The newsreader appears in most episodes of Rome as a means of advancing the plot by relating events that either take place offscreen, or the results of previous events which the audience has seen. Perhaps most memorable are the dramatic gestures which accommodate the reading. The purpose of this was not simply for dramatic illustration. In cosmopolitan cities like Rome, not everyone spoke Latin, but hand signs were universal, typical of trading cultures, and could be seen from far away by the near-sighted. The acting art of public rhetoric used hand signs and arm moves that emulated famous statues. Actor Ian McNiece makes skillful prosaic moves some of which can be seen in sign language, the theatre for the deaf, or American Plains Indians. When you see/hear Caesar follows on. That actor swings his arm, head, with an undulating hand that finally forms a statuesque pose pointing away.