I just started watching this last night because we just finished learning about the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire in my European Civilization class. The show does a great job at balancing history with fiction that I've so far been able to differentiate from quite easily. As with any HBO show it's teeming with gory violence and plenty of sex and always, some brilliant writing and acting. I don't know why I slept on this show for so long, it's been on my hard drive for at least a year now, but better late than never.