Summary
Peacock’s ancient Roman epicThose About to Diesurprisingly gets a lot of the true story and real history of the Flavian dynasty right.Those About to Die, with its mixed Rotten Tomato score,opens in 79 AD during the last weeks of Emperor Vespasian’s (Anthony Hopkins) reign.While things have been largely peaceful for a long time, it’s clear tensions are brewing in Rome. The grain shipment from Egypt has been delayed and the people are restless. Vespasian himself is not long for the world and he must choose which of his sons, Titus (Tom Hughes) or Domitian (Jojo Macari) is his successor. And the Senators of Rome all have their own schemes.
Beneath the political machinations of the wealthy nobility are the smaller schemes of the plebians and common citizens. Tenax (Iwan Rheon) is a commoner and criminal boss who has ambitions of becoming one of Rome’s elite. A mother, Cala (Sara Martins), fights to free her children from slavery and gladiatorship. Her son, Kwame (Moe Hashim) fights to survive the gladiatorial arena. Others have their own stories. Still,it all unfolds under the umbrella of the great Flavian dynasty,whichThose About to Die, released on June 18, covers in great historical detail.
October 54-June 68 AD
June 68-January 69 AD
December 69-June 79 AD
June 79-September 81 AD
September 81-September 96 AD
Nero’s Reign Before Vespasian Was Chaotic
“Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned” Is A Saying For A Reason
When Vespasian became emperor, it was after a time of tumult and uncertainty in Rome. The previous emperor, Nero,is infamous now for his chaotic reign driven by his rumored insanity. At first, Nero’s rule was promising, but his promises exceeded his political know-how and he promised much without the political acumen to pull it off. Nevertheless, the first few years of his reign were well-regarded. His future moves angering the Senate, however, were hinted at when he reformed tax collection and allowed slaves to file petitions of complaint against their owners.
His relationship with the Senators started to decline in earnest around 62 AD, when he put to death the first Senator for treason, followed by two other nobles who were rivals of his. He later divorced his wife for reported infertility, and when the public turned against him for her exile, he claimed she had been unfaithful and had her executed. Shortly thereafter, the Great Fire of Rome began, damaging a large portion of Rome. While it was initially considered an accident,rumors soon started swirling that it was arson started on Nero’s behalf.
Interestingly, the old belief that Nero fiddled on a lyre while Rome burned was at least partly created as later propaganda by Vespasian and the Flavian dynasty.
Things grew increasingly worse as Nero had rivals and problems regularly executed and, according to historians, beat his mistress to death when she was pregnant with his second child. Eventually, the situation soured to the point that the Roman soldiers and Senators started to rebel, at which point Nero fled. Shortly thereafter,Nero either killed himself or had his personal secretary, Epaphroditus, do it for him.He died on June 9, 68 AD and his death ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty, paving the way for Vespasian and his sons – eventually.
Vespasian Brought Stability To Rome After The Year Of Four Emperors
His Ascension To The Throne Was Hard-Won
Nero’s suicide led to the end of his reign and the beginning of the Year of the Four Emperors,where power struggles threw Rome into chaos. The people of Rome were deeply divided about Nero’s death. The nobility and Senate rejoiced at the news of his death while the plebian and slave classes were upset and the Roman legion split in their feelings on the matter. Regardless of how the majority of the public had supported Nero, his death led to a civil war within Rome. The struggle for the throne of Rome saw four emperors take control and be deposed in short order.
First was Galba, who executed a number of Nero’s allies. Galba ruled from Nero’s death until January 69 AD. He was overthrown by Otho, who was supported by the soldiers and the people thanks to his friendship with and resemblance to Nero. Otho, however, ruled for only three months marred by war between his factions and those of Vitellius. When it was clear he’d lose, he stabbed himself in the heart in an act historians believe was an attempt to stave off further civil war. Vitellius then claimed the throne before being deposed by Vespasian and his legion in July 69 AD in a brutal battle that saw Vespasian’s followers drag Vitellius out of hidingand throw his body down the infamous Gemonian stairs.
With Vespasian claiming the throne as the new emperor of Rome, he consolidated his power and brought stability to Rome by ensuring that new shipments of Egyptian grain quickly made their way to war-torn Rome. Thanks to his visit to Egypt, the first since Augustus generations earlier,Vespasian was declared both emperor and pharaoh. He subdued unrest in other regions of the Roman empire, such as Judea, a subplot inThose About to Die,and Germanic lands. For the next decade, his reign was as stable as the reign of any Roman emperor could be.
