1.
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
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Ancient Rome, The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning points in the history of the Roman Empire. This docudrama focuses on the Latin-speaking western half of the Roman Empire, series Producer Mark Hedgecoe has stated that he made the series in response to previous films that have tended to ignore the real history and chosen to fictionalise the story. The series was filmed with the Panasonic SDX900 DVCPRO50 professional camcorder in widescreen progressive scan mode at 25 frames/s. In his opinion, the camera delivered better footage than a Digital Betacam camera, and provided rich, filmic feel, the series was co-produced by BBC, ZDF and the Discovery Channel. BBC History commissioned the online-game CDX to tie-in with the series, of episode two on Caesar she stated that the historians have got their chilly mitts on, pointing out that it was so painstakingly dull that Nero, always a crowd pleaser, had to be shown first. He states that after extensive research, I declare this one to be historically accurate. This is the story of the most famous Roman of them all, how he risked everything to tear down the government he served and bring revolution to Rome. At the close of the Gallic Wars, Gaius Julius Caesar finds his army encircled by a force of Gauls. An inspiring speech to his troops, promising to rescue Rome from its rulers and restore it to its people, raises opposition from Senators Cato. Caesar refuses to disband his army crossing the Rubicon, plunging the Republic into civil war and turning his deputy Labienus. Caesar captures Rome unopposed after Pompey is forced to withdraw his vastly outnumbered legions, Caesar seizes the emergency funds from the treasury to fund his campaign, but, failing to pay off his soldiers, is later forced to decimate his own rebellious Ninth Legion. Pompey amasses an army in Greece while Caesar leads a one-year campaign against opposition in Spain. In Greece, Caesar is forced to retreat inland by Pompey at the Battle of Dyrrachium but is victorious when the Senators force Pompey into an attack at the Battle of Pharsalus. Caesar overturns the Republic and has himself made dictator for life and this is the story of what happened when the most powerful man on Earth lost his mind and brought the Empire to the brink of destruction. Nero witnesses the Great Fire of Rome from his villa in Antium and hurries back to the capital to try to control the fire, Seneca tells him to rule like the gods and he vows to build an inspirational city of marble and stone on the ruins. The expense threatens to bankrupt the empire and Tigellinus is sent to rob the temples, the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero and have Gaius Calpurnius Piso proclaimed as emperor is revealed, and the conspirators, including the trusted Seneca, are executed. Nero inaugurates the biggest arts festival in Roman history with himself at the top of the bill, in the furious throes of increasing megalomania he kicks his wife Poppea to death. A now isolated Nero leaves Rome in the hands of the Senate as he sets out on a tour of the empire
2.
Historical period drama
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The term, historical period drama refers to a work set in an earlier time period, usually used in the context of film and television. It is an informal term that can apply to several genres and is often heard in the context of historical fiction and romances, adventure films. A period piece may be as long and general as the ages or as limited as one decade, for example. Historical drama film stories are based upon events and famous people. A period film is a film that attempts to depict a specific time period. Examples include movies like Cinderella Man, Schindler’s List, Les Misérables or Lincoln, the most common type of period piece is the historical period piece, both on stage and in movies. This category includes Robin Hood, Barry Lyndon, Amadeus, The Young Victoria, films that are set in the 1930s and 1940s, such as Last Man Standing, can also be placed in this category. Other examples include Marie Antoinette, Middle march, and Pride, many highly successful television series have been known as period pieces. Notable examples include The Tudors, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey, Deadwood, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Little House on the Prairie
3.
Bruno Heller
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Bruno Heller is an English screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for creating the HBO television series Rome and CBS television series The Mentalist and he has recently produced the TV series Gotham – based on the Batman franchise – for FOX. Hellers father, Lukas, was a German Jewish emigre and screenwriter and his mother, Caroline, was an English Quaker and instrumental in keeping up the Labour Partys Save London Transport Campaign. He has three siblings, including Zoë, a columnist and writer who has published three novels, including Notes on a Scandal, Heller graduated from the University of Sussex near Brighton. Heller was a union soundman working in England in the 1980s when film sets were staunchly hierarchical, while working as a soundman on a series of films about Englands infamous Miners Strike, Heller met well-regarded Portuguese director Eduardo Guedes. The two collaborated on what would become Hellers first writing credit, the 1994 film Pax starring Amanda Plummer and he left England for New York, where he would meet his wife, Miranda, at a disco. After five years in the city, Heller moved to Los Angeles, but his breakthrough came with Rome, which he co-created. After the cancellation of that series for its costs, Heller created The Mentalist. In September 2012, it was reported that Heller sold a legal drama named The Advocates to CBS, which was written and executive produced by him and he is currently creating and writing on a TV series based on the Batman character James Gordon called Gotham for Fox Broadcasting Company. The fictionalised Vorenus and Pullo manage to witness and often many of the historical events presented in the series. He has acted as the showrunner from season 1 to season 6. As of season 7, he departed the show to focus on his new show, the Mentalist follows Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation based in Sacramento, California. He has a track record for solving serious crimes by using his amazing skills of observation. Jane also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium using paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. He abandoned his pretense out of remorse when his attention-seeking behaviour attracted the attention of a killer named Red John who killed his wife. Season 1 Pilot Red Hair and Silver Tape Red Johns Friends Carnelian, as originally conceived, the series serves as a straightforward story of Gordons early days on the Gotham City Police force. The show includes not only the Bruce Wayne character, but also the stories of several Batman villains, including the Penguin. The first season consisted of 22 episodes after being extended from sixteen, the show premiered on 22 September 2014
4.
Kevin McKidd
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Kevin McKidd is a Scottish-American television and film actor, director, and occasional singer. He also provides the voice of John Soap MacTavish in the video games Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty and he also played Poseidon in the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Lightning Thief. McKidd was born on 9 August 1973 in Elgin in northeast Scotland, the son of Kathleen, a secretary, and Neil McKidd, at 17, he worked at the Macallan distillery in Speyside. He later went to work with the Lumsden family of coppersmiths and he attended Seafield Primary School and Elgin Academy, and was a member of the local amateur dramatic group, Moray Youth Theatre. Planning to study engineering, he attended the University of Edinburgh. He joined Edinburgh Universitys student theatre company, Bedlam Theatre, where he was a member of the comedy troupe The Improverts. After playing Tommy in Trainspotting, McKidd was cast as Father Deegan in the 1996 Christmas episode of Father Ted, subsequent roles include Malky Johnson in Small Faces. In 2004, he played James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, in 1999 he was part of an ensemble cast in Mike Leighs Topsy Turvy, depicting the development of Gilbert and Sullivans The Mikado. The actors researched their historical characters and used this knowledge during extensive rehearsals to help develop dialogue for scenes blocked out by Leigh, McKidd, like the rest of the cast, did his own singing in the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas portrayed in the film. In 2001 he played Elliot in the British film Understanding Jane and he appeared in Ridley Scotts Kingdom of Heaven, and in the 2002 film adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby. In Neil Marshalls horror film, Dog Soldiers, he appeared as Pte Lawrence Cooper, in the 2005 BBC drama, The Virgin Queen, he played Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. In 1998, McKidd was in the four part BBC2 series Looking After Jo Jo and he was also one of the main stars of the joint HBO/BBC series Rome, where his portrayal of the soldier/politician Lucius Vorenus received critical acclaim. McKidd also starred in the premier of Caryl Churchills newest play and he played Todd, the romantic partner of Joan, and her co-worker as hat maker. Additional work includes his role in the Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal Rising, in late 2007, McKidd began his role as the lead character in the American Fantasy television series Journeyman on NBC. Despite building an audience, the show suffered from the fractious situation in America due to the writers strike at the time. His role in Rome led to McKidds casting in the drama series Greys Anatomy as Dr. Owen Hunt. He made his debut in the seriess seventh season, directing the episode Dont Deceive Me. He won the award for Best Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline at the 14th Prism Awards for his work in Greys Anatomy
5.
