Roman Empire

 As I mentioned not long ago, I associate Easter with Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, both their myths and their history. So when Easter comes, I watch and read a lot of sword and sandal stuff. I recently finished the Roman Empire docu-drama series on Netflix, narrated by Sean Bean. It's often rigged with inaccuracies (Claudius is depicted as rather handsome and with no stutter or physical ailment whatsoever for instance) and it gets ridiculously melodramatic at a time, but no more than your usual peplum. And there are historians commenting and giving some proper perspective. But I'd enjoy it just for Sean Bean's voice. In any case, watching it has been great fun and it's perfect for Easter.

The Assassination of Caligula

For history buffs here, today is an important date: it is the anniversary of the assassination of Caligula. It also thus the day when Claudius became emperor. A page in history that has been fictionalised and immortalised in I, Claudius by Robert Graves,and its TV series adaptation. I know it is not how it happened, yet for me, this is how I always imagined it happening. Since I first saw it some more than 25 years ago. I was completely blown away. Anyway, here is events unfolding, with Derek Jacobi as Claudius and John Hurt as the mad Caligula. British acting at its finest.

I, Claudius...

It is going to be Easter in a week now, so I thought I would recommend something fitting and what it more fitting than a good old historical novel set in Ancient Rome? It's my kind of pre-Easter read anyway. So I am reading at the moment (and at last) I, Claudius by Robert Graves.The novel is one epic tragicomedy with a very human feel. Despised by the imperial family as its lesser member, stammering Claudius survives wars, schemes, conspiracies of Rome to accidentally and unwillingly become emperor, even though he wants nothing more than the restoration of the republic. Also the source material of one of the greatest British TV drama ever produced, where I first discovered it.