La via Augusta (2007): Season 1, Episode 2 - Esclaus i senyors - full transcript
THE VIA AUGUSTA
II. Slaves and masters
Tonight we'll keep watch in
shifts; Antonius, Marcus and me.
- Two hours each.
- Two hours with these people?
- They stink, you know?
- It's temporary.
- I'm hungry.
- So am I.
Yes, we must cook our food.
- Us?
- Who else can?
Do you really mean
us to cook our food?
- Most people do, it's no big deal.
- It must be horrible to be poor.
Marcus, go to the barn
and kill a lamb.
Me?
Well, we should wash the slaves
before they get home, shouldn't we?
- I brought cloth to make tunics.
- Help me out, Hadrian. Hasdrubal...
I'll go and check upon them.
Marcia, Julia, we must start a
fire in the oven to cook bread.
Go get some firewood.
How do you kill a lamb?
You tie it by its feet...
and then you cut its throat with a knife.
This will be good practice for you
to cut enemies' throats someday.
Come on, Marcus!
I can't believe this!
Drusilla.
The great Caesar Augustus,
the owner of the world,
has a dead sparrow
between his legs.
Many men lose their
desire at a certain age.
- Not your case, as far as I can see.
- Lucky me.
You fool around all the time,
but you have been unable to sow
a male in my daughter's belly.
Men don't choose the
sex of their children.
Gods do, and they're
not on your side.
- I don't believe in gods.
- What do believe in?
Science.
Where's your book of remedies?
What?
Do you keep it in your room?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Before your husband,
the great Diomedes, died...
from whom I learned
all I know,
he left you his
secrets written in a book.
Where did you get it, that?
Claudia told me.
When?
When we were still living
as a married couple.
He left it to me as a bequest;
it's none of your business.
He used to prepare a very popular
drink among the senators in Rome.
And he never gave you the formula despite
having worked with him for so long?
He'd keep his best recipes in secret
all the time, the old bugger.
- That's how he succeeded.
- That's how he got rich.
Getting rich should be the goal
of each and every man.
The goal of a doctor is to cure
and to spread your knowledge.
My husband always had
the support of Caesar.
But you had to get involved
with his favourite slave instead.
- He had repudiated Diana!
- Caesar would repudiate her all the time.
They had the stormy
relationship lovers have.
She was just a slave!
You can be sure that his snail
wouldn't be inside its shell...
...if she'd still
be with him by now.
- Okay, I made a mistake.
- You make a lot of mistakes.
And your mistakes made us
lose our imperial protection.
I'm trying to get it back.
That's why I need the book.
You won't have it.
Never.
You'll have to
kill me to get it.
And what if I do?
What if I kill you?
I am the master of the house. The law
allows me to kill whoever I want.
You won't do it.
Are you sure?
You will have the formula
that you're after.
This one only.
But I want something in return.
- Making acquaintances?
- Weren't you looking for firewood?
- Your hand is shaking.
- Me?
- You're too soft.
- I'm not soft!
What will you do when you
find yourself in a battle?
I'll fight.
- The way you're fighting now?
- Get lost! Leave me alone!
What are you doing?
No, Marcia! I'll do it!
Here.
Now skin it and cut it up.
- Why did you do it?
- Someone had to.
And now you'll tell everyone.
We were born the wrong way.
I should be the man and
you should be the woman.
- I am the man, is that clear?
- You're a lousy kisser!
- What?
- You don't open your mouth!
What do you mean?
What did you do
with your tongue?
Did you like it?
I don't know.
You worry me, Marcus!
What will you do when I won't
be there by your side...
to tell you how the world works?
I hadn't seen
so much dirt...
...since the day the sewers
of Via Julia blew out.
They look white now.
Yes, but look at their nails, their
hair! We'll have to call a barber in.
I can do that, sir.
Do you know how to cut hair?
Yes, sir. I can also remove teeth
and I stitch wounds too.
Well, you can start now.
Untie him and give him
the tools he may require.
Any of you know how to cook?
All of us can, but
she's the best cooker.
- What's your name?
- Osca
What can you cook?
Pork nut soup with
flour and barley.
Dove stuffed with figs.
Confited rabbit with grape
juice, garlic and laurel...
Her specialty is beer, sir.
Do you make beer?
I'm flipping out.
Many enemies of Rome are
civilized people, father.
The Egyptians,
the Palestinians...
The Carthaginians.
Ancient cultures from
which we could learn.
The world is ours. We don't have
to learn anything from anyone.
- What else do we need?
- A man should take care of the cattle.
Some of you may have
been a shepherd before.
How about land tilling?
There's a great piece of land on the
west side for a vegetable garden.
Someone must take care of the vineyard
and operate the mill too.
What about you?
Why don't you raise your hand?
That means you're useless.
The body of an athlete
and the look at rabid tiger.
And a smashed leg, father.
If my brother-in-law can cure you,
you'll be my personal servant.
Here it is.
The recipe that will make the
sparrow of Caesar fly again.
It's written in Greek.
A man like you should
have language skills.
Let's see...
It's an infusion.
Mm-hm.
You have to boil...
...hypericum...
...bull's blood...
...pure bee honey...
...mint sprouts,
and...
- ...and...
- And what else?
I don't understand this word.
Is this another one
of your tricks?
I'm telling you that I don't
understand this word.
You can check it
out by yourself.
My poor dear husband had shaky hands
in the last days of his life.
But that didn't stop
him to stab himself.
- I don't know, I was not there.
- Some say that you helped him out.
Some say that you spend
my money on gambling.
People should get their
minds out of the gutter.
I'm sure you'll manage.
You're interested in this
working out just as I am.
Are you sure you don't
want to try again?
This...
...this looks like an i.
An a.
Via...
"Via gra". It looks like
"via gra" to me.
What must that be?
A plant?
Vi...
Of course, vi agre (sour wine).
Could be... I'm not sure.
It's Caesar, we're talking about.
We must be sure.
Test it with a slave first.
The old man.
If it works out, then
you will be saved.
You'll be Caesar's
right-hand man again and...
and... you'll be able to
honour the deal we just made.
They really have great teeth.
They would be the envy of
many citizens of Rome.
That's because they drink
goat milk all the time, sir.
Let's see...
Cough for me.
This one is fine, and food
will make him still better.
Next one.
