Overview

Ever since HBO-BBC’s Rome burst onto screens in 2005, Rome has appeared on television screens in a variety of dramatic productions. These utilise many of the elements of ancient Rome that were familiar to audiences from big screen epic movies, but adapt them for a television genre, in a manner that is characteristic of the the second millennium, playing on older tropes and merging them with new formats. Where do such tropes come from and how have they been developed over time specifically on the small screen, a medium that overlaps with, but is substantially different from, the cinema? How have the changes in technology and the manner in which television is consumed by audiences influenced the productions? Answering these questions and more, this book examines the presentation of ancient Rome in (primarily British and American) television productions of the twenty-first century, exploring not only how they depict the ancient world, but how the various programmes reflect aspects and concerns of contemporary society in which they are produced. Through a series of nine different case studies, it considers three main issues: the miniseries format as television epic; sexuality and gender in contemporary ancient Rome productions; and specific national contexts.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lisa Maurice
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
ISBN:  

9781836245155

ISBN 10:   1836245157
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   02 December 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: Theoretical Foundations and the Scope and Structure of this Book Prologue: The Ancient World on Television, From the Beginning to HBO-BBC’s Rome Prequel: The Dawn of a New Era: HBO-BBC’s Rome Part One - Epic Drama on the Small Screen: The Twenty-First Century Roman Multi-Evening Clustered Miniseries Case Study 1: Attila (2001) Case Study 2: Julius Caesar (2003) Case Study 3: Julius Caesar (2003) Part Two - #EtiamEgo? Sex and Gender in Twenty-First Century TV Rome Case Study 4: Starz: Spartacus (2010-2013) Case Study 5: Bromans (2017) Case Study 6: Domina (2021-3) Part Three: Interpreting Ancient Rome in National Contexts Case Study 7: Barbarians (2020-22) Case Study 8: Britannia (2018-20) Case Study 9: Plebs (2013-2019) Epilogue: unde venis et quo vadis? Bibliography

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Author Information

Lisa Maurice is Associate Professor, Department of Classical Studies, Bar-Ilan University. She works on the reception of the classical world in modern popular culture, and has published widely on Greece and Rome, particularly in film, television and children’s culture.

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