Ray Stevenson
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George Raymond Ray Stevenson is an Irish actor. He is known for playing Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome, Stevenson has portrayed two Marvel Comics characters, Frank Castle/The Punisher in Punisher, War Zone and The Super Hero Squad Show, and Volstagg in Thor and its sequel Thor, The Dark World. In the film Kill the Irishman, Stevenson portrayed Cleveland mobster Danny Greene, in 2012 he appeared in the seventh season of Dexter as Isaak Sirko. He also portrayed the character Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of Black Sails, Stevenson was born in Lisburn, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot father and an Irish mother. He moved with his family to Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in 1972, at the age of eight, and later to Cramlington, Northumberland, Stevenson attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29. Stevenson has starred in feature films, primarily in supporting roles. He made his debut in The Theory of Flight with Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter, in 2002, Stevenson starred in a short film No Mans Land, which was the antipodal picture from actor/director Edward Hicks prior to his graduation from the London Film School. In 2004, Stevenson starred alongside Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in King Arthur and he portrayed Dagonet, a knight of the round table who sacrifices his life for his comrades. Stevensons first leading role in a film was in the Scottish horror picture Outpost and that same year, he also starred in Punisher, War Zone, as Frank Castle, The Punisher, a former Marine turned vigilante after the murder of his family. In 2010, Stevenson played an antagonist in the comedy The Other Guys, alongside Mark Wahlberg and he worked with Kenneth Branagh again, this time as a director, in the adaptation of Marvel Comics Thor, starring in the role of Volstagg, one of Thors trusted comrades. Also that year, he played Porthos in Paul W. S. Andersons adaptation of The Three Musketeers, on 8 July 2011, Stevenson was cast as Firefly in G. I. Stevenson played 2014 along Samuel L. Jackson in the Finnish-American thriller film Big Game, in 2014, he starred in the film Divergent, based on the first book of The Divergent Series, written by Veronica Roth. He reprised his role in the sequels, The Divergent Series, Insurgent, released in March 2015 and he is known for playing the character of legionary Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome. He shares the lead starring role in the series with Kevin McKidd, Other TV-work includes guest appearances in popular TV series including Waking the Dead and Murphys Law as well as lead roles in City Central and At Home with the Braithwaites. He has also appeared in several TV films such as Some Kind of Life in 1995, in which he co-starred with Jane Horrocks, and The Return of the Native, which also featured Catherine Zeta Jones. Some of his earliest parts were in two Catherine Cookson films, The Dwelling Place and The Tide of Life, Ray reprises his role this time as the voice of the Punisher in The Super Hero Squad Show. Stevenson plays as Isaak Sirko in the season of Dexter in 2012. On 24 March 2015 it was announced by producers that Stevenson would be joining the cast of the STARZ series Black Sails as the character Edward Teach and his stage work includes playing the part of Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays in 2000 at York Minster
6.
Lindsay Duncan
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Lindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she has won two Olivier Awards, a Tony Award for her performance in Private Lives and another Tony Award nomination for her role in Les Liaisons dangereuses, Duncan has starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include, Barbara Douglas in Alan Bleasdales G. B. H, Servilia of the Junii in the HBO/BBC/RAI series Rome, and Adelaide Brooke in the Doctor Who special The Waters of Mars. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to drama, Duncan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in a working class family, her father had served in the army for 21 years before becoming a civil servant. Her parents moved to Leeds, then Birmingham when she was still a child, Duncan attended King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham through a scholarship. Despite her origins, she speaks with a received pronunciation accent, as of 2011, her only role with a Scottish accent is AfterLife. Duncans father died in a car accident when she was 15 and her mother was affected by Alzheimers disease and died in 1994, she inspired Sharman Macdonald to write the play The Winter Guest, which was later adapted as a film by Alan Rickman. Duncans first contact with theatre was through school productions and she became friends with the future playwright Kevin Elyot, who attended the neighbouring King Edwards School for boys, and followed him to Bristol, where he read Drama at university. She did a number of odd jobs while staging her own production of Joe Ortons Funeral Games, Duncan joined Londons Central School of Speech and Drama at the age of 21. After her training she started out in summer weekly rep in Southwold to gain her Equity card and she appeared in two small roles in Molières Don Juan at the Hampstead Theatre in 1976, and she joined the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester when it opened. She performed in the very first productions at the Royal Exchange, in 1978 she returned to London in Plenty by David Hare at the National. She appeared on the television in roles in a special episode of Up Pompeii. and in The New Avengers. The next year she took her first major role on film in Richard Eyres Loose Connections with Stephen Rea, at the same time her television work included a filmed version of Frederick Lonsdales On Approval, Reilly, Ace of Spies and Dead Head. In 1985 she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company for the production of Troilus and Cressida, in September she created the role of the Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the play by Christopher Hampton after the French novel by Choderlos de Laclos. The play opened at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon, on 8 January 1986 the production transferred to the 200-seat theatre The Pit in Londons Barbican Centre, with its original cast intact. In October of the year the production moved to the Ambassadors in the West End. In April 1987 the cast, including Duncan, took the play to Broadway, for her performance she was nominated for a Tony and won the Olivier Award for Best Actress and a Theatre World Award. In 1988 Duncan won an Evening Standard Award for her role of Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, at the same time she became a regular in the plays of Harold Pinter and the television work of Alan Bleasdale and Stephen Poliakoff
7.
Tobias Menzies
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Tobias Menzies is an English stage, television and film actor. While working in theatre, he starred in shows such as Rome where he played Brutus. He is also known for his role as Frank Randall and Jonathan Black Jack Randall in Outlander. Tobias Menzies was born in North London, England, the son of Gillian, a teacher, and Peter Menzies and he has one younger brother, Luke, who is a solicitor. Menzies attended the Perry Court Rudolf Steiner School in Canterbury, Kent, where he was trained in the Steiner System, next he attended the Frensham Heights School near Farnham in Surrey at the same time as Hattie Morahan and Jim Sturgess. He went on to attend Deborah Moodys Year Out Drama Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1993–94 and he studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1998 with a BA in Acting degree. Menzies worked with the Spontaneity Shop, a British improv comedy company and he began his TV and film career in some of British televisions most popular series, including Foyles War, Midsomer Murders and Casualty. He also appeared in A Very Social Secretary directed by Jon Jones and he is best known to international audiences for his starring role as Marcus Junius Brutus, Julius Caesars friend and later co-assassin, in the award-winning HBO/BBC epic series Rome. Menzies had a role in The Low Down with Aidan Gillen. But Menzies also discovers a surprisingly attractive vulnerability in the character I missed the first time around and this is where Menzies performance is most thrilling. He shows how language strives to express the self and to pin down the truth, what do I think and feel. Menzies delivery of the To be or not to be and this is one of the finest and most exciting Hamlets I’ve seen. Plays the fool dazzlingly, a stage natural and he gives it everything, even the fight. In April 2007 Menzies appeared as William Elliot in ITVs production of Jane Austens classic, Persuasion, the Yorkshire Post said, The one who burns the brightest is Tobias Menzies as the idealistic perpetual student Trofimov. He also was the Home Secretary in the television drama Spooks. Menzies plays Edmure Tully, the heir to House Tully of Riverrun in HBOs Game of Thrones, in 2012, he appeared in the political satire series The Thick of It during series 4 as Simon Weir, as part of the Goolding Inquiry. In 2014, Menzies played Maggie Gyllenhaals bodyguard, Nathaniel Bloom, in 2016 Menzies was cast to play a lead role in AMCs anthology series The Terror to be broadcast in 2017. Tobias Menzies at the Internet Movie Database Outlander Interview
8.