Take this to make a knee-length
dress and some underwear.
If you can't sew, ask
a woman to help you.
- Where did this huge thing come from?
- What?
Your feet.
From my mother.
- Your mother has big feet?
- She had them.
She'd crush walnuts
with her heels.
- So you can do it too?
- Yes.
Well then I'll call you
whenever I find one.
- You're like your father.
- Me?
Sex won't let you
think straight.
I'm not hurting anyone. And I'll soon be a
married woman and I'll have to behave.
You must behave now!
Once you're married, that's it, you'll
be able to do whatever you want.
But woe to thee you if you don't get
to your wedding bed as you must.
Meh!
When is the groom
expected to arrive?
We're looking forward
to hearing from him.
I spend hours looking at the sky,
but no message arrives.
- He may have died in the war...
- Don't say that!
Vespasian is indestructible.
There's nothing easier to
destroy than a man, Marcia.
Believe me.
Next one.
Strip off your blanket.
Look at me in the eyes.
- What are you staring at?
- What do you care?
She's my mother.
Here. Go sweep the kitchen
and the slaves' den.
And then start hunting rats.
I want them all gone!
Open your mouth.
How come your teeth
are so white?
I brush them.
But how do you do it?
I use horsehair to make brushes.
Doesn't it hurt?
Sometimes. But I rinse my
mouth with salted water.
Turn around.
And now...
breathe in...
and... breathe out slowly.
You like smell like...
Olives, sir.
What?
The skin of Iberians
smells like olive.
- Where do I put the lamb?
- In the kitchen.
Marcus!
You too?
Spread some fat over it or
else it will get too dry.
You, bring the fat to Osca.
It's down there.
Where's the goldfinch-faced girl I just
sent out to look for rosemary and oregano?
- I'm here!
- Oh.
- Is that all?
- I saw snakes.
- Where?
- On the grass.
What about it?
My father told me to run
away whenever I see a snake.
- Where's your father?
- He's dead.
- The herbs are for the lamb.
- Do you put herbs on the lamb?
- Yes. Why?
- They'll disguise the taste.
Romans like their food tangy.
Cinnamon, pepper, chilli...
You're still behind.
They're stitching his leg.
I'll be right up.
- Your dress is on the bunk.
- I already have this one!
You must wear that one to serve dinner.
Don't stain it. It came from Rome. - Okay.
Hey, you...
If you're as smart as you seem,
you must know that you have
a great future in this house.
Another rat.
Skin it, like the others.
Why do you want them skinned?
You don't want to know.
How's it going?
Is this hot water?
Soak this cloth in it.
He's lucky the wound was
clean, as the doctor said.
- I must serve dinner.
- Why you?
- They ordered me to.
- What?
You take care of your wound.
If this pig ever lays a
hand on you, I'll kill him!
Get some rest now!
Bescaran!
I'm almost done... be patient!
You look beautiful.
It's very thin and soft.
You can't deny that
Romans have good taste.
And they have weapons
and gold too.
It's easy to have good taste when
strength and power are on your side.
You. The old man.
Pompey needs you.
He wants to see you right away.
Fine. One more
stitch and I'm done.
Dinner's ready.
I had a big jar around here with
some white, twisted roots in it.
Your packed all your things up.
No one touched anything from
your workshop, as you ordered.
I'm positive that I put the jar in one
of these two coffers, but now...
- Did you look everywhere?
- Everywhere.
- On the shelf?
- No.
- And under the table?
- Why should it be there?
Is this it?
How can it be there?
It's clear that I can't
live without you.
- It's dinner time.
- Wait, wait, wait...
What?
My room.
I don't know where it is.
I see.
Should I look under
the table as well?
You don't have your own room.
It's a small house.
Where shall I sleep, then?
- In mine.
- With you?
I put another bed.
Away from mine.
- Do you think it's funny?
- Yes, I do.
I don't.
That's a lie.
It turns you on as much as me.
A new house, new air...
A new sea.
A new world.
Where people smell of olive?
Your smell and mine can
be the same tonight.
We take a bottle of oil and
we smear it over each other.
It's dinner time.
I'll be right up.
- Here's your slave.
- Thank you.
- What's wrong with you?
- Nothing.
You sure? You look very pale.
I'm starving.
Then go eat something.
Sit down.
How long since you
last mounted a woman?
How much would you give
to reminisce old times?
Drink it.
All of it?
A couple sips.
Now you stay here. I'll drop by
after dinner to check on you.
May the gods be with
us, my friend Bescaran.
This meat is good!
- It tastes likes wool.
- Too much salt.
- Bread is burned on.
- They did what they could.
- It's their first day.
- It's odd to have dinner without music.
Did you ask them if
anyone can play?
They don't look as if they can play
anything. They're rustic and vulgar.
- They move like monkeys.
- They think we're murderers.
- That's what we are.
- We are murderers?
We invade their countries,
we destroy their houses...
We bring progress
and civilization.
With our swords.
The empire has more than 50 million
of mouths to feed.
Any territory that can
produce wheat is essential.
It's them or us, Claudia.
And don't forget gold.
Our armies have more
than 500,000 soldiers,
and each one must
receive his stipend.
How much can a general earn?
Well, it's all about ranks.
Your future husband Vespasian must
earn around 100,000 sestertii a year.
Nothing compared to the
revenues he gets unofficially.
Are you implying that my future
son-in-law is a corrupt person?
What Roman general isn't?
I hope he brings me a piece of
gold from the mines of Bergidum!
- What's wrong, Pompey?
- Nothing.
You can't stay still.
- I can't find the right position.
- It's your usual triclinium.
My hands are greasy.
Is there a napkin somewhere?
Heaven is listening to me.
Ask and you'll receive.
You can't say that this slave
moves like a monkey, can you?
She could well be a patrician's
woman or a senator's daughter.
- Her feet are too big.
- I love big feet.
- You love everything, Antonius.
- I don't like to choose.
- What's your name?
- Numantia.
Like the city,
famous for its resistance.
- Do you want to hear it?
- That's what you wanted, smart-ass.
Numantia, bring the wine.
We've finished dinner.
Many generals tried to conquer
Numantia for more than 11 years.
Expensive and failed campaigns:
a scandal!
So much money is
wasted with war!
You got rich with the maritime
trade generated by war.
