Accuracy of HBO Series: Rome (would like opinions before buy

[Sean Manning]

No one said how a lot of the major characters were butchered in this series -- Cicero is portrayed as a mildly-malicious conniving politician; Cato is an ossified old gadfly, etc. The show is good on production values, but its story is atrocious. I love how Romans take a bath in blood in the first episode -- that's the epitome of realism!

Let me spoil the story for you -- the only good "old-fashioned" Roman in the whole series (Vorenus), sells out. An inspiring show you've got here.

Actually, the ritual of taurobolium at the temple of Cybile was historical, although I'm not sure if its attested in the first century BCE. They played it for shock, but one of the best things about the first season is that they showed that Romans are not 20th century Britons or Americans in togas.