Lee Boardman
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Lee Boardman is an English actor and narrator. He is best known for playing Murray Priestman in Drop Dead Gorgeous as well as the drug dealer Jez Quigley in Coronation Street and he appears as Timon the Jew in the television series Rome. He also made an appearance in the episode of the 2011 BBC crime-drama series Death in Paradise. In 2013 he starred in the ITV1 comedy drama series Great Night Out as Hodge, in 2014 he played the recurring character of Amerigo Vespucci in Da Vincis Demons. In 2006, Lee starred in the film Fated and he was also the narrator of popular Police documentary Road Wars and its spin off Street Wars. His BBC series Drop Dead Gorgeous won Best Comedy Drama at the British Comedy Awards 2008, Boardman was born in Stockport, England. He attended Reddish Vale High School in Stockport, Boardman then graduated from the Oxford School of Drama and is married to his former Coronation Street co-star Jennifer James. They have one son, Jack Alexander, born March 2004 and a daughter, Scarlett Marie, born April 2010
9.
James Purefoy
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James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor, producer and director. He was born in Somerset and attended Sherborne School before training at the Central School of Speech and his appearances in stage plays and a variety of television roles in the UK and USA have grown since the 1980s. Purefoy was born in Taunton, Somerset, the eldest son of Anthony Chetwynd and he boarded at Sherborne School, which he left with only one O-level. He later went to school and received 11 more O-levels. He worked as a porter at Yeovil District Hospital before studying acting at the Central School of Speech, Purefoys early professional roles included Romeo in Romeo and Juliet in Leatherhead, Walter in Mary Morgan at the Riverside Studios and Alan Strang in Equus on tour. He subsequently joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988 and appeared in The Constant Couple, Macbeth, The Tempest, The Man Who Came to Dinner and he returned to the RSC for Simon Callows stage adaptation of the film classic, Les enfants du paradis at the Barbican. He also played Hugh de Morville in Paul Corcorans Four Nights in Knaresborough at the Tricycle Theatre, Purefoy was screen tested for the role of James Bond in 1995 for GoldenEye, but ultimately lost the role to Pierce Brosnan. Throughout 2004 and 2005 Purefoys name was rumoured as a candidate to replace Brosnan as Bond in future films. He played James McCarthy, a man accused of murdering his father, in The Boscombe Valley Mystery. One of his roles was as Nicholas Jenkins in the eight-part miniseries A Dance to the Music of Time for Channel 4 in 1997. He played Edward, the Black Prince in the film A Knights Tale, Rawdon Crawley in Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon and Tom Bertram in the 1999 production of Mansfield Park. He was originally the actor for V in the 2006 Film V for Vendetta but had creative differences with the production team, parts of the film contain scenes of Purefoy. Speculation suggested that his departure was due to an opportunity to play James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale and he played Mark Antony in the HBO/BBC original television series, Rome. At the time there were rumours that at least one body in the show had been digitally enhanced. Producer William J. MacDonald announced that James Purefoy would play Simon Templar in a new TV series of The Saint, the new series was scheduled to start shooting in Berlin and Australia in April 2008. However, production ultimately did not occur and in August Purefoy was reported as negotiating with NBC to star in another series and he starred as Teddy Rist in the summer television series, The Philanthropist, which aired on NBC beginning on June 2009. His character is a playboy who decides to use his wealth. In 2013, The Following debuted, starring Purefoy as the lead antagonist of the series and he portrays Joe Carroll, a former professor who becomes a serial killer and leads a cult of followers, all whom help create Carrolls story
10.
Ian McNeice
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Ian McNeice is an English actor and voice actor. He plays Bert Large in the drama series Doc Martin. McNeice was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire and his acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. The next few years were spent in theatre, including a career with the Royal Shakespeare Company. McNeices television breakthrough was as Harcourt in the award-winning series Edge of Darkness and his television appearances have included all seven series of Doc Martin, in which he plays Bert Large, as well as the third episode of the second series of Lewis. He appears as the Newsreader in the HBO/BBC production Rome, McNeice has also appeared in a number of films, including 84 Charing Cross Road, Day of the Dead, No Escape, From Hell and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. His breakthrough into American films occurred when he played Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura and he played the Nazi Gerhard Klopfer in the 2001 BBC/HBO television film Conspiracy. Since then, he has been in Around the World in 80 Days and he also appeared as Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2007, he made his Doctor Who debut when he guest-starred as villain Zeus in the Big Finish BBC Digital Radio 7 drama Immortal Beloved. He had a role as Joachim von Kortzfleisch, a German general who refused to put his troops under the command of officers plotting to depose Hitlers government. McNeice was initially cast in the role of Illyrio Mopatis in the HBO pilot of Game of Thrones, McNeice also stars as The Architect in the independent feature film The House of Screaming Death, set to release in 2017 Ian McNeice at the Internet Movie Database
11.
Lazio
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Lazio is one of the 20 administrative regions of Italy, situated in the central peninsular section of the country. With almost 5.9 million residents and a GDP of more than 170 billion euros, Lazio is the second most populated region of Italy and its capital is Rome, capital and largest city of Italy. Lazio comprises an area of 17,236 km2 and it has borders with Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche to the north, Abruzzo and Molise to the east, Campania to the south. The region is flat and hilly, with small mountainous areas in the most eastern and southern districts. The coast of Lazio is mainly composed of beaches, punctuated by the headlands of Circeo. The Pontine Islands, which are part of Lazio, lie opposite the southern coast, behind the coastal strip, to the north, lies the Maremma Laziale, a coastal plain interrupted at Civitavecchia by the Tolfa Mountains. The central section of the region is occupied by the Roman Campagna, the southern districts are characterized by the flatlands of Agro Pontino, a once swampy and malarial area, that was reclaimed over the centuries. To the south of the Tiber, other groups form part of the Preapennines, the Alban Hills, also of volcanic origin. The highest peak is Mount Gorzano on the border with Abruzzo, see also, History of Italy The Italian word Lazio descends from the Latin word Latium. The name of the region also survives in the designation of the ancient population of Latins, Latini in the Latin language spoken by them. Although the demography of ancient Rome was multi-ethnic, including, for example, Etruscans and other Italics besides the Latini, in Roman mythology, the tribe of the Latini took their name from king Latinus. Much of Lazio is in flat or rolling. The lands originally inhabited by the Latini were extended into the territories of the Samnites, the Marsi, the Hernici, the Aequi, the Aurunci and the Volsci, all surrounding Italic tribes. This larger territory was still called Latium, but it was divided into Latium adiectum or Latium Novum, the lands or New Latium, and Latium Vetus, or Old Latium. The northern border of Lazio was the Tiber river, which divided it from Etruria, the emperor Augustus officially united almost all of present-day Italy into a single geo-political entity, Italia, dividing it into eleven regions. However, the wars against the Longobards weakened the region. With the Donation of Sutri in 728, the Bishop of Rome acquired the first territory in the region beyond the Duchy of Rome, the strengthening of the religious and ecclesiastical aristocracy led to continuous power struggles between secular lords and the Pope until the middle of the 16th century. Other popes tried to do the same, during the period when the papacy resided in Avignon, France, the feudal lords power increased due to the absence of the Pope from Rome
12.