Why do you say "you" when
you talk about family?
I like to keep my place.
What's wrong with you, Pompey?
You just can't lay still.
Me?
- Can I go on with Numantia?
- The slave?
- The city.
- Can't you see nobody listens to you?
I do, Hadrian. Whatever happened
to the city of Numantia?
Finally there was no other choice than
to send Publius Scipio over there.
The Great Butcher.
He was a general who had brutally
besieged the city of Carthage before.
It took 15 months of hunger,
thirst and epidemics...
...for the city to surrender.
When our soldiers finally
entered the city,
...they only found 50
people alive there.
The rest, about 10,000, preferred
to die than to be slaves of Rome.
Julia, you mustn't.
- Why?
- You're too young.
- Hadrian is younger than me!
- He's a man.
Let her drink.
And you should drink a little too.
Wine is good for the young and the old.
It makes blood...
Yes, let's drink to our first night
in Tarraco. Let's celebrate!
I don't feel like celebrating.
After our trip and the attack of
the barbarians, I'm wiped out.
Let's all drink!
This way we'll sleep soundly and
mosquitoes won't bother us.
I would be such a happy man if we could
have a dessert with almond candy,
...cherry confit
and gingerbread.
Like those we used to eat from that
Persian baker from Quirinal Hill.
What's wrong with you?
Dad!
It looks like the lamb didn't
exactly upset your stomach.
(unintelligible whisper)
Osca.
You can't sleep either?
Are you talking to yourself?
I'm praying.
I have lost faith.
Where must my poor husband be?
What must have they done to him?
Don't worry.
Pompey seems like a good man.
A good man does not make
his servants eat rats.
And now you laugh?
About the rats?
I just remembered one thing that
happened to the master at dinner.
Laugh as much as you want.
It's good to think that there
is still time for laughter.
(unintelligible whisper)
Idle slaves and masters
on guard duty.
That is quite ludicrous!
I'm not sure if I'll
be a good soldier.
My legs shake
whenever I see blood.
- I'm not even capable of killing a lamb.
- These are the nerves with the wait.
As soon as you join the legions
of Vespasian and enter combat,
...all your courage will come out.
- I want to be a great man.
- You'll sure be.
I've been preparing myself for war
ever since I left school at 12.
You have all the conditions
to be a great warrior.
- But there are things that frighten me.
- Lambs and blood.
And women.
Women?
The more I want them,
the more they frighten me.
- Any bad experience?
- I never had ANY experience.
You're a virgin?
Like a vestal.
But your father took you to
a brothel at 14 as usual.
- It was a disaster.
- A disaster?
I got very nervous and...
There's no such thing as virgin men,
but inexperienced harlots.
You're the only one who knows.
It's a secret.
Didn't you try again?
- It still frightens me.
- But why? I don't get it.
Neither do I.
And how do you get by?
This is like eating
with your nose covered.
You know...
- I'm in love with Marcia.
- Your cousin?
- Do you have 2 denarii?
- Yes. Why?
- What's wrong with you, Pompey?
- I'm dying!
I thought age would make
men cool down instead.
It's ridiculous!
Look!
It looks like a giraffe.
And the part you can't see
is much worse.
And I have a fever.
Look at this.
The gods finally punished
you for your lechery.
This has nothing to do with the
gods, but with your father instead.
It's the formula
of an aphrodisiac.
Really? And why would you
need an aphrodisiac?
It wasn't for me, but for
Caesar, but I had to...
I had to try it...
...before I...
It looks like it
works very well.
I made a fool of myself
in front of my daughters....
...my mother, you...
And it goes on and on?
And on. I'm more turned on than
the lighthouse of Alexandria.
- Come.
- You'd better keep it under water.
- No, no...
- Oh yeah.
No, no.. hey!
Come on, hold on a sec...
Will you leave me like this?
What if I die?
See for yourself.
It looks like a statue of Priapus.
By Zeus! It's...
Very uncomfortable, sir.
I can't sleep, I can't sit
down, I can't ride my horse...
- And how long has it been like that?
- Ever since the sun went out.
It's prodigious!
I tried cold water,
lime blossom tea...
- Can I touch it?
- Sorry?
If it doesn't give
you the creeps...
Hard as a rock.
It's very painful, sir.
- I don't care. I want to drink it.
- I don't recommend it, sir.
It doesn't qualify you for
the game of love at all.
Also, an emperor cannot go
attracting attention like this all day.
I could drink a little less...
I took the minimum dose.
- Didn't you try it with anyone else?
- Yes. With an old slave.
Last time I saw him he was
howling around a wheat field.
You must have made a mistake
with the doses of each element.
Yeah...probably.
That's' why I'd like to ask you a little
more time to improve the remedy.
- We can try too.
- No. No. The formula is mine.
- Don't be so selfish.
- 6 eyes can see more than two.
What matters is that
Caesar regains his...
- Greatness.
- Exactly.
Share your knowledge with
Phidias and Glaucus...
...and get to work,
all three of you.
The... formula...
...the ingredients and the doses.
Everything I used, in detail.
That's how I like it.
Before you leave,
a small favour, sir.
My house is full of Iberian
slaves but I need guards.
There will be no favours until you
bring something other than...
...a narcissistic display
of your attributes.
I want a solution
and I want it fast.
I'm too busy to be distracted
by a personal matter.
Gentlemen...
I'll keep fighting to
get back to normal.
Don't despair, Pompey.
If you don't succeed, you can
always find a job in a circus.
- Give me the sample.
- Why should I?
I'll take it home to split it and a
servant will bring your half to you.
- I can do that too.
- You live far away. You need a chariot.
So what?
Roads are bumpy. It could
fall and get broken.
- What a lame excuse!
- I live nearby.
I'll give you the jar if
you give me the formula.
- What have you done?!
- What have YOU done!
What are you doing?
I'm a scientist.
So am I!
Will this be enough?
- Where are you going?
- I must serve breakfast.
Elders had breakfast already.
This is for the young ones.
- You'll be our personal servant.
- What do personal servants do?
You'll have to bathe me and
dress me every morning.
You'll take care of my
clothes, my sandals...
- Will I need to bathe you too?
- Do you want it?
What are you doing? You
only eat the red part!
You will do everything
we tell you.
If you're diligent and learn fast,
you'll take care of our horses.
