The Sibyline prophecy and the riot are both found in Graves' novel, but here we find him playing games with his sources. Yes, the Romans consulted the Sibyline Books, but no ancient source provides this foretelling of Graves' I, Claudius. Graves and Pulman use this oracle as a clever conceit to frame the narrative. Evidence for a riot during Augustus' tour of the eastern provinces can be found in Dio. Consular elections are the cause, however, not the death of Marcellus. Because of the riots, Augustus through an intermediary-Maecenas, makes overtures to Agrippa. Nowhere in Dio's account of the rioting does Livia address the mob. So Graves, it appears, couldn't help himself. He inserts Livia into this historic event so she can be pelted with crap. Her humiliation then becomes the catalyst for Agrippa's recall. This incident also serves to illustrate a running theme in the novel and television series, "if Augustus ruled the world, Livia ruled Augustus."

One quibble with this episode is the omission of a full explanation of the rivalry between Agrippa and Marcellus.  The audience is left to assume that Agrippa never really stood a chance against the precocious Marcellus. According to Dio, when Augustus fell deathly ill and was forced to name a successor, he chose Agrippa.  Augustus, of course, was eventually cured by the help of Musa and his ever-doting and dedicated wife Livia. While Pulman has Livia mention Augustus' illness as part of her nursing credentials, he does not include the naming of Agrippa. In the episode, Augustus completely discounts Agrippa as his successor because of his age and birth.

Another minor point of criticism is with the sculptural adornment of Augustus' peristyle. For the most part, Herbert Wise and his designer Tim Harvey do an excellent job recreating the realia of Augustan Rome. The opening banquet scene correctly places Agrippa in the 'seat' of honor, Augustus reclines in the host's spot. The costumes, hair style and the furnishings are very much to period. So, what are busts of Hadrian(AD117-138) and Septimius Severus (AD193-211) doing in a first century BC garden? Time Warp.