Sofia
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Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city has a population of 1.26 million, while 1.68 million people live in its metropolitan area, the city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country, within less than 50 kilometres drive from the Serbian border. Its location in the centre of the Balkan peninsula means that it is the midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, whereas the Aegean Sea is the closest to it, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BC. Being Bulgarias primate city, Sofia is a hometown of many of the local universities, cultural institutions. Sofia is one of the top 10 best places for business in the world. Sofia is Europes most affordable capital to visit as of 2013, for the longest time the city possessed a Thracian name, derived from the tribe Serdi, who were either of Thracian, Celtic, or mixed Thracian-Celtic origin. It seems that the first written mention of Serdica was made during his reign, during the Romans civitas Serdenisium was mentioned the brightest city of the Serdi in official inscriptions. The city was major throughout the past ever since Antiquity, when Roman emperor Constantine the Great referred to it as my Rome, other names given to Sofia, such as Serdonpolis and Triaditza, were mentioned by Byzantine Greek sources or coins. The Slavic name Sredets, which is related to middle and to the citys earliest name, the city was called Atralissa by the Arab traveller Idrisi and Strelisa, Stralitsa or Stralitsion by the Crusaders. The name Sofia comes from the Saint Sofia Church, as opposed to the prevailing Slavic etymology among Bulgarian cities and towns. It is ultimately derived from the Egyptian Kemetic word sbÅ, meaning star, door, teaching and wisdom and this was a tradition of collection of wise literature, shared between Mediterranean cultures, which was called sophia in Greek. In these documents the city is called Sofia, but at the time the region and the citys inhabitants are still called Sredecheski. The city became popular to the Ottomans by the name Sofya. In 1879 there was a dispute about what the name of the new Bulgarian capital should be, the citys name is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the o, in contrast with the tendency of foreigners to place the stress on i. The female given name Sofia is pronounced by Bulgarians with a stress on the i, Sofia has an area of 492 km2, while Sofia City Province has an area of 1344 km2. Sofias development as a significant settlement owes much to its position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by the Balkan mountains to the north. The valley has an altitude of 550 metres
13.
Alik Sakharov
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Alik Sakharov is a Soviet-born American television director. A former Director of Photography, he is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. Sakharov was born in Tashkent, former USSR and lived there the first seven years of his life, when he turned eight, Sakharov was moved to Moscow. He spent the next fourteen years of his life there, Sakharov moved to the United States in 1981, settling in the New York City area. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1988, in 1985, Sakharov entered the U. S. film scene as director of The Russian Touch—a topical documentary about the Russian people comprising the third wave of immigration to the United States. In 1992, he directed a silent short film Pausa—a visual meditation dedicated to the memory of the poet of cinema Andrei Tarkovsky. Sakharov began sharing the responsibilities of a cameraman in 1985 in the New York industrial video scene, eventually progressing to shooting music videos, commercials. Sakharov served as Director/co-Executive Producer in the season of Starz television series BLACK SAILS. Sakharov also served in seasons One and Two of TWC/Netflix mega budget series MARCO POLO and he also directed a Christmas special episode entitled MARCO POLO, One Hundred Eyes. On August 28,2016, a Twitter post with a picture of the coversheet of the script of the episode of House of Cards indicated that episode will be directed by Sakharov. As a member of the Sopranos creative ensemble, Sakharov was honored twice by the American Film Institutes A Year of Excellence Award, in 2004 Sakharov earned the 19th Annual ASC Awards nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a single camera category for The Sopranos episode Long Term Parking. In 2007 Sakharov won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for the ROME episode Passover, in 2013 Sakharov won the OFTA Award for Best Direction In A Drama Series for Game of Thrones
14.
Martin Kenzie
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He was a member of the British Society of Cinematographers as a Camera Operator and was later elected a Full Member of the Society with BSC accreditation in 2012. Kenzie was diagnosed cancer and was being operated on with the help of Macmillan Cancer Support. He died on 16 July 2012 at the age of 56, the Game of Thrones season three premier episode, Valar Dohaeris, aired on 31 March 2013, was dedicated to the memory of Kenzie in the credits. Kenzie was born on 29 April 1956 in Cambridge, England, later he worked for the camera department at Samuelson Film Services while preparing motion picture cameras for hire. His first feature film work was for Stanley Kubricks The Shining where he worked as an assistant cameraman with films cinematographer John Alcott. Till 1984, Kenzie continued to work as a Second assistant camera on various films including Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones, since the beginning of his career, Kenzie made significant contributions as a Second unit director. Alongside feature films, Kenzie also worked for Television, Kenzie was diagnosed with cancer and was being operated on with the help of Macmillan Cancer Support. He died on 16 July 2012 at the age of 56, British Society of Cinematographers announced a memorial service to celebrate Kenzies life on 2 September 2012. The television series Game of Thrones dedicated its season three episode, Valar Dohaeris, aired on 31 March 2013, to the memory of Kenzie in the credits. Kenzies work for the series was appreciated for its use of subtle color palettes based on the specific times and places of the story-line
15.
HBO
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Home Box Office is an American premium cable and satellite television network that is owned by Time Warner through its respective flagship company Home Box Office, Inc. HBO is the oldest and longest continuously operating pay television service in the United States, in 2014, HBO had an adjusted operating income of US$1.79 billion, compared to the US$1.68 billion it accrued in 2013. HBO has 49 million subscribers in the United States and 130 million worldwide as of 2016, the network provides seven 24-hour multiplex channels, including HBO Comedy, HBO Latino, HBO Signature and HBO Family. It launched the streaming service HBO Now in April 2015, and has over 2 million subscribers in the United States as of February 2017. In addition to its U. S. subscriber base, HBO distributes content in at least 151 countries, HBO subscribers generally pay for an extra tier of service that includes other cable- and satellite-exclusive channels even before paying for the channel itself. Cable providers can require the use of a converter box – usually digital – in order to receive HBO, many HBO programs have been syndicated to other networks and broadcast television stations, and a number of HBO-produced series and films have been released on DVD. The new system, which Dolan named Sterling Information Services, became the first urban underground cable system in the United States. In that same year, Time-Life, Inc. purchased a 20% stake in Dolans company, in the summer of 1971, while on a family vacation in France, Charles Dolan began to think of ideas to make Sterling Manhattan profitable. He came up with the concept for a television service. Dolan later presented his idea to Time-Life management, though satellite distribution seemed only a distant possibility at the time, he persuaded Time-Life to back him on the project. To gauge whether consumers would be interested in subscribing to a pay television service, in a meeting of Dolan and some Time-Life executives who were working on the project, various other names were discussed for the new service. Home Box Office launched on November 8,1972, however, HBOs launch came without fanfare in the press, as it was not covered by any local or national media outlets. Home Box Office distributed its first sports event immediately after the film, Four months later in February 1973, Home Box Office aired its first television special, the Pennsylvania Polka Festival. Home Box Office would use a network of relay towers to distribute its programming to cable systems throughout its service area. Sterling Manhattan Cable continued to lose money because the company had only a small base of 20,000 customers in Manhattan. Time-Life dropped the Sterling name and the company was renamed Manhattan Cable Television under Time-Lifes control in March 1973, Gerald Levin, who had been with Home Box Office since it began operations as its vice president of programming, replaced Dolan as the companys president and chief executive officer. In September 1973, Time-Life, Inc. completed its acquisition of the pay service. HBO would eventually increase its fortunes within two years, by April 1975, the service had around 100,000 subscribers in Pennsylvania and New York state, in 1974, they settled on using a geostationary communications satellite to transmit HBO to cable providers throughout the United States
16.