You can even become our auriga.
- What's that?
- A chariot driver.
Don't you like chariots?
The two we brought from Rome are
old but they just released one...
The Mercury: 4 horses,
wheels with asymmetrical axis,
...inner pockets
to keep your food in...
Do you have your own chariot?
We had one in Rome because we
had to go to school every day.
- What's that?
- Never heard about school either?
They teach you to read and
write, to count with abacus...
Oratory, geography, history...
I don't need any of that.
Yeah, you just need to know
how to throw a stone, right?
- What do you mean?
- I'm sure you know.
I don't understand.
Do you understand now?
What the hell...!
- It was his fault!
- It's not true! He tripped me!
Am I to blame that
his foot met my leg?
Julia. Julia!
Help me pick this up!
- What's this?
- Leeches!
Yuck!
- Stop them.
- No.
If he hurts the house
child, they'll kill him.
It's better to die fighting
than to live on your knees.
He's 11. He mustn't die
fighting or any other way.
He's going to kill him!
Let go of me!
Be patient! It's no
time for revenge yet!
- I'll punish him right away, sir.
- Don't.
It was my fault.
It's clear that gods
protect you, kid.
Come and help me
pick up leeches.
And you go back and
clean the kitchen!
As soon as my leg heals,
we're out of here.
It may not be that easy.
It's very easy.
We agree to kill them all and flee to the
mountains with the horses and the jewellery.
Hello, beautiful...!
Hello.
Is there anything you wanted?
I have two denarii.
Come in. There are more than
20 girls you can choose.
What's going on?
Talk to me!
The old men from the orgy.
Their heart just stopped!
Finally, what a relief!
The leeches have done their job.
How come I hadn't
thought about it?
I had too much blood accumulation.
Formulas must be tested
with other people, not with oneself, sir.
I tried it with the old man.
And triple the dose than mine.
Who knows where he must be now.
He must sure be dead by now.
The human body is a mystery, Hasdrubal.
We'll need many many years
before we understand it.
I'll give you a massage
and then I'll wash you.
Hurry up.
Caesar cannot wait much.
I don't believe in remedies.
So my job is pointless, then.
In the remedies for
this kind of things.
You don't believe in aphrodisiacs?
The failure of
virility in men...
...has more to do with the
mind than anything else.
What do you mean?
The brain controls the organ.
Not the other way round.
I have observed it often.
That's an interesting theory.
I have spoken with Heraclitus,
Caesar's slave chief.
He says that everything stems
from the annoyance about Diana.
- His favourite?
- Yes, sir.
He was madly in love with her.
Until he knew that she
had cheated on him.
- With me.
- Yes, sir.
And he says that you could hear him
crying and bawling all over the palace.
And it looks like he
still cries for her.
I don't understand why he didn't
have us both killed.
Actually, nobody understands.
Augustus is... a sensitive man.
And a sickly man too.
He's afraid of getting sick.
And you are a great doctor.
You mean that only Diana
could cure Caesar?
- Uncle!
- Yes?
Uncle!
- Come with me right away!
- Where to?
- Tarraco's brothel.
- Oh no. My private parts are sore.
- Two men died.
- Oh well, dozens die every day.
They're yours.
Mine?
I won't touch them. I could
have my premises shut down.
Calm down.
They told me Caesar sent them.
They wanted the best
possible bacchanal.
I thought they were
too old for that.
But they showed me the imperial seal.
I couldn't refuse.
I'm afraid they may
say it was our fault.
Just imagine how bad it would
be for our reputation...
The best house in Tarraco!
Well, the only one.
My boys and girls are perfectly
prepared to serve our customers.
I teach them the loving arts
myself apart from music, poetry...
Don't worry. None of you
will be held responsible.
Glaucus and Phidias have been
victims of their own making.
Will you please let Caesar know?
Yes, I'll tell him they
died on the line of duty...
...as victims of research.
They looked so happy!
Load the bodies
in a cart,
...and take them to the temple
with the utmost discretion.
I'll inform their families.
Come on, your heard this gentleman.
Quick! Tell the servants
to clean up this mess.
Thank you, sir.
You saved my life.
If there's anything you need...
This will give you free access
to our services for 6 moons.
Quick! Quick!
Take it. I guess you'll
drop by more often than me.
I don't know. This was my first time
and I found myself with two dead men.
Loving pleasure and death are much closer
to each other than what you'd think.
Everything is hard
for me, uncle.
Why? You're not a
complicated person.
I know, but ideas get
often stuck in my mind...
Sir?
You.
You, why did you call me?
I'm sorry, I took you for another man.
Please forgive me.
Who are you?
I know this voice.
I know these eyes.
Diana...
Diana!
It's Diana!
Nice to meet you.
Don't you know who I am?
Don't you recognize me?
I made a mistake!
She was Caesar's favourite slave!
Talk about bad taste!
Cheer up! Now we'll all
eat and we'll recover.
How's lunch, old woman?
Fine. They brought
vegetables from the city.
We have semolina and
lamb from yesterday.
I will add some herbs...
...to make a dish that a Mauritan
taught me. It's called couscous.
Hurry up.
I'm starving!
Osca!
Osca!
Bescaran!
Where have you been?
What have you done?
I'm very thirsty.
- I thought you had died!
- It's a miracle I'm still alive.
But what have you done?
The master gave me a drink.
And it got a demon inside me...
...that made me run and jump
up and down as if I was 15.
Poor thing.
This demon made
me do some things...
- Forget about it.
- ...that I never knew about.
- You're alive, that's all.
- Osca...
You know I've always
been faithful to you.
But last night I met
someone who...
You've spent too much
time in the sun.
...who made me feel
what life's about.
Yes, of course.
Wait here. Don't move.
I'll bring you some water.
Yes, please.
I told you no lie as you can see.
I'm not a free man.
See you never!
I know you.
Witch!
Either you kick her out
right now, or I'm leaving.
Claudia!
Now just fix what you broke.
You have our support.
If I were a man
like the others...
What?
I would force you
to obey as a wife.
I don't want to see you anymore!
Ever!
Someone will have to bring up
this family, right?
Because you, with
your great ideas...
...you've closed all
your doors to the palace.
- Don't change the subject.
- What subject?
Where's the kid?
You!
Don't move!
