HBO\'s "Rome" to present more realistic look at the

[Marius_Ursus]

but we do know that tea dying was in practice back then

:? )

the historical consultant said that the only two soldiers mentioned by name in Caesar's diaries of the Gallic War were Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo who did - in fact - retrieve the AQUILA from Gallic brigands.

Surely not - there are at least half a dozen individual soldiers mentioned by name in Caesar's Commentaries, a couple of them more than once. Sextius Baculus springs to mind (hoping I get the name right this time!), as does Cassius Scaeva, who seems to have deserted Caesar for Pompeius. There are also Balventius, Lucanius, Petrosidius and others of the XIV legion, albeit only mentioned at the occasion of their deaths... All of these are centurions (plus one aquilifer, I think), as were Varenus and Pullo/Pulfio, but there is, AFAIK, no story of eagles and Gallic brigands: the two centurions engage in a competitive killing-spree whilst beseiged by the Gauls, but nothing more. Incidentally, Caesar doesn't mention which legion Pullo and Varenus belonged to, but it wasn't the thirteenth - they were elsewhere at the time!

But despite such nitpicks, I'm still looking forward to episode 1, which is showing here... tomorrow night.

Thanks for the clarification on Caesar's writing. I really appreciate that.

As far as tea dying is concerned, you don't have to use tea. If I recall correctly, any root- or leaf-boiling that produces a colored water that will stain cloth is considered tea dying, even though it's not necessarily tea that's used.