Impluvius et Compluvius apud Sarmatas is an amusing story about the journey of two brave Roman soldiers, Impluvius and Compluvius, from Rome to Sarmatia and back again, on the order of Tiberius Claudius Maximus – a fictional emperor of their contemporary world.

On their way to the barbarian Sarmatia, outside of the civilized oikoumene known to Romans, they pass through Assisi, Ancona, Padua, Budapest, go outside the Limes, traverse the Tatras, reach Cracow, and eventually, Warsaw, where they discover that the Polish sovereign is Tiberius Claudius Minimus – the emperor’s adversary vanquished in a civil war. He looks very much like Julius Caesar, adores everything Roman, especially poetry, and lives according to Roman fashion in luxury that he hides from his people. The two protagonists meet with extraordinary adventures that they could have never experienced in Rome. They become acquainted with yet unknown realms, both within the Imperium as well as beyond the Limes, but also with interesting characters and their foreign, incomprehensible cultures and customs, so alien in comparison to their own. 

Eventually, Minimus influences the protagonists to convince the emperor that Sarmatia is not worthy of becoming a Roman province. Being back in Rome, they describe Sarmatia as a beautiful land, with the inhabitants lazy and slothful, but brave in battle, thus worth trading with, not conquering. So, following the advice of Impluvius and Compluvius, the Roman legions have never attacked Sarmatians.

Impluvius et Compluvius apud Sarmatas is a Polish comic book written in Latin, a publication without precedent. Rarely before has anyone come up with the idea of resurrecting the Latin language as the tongue of everyday speech and casual dialogue by publishing an entertaining comic book.

The target audience is young readers, who have already begun learning Latin at school and are at an intermediate level. Yet, even those with a more advanced command of Latin should also enjoy the book. The authors use a relatively simple language, aided by the context provided by illustrations; there is also a short glossary with the vocabulary, phrases, expressions, and grammatical structures. Despite the use of genuine quotations from ancient authors, the phrases do not come across as complicated excerpts, such as one could have been forced to suffer during a Latin class at school – instead, they seem to mingle with the plot naturally. The reader, recognizing the famous, familiar phrases, achieves a sense of accomplishment and pride of knowing them beforehand and being able to identify their source or reference. Moreover, the authors’ sense of humour allows the reader to overcome the language barrier and give oneself up to the pleasure of reading. 

Classical Antiquity showcased by the authors is a natural background for the fictional characters and was described in a typical comic book convention. It is full of wonderful details characteristic of comic drawings (for example, graffiti in Latin or mythology-inspired floor inlays), which add authenticity, entertain, and educate at the same time. Despite overemphasis typical to the genre, Antiquity is still well-established and real in the story, as it relies on the authors’ undeniable knowledge and awareness of ancient Rome.

In the first part, before Impluvius and Compluvius embark on the journey, the reader acquires a good idea of Rome, its urban planning and architecture: the Mausoleum of Hadrian, meticulously drawn in its contemporary shape, Palatium Mons, Trajan’s Column, Roman temples, basilicas, villas, insulae, taverns and streets. As the travelers proceed with their journey through the Imperium, there are some images of Roman roads and towns, buildings and landmarks. In Assisi (Assisium) – Minerva’s temple and amphitheatre, in Ancona – the harbour and the Arch of Trajan, in Padua (Patavium) – a private suburban villa, in Budapest (Aquincum) – amphitheatres with gladiator games taking place and a prefecture of the municipal police. Towards the end, the protagonists traverse the Limes Wall in order to enter the Barbaricum.

Soon after publication, the authors were faced with allegations that their comic book was a Polish version of the Astérix series and that it strongly relied on its French predecessor. This similarity, however, is only superficial – the representation of the demarcation between Rome and the neighbouring countries is similar, as is the idea of a pair of main characters – two soldiers, one of whom is small and the other one large. Those are the only aspects linking the two works, and they only demonstrate a kind of conscious inspiration and tribute to Asterix. The originality of the book is undeniable, especially that the narrative arc of the comic events in Sarmatia is also based on the Polish, late-communist reality, in a world of Polish historical and cultural myths (e.g., Poles as the Sarmatians’ descendants, Ovid’s tomb being situated in Sarmatia, the myth of the Mermaid of Warsaw).

See the comic books database on the website alejakomiksu (accessed: October 27, 2020).

Jerzy Ciechanowicz, Wędrówki śródziemnomorskie [audiobook], www.youtube.com (accessed: October 27, 2020).

Jerzy Ciechanowicz, Itaka, wiw.pl (accessed: October 27, 2020).

Before the book was published, a part of the comic was printed in 1988 (in installments) in the now-defunct The Polish Weekly – Christian and Socio-Cultural Magazine [Tygodnik polski – chrześcijański tygodnik społeczno-kulturalny] – issues 14/88–22/88. Each published installment was coupled with a contest for the best translation of the Latin text sent to the editor.