Rome: E.P 6 'Egeria'

March 10, 2025 6:09 PM - Season 1, Episode 6

"Mark Antony is running Rome while Caesar pursues Pomey in the east, but when news comes that the tide has turned and that Pompey now pursue Caesar, Antony must decide whether to remain loyal to his old Commander or turn against him as Atia and Pompey wish. Pullo takes Octavian to a brothel; Atia offers Servilla an Olive branch; Vorenus and Niobe rediscover their intimacy, albeit briefly. (from DVD header)

Ian McNeice is a natural as the news reader he played in 20 episodes. Love the hand gestures. Any scene with the big calendar is always interesting, how clean it is and necomes a symbol of sterility, and order especially in certain shots like the low camera/up as. It's as if the last place than anybody would hang out and look at.
in this episode, (given by Antony no doubt)
The news reader:
"A fleet of ships has set sail for Greece carrying the army of general Marc Antony. This month's public bread is provided by the Capitoline brotherhood of Millers. The brotherhood uses the only the finest flower.
true Roman bread, for true romans."
'Egeria' is an interesting choice considering the politics of the episode and quite the opposite of good council to the third king of Rome. I believe Atias' lavish gifts to Servilla
serve as a blundering attempt at selfish reconciliation, like 10 barrels of ice.

posted by clavdivs (6 comments total)

Pullo is such a good friend to the maudlin Vorenus.

Yeah, I love those proclamations, I wonder if there are records of what would be said? Like, with all the adverts and stuff.

The couple of necklaces cost 3500 (denarii?) while a high class sex worker goes for 1000. Say the necklaces are about ten grand or so, that makes for a $3000 escort?
posted by porpoise at 7:23 PM on March 10

5000 for two then....4000, Merula says 3500 and waves them off. as to the quality of jewelry, that would be interesting too go back and look, I think it was mostly Nice plated gold with some gemstones.

when in Rome.
posted by clavdivs at 7:40 PM on March 10

I was going off of a contemporary "how much would a trophy wife spend on a small gift for themselves" and came up with the $10k number.

The wealth of the Julii are leagues over a suburban housewife of a successful dentist in the US, though.
posted by porpoise at 9:11 PM on March 10

ya.
A gold aureus is worth About 500$ u.s. in today's equivalent. 25 denari equal one gold aureus. ...carry the II... I calculate 3, 500 denari to 140 gold aureus × 500 per today.
70 grand for each piece.

but I think 10,000 is a good round number for an average purchase as this purchase was special for the party for Caesar. if I'm right, I believe the white stallion cost a million denari
posted by clavdivs at 2:20 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

What's a mere one order of magnitude between friends?

edit: do you have any strong feelings about expressing "cash" as talents of silver, the common currency of the age outside of the Roman empire?
posted by porpoise at 10:27 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

gold is a recurring theme and humble to the series and in Caesar's time, the gold aurues
made a comeback. so popular, he put his face on it..

Anotnys offer to Vorenus was in sesterces, 9000. roughly 20000$. Pulli got 100 gold coins for turning over the Treasury. About 5000$ today.
posted by clavdivs at 2:43 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]