Oh, magnanimous Apollo, help
me in this dangerous time
***Fansubs by MoonCT***
II. Slaves and masters
Tonight we'll keep watch in
shifts; Antonius, Marcus and me.
- Two hours each.
- Two hours with these people?
- They stink, you know?
- It's temporary.
- I'm hungry.
- So am I.
Yes, we must cook our food.
- Us?
- Who else can?
Do you really mean
us to cook our food?
- Most people do, it's no big deal.
- It must be horrible to be poor.
Marcus, go to the barn
and kill a lamb.
Me?
Well, we should wash the slaves
before they get home, shouldn't we?
- I brought cloth to make tunics.
- Help me out, Hadrian. Hasdrubal...
I'll go and check upon them.
Marcia, Julia, we must start a
fire in the oven to cook bread.
Go get some firewood.
How do you kill a lamb?
You tie it by its feet...
and then you cut its throat with a knife.
This will be good practice for you
to cut enemies' throats someday.
Come on, Marcus!
I can't believe this!
Drusilla.
The great Caesar Augustus,
the owner of the world,
has a dead sparrow
between his legs.
Many men lose their
desire at a certain age.
- Not your case, as far as I can see.
- Lucky me.
You fool around all the time,
but you have been unable to sow
a male in my daughter's belly.
Men don't choose the
sex of their children.
Gods do, and they're
not on your side.
- I don't believe in gods.
- What do believe in?
Science.
Where's your book of remedies?
What?
Do you keep it in your room?
I don't know what
you're talking about.
Before your husband,
the great Diomedes, died...
from whom I learned
all I know,
he left you his
secrets written in a book.
Where did you get it, that?
Claudia told me.
When?
When we were still living
as a married couple.
He left it to me as a bequest;
it's none of your business.
He used to prepare a very popular
drink among the senators in Rome.
And he never gave you the formula despite
having worked with him for so long?
He'd keep his best recipes in secret
all the time, the old bugger.
- That's how he succeeded.
- That's how he got rich.
Getting rich should be the goal
of each and every man.
The goal of a doctor is to cure
and to spread your knowledge.
My husband always had
the support of Caesar.
But you had to get involved
with his favourite slave instead.
- He had repudiated Diana!
- Caesar would repudiate her all the time.
They had the stormy
relationship lovers have.
She was just a slave!
You can be sure that his snail
wouldn't be inside its shell...
...if she'd still
be with him by now.
- Okay, I made a mistake.
- You make a lot of mistakes.
And your mistakes made us
lose our imperial protection.
I'm trying to get it back.
That's why I need the book.
You won't have it.
Never.
You'll have to
kill me to get it.
And what if I do?
What if I kill you?
I am the master of the house. The law
allows me to kill whoever I want.
You won't do it.
Are you sure?
You will have the formula
that you're after.
This one only.
But I want something in return.
- Making acquaintances?
- Weren't you looking for firewood?
- Your hand is shaking.
- Me?
- You're too soft.
- I'm not soft!
What will you do when you
find yourself in a battle?
I'll fight.
- The way you're fighting now?
- Get lost! Leave me alone!
What are you doing?
No, Marcia! I'll do it!
Here.
Now skin it and cut it up.
- Why did you do it?
- Someone had to.
And now you'll tell everyone.
We were born the wrong way.
I should be the man and
you should be the woman.
- I am the man, is that clear?
- You're a lousy kisser!
- What?
- You don't open your mouth!
What do you mean?
What did you do
with your tongue?
Did you like it?
I don't know.
You worry me, Marcus!
What will you do when I won't
be there by your side...
to tell you how the world works?
I hadn't seen
so much dirt...
...since the day the sewers
of Via Julia blew out.
They look white now.
Yes, but look at their nails, their
hair! We'll have to call a barber in.
I can do that, sir.
Do you know how to cut hair?
Yes, sir. I can also remove teeth
and I stitch wounds too.
Well, you can start now.
Untie him and give him
the tools he may require.
Any of you know how to cook?
All of us can, but
she's the best cooker.
- What's your name?
- Osca
What can you cook?
Pork nut soup with
flour and barley.
Dove stuffed with figs.
Confited rabbit with grape
juice, garlic and laurel...
Her specialty is beer, sir.
Do you make beer?
I'm flipping out.
Many enemies of Rome are
civilized people, father.
The Egyptians,
the Palestinians...
The Carthaginians.
Ancient cultures from
which we could learn.
The world is ours. We don't have
to learn anything from anyone.
- What else do we need?
- A man should take care of the cattle.
Some of you may have
been a shepherd before.
How about land tilling?
There's a great piece of land on the
west side for a vegetable garden.
Someone must take care of the vineyard
and operate the mill too.
What about you?
Why don't you raise your hand?
That means you're useless.
The body of an athlete
and the look at rabid tiger.
And a smashed leg, father.
If my brother-in-law can cure you,
you'll be my personal servant.
Here it is.
The recipe that will make the
sparrow of Caesar fly again.
It's written in Greek.
A man like you should
have language skills.
Let's see...
It's an infusion.
Mm-hm.
You have to boil...
...hypericum...
...bull's blood...
...pure bee honey...
...mint sprouts,
and...
- ...and...
- And what else?
I don't understand this word.
Is this another one
of your tricks?
I'm telling you that I don't
understand this word.
You can check it
out by yourself.
My poor dear husband had shaky hands
in the last days of his life.
But that didn't stop
him to stab himself.
- I don't know, I was not there.
- Some say that you helped him out.
Some say that you spend
my money on gambling.
People should get their
minds out of the gutter.
I'm sure you'll manage.
You're interested in this
working out just as I am.
Are you sure you don't
want to try again?
This...
...this looks like an i.
An a.
Via...
"Via gra". It looks like
"via gra" to me.
What must that be?
A plant?
Vi...
Of course, vi agre (sour wine).
Could be... I'm not sure.
It's Caesar, we're talking about.
We must be sure.
Test it with a slave first.
The old man.
If it works out, then
you will be saved.
You'll be Caesar's
right-hand man again and...
and... you'll be able to
honour the deal we just made.
They really have great teeth.
They would be the envy of
many citizens of Rome.
That's because they drink
goat milk all the time, sir.
Let's see...
Cough for me.
This one is fine, and food
will make him still better.
Next one.
Take this to make a knee-length
dress and some underwear.