BBC Two
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BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. It covers a range of subject matter, but tending towards more highbrow programmes than the more mainstream. Like the BBCs other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence and it is a comparatively well-funded public service network, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most public service networks worldwide. Originally styled BBC2, it was the third British television station to be launched, a high-definition version of the channel launched on 26 March 2013, replacing BBC HD. British television at the time of BBC2s launch consisted of two channels, the BBC Television Service and the ITV network made up of regional companies. Both channels had existed in a state of competition since ITVs launch in 1955, the 1962 Pilkington Report on the future of broadcasting noticed this, and that ITV lacked any serious programming. It therefore decided that Britains third television station should be awarded to the BBC, prior to its launch, the new BBC2 was promoted on the BBC Television Service, the soon to be renamed BBC1. The animated adverts featured the campaign mascots Hullabaloo, a mother kangaroo, however, at around 18,45 a huge power failure, originating from a fire at Battersea Power Station, caused Television Centre, and indeed much of west London, to lose all power. BBC1 was able to continue broadcasting via its facilities at Alexandra Palace, associated-Rediffusion, the London weekday ITV franchise-holder, offered to transmit on the BBCs behalf, but their gesture was rejected. At 22,00 programming was officially postponed until the following morning, there was believed to be no recording made of this bulletin, but a videotape was discovered in early 2003. By 11,00 on 21 April, power had restored to the studios and programming began. The launch schedule, postponed from the night before, was successfully shown that evening. In reference to the cut, the transmission opened with a shot of a lit candle which was then sarcastically blown out by presenter Denis Tuohy. To establish the new identity and draw viewers to it. The production chosen was The Forsyte Saga, a adaptation of the novels by John Galsworthy, featuring well-established actors Kenneth More. Unlike BBC1 and ITV, BBC2 was broadcast only on the 625 line UHF system and this created a market for dual standard receivers which could switch between the two systems. On 1 July 1967, during the Wimbledon Championships, BBC2 became the first channel in Europe to begin broadcasts in colour. The thirteen part series Civilisation was created as a celebration of two millennia of western art and culture to showpiece the new colour technology, BBC1 and ITV later joined BBC2 on 625-line UHF band, but continued to simulcast on 405-line VHF until 1985
17.
Rai 2
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Rai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started broadcasting on 4 November 1961, in the eighties it was known for its political affiliation to the Italian Socialist Party, in recent years it has shifted its focus toward talk shows, reality television and infotainment. The channel is scheduled to start HDTV broadcasting by the end of September 2013, since late 1975, then called Rete 2 began airing some new shows in colour, then beginning semi-regular colour broadcasting during the autumn season. Rai 1 followed its sister network a few months later, eventually, regular broadcasting in colour began on 1 February 1977. Rischiatutto, one-hour-long Italian version of Jeopardy, hosted by Mike Bongiorno, aired on Thursday night, from 5 February 1970, at 9,15 PM. About 20 million viewers watched every episode of the show, the first one aired on Rai 2 to enter in the list of the Ten Most Watched Programs on Italian TV during the year, the final two seasons were aired on Rai 1. Ondalibera, was a comedy and satirical show hosted by a very young Roberto Benigni in his television debut. In the show, the Tuscan peasant Mario Cioni hosts a program aired in the local channel Televacca. Using a sometimes vulgar and desecrating speech, with a heavy Tuscan accent, Benigni improvised monologues and satirized the TV medium, co-hosts were the boor Monna and his daughter Donatella, a Daisy Mae Yokum stylish young woman
18.
1080i
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1080i is an abbreviation referring to a combination of frame resolution and scan type, used in high-definition television and high-definition video. The number 1080 refers to the number of lines on the screen. The term assumes a widescreen ratio of 16,9, so the 1080 lines of vertical resolution implies 1920 columns of horizontal resolution. A1920 pixels ×1080 lines screen has a total of 2.1 megapixels and this format is used in the SMPTE 292M standard. The choice of 1080 lines originates with Charles Poynton, who in the early 1990s pushed for square pixels to be used in HD video formats, within the designation 1080i, the i stands for interlaced scan. A frame of 1080i video consists of two fields of 1920 horizontal and 540 vertical pixels. The first field consists of all odd-numbered TV lines and the second all even numbered lines, 1080i differs from 1080p, where the p stands for progressive scan, where all lines in a frame are captured at the same time. In native or pure 1080i, the two fields of a frame correspond to different instants, so motion portrayal is good and this is true for interlaced video in general and can be easily observed in still images taken of fast motion scenes. However, when 1080p material is captured at 25 or 30 frames/second, it is converted to 1080i at 50 or 60 fields/second, respectively, in this situation both fields in a frame do correspond to the same instant. The field-to-instant relation is more complex for the case of 1080p at 24 frames/second converted to 1080i at 60 fields/second. Both field rates can be carried by digital television broadcast formats such as ATSC, DVB. The frame rate can be implied by the context, while the rate is generally specified after the letter i. In this case 1080i60 refers to 60 fields per second, the European Broadcasting Union prefers to use the resolution and frame rate separated by a slash, as in 1080i/30 and 1080i/25, likewise 480i/30 and 576i/25. Resolutions of 1080i60 or 1080i50 often refers to 1080i/30 or 1080i/25 in EBU notation, 1080i is directly compatible with some CRT HDTVs on which it can be displayed natively in interlaced form, but for display on progressive-scan—e. g. Most new LCD and plasma TVs, it must be deinterlaced, depending on the televisions video processing capabilities, the resulting video quality may vary, but may not necessarily suffer. For example, film material at 25fps may be deinterlaced from 1080i50 to restore a full 1080p resolution at the frame rate without any loss. Preferably video material with 50 or 60 motion phases/second is to be converted to 50p or 60p before display, worldwide, most HD channels on satellite and cable broadcast in 1080i. This also allows local newscasts on these ABC affiliates to be produced in the resolution to match the picture quality of their 1080i competitors
19.
DVD
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DVD is a digital optical disc storage format invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. The medium can store any kind of data and is widely used for software. DVDs offer higher capacity than compact discs while having the same dimensions. Pre-recorded DVDs are mass-produced using molding machines that physically stamp data onto the DVD, such discs are a form of DVD-ROM because data can only be read and not written or erased. Blank recordable DVD discs can be recorded using a DVD recorder. Rewritable DVDs can be recorded and erased many times, DVDs containing other types of information may be referred to as DVD data discs. The OED also states that in 1995, The companies said the name of the format will simply be DVD. Toshiba had been using the name ‘digital video disk’, but that was switched to ‘digital versatile disk’ after computer companies complained that it left out their applications, Digital versatile disc is the explanation provided in a DVD Forum Primer from 2000 and in the DVD Forums mission statement. There were several formats developed for recording video on optical discs before the DVD, Optical recording technology was invented by David Paul Gregg and James Russell in 1958 and first patented in 1961. A consumer optical disc data format known as LaserDisc was developed in the United States and it used much larger discs than the later formats. CD Video used analog video encoding on optical discs matching the established standard 120 mm size of audio CDs, Video CD became one of the first formats for distributing digitally encoded films in this format, in 1993. In the same year, two new optical disc formats were being developed. By the time of the launches for both formats in January 1995, the MMCD nomenclature had been dropped, and Philips and Sony were referring to their format as Digital Video Disc. Representatives from the SD camp asked IBM for advice on the system to use for their disc. Alan E. Bell, a researcher from IBMs Almaden Research Center, got that request and this group was referred to as the Technical Working Group, or TWG. On August 14,1995, an ad hoc group formed from five computer companies issued a release stating that they would only accept a single format. The TWG voted to both formats unless the two camps agreed on a single, converged standard. They recruited Lou Gerstner, president of IBM, to pressure the executives of the warring factions, as a result, the DVD specification provided a storage capacity of 4.7 GB for a single-layered, single-sided disc and 8.5 GB for a dual-layered, single-sided disc
20.
