DecimusCaesar

Those are good Mods. I hope Rome II leads to other types of mods like Europa Barbarorum for the original Rome, although I doubt this would be the case as it has generated anywhere near the amount of adoration as the original game, and it is also difficult to mod to boost.

This is a fascinating documentary, although I believe that the conclusion that the bodies belonged to men executed under the orders of Caracalla doesn't stand up to the latest research. Supposedly, further analysis of the bones showed some additional damage caused by weapons and even the bite marks of a big cat like a lion. Not only that, there is evidence of flowers and gifts being left at the burial site - suggesting that these people were revered or had some fans. This has lead some to believe that the bodies are those of Gladiators killed in the arena.

I have the first series on DVD. I need to catch up with the rest some other time. The series certainly has its moments - Grumio is pretty amusing.

Here's the latest title in the Total War series, set for release in 2015 - TOTAL WAR: ATTILA.

For those who are interested they are now going to release a Caesar in Gaul DLC in December 2013. It will (obviously!) revolve around Julius Caesar's war against the Gallic tribes. I would post a link but I don't understand the new settings (or they don't work for me).

I've had the DVD for 300 for I don't know how many years now, and I still haven't watched it. Perhaps the sequel might be an excuse to dig it out. I have no doubt this will make a lot of money based on the fact that it has 300 in the title.

I've read Gladiatrix and the sequel Roma Victrix a few years back. I've been waiting for Russ Whitfield to write up third book for sometime now but there is no news anywhere, not on Amazon or his own website. Here's hoping he gets to conclude the series.

I'm currently reading Swords against the Senate by Erik Hildinger. I think the last thing I read before that was an Asterix comic book!

I have always wanted to speak Latin too, but I tend to find it hard to get motivated as it's essentially a lot of hard work and there's virtually no one you can speak to outside of a classics department. One thing that does motivate me is the ability to be able to read a lot historical texts, not just Roman, that were written in Latin.

For anyone who is interested the game is out now (it has been since September 3rd). Compared to the original Rome, the game has come for a hammering especially from old time fans. Just check out the 700+ negative user reviews on Metacritic for that. Professional critics have been far more lenient and it has an average of 79 out of a 100 in positive reviews on the same site. In my own view, the game is far more historically authentic than the first game, but it's less intuitive to play and is far, far too buggy, glitch-filled and rushed to deserve any high scores. It's not a bad game, but it falls low beyond expectations. Has anyone here at UNRV played the game? What do you think - is it epic or just an epic fail?

Excellent work Maty, Well done!

There's lots of new footage in the run up to the game's release. Less than a month to go! A Hannibal Trailer: A Rome II intro Trailer: A 30+ minute Tutorial Campaign intro about the Samnite War:

I agree with Guy, with perhaps Claudius coming in second (if you ignore Julius Caesar, Titus etc) although to be honest, even then he makes Claudius appear as a ridiculous old fool especially in relating some of his strangest exploits such as 'battling' a whale at the port of Ostia. Suetonius wasn't known for being a balanced or objective commentator when it comes to his history, although it is entertaining.

Very interesting article and video. Usually when it comes to Roman fashion styles, the only thing that is discussed is the military. Hair is never mentioned.

Sad news, a shame to see him gone at only 66.

New footage has been released for Rome II, including a trailer for the battle of the Nile in 47 BC, and some gameplay footage.

There seems to be quite few big biographies about Spartacus on the market ( I don't count works of fiction here, they are alright). Which is astonishing when we know very little about the man. Wasn't it Mary Beard who stated that the bigger the book on Spartacus, the less likely it is to be truthful?

I recall watching a talk by Natalie Haynes (the Classicist / Comedian) where she stated that Rome's clashes with Christianity had been exaggerated over time for political and religious reasons. She stated that if Rome had really persecuted the Christians with such relish then the religion would have never flourished in the first place. Instead she points to such individuals as Nero, Decius, and Diocletian as sparking off anti-Christian pogroms, but even then she considers that these were not as severe as people tend to believe. It should be noted though the she was delivering the talk to the British Humanist Society (I think) so that might have made it somewhat biased.

Here's some fantastic looking gameplay footage from the battle of Teutoberg forest. The graphics and the animations look great. This game is shaping up to be quite impressive.

It's funny seeing how the Roman armour in this documentary is depicted. It's almost a direct copy of Asterix or Trajan's column. The Roman helmets appear to be Attic types complete with the iron loop on the top, exactly as they are depicted on Trajan's column and the Asterix comic books. I don't think archaeologists have found any proof of such helmets existing, although one similar type has surfaced, but not being directly tied to any archaeological site, it is difficult to verify its authenticity.

It looks like it could be a very interesting documentary. It reminds me in some ways of the old History Channel series 'Engineering an Empire'. Still, it's nice to see a show about Rome that isn't about the emperors or the Roman army. Documentary makers ought to concentrate more on making shows about the social life of the Romans.

Thanks for the link Ludovicus! I'm looking forward to the podcasts. I have to agree with you that I also side with Bryan Ward-Perkins and Peter Heather on the fall of the Roman empire, even though that view may not be in vogue with many academics these days. I just can't seem to see the continuity between Roman and Post-Roman europe, especially in places like Britain, where there is considerable change and not continuity.

Thanks for this great article Guy. I am fascinated by this era of Roman history, especially the breakaway British empire of Carausius and Allectus. It seems Roman history is filled with these 'little emperor' usurpers, and generals with delusions of grandeur. Even before Domitius Diomitianus rebelled the Empire had already suffered so much in the 'age of anarchy' with mutiny, invasions, rebels and seccesionists. Diocletian may have been despised by the Christians but he certainly brought some semblance of order to the Empire, even if the empire erupted into another civil war after his death. I actually own some coins from third century usurper emperors Victorinus and Tetricus of the Gallic empire. Although obscure, they are certainly better known than poor old Domitius.

Heraclius, although largely seen as a 'Byzantine' emperor is one of the greatest and most fascinating figures of late antiquity in my opinion. It was his tragedy to see the long struggle against the Sassanids come undone due to the Arab invasions. As John Norwich noted, he may very well have been placed on the same pedestal as Justinian and Constantine had he died at his greatest hour, rather than live to see his reconquest undone by the burgeoning Islamic empire.

I was going to go with Aurelian too, considering his title as the 'Restorer of the World'. He helped bring the seccessionist Gallic Empire back into the Roman fold, while putting down rebellions across the Empire. He also famously fought against the armies of Zenobia of Palmyra, and took back the lost eastern provinces from her control. A great but largely overlooked emperor, possibly because he was deeply disliked by the soldiers who assassinated him.