Vespasian’s Two Sons Vied To Be Emperor
As In The Show, The Two Brothers Vied For Power
While it gets many things historically correct,Those About to Dieglosses over how Vespasian died, making it seem as though he passed of old age or perhaps a heart condition. In reality,Vespasian contracted some unidentified illness while in Campania,almost certainly dysentery or typhoid. He suffered from bouts of explosive diarrhea and fever, finally dying in June 79 AD at 69 years of age. The show included two historically documented facts about his death: that he requested to die standing, and that he declared he felt himself becoming a god as his last words.
After his death came his successor. InThose About to Die, Vespasian’s sons Titus and Domitian are often at odds as, not only do they possess wildly different personalities and methods of ruling, but both are also eager to be the one to succeed their father on the throne. As in the show, Vespasian bestowed the title of his heir on Titus, who, like Vespasian, was a soldier and general, much to the dismay of Domitian.He was the first Roman emperor to succeed the throne after his own biological father,and a succession with no bloodshed, at that, underscoring the relative peace of the first half of the Flavian dynasty.
Titus' Reign Was Surprisingly Efficient
His Wild Reputation Was Unfounded
While Titus was rumored to have been a wild man with many vices,his reign proved surprisingly pragmatic and sober-headed.One of his most significant contributions was abolishing trials for treason, something that had been long abused by previous emperors and that had terrorized the Senate as a cudgel used unfairly. He was known for his generosity as emperor, growing to be well-loved by the people. Of particular grandeur was finishing the construction of the Colosseum, known then as the Flavian Amphitheatre.
However, as the show illustrates,his love affair with the Judean princess Berenice was a political and PR problem for him.It also didn’t help that his relatively short reign was plagued by disasters. As in the show, Mount Vesuvius erupted during his reign, and Titus was both praised and vilified for his financial assistance of the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum. During his time on the throne, another massive fire broke out in Rome that burned for three days. As with the volcanic eruption, Titus donated large sums of his personal wealth to the recovery effort. He also oversaw an outbreak of plague, a rebellion, war in Britannia, and multiple plots against him, including from his own brother, Domitian.
Sadly, Titus died just two years into his rule. Having set out for outside territories, he fell ill shortly into the journey, dying very near where his own father had died two years prior. The exact nature of his illness is unknown, butmost historians of antiquity factor Domitian into his death, either by claiming the younger brother poisoned Titus or, at the very least, abandoned him to his illness. All around, Titus is considered one of the most just rulers of ancient Rome, with his contemporaries viewing him favorably across the board.
Domitian Later Succeeded Titus
His Reviled Reign Was Later Reevaluated By Modern Historians
Domitian, on the other hand, was not his brother, and when he succeeded the throne of Rome in 81 AD, the story changed. While his roles during his father’s and brother’s reigns were largely ceremonial, he had an immediate impact upon becoming emperor. Domitian’s rule was marked by a cult of personality with some authoritarian leanings. Most modern historians agree, however,that Domitian got a bad rap back then thanks to angering the Senators and nobility.
In truth,Domitian was a ruthless but efficient ruler who accomplished quite a bit in his lengthy 15-year reign, the longest since Tiberius. During his time, he stabilized the Roman economy, expanded and strengthened the border defenses, restored significant parts of Rome that had burned in the fire, and fought a number of significant wars in Britain.
Domitian’s great mistake was that he discounted the power of the nobility and angered the Senators when he essentially stripped them of their powers. Instead of Rome being a republic, Domitian declared it a divine monarchy with him as divine ruler, and declared himself the moral and cultural authority of all of Rome and its citizens. That said,Roman bureaucracy during Domitian’s reign was the most efficient it had ever been,and he snuffed out and prosecuted corruption among elected officials. He also appointed people to positions based on meritocracy rather than the nepotism of his father and brother.
After 15 years, however, the disrespected and de-powered Senators had had enough.Domitian was assassinated on September 18, 96 AD by court officialsin a plot led by his own chamberlain, Parthenius. Interestingly, a few days before his own death, Domitian reportedly had a dream that the goddess Minerva appeared to him and told him she could no longer protect him, and an omen told him he’d die at midday. Indeed, he was stabbed by a small group of conspirators and died in the afternoon. It remains to be seen how far into the Flavian dynastyThose About to Diewill go, but it would certainly be interesting to include Domitian’s death.
Sources:University of Chicago,JSTOR,Encyclopedia Britannica
Those About To Die
Set in the year 79 AD in Rome, “Those About to Die” dives into the brutal and complex world of gladiatorial combat. The series explores the dark underbelly of Roman entertainment, where the promise of free food and blood-soaked spectacles keep the restless population in check. The narrative focuses on various characters from all corners of the Roman Empire, whose lives intersect in the grand arena.