If you can't sew, ask
a woman to help you.
- Where did this huge thing come from?
- What?
Your feet.
From my mother.
- Your mother has big feet?
- She had them.
She'd crush walnuts
with her heels.
- So you can do it too?
- Yes.
Well then I'll call you
whenever I find one.
- You're like your father.
- Me?
Sex won't let you
think straight.
I'm not hurting anyone. And I'll soon be a
married woman and I'll have to behave.
You must behave now!
Once you're married, that's it, you'll
be able to do whatever you want.
But woe to thee you if you don't get
to your wedding bed as you must.
Meh!
When is the groom
expected to arrive?
We're looking forward
to hearing from him.
I spend hours looking at the sky,
but no message arrives.
- He may have died in the war...
- Don't say that!
Vespasian is indestructible.
There's nothing easier to
destroy than a man, Marcia.
Believe me.
Next one.
Strip off your blanket.
Look at me in the eyes.
- What are you staring at?
- What do you care?
She's my mother.
Here. Go sweep the kitchen
and the slaves' den.
And then start hunting rats.
I want them all gone!
Open your mouth.
How come your teeth
are so white?
I brush them.
But how do you do it?
I use horsehair to make brushes.
Doesn't it hurt?
Sometimes. But I rinse my
mouth with salted water.
Turn around.
And now...
breathe in...
and... breathe out slowly.
You like smell like...
Olives, sir.
What?
The skin of Iberians
smells like olive.
- Where do I put the lamb?
- In the kitchen.
Marcus!
You too?
Spread some fat over it or
else it will get too dry.
You, bring the fat to Osca.
It's down there.
Where's the goldfinch-faced girl I just
sent out to look for rosemary and oregano?
- I'm here!
- Oh.
- Is that all?
- I saw snakes.
- Where?
- On the grass.
What about it?
My father told me to run
away whenever I see a snake.
- Where's your father?
- He's dead.
- The herbs are for the lamb.
- Do you put herbs on the lamb?
- Yes. Why?
- They'll disguise the taste.
Romans like their food tangy.
Cinnamon, pepper, chilli...
You're still behind.
They're stitching his leg.
I'll be right up.
- Your dress is on the bunk.
- I already have this one!
You must wear that one to serve dinner.
Don't stain it. It came from Rome. - Okay.
Hey, you...
If you're as smart as you seem,
you must know that you have
a great future in this house.
Another rat.
Skin it, like the others.
Why do you want them skinned?
You don't want to know.
How's it going?
Is this hot water?
Soak this cloth in it.
He's lucky the wound was
clean, as the doctor said.
- I must serve dinner.
- Why you?
- They ordered me to.
- What?
You take care of your wound.
If this pig ever lays a
hand on you, I'll kill him!
Get some rest now!
Bescaran!
I'm almost done... be patient!
You look beautiful.
It's very thin and soft.
You can't deny that
Romans have good taste.
And they have weapons
and gold too.
It's easy to have good taste when
strength and power are on your side.
You. The old man.
Pompey needs you.
He wants to see you right away.
Fine. One more
stitch and I'm done.
Dinner's ready.
I had a big jar around here with
some white, twisted roots in it.
Your packed all your things up.
No one touched anything from
your workshop, as you ordered.
I'm positive that I put the jar in one
of these two coffers, but now...
- Did you look everywhere?
- Everywhere.
- On the shelf?
- No.
- And under the table?
- Why should it be there?
Is this it?
How can it be there?
It's clear that I can't
live without you.
- It's dinner time.
- Wait, wait, wait...
What?
My room.
I don't know where it is.
I see.
Should I look under
the table as well?
You don't have your own room.
It's a small house.
Where shall I sleep, then?
- In mine.
- With you?
I put another bed.
Away from mine.
- Do you think it's funny?
- Yes, I do.
I don't.
That's a lie.
It turns you on as much as me.
A new house, new air...
A new sea.
A new world.
Where people smell of olive?
Your smell and mine can
be the same tonight.
We take a bottle of oil and
we smear it over each other.
It's dinner time.
I'll be right up.
- Here's your slave.
- Thank you.
- What's wrong with you?
- Nothing.
You sure? You look very pale.
I'm starving.
Then go eat something.
Sit down.
How long since you
last mounted a woman?
How much would you give
to reminisce old times?
Drink it.
All of it?
A couple sips.
Now you stay here. I'll drop by
after dinner to check on you.
May the gods be with
us, my friend Bescaran.
This meat is good!
- It tastes likes wool.
- Too much salt.
- Bread is burned on.
- They did what they could.
- It's their first day.
- It's odd to have dinner without music.
Did you ask them if
anyone can play?
They don't look as if they can play
anything. They're rustic and vulgar.
- They move like monkeys.
- They think we're murderers.
- That's what we are.
- We are murderers?
We invade their countries,
we destroy their houses...
We bring progress
and civilization.
With our swords.
The empire has more than 50 million
of mouths to feed.
Any territory that can
produce wheat is essential.
It's them or us, Claudia.
And don't forget gold.
Our armies have more
than 500,000 soldiers,
and each one must
receive his stipend.
How much can a general earn?
Well, it's all about ranks.
Your future husband Vespasian must
earn around 100,000 sestertii a year.
Nothing compared to the
revenues he gets unofficially.
Are you implying that my future
son-in-law is a corrupt person?
What Roman general isn't?
I hope he brings me a piece of
gold from the mines of Bergidum!
- What's wrong, Pompey?
- Nothing.
You can't stay still.
- I can't find the right position.
- It's your usual triclinium.
My hands are greasy.
Is there a napkin somewhere?
Heaven is listening to me.
Ask and you'll receive.
You can't say that this slave
moves like a monkey, can you?
She could well be a patrician's
woman or a senator's daughter.
- Her feet are too big.
- I love big feet.
- You love everything, Antonius.
- I don't like to choose.
- What's your name?
- Numantia.
Like the city,
famous for its resistance.
- Do you want to hear it?
- That's what you wanted, smart-ass.
Numantia, bring the wine.
We've finished dinner.
Many generals tried to conquer
Numantia for more than 11 years.
Expensive and failed campaigns:
a scandal!
So much money is
wasted with war!
You got rich with the maritime
trade generated by war.
Why do you say "you" when
you talk about family?
I like to keep my place.