Blu-ray
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Blu-ray or Blu-ray Disc is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was designed to supersede the DVD format, in that it is capable of storing high-definition, the plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Conventional Blu-ray Disc discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the standard for feature-length video discs. Triple-layer discs and quadruple layers are available for BD-XL re-writer drives, the name Blu-ray refers to the blue laser used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs. The main application of Blu-ray is as a medium for video material such as films and physical distribution of video games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4. Besides the hardware specifications, Blu-ray is associated with a set of multimedia formats, high-definition video may be stored on Blu-ray discs with up to 2160p resolution, at up to 60 frames per second. DVD discs had been limited to a resolution of 480p or 576p. The BD format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group representing makers of consumer electronics, computer hardware, Sony unveiled the first Blu-ray disc prototypes in October 2000, and the first prototype player was released in April 2003 in Japan. Afterwards, it continued to be developed until its release in June 2006. During the high definition disc format war, Blu-ray Disc competed with the HD DVD format. Toshiba, the company that supported HD DVD, conceded in February 2008. According to Media Research, high-definition software sales in the US were slower in the first two years than DVD software sales, Blu-ray faces competition from video on demand and the continued sale of DVDs. As of January 2016, 44% of U. S. broadband households had a Blu-ray player, the information density of the DVD format was limited by the wavelength of the laser diodes used. Following protracted development, blue laser diodes operating at 405 nanometers became available on a production basis, Sony started two projects in collaboration with Philips applying the new diodes, UDO, and DVR Blue, a format of rewritable discs that would eventually become Blu-ray Disc. The core technologies of the formats are similar, the first DVR Blue prototypes were unveiled at the CEATEC exhibition in October 2000 by Sony. A trademark for the Blue Disc logo was filed February 9,2001, on February 19,2002, the project was officially announced as Blu-ray Disc, and Blu-ray Disc Founders was founded by the nine initial members. The first consumer device arrived in stores on April 10,2003, the Sony BDZ-S77, but there was no standard for prerecorded video, and no movies were released for this player. On October 4,2004, the name Blu-ray Disc Founders was officially changed to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the Blu-ray Disc physical specifications were completed in 2004
21.
Ancient Rome
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In its many centuries of existence, the Roman state evolved from a monarchy to a classical republic and then to an increasingly autocratic empire. Through conquest and assimilation, it came to dominate the Mediterranean region and then Western Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa and it is often grouped into classical antiquity together with ancient Greece, and their similar cultures and societies are known as the Greco-Roman world. Ancient Roman civilisation has contributed to modern government, law, politics, engineering, art, literature, architecture, technology, warfare, religion, language and society. Rome professionalised and expanded its military and created a system of government called res publica, the inspiration for modern republics such as the United States and France. By the end of the Republic, Rome had conquered the lands around the Mediterranean and beyond, its domain extended from the Atlantic to Arabia, the Roman Empire emerged with the end of the Republic and the dictatorship of Augustus Caesar. 721 years of Roman-Persian Wars started in 92 BC with their first war against Parthia and it would become the longest conflict in human history, and have major lasting effects and consequences for both empires. Under Trajan, the Empire reached its territorial peak, Republican mores and traditions started to decline during the imperial period, with civil wars becoming a prelude common to the rise of a new emperor. Splinter states, such as the Palmyrene Empire, would divide the Empire during the crisis of the 3rd century. Plagued by internal instability and attacked by various migrating peoples, the part of the empire broke up into independent kingdoms in the 5th century. This splintering is a landmark historians use to divide the ancient period of history from the pre-medieval Dark Ages of Europe. King Numitor was deposed from his throne by his brother, Amulius, while Numitors daughter, Rhea Silvia, because Rhea Silvia was raped and impregnated by Mars, the Roman god of war, the twins were considered half-divine. The new king, Amulius, feared Romulus and Remus would take back the throne, a she-wolf saved and raised them, and when they were old enough, they returned the throne of Alba Longa to Numitor. Romulus became the source of the citys name, in order to attract people to the city, Rome became a sanctuary for the indigent, exiled, and unwanted. This caused a problem for Rome, which had a large workforce but was bereft of women, Romulus traveled to the neighboring towns and tribes and attempted to secure marriage rights, but as Rome was so full of undesirables they all refused. Legend says that the Latins invited the Sabines to a festival and stole their unmarried maidens, leading to the integration of the Latins, after a long time in rough seas, they landed at the banks of the Tiber River. Not long after they landed, the men wanted to take to the sea again, one woman, named Roma, suggested that the women burn the ships out at sea to prevent them from leaving. At first, the men were angry with Roma, but they realized that they were in the ideal place to settle. They named the settlement after the woman who torched their ships, the Roman poet Virgil recounted this legend in his classical epic poem the Aeneid
22.
Roman Republic
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It was during this period that Romes control expanded from the citys immediate surroundings to hegemony over the entire Mediterranean world. During the first two centuries of its existence, the Roman Republic expanded through a combination of conquest and alliance, by the following century, it included North Africa, most of the Iberian Peninsula, and what is now southern France. Two centuries after that, towards the end of the 1st century BC, it included the rest of modern France, Greece, and much of the eastern Mediterranean. By this time, internal tensions led to a series of wars, culminating with the assassination of Julius Caesar. The exact date of transition can be a matter of interpretation, Roman government was headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and advised by a senate composed of appointed magistrates. Over time, the laws that gave exclusive rights to Romes highest offices were repealed or weakened. The leaders of the Republic developed a tradition and morality requiring public service and patronage in peace and war, making military. Many of Romes legal and legislative structures can still be observed throughout Europe and much of the world in modern nation states, the exact causes and motivations for Romes military conflicts and expansions during the republic are subject to wide debate. While they can be seen as motivated by outright aggression and imperialism and they argue that Romes expansion was driven by short-term defensive and inter-state factors, and the new contingencies that these decisions created. In its early history, as Rome successfully defended itself against foreign threats in central and then northern Italy, with some important exceptions, successful wars in early republican Rome generally led not to annexation or military occupation, but to the restoration of the way things were. But the defeated city would be weakened and thus able to resist Romanizing influences. It was also able to defend itself against its non-Roman enemies. It was, therefore, more likely to seek an alliance of protection with Rome and this growing coalition expanded the potential enemies that Rome might face, and moved Rome closer to confrontation with major powers. The result was more alliance-seeking, on the part of both the Roman confederacy and city-states seeking membership within that confederacy. While there were exceptions to this, it was not until after the Second Punic War that these alliances started to harden into something more like an empire and this shift mainly took place in parts of the west, such as the southern Italian towns that sided with Hannibal. In contrast, Roman expansion into Spain and Gaul occurred as a mix of alliance-seeking, in the 2nd century BC, Roman involvement in the Greek east remained a matter of alliance-seeking, but this time in the face of major powers that could rival Rome. This had some important similarities to the events in Italy centuries earlier, with some major exceptions of outright military rule, the Roman Republic remained an alliance of independent city-states and kingdoms until it transitioned into the Roman Empire. It was not until the time of the Roman Empire that the entire Roman world was organized into provinces under explicit Roman control
23.
Roman Empire
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Civil wars and executions continued, culminating in the victory of Octavian, Caesars adopted son, over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the annexation of Egypt. Octavians power was then unassailable and in 27 BC the Roman Senate formally granted him overarching power, the imperial period of Rome lasted approximately 1,500 years compared to the 500 years of the Republican era. The first two centuries of the empires existence were a period of unprecedented political stability and prosperity known as the Pax Romana, following Octavians victory, the size of the empire was dramatically increased. After the assassination of Caligula in 41, the senate briefly considered restoring the republic, under Claudius, the empire invaded Britannia, its first major expansion since Augustus. Vespasian emerged triumphant in 69, establishing the Flavian dynasty, before being succeeded by his son Titus and his short reign was followed by the long reign of his brother Domitian, who was eventually assassinated. The senate then appointed the first of the Five Good Emperors, the empire reached its greatest extent under Trajan, the second in this line. A period of increasing trouble and decline began with the reign of Commodus, Commodus assassination in 192 triggered the Year of the Five Emperors, of which Septimius Severus emerged victorious. The assassination of Alexander Severus in 235 led to the Crisis of the Third Century in which 26 men were declared emperor by the Roman Senate over a time span. It was not until the reign of Diocletian that the empire was fully stabilized with the introduction of the Tetrarchy, which saw four emperors rule the empire at once. This arrangement was unsuccessful, leading to a civil war that was finally ended by Constantine I. Constantine subsequently shifted the capital to Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople in his honour and it remained the capital of the east until its demise. Constantine also adopted Christianity which later became the state religion of the empire. However, Augustulus was never recognized by his Eastern colleague, and separate rule in the Western part of the empire ceased to exist upon the death of Julius Nepos. The Eastern Roman Empire endured for another millennium, eventually falling to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the Roman Empire was among the most powerful economic, cultural, political and military forces in the world of its time. It was one of the largest empires in world history, at its height under Trajan, it covered 5 million square kilometres. It held sway over an estimated 70 million people, at that time 21% of the entire population. Throughout the European medieval period, attempts were made to establish successors to the Roman Empire, including the Empire of Romania, a Crusader state. Rome had begun expanding shortly after the founding of the republic in the 6th century BC, then, it was an empire long before it had an emperor
24.
