What I found interesting is the true depictions of how the women were just as insidious as the men. As the men (at this time patricians) were off fighting wars, there were major families of females left to do business, keep farmsteads, trade slaves, and keep the power for their husbands/sons/brothers to return to....and the Julii, Scipii, and Brutii all veid for power at a facinating point in history.
If you want to read more into roman history, and do not have the time, just type in "ancient rome" in wikipedia.org to get a good touch and go lesson.
If you like accurate, historical fiction, I would suggest "first man in rome", by Colleen McCullough of the Thorn Birds fame.
live=life.