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*Thread* Remember how in Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth, Claudius Hieronimianus, the kindly yet authoritative legate (high-ranking general & senator) of the Sixth Victrix is Egyptian? Not if you only know the subsequent radio, film and TV adaptions...
Firstly, the character is based on a real person, the legate Claudius Hieronymianus of the Sixth Legion Victrix, who paid for the construction of a temple to Serapis at York in c. 190-212 (RIB 658)
In the 1977 BBC series, Claudius is played by Martin Heller. His second name isn't given, no mention of his origin is made, and, well, he's white...
Notably, his arrogant tribune, Placidus, who is of Greek origin in the book, is played by British-Indian actor Darien Angadi, who portrayed Egyptian characters (usually bad guys) in other TV series. It's almost as if the characters' origins have been intentionally reversed...
In The Eagle (2011), Claudius is played by Dakin Matthews, and there's nothing suggestive of Egyptian origins here. His name has also been changed to Claudius Marcellus...
There have been two BBC radio adaptions of the book. Can't find a copy of the 1957 one, where Claudius is played by Ralph Truman, but I'm expecting the aristocratic tones of a mid-20th c British army officer, which is the sort of role Truman often played...
The 1996 adaption had David McHale as Claudius ( https://archive.org/details/THEEAGLEOFTHENINTH), and here we do get the traditional, aristocratic voice of a British army officer for Claudius, with no reference to his Egyptian origins...
In short, in the original novel, one of the highest-ranking members of the administration in Roman Britain is Egyptian. Moreover, Claudius is portrayed in a positive light, esp in contrast to the haughty Placidus, and goes before the Senate on Marcus and Esca's behalf...
Yet in every subsequent adaption the character has been whitewashed, suggesting the makers of these adaptions did not feel a character of Egyptian origin could be presented in such a role...
If people had never read the original book, but had seen/listened to these adaptations, they would prob would be confused if a new version presented the character as Egyptian. The backlash over the BBC video about a black Roman soldier in Britain would suggest so...
People's perceptions of Britain's Roman past are shaped by how it is portrayed in the media, and the case of Claudius Hieronimianus highlights a long-held reluctance to depict a RB where non-white characters are positive figures in positions of power. We need to do better.