Lucius Vorenus (Rome character)
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Lucius Vorenus is a semi-fictional character in the British-Italian-American historical drama television series Rome, a show about the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Played by Scottish actor Kevin McKidd in the series, Lucius Vorenus is introduced as a character in the pilot episode. He is depicted as a staunch, traditional, Roman soldier, who struggles to balance his personal beliefs, his duty to his superiors, and the needs of his family and friends. The basis for this character is the historical Roman soldier of the same name, the two fictionalised characters Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo manage to witness and often influence many of the historical events presented in the series. Aside from the fact that he was born into the class of Roman society. We infer that his family was not rich, but they seem to have had sufficient means to give Lucius an education. We know that Lucius married Niobe when she was young, by dispensation from the Legion. When Julius Caesar begins his Gallic Wars, Lucius is forced to leave his family to serve in the 13th Legion, he does not see his wife, Lucius reveals that he is a competent and respected soldier and rises through the ranks. When the series begins, we see him as a centurion, at the Siege of Alesia, fighting in the front lines with his men, including Titus Pullo. Events do not bode well for the relationship between the two men, as in battle, a drunk and crazed Pullo charges into the ranks of the Nervii, in violation of orders. When blue Spaniards steal Caesars battle standard, Mark Antony details Vorenus to find, Vorenus grants Pullo a reprieve to aid him, reasoning that he should only take doomed men with him as the mission was already doomed to failure. When Vorenus first sees Niobe he is angered to see her holding a baby, Vorenus is promoted to praefectus evocatorum before being asked to stand for election as a civic minor magistrate by Julius Caesar. In episode 12, he is promoted to senator by Caesar, both due to his newfound popularity resulting from his rescue of Titus Pullo from the arena and this story arc completes Vorenus compromising of his strong Republican principles in Caesars service. This truth is that his grandson is really Niobes illegitimate son, along with Mark Antonys delay outside the Senate, the fact that Vorenus does dash home gives the conspirators their chance to assassinate Caesar. When Vorenus arrives to confront Niobe, she commits suicide, throwing herself off their second story balcony, enraged by his discovery, Vorenus curses his family and storms off in a bewildered rage, leaving his children behind to prepare their deceased mother for her funeral. Before Vorenus can return, Erastes Fulmen abducts the children as repayment for many slights against him, not long after returning, Vorenus learns of the abduction and tracks down the gangster, confronting him about the abducted relatives. Erastes claims that hes raped and killed them all, which results in Vorenus decapitating him, Lucius keeps the head because it pleases him to look at. After Lucius refuses to get out of bed for several weeks, on Antonys orders, Vorenus assumes Erastes position as head of the Aventine and becomes a ruthless and cold gangster
25.
Titus Pullo (Rome character)
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Titus Pullo is a fictional character from the HBO/BBC original television series Rome, played by Ray Stevenson. He is depicted as a hedonistic, devil-may-care soldier who discovers hidden ideals, the basis for this character is the historical Roman soldier of the same name, who is briefly mentioned in Julius Caesars books De Bello Gallico and Commentarii de Bello Civili. Titus Pullos mother was a slave who died when he was young, prone to fits of violent anger, Pullo also on multiple occasions shows emotional depth and a desire to atone for his past sins. The only strong identification he has is that of a soldier, without that, he initially struggles to fit into Roman society, before eventually finding his place. Pullos affable manner, even when confronting adversaries, remains a constant source of levity, Pullo is also portrayed as a man who is beneficiary of astounding and repeated strokes of good fortune. Caesar actually declares more than once that he believes that Pullo, although he can be at times very blunt and clearly very barbaric, he portrays nonetheless the good friend and good man. Pullo is a large and strong man - much taller than Vorenus and he is a fierce fighter - on one occasion biting the tongue out of an opponents mouth - and enjoys fighting, breaking ranks to engage Gallic tribesmen in single combat during the pilot episode. We first see Titus Pullo breaking ranks at the Siege of Alesia to fight the attacking Gauls single-handedly. His superior officer, Lucius Vorenus, restrains him and calls him a drunken fool, as punishment for his brash action, he is later scourged, imprisoned and sentenced to death. One day later, Vorenus appears at his cell and frees Pullo so that he can accompany him on the mission to retrieve the stolen eagle of the Legio XIII Gemina. Vorenus reasoning is that since the pair will not find the eagle, he would choose a man who was already disgraced. Through a twist of fate, Pullo and Vorenus do end up retrieving the eagle, Vorenus and Pullo return Octavian to his mother and go their separate ways, Vorenus to reunite with his wife and Pullo going off to look for wine and brothels. While partying, he kills a man who cheated in a game of dice, a bar fight breaks out, during which the dead mans good friend escapes and Pullo is seriously injured. In the morning, Pullo comes crashing into Vorenuss house, discovered by his wife Niobe, after recovering, he and Vorenus are escorting Antony to the Senate when Pullo is attacked by the dead mans friend. Pullo kills his attacker and a battle between the Caesarian 13th and the Pompeian crowd ensues, preventing Antony from entering the Senate, Vorenus is wounded during the fight, and Pullo carries him away. Antony and the 13th race up north to Caesars camp, Caesar decides to take his army and march across the Rubicon River to Rome. Pullo and Vorenus lead a party that rides ahead of Caesars army and finds Rome abandoned by Pompey. During this scouting mission, the party come across a wagon which is being guarded by several Pompeian soldiers disguised as civilians
26.
Julius Caesar
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Gaius Julius Caesar, known as Julius Caesar, was a Roman politician, general, and notable author of Latin prose. He played a role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic. In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey formed an alliance that dominated Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to power as Populares were opposed by the Optimates within the Roman Senate. Caesars victories in the Gallic Wars, completed by 51 BC, extended Romes territory to the English Channel, Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both the Channel and the Rhine, when he built a bridge across the Rhine and crossed the Channel to invade Britain. These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing of Pompey, with the Gallic Wars concluded, the Senate ordered Caesar to step down from his military command and return to Rome. Caesar refused the order, and instead marked his defiance in 49 BC by crossing the Rubicon with the 13th Legion, leaving his province, Civil war resulted, and Caesars victory in the war put him in an unrivalled position of power and influence. After assuming control of government, Caesar began a programme of social and governmental reforms and he centralised the bureaucracy of the Republic and was eventually proclaimed dictator in perpetuity, giving him additional authority. But the underlying political conflicts had not been resolved, and on the Ides of March 44 BC, a new series of civil wars broke out, and the constitutional government of the Republic was never fully restored. Caesars adopted heir Octavian, later known as Augustus, rose to power after defeating his opponents in the civil war. Octavian set about solidifying his power, and the era of the Roman Empire began, much of Caesars life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns, and from other contemporary sources, mainly the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of Sallust. The later biographies of Caesar by Suetonius and Plutarch are also major sources, Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history. Caesar was born into a family, the gens Julia. The cognomen Caesar originated, according to Pliny the Elder, with an ancestor who was born by Caesarean section. The Historia Augusta suggests three alternative explanations, that the first Caesar had a head of hair, that he had bright grey eyes. Caesar issued coins featuring images of elephants, suggesting that he favored this interpretation of his name, despite their ancient pedigree, the Julii Caesares were not especially politically influential, although they had enjoyed some revival of their political fortunes in the early 1st century BC. Caesars father, also called Gaius Julius Caesar, governed the province of Asia and his mother, Aurelia Cotta, came from an influential family. Little is recorded of Caesars childhood, in 85 BC, Caesars father died suddenly, so Caesar was the head of the family at 16
27.
