by Ben Kane
Publius Cornelius Scipio: one of Rome’s most famous generals. He cut his military teeth as a youth at the outset of the second Punic war. By its end, he was a shrewd and careful commander who had learned enough to beat the master Hannibal at his own game.
Seleucid empire: one of the kingdoms formed during the wars of the Successors, the bitter clashes between Alexander the Great’s generals and followers. It was vast, reaching from the Mediterranean almost to India. By the late third century BC, it had just emerged from a difficult period thanks to the leadership of its new Seleucid ruler, Antiochus III.
senator: one of three hundred men elected from the senatorial class of nobles to stand in the Senate, the governing body of Republican Rome.
shield: the Roman scutum (pl. scuta) was an elongated oval, about 1.2 m tall and 0.75 m wide. It was made from two layers of wood, the pieces laid at right angles to each other; it was then covered with linen or canvas, and leather. Republican scuta had a central wooden spine that ran from the top to the bottom. The scutum was heavy, weighing between 6 and 10 kg. A large metal boss decorated its centre, with the horