Rome- Episode 1 Quick Thoughts

Saw episode 1 of Rome last night. Damn good show. I love the look of the show, the beauty and color of Roman cities themselves, but gritty as well. You can almost smell the stink from the livestock on the streets right through the TV screen. Michael Apted (Nell) directed episode one and did an excellent job keeping the acting real.

What I really like was the writing. So often in historical dramas you get dialog that is full of pompous talk, where each word is supposed to have meaning that will change history. So, inevitably, the characters sound like Greek tragedy instead of people. Here we see them as people, each distinct, with good and bad in them. They joke with each other the way we might to break the monotony of the day. You can see camaraderie between them.

The only thing I wonder, and if a historian can please tell me, were the Romans really that penis obsessed (if you saw the episode you know what I mean)?