What's wrong with you, Pompey?
You just can't lay still.
Me?
- Can I go on with Numantia?
- The slave?
- The city.
- Can't you see nobody listens to you?
I do, Hadrian. Whatever happened
to the city of Numantia?
Finally there was no other choice than
to send Publius Scipio over there.
The Great Butcher.
He was a general who had brutally
besieged the city of Carthage before.
It took 15 months of hunger,
thirst and epidemics...
...for the city to surrender.
When our soldiers finally
entered the city,
...they only found 50
people alive there.
The rest, about 10,000, preferred
to die than to be slaves of Rome.
Julia, you mustn't.
- Why?
- You're too young.
- Hadrian is younger than me!
- He's a man.
Let her drink.
And you should drink a little too.
Wine is good for the young and the old.
It makes blood...
Yes, let's drink to our first night
in Tarraco. Let's celebrate!
I don't feel like celebrating.
After our trip and the attack of
the barbarians, I'm wiped out.
Let's all drink!
This way we'll sleep soundly and
mosquitoes won't bother us.
I would be such a happy man if we could
have a dessert with almond candy,
...cherry confit
and gingerbread.
Like those we used to eat from that
Persian baker from Quirinal Hill.
What's wrong with you?
Dad!
It looks like the lamb didn't
exactly upset your stomach.
(unintelligible whisper)
Osca.
You can't sleep either?
Are you talking to yourself?
I'm praying.
I have lost faith.
Where must my poor husband be?
What must have they done to him?
Don't worry.
Pompey seems like a good man.
A good man does not make
his servants eat rats.
And now you laugh?
About the rats?
I just remembered one thing that
happened to the master at dinner.
Laugh as much as you want.
It's good to think that there
is still time for laughter.
(unintelligible whisper)
Idle slaves and masters
on guard duty.
That is quite ludicrous!
I'm not sure if I'll
be a good soldier.
My legs shake
whenever I see blood.
- I'm not even capable of killing a lamb.
- These are the nerves with the wait.
As soon as you join the legions
of Vespasian and enter combat,
...all your courage will come out.
- I want to be a great man.
- You'll sure be.
I've been preparing myself for war
ever since I left school at 12.
You have all the conditions
to be a great warrior.
- But there are things that frighten me.
- Lambs and blood.
And women.
Women?
The more I want them,
the more they frighten me.
- Any bad experience?
- I never had ANY experience.
You're a virgin?
Like a vestal.
But your father took you to
a brothel at 14 as usual.
- It was a disaster.
- A disaster?
I got very nervous and...
There's no such thing as virgin men,
but inexperienced harlots.
You're the only one who knows.
It's a secret.
Didn't you try again?
- It still frightens me.
- But why? I don't get it.
Neither do I.
And how do you get by?
This is like eating
with your nose covered.
You know...
- I'm in love with Marcia.
- Your cousin?
- Do you have 2 denarii?
- Yes. Why?
- What's wrong with you, Pompey?
- I'm dying!
I thought age would make
men cool down instead.
It's ridiculous!
Look!
It looks like a giraffe.
And the part you can't see
is much worse.
And I have a fever.
Look at this.
The gods finally punished
you for your lechery.
This has nothing to do with the
gods, but with your father instead.
It's the formula
of an aphrodisiac.
Really? And why would you
need an aphrodisiac?
It wasn't for me, but for
Caesar, but I had to...
I had to try it...
...before I...
It looks like it
works very well.
I made a fool of myself
in front of my daughters....
...my mother, you...
And it goes on and on?
And on. I'm more turned on than
the lighthouse of Alexandria.
- Come.
- You'd better keep it under water.
- No, no...
- Oh yeah.
No, no.. hey!
Come on, hold on a sec...
Will you leave me like this?
What if I die?
See for yourself.
It looks like a statue of Priapus.
By Zeus! It's...
Very uncomfortable, sir.
I can't sleep, I can't sit
down, I can't ride my horse...
- And how long has it been like that?
- Ever since the sun went out.
It's prodigious!
I tried cold water,
lime blossom tea...
- Can I touch it?
- Sorry?
If it doesn't give
you the creeps...
Hard as a rock.
It's very painful, sir.
- I don't care. I want to drink it.
- I don't recommend it, sir.
It doesn't qualify you for
the game of love at all.
Also, an emperor cannot go
attracting attention like this all day.
I could drink a little less...
I took the minimum dose.
- Didn't you try it with anyone else?
- Yes. With an old slave.
Last time I saw him he was
howling around a wheat field.
You must have made a mistake
with the doses of each element.
Yeah...probably.
That's' why I'd like to ask you a little
more time to improve the remedy.
- We can try too.
- No. No. The formula is mine.
- Don't be so selfish.
- 6 eyes can see more than two.
What matters is that
Caesar regains his...
- Greatness.
- Exactly.
Share your knowledge with
Phidias and Glaucus...
...and get to work,
all three of you.
The... formula...
...the ingredients and the doses.
Everything I used, in detail.
That's how I like it.
Before you leave,
a small favour, sir.
My house is full of Iberian
slaves but I need guards.
There will be no favours until you
bring something other than...
...a narcissistic display
of your attributes.
I want a solution
and I want it fast.
I'm too busy to be distracted
by a personal matter.
Gentlemen...
I'll keep fighting to
get back to normal.
Don't despair, Pompey.
If you don't succeed, you can
always find a job in a circus.
- Give me the sample.
- Why should I?
I'll take it home to split it and a
servant will bring your half to you.
- I can do that too.
- You live far away. You need a chariot.
So what?
Roads are bumpy. It could
fall and get broken.
- What a lame excuse!
- I live nearby.
I'll give you the jar if
you give me the formula.
- What have you done?!
- What have YOU done!
What are you doing?
I'm a scientist.
So am I!
Will this be enough?
- Where are you going?
- I must serve breakfast.
Elders had breakfast already.
This is for the young ones.
- You'll be our personal servant.
- What do personal servants do?
You'll have to bathe me and
dress me every morning.
You'll take care of my
clothes, my sandals...
- Will I need to bathe you too?
- Do you want it?
What are you doing? You
only eat the red part!
You will do everything
we tell you.
If you're diligent and learn fast,
you'll take care of our horses.
You can even become our auriga.
- What's that?
- A chariot driver.
