Egeria (Rome)

Rome episode
title=Egeria
caption= Niobe


season=1 (2005)
episode=6 (HBO; see BBC editing)
air_date=October 2, 2005 (HBO)
November 30, 2005 (BBC)
writer=John Milius & Bruno Heller
director=Alan Poul
setting=Rome and Greece (near Dyrrachium)
time_frame= Late spring/early summer, 48 BC
link= [http://www.hbo.com/rome/episode/season1/episode06.html HBO episode summary]
prev=The Ram has Touched the Wall
next=Pharsalus

"Egeria" is the sixth episode of the first season of the television series "Rome".

"With Caesar leading his legions against Pompey, Mark Antony is left to govern Rome, much to the alarm of the Patricians who must bear the brunt of Antony's new policies. Evander's disappearance causes even more divisions within the Vorenus family. Octavian's education takes a new twist as he faces a rite of passage. With news of disaster in Caesar's campaigns, Atia attempts to hedge her family's future with disastrous results, and begins to wonder if reconcilement with Servilia may not be wise. An ambassador brings Antony offers from Pompey, and he must choose whether to trust to Caesar's fate, or betray a friend. Lucius and Niobe find intimacy together in the brief time before Antony's legions sail for Greece, and Pullo discovers that blasphemy has its consequences."

Plot summary

Historical/Cultural background

*Presumbably the Battle of Dyrrhachium occurs during, or before, this episode. Although it is not explicitly mentioned or named, Caesar's letter to Mark Antony, describing his dire military position in Greece uses the line, "now the cat barks at the dog, and Pompey is chasing "me". After the Battle of Dyrrhachium, Caesar was, in fact, retreating towards Thessaly, so it seems reasonable to assume that his letter is referring to the aftermath of "Dyrrhachium".
*Egeria is a figure of Roman mythology – a water nymph and sympathetic spirit to women. The eponymous nymph was famous and revered for having given wise counsel to ancient king Numa Pompilius; the name is still commonly used in French to mean the female inspirator of a political man. Niobe can be seen before a shrine in this episode. Ironically, Egeria is also the name of the young "lady of the evening" to whom Octavian loses his virginity.
*Egeria's "price" - or the price charged by the "house" for her "services" (Egeria is a slave, after all) - is simply whispered as "one thousand". It is unclear what "denomination" of coin the "madam" is referring to - but as most prices in the series seem to be rendered in denarii, it is a reasonable assumption that 1,000 denarii is the fee. The value of the Denarius is discussed in "How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic", but 1,000 denarii is, roughly, USD $20,000. Even if the "madam" is speaking of 1,000 sestertii, this amount is still approximately USD $5,000. Titus Pullo's amazed reaction seems warranted. Note that this is one third the amount Atia paid for two necklaces earlier in the episode.
*Vorenus assures Pullo that "a very favorable offerering was made to Triton". In ancient times, it was standard practice to make offerings to gods of the sea before a voyage to gain favor and thus be assured that one would have a safe journey.

Inaccuracies and errors

*Mark Antony is seen as being in charge of Rome while Caesar is pursuing Pompey abroad. In reality, Caesar's co-consul Isauricus was the official head of state during Caesar's absence, with disastrous consequences for the Roman economy.
*The XIII Gemina Legion had actually gone to Greece with Caesar and Marc Antony and did not stay in Italy.
* It is said that Octavian is 13 at the time of this episode. Obviously the actor is older, and if this episode is indeed happening about mid 48 BC, he was actually 15 at the time.
* The name Octavian is incorrect, and should be Gaius Octavius instead. In Latin the suffix '-ianus' indicates the original family name after an adoption, as a result of which the adoptive son received the full name of the adoptive father. Accordingly, C. Octavius changed his name to C. Iulius Caesar Octavianus after being adopted and made sole heir in his grand uncle's will (44 BC). As a matter of fact, the future emperor did not like and never himself used the epithet Octavianus, as it pointed to his not being born a patrician.
* While marching to Greece, the symbol of XIII Legio seen behind Mark Antony looks like a stork. In fact, the symbols of XIII Legio Gemina were eagle and lion.

Character notes

"None yet"

Plot notes

*The episode ends on a wonderfully ironic/humorous cliffhanger note: Pullo utters a blasphemous complaint about Triton - God of the Sea - because of the storms, and Vorenus just has time to say, "Why can't you learn to keep your fat mouth shut?!" before the ship is capsized by a huge wave and its main mast struck by lightning at the same time. It would "not" be the first time that Pullo's disrespect or invocation of the gods seem to have their respective and predictable effects.

Episode characters

"possibly incomplete"
See also: Character appearances in Rome

Main cast

Guest stars

Egeria (prostitute) played by actress Francesca Fowler ( [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1842417/ IMDB Link] ).

External links

*imdb episode|episode=Egeria|id=0688351
* [http://www.hbo.com/rome/episode/season1/episode06.html Plot Summary] at [http://www.hbo.com HBO]