Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a show where an alien from the planet Gallifrey travels in a little blue box called the TARDIS (it syands for: Time And Relative Dimmension In Space) through space and time (hence what TARDIS stands for). It has been on the air for over 50 years, and there have been a few episodes regarding Roman History. The one Episode I will be referring to is the more recent episode entitled "The Fires of Pompeii" featuring David Tennant as the Doctor (My favorite doctor, by the way, not that you care) and future (and current) Doctor Peter Capaldi.
Peter Capaldi as Lucius Caecilius Iucundus (left)
The premise of the episode is that the Doctor travels to Pompeii in 79 AD, the night before Mount Vesuvius is set to erupt. His TARDIS, (his only way of travel) gets sold to a famous business man that sells marble: Caecilius. The Doctor tries to get his TARDIS back and the person who he travels with (referred to as his companion), Donna, wants to warn the patrons of Pompeii that they should flee to avoid the eruptions of the volcano. But, the Doctor advises Donna not to do this, because it could mess up the whole time-line of the world and nothing would be the same in the future or in the past. The Doctor and his Companion soon come to realize that Mount Vesuvius is being controlled by aliens, and that's as far as I am going to go, because the rest does not revolve around Latin or Roman History.
ANALYSIS:
Let's start out with the history of Lucius Caecilis Iucundus. Lucius did in fact live in the era of Pompeii, and was somewhat of a business man. His wife, was Metalla, who was also portrayed in Doctor Who. His house was partially destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and Lucius' house is where the episode of Doctor Who takes place. But, thats about where the accuracy stops. Doctor Who fails to mention the fact that Lucius was a banker and also messes up the fact that Lucius did not have a daughter that was a Soothsayer.Now lets look at the portrayal of Lucius Caecilis Iucundus. Capaldi's representation of Lucius Caecilis Iucundus is somewhat accurate. They both have big ears, a big nose and look somehwhat old. Capaldi's representation is pretty close, minus his gray hair.
Now here's where the nitty-gritty details and their accuracy come in. In the episode, there are tons of signs in Latin. One specific sign reads 'Two amphoras for the price of one'. (an Amphora is a ceramic Roman storage vase, but you probably already knew that, didnt you, Mr. Mural?) This sign is gramatically incorrect, and even a Latin I student can identify that, as the true plural form of 'amorpha would be 'amorphae'. Another little error, is that the Doctor's comapanion, Donna is given a purple dress to wear. Purple, in Roman times was usually meant for those higher up in society, such as kings and queen. Donna, nor anyone else in the storyline of the episode was of monarchy status. (Should've done you're research on that one, Director of Doctor Who *cough cough Moffat cough cough*.
Overall the episode is pretty accurate. Sure there are a few minor details that are wrong in the storyline, but they are there to add to the storyline and make things interesting (or they're just from lack of research). Regardless, the episodes' accuracies still outweigh its mistakes, and it still is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who out there.
