'representation' of the man in question, done at a much later date. However, whenever one Googles him or reads up on him on the Internet, this image is the one nearly always used.

Nope - much, much, much earlier.

OK - this one shouldn't cause too many problems.

Aha! I think I've remembered - amazing what a good portion of cottage pie will do! Is it Mithridates VI?

This is driving me mad - because I actually saw this photo recently when I was searching for an answer to one of Big A's questions. But I can't for the life of me think who he was. I shall have to dredge into my ever-fading memory banks. (Since I turned the half-century, I can remember what I was doing when I was 3, but not what I did yesterday - be warned, all of you!) He's not Roman, is he? As MPC mentioned, he has a look of Alex, but that's probably just the Greek idealism in the portrait. I'll be back after dinner....

Bastards! That's why I subscribe to HBO. Don't tell us that you are one of the favoured 2%, MPC! I knew there was a reason I liked you. There's quite a bit of red and auburn in both my parents' families.

OK, I've had to give up and withdraw, wounded beyond all feeling, from the battlefield that is this debacle. Entertainment is one thing, but we are all history lovers on here, and when history is warped beyond any recognition of what even the thickest bloody school kid would know, some of us just have to throw in the towel. Good points: Beautifully shot (I say that again) with a very tasty lead, who nevertheless looks and acts nothing like the real Henry VIII (even when he was young and attractive) - and should really have a blonde rinse on his hair and be given the role of Caligula. The Anne Boleyn looks perfect except for her blue eyes (which should be black as this was one of her most attractive features, and she even passed them on to Elizabeth I). However, her face is so arresting that one can actually believe it is Anne Boleyn - and let's face it, there have been some ropey representations in recent years. The good performances are still there among the also-rans - although I am finding that Sam Neil is descending into caricature as Wolsey (not his fault - this is poorly directed). But when we get a merging of Henry's sisters into one character I draw the line. And the script gets worse by the episode. What on earth is to be gained by twisting history when its not even necessary to do so? I wanted to give this a good go - alas, it is a mess. I have given up now and leave the rest of the series to my daughter who is watching because she says it is a costumed version of Desperate Housewives and The OC. How right she is! Please, Showtime - no more English history! Anyone else in England still watching this tripe?

Forgive me, Spittle, but when I see Brando hailed as some example of great acting, I really know just how bad this Augustus movie was!!!!! Bring it on if you want to argue the point. But then, I'm in a really irritable mood - I've just finally given up on the Tudors after 3 episodes of total bloody drivel!

Hehe - now you're at it, GPM! Must I lecture you all on your hairstyles. This is a classic coin of late Republic/early Principate due to the lady in question sporting the 'nodus' hairstyle. As a first guess, Ingsoc, I'll go for Octavia, wife of Antony, sister of Augustus.

Hmm. Well, that was quick! Seriously - well done, Ingsoc - your turn.

Phew - after that (and well done, Big A - that was a real challenge) here's something a wee bit easier: No clues at first - let's see if someone spots this first off.

OK, Big A - you've had a good run for your money. The Augusta is here to apply her logic of hairstyles and the reading of your clues. First of all - this man is not Roman due to his hairstyle. On a closer inspection, I noticed that he wears some kind of thing! Then I thought about him being the grandfather of a Triumvir's children - so I went through every Triumvir (both First and Second Triumvirates). I came up with Antony. So, Fulvia, Octavia and Cleopatra. Hence - I have deduced in true Hercule Poirot fashion - that this is Ptolemy XII - or Ptolemy Auletes if you prefer, old Cleo's Dad. Please tell me I'm right. This one has been very hard. How dare you slip in a non-Roman, you cad!

Ah, dear Gaius Octavius and his disciples: I think you have me confused with someone else. The Augusta would never concern herself with such mundane minutiae as air traffic control. This, my dear Gaius, is a mechanical job requiring little brain, and therefore far more suited to men. Nor would The Augusta scream like a fish-wife at those less capable. She is a compassionate person, and men have clumsiness inbred within them. It is like a birth defect. She would simply - and QUIETLY - send more capable men out onto the runway to take over while the incompetents were executed as humanely as possible - for as I said - she is most compassionate. And Gaius - do you think for one moment, that I would allow an ex-husband to live! You have been warned....

The only person I can think of from this period with 'musical fame' is Hortensius, who was also rich, but I can't see how he fits the other clues you've given, Big A. In any case, I'll go for him: Hortensius.

Thanks again everyone for your kind thoughts and words. I can't really believe I'm as old as all that... but as everyone tells me - it's only a number. Alas, GPM - the trip to Rome has had to be postponed due to a crisis we had a couple of months ago that required huge funds - but I will be taking myself off to la bella citta' some time early next year.