Being Roman with Mary Beard

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From a slave to an emperor, Mary Beard reveals the real people of the Roman Empire.

Beneath the starched togas and the pungent fug of gladiator sweat there are real Romans waiting to be discovered. Mary Beard uncovers fascinating untold stories from the Empire.

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3. Rome's Got Talent

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Meet a child prodigy who recited his poetry for the Emperor and the raucous Roman crowds.

An 11-year-old boy takes to the stage to recite a poem in front of 7000 people, with the Emperor watching from the front row. Mary Beard tells the story of a child prodigy of Rome.

Imagine the feeling in the pit of your stomach as you take to the stage in front of 7000 people to recite a complex poem you’ve just made up on the spot.  11 year old Sulpicius Maximus knows that the Emperor is in the front row and his parents are counting on his success in Rome’s premier festival of the arts.

Mary Beard tracks down the clues behind an extraordinary story of Roman life, revealing the reality of Roman childhood and the desperate attempts of the poet's parents to escape the shadow of their slave roots and rise through the ranks of Roman society.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Expert Contributors: Valentina Garulli, Bologna University and Kathleen Coleman, Harvard University

Poetry Translation: Barbara Graziosi 

Cast: Sulpicius played by Joseph Goodman and oration read by Tyler Cameron

Special thanks to Barbara Nobiloni at the Centrale Montemartini Museum, Rome

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Being Roman with Mary Beard

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