Don't you like chariots?
The two we brought from Rome are
old but they just released one...
The Mercury: 4 horses,
wheels with asymmetrical axis,
...inner pockets
to keep your food in...
Do you have your own chariot?
We had one in Rome because we
had to go to school every day.
- What's that?
- Never heard about school either?
They teach you to read and
write, to count with abacus...
Oratory, geography, history...
I don't need any of that.
Yeah, you just need to know
how to throw a stone, right?
- What do you mean?
- I'm sure you know.
I don't understand.
Do you understand now?
What the hell...!
- It was his fault!
- It's not true! He tripped me!
Am I to blame that
his foot met my leg?
Julia. Julia!
Help me pick this up!
- What's this?
- Leeches!
Yuck!
- Stop them.
- No.
If he hurts the house
child, they'll kill him.
It's better to die fighting
than to live on your knees.
He's 11. He mustn't die
fighting or any other way.
He's going to kill him!
Let go of me!
Be patient! It's no
time for revenge yet!
- I'll punish him right away, sir.
- Don't.
It was my fault.
It's clear that gods
protect you, kid.
Come and help me
pick up leeches.
And you go back and
clean the kitchen!
As soon as my leg heals,
we're out of here.
It may not be that easy.
It's very easy.
We agree to kill them all and flee to the
mountains with the horses and the jewellery.
Hello, beautiful...!
Hello.
Is there anything you wanted?
I have two denarii.
Come in. There are more than
20 girls you can choose.
What's going on?
Talk to me!
The old men from the orgy.
Their heart just stopped!
Finally, what a relief!
The leeches have done their job.
How come I hadn't
thought about it?
I had too much blood accumulation.
Formulas must be tested
with other people, not with oneself, sir.
I tried it with the old man.
And triple the dose than mine.
Who knows where he must be now.
He must sure be dead by now.
The human body is a mystery, Hasdrubal.
We'll need many many years
before we understand it.
I'll give you a massage
and then I'll wash you.
Hurry up.
Caesar cannot wait much.
I don't believe in remedies.
So my job is pointless, then.
In the remedies for
this kind of things.
You don't believe in aphrodisiacs?
The failure of
virility in men...
...has more to do with the
mind than anything else.
What do you mean?
The brain controls the organ.
Not the other way round.
I have observed it often.
That's an interesting theory.
I have spoken with Heraclitus,
Caesar's slave chief.
He says that everything stems
from the annoyance about Diana.
- His favourite?
- Yes, sir.
He was madly in love with her.
Until he knew that she
had cheated on him.
- With me.
- Yes, sir.
And he says that you could hear him
crying and bawling all over the palace.
And it looks like he
still cries for her.
I don't understand why he didn't
have us both killed.
Actually, nobody understands.
Augustus is... a sensitive man.
And a sickly man too.
He's afraid of getting sick.
And you are a great doctor.
You mean that only Diana
could cure Caesar?
- Uncle!
- Yes?
Uncle!
- Come with me right away!
- Where to?
- Tarraco's brothel.
- Oh no. My private parts are sore.
- Two men died.
- Oh well, dozens die every day.
They're yours.
Mine?
I won't touch them. I could
have my premises shut down.
Calm down.
They told me Caesar sent them.
They wanted the best
possible bacchanal.
I thought they were
too old for that.
But they showed me the imperial seal.
I couldn't refuse.
I'm afraid they may
say it was our fault.
Just imagine how bad it would
be for our reputation...
The best house in Tarraco!
Well, the only one.
My boys and girls are perfectly
prepared to serve our customers.
I teach them the loving arts
myself apart from music, poetry...
Don't worry. None of you
will be held responsible.
Glaucus and Phidias have been
victims of their own making.
Will you please let Caesar know?
Yes, I'll tell him they
died on the line of duty...
...as victims of research.
They looked so happy!
Load the bodies
in a cart,
...and take them to the temple
with the utmost discretion.
I'll inform their families.
Come on, your heard this gentleman.
Quick! Tell the servants
to clean up this mess.
Thank you, sir.
You saved my life.
If there's anything you need...
This will give you free access
to our services for 6 moons.
Quick! Quick!
Take it. I guess you'll
drop by more often than me.
I don't know. This was my first time
and I found myself with two dead men.
Loving pleasure and death are much closer
to each other than what you'd think.
Everything is hard
for me, uncle.
Why? You're not a
complicated person.
I know, but ideas get
often stuck in my mind...
Sir?
You.
You, why did you call me?
I'm sorry, I took you for another man.
Please forgive me.
Who are you?
I know this voice.
I know these eyes.
Diana...
Diana!
It's Diana!
Nice to meet you.
Don't you know who I am?
Don't you recognize me?
I made a mistake!
She was Caesar's favourite slave!
Talk about bad taste!
Cheer up! Now we'll all
eat and we'll recover.
How's lunch, old woman?
Fine. They brought
vegetables from the city.
We have semolina and
lamb from yesterday.
I will add some herbs...
...to make a dish that a Mauritan
taught me. It's called couscous.
Hurry up.
I'm starving!
Osca!
Osca!
Bescaran!
Where have you been?
What have you done?
I'm very thirsty.
- I thought you had died!
- It's a miracle I'm still alive.
But what have you done?
The master gave me a drink.
And it got a demon inside me...
...that made me run and jump
up and down as if I was 15.
Poor thing.
This demon made
me do some things...
- Forget about it.
- ...that I never knew about.
- You're alive, that's all.
- Osca...
You know I've always
been faithful to you.
But last night I met
someone who...
You've spent too much
time in the sun.
...who made me feel
what life's about.
Yes, of course.
Wait here. Don't move.
I'll bring you some water.
Yes, please.
I told you no lie as you can see.
I'm not a free man.
See you never!
I know you.
Witch!
Either you kick her out
right now, or I'm leaving.
Claudia!
Now just fix what you broke.
You have our support.
If I were a man
like the others...
What?
I would force you
to obey as a wife.
I don't want to see you anymore!
Ever!
Someone will have to bring up
this family, right?
Because you, with
your great ideas...
...you've closed all
your doors to the palace.
- Don't change the subject.
- What subject?
Where's the kid?
You!
Don't move!
Oh, magnanimous Apollo, help
me in this dangerous time
***Fansubs by MoonCT***