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
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Commentarii de Bello Gallico, also simply Bellum Gallicum, is Julius Caesars firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting the Germanic peoples and Celtic peoples in Gaul that opposed Roman conquest. The Gaul that Caesar refers to is sometimes all of Gaul except for the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, encompassing the rest of modern France, Belgium and some of Switzerland. On other occasions, he refers only to that territory inhabited by the Celtic peoples known to the Romans as Gauls, the work has been a mainstay in Latin instruction because of its simple, direct prose. It begins with the quoted phrase Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres. The full work is split into eight sections, Book 1 to Book 8, Book 8 was written by Aulus Hirtius, after Caesars death. The boni intended to prosecute Caesar for abuse of his authority upon his return, such prosecution would not only see Caesar stripped of his wealth and citizenship, but also negate all of the laws he enacted during his term as Consul and his dispositions as pro-consul of Gaul. To defend himself against these threats, Caesar knew he needed the support of the plebeians, particularly the Tribunes of the Plebs, by winning the support of the people, Caesar sought to make himself unassailable from the boni. The work is a paradigm of proper reporting and stylistic clarity and it is often lauded for its polished, clear Latin. It contains many details and employs many stylistic devices to promote Caesars political interests, the books are valuable for the many geographical and historical claims that can be retrieved from the work. Notable chapters describe Gaulish custom, their religion, and a comparison between Gauls and Germanic peoples, since Caesar is one of the characters in the Astérix and Obélix albums, René Goscinny included gags for French schoolchildren who had the Commentarii as a textbook. One example is having Caesar talk about himself in the person as in the book. Some English editions state that Astérixs village of indomitable Gauls is the part of Gaul. In Book 5, Chapter 44 the Commentarii de Bello Gallico notably mentions Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, during World War I the French composer Vincent dIndy wrote his Third Symphony, which bears the title De Bello Gallico. DIndy was adapting Caesars title to the situation of the current struggle in France against the German army, in which he had a son and nephew fighting, and which the music illustrates to some extent. At Gutenberg Project, Caesars Commentaries, English translation by W. A. MACDEVITT, introduction by THOMAS DE QUINCEY De Bello Gallico, Latin text edition. The Gallic Wars By Julius Caesar, translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, IVLI CAESARIS COMMENTARIORVM DE BELLO, TheLatinLibrary. com,2008. Dickinson College Commentaries Selections in Latin with notes, audio, Commentaries on the Gallic War public domain audiobook at LibriVox Wikisource, Commentaries on the Gallic War translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, Books 1–8
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Caesar's Civil War
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The Great Roman Civil War, also known as Caesars Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire. The changes to Roman government concomitant to the war eliminated the political traditions of the Roman Republic. The First Triumvirate, comprising Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, ascended to power with Caesars election as consul, the First Triumvirate was unofficial, a political alliance the substance of which was Pompeys military might, Caesars political influence, and Crassus money. The alliance was further consolidated by Pompeys marriage to Julia, daughter of Caesar, at the conclusion of Caesars first consulship, the Senate tasked him with watching over the Roman forests. This job, specially created by his Senate enemies, was meant to him without giving him command of armies, or garnering him wealth. Caesar, with the help of Pompey and Crassus, evaded the Senates decrees by legislation passed through the popular assemblies, by these acts, Caesar was promoted to Roman Governor of Illyricum and Cisalpine Gaul. The various governorships gave Caesar command of an army of four legions, the term of his proconsulship, and thus his immunity from prosecution, was set at five years, rather than the customary one year. His term was extended by another five years. During this ten-year period, Caesar used his forces to conquer Gaul and invade Britain. In 52 BC, at the First Triumvirates end, the Roman Senate supported Pompey as sole consul, meanwhile, Caesar had become a military hero and champion of the people. Knowing he hoped to become consul when his governorship expired, the Senate, politically fearful of him, in December of 50 BC, Caesar wrote to the Senate agreeing to resign his military command if Pompey followed suit. Offended, the Senate demanded he immediately disband his army, or be declared an enemy of the people, a secondary reason for Caesars immediate want for another consulship was delaying the inevitable senatorial prosecutions awaiting him upon retirement as governor of Illyricum and Gaul. These potential prosecutions were based upon alleged irregularities that occurred in his consulship, moreover, Caesar loyalists, the tribunes Mark Antony and Quintus Cassius Longinus, vetoed the bill, and were quickly expelled from the Senate. They then joined Caesar, who had assembled his army, whom he asked for support against the Senate, agreeing. The proscription protected the Roman Republic from a coup détat, thus and this act of war on the Roman Republic by Caesar led to widespread approval amongst the Roman civilians, who regarded him as a hero. The historical records differ about which decisive comment Caesar made on crossing the Rubicon, Caesars march on Rome was a triumphal progress. The Senate, not knowing that Caesar possessed only a single legion, feared the worst, Pompey declared that Rome could not be defended, he escaped to Capua with those politicians who supported him, the aristocratic Optimates and the regnant consuls. Cicero later characterised Pompeys outward sign of weakness as allowing Caesars consolidation of power, as Caesar progressed southwards, Pompey retreated towards Brundisium, initially ordering Domitius to stop Caesars movement on Rome from the direction of the Adriatic seaboard
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Roman Senate
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The Roman Senate was a political institution in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, during the days of the kingdom, it was little more than an advisory council to the king. The last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, was following a coup détat led by Lucius Junius Brutus. During the early Republic, the Senate was politically weak, while the executive magistrates were quite powerful, since the transition from monarchy to constitutional rule was most likely gradual, it took several generations before the Senate was able to assert itself over the executive magistrates. By the middle Republic, the Senate had reached the apex of its republican power, the late Republic saw a decline in the Senates power, which began following the reforms of the tribunes Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus. After the transition of the Republic into the Principate, the Senate lost much of its power as well as its prestige. Following the constitutional reforms of the Emperor Diocletian, the Senate became politically irrelevant, when the seat of government was transferred out of Rome, the Senate was reduced to a municipal body. This decline in status was reinforced when the emperor Constantine the Great created an additional senate in Constantinople, the Senate in Rome ultimately disappeared at some point after AD603, although the title senator was still used well into the Middle Ages as a largely meaningless honorific. However, the Eastern Senate survived in Constantinople, until the ancient institution finally vanished there c. 14th century, the senate was a political institution in the ancient Roman kingdom. The word senate derives from the Latin word senex, which means old man, the early Roman family was called a gens or clan, and each clan was an aggregation of families under a common living male patriarch, called a pater. When the early Roman gentes were aggregating to form a common community, over time, the patres came to recognize the need for a single leader, and so they elected a king, and vested in him their sovereign power. When the king died, that power naturally reverted to the patres. The senate is said to have created by Romes first king, Romulus. The descendants of those 100 men subsequently became the patrician class, Romes fifth king, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, chose a further 100 senators. They were chosen from the leading families, and were accordingly called the patres minorum gentium. Romes seventh and final king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, executed many of the men in the senate. During the years of the monarchy, the senates most important function was to new kings. While the king was elected by the people, it was actually the senate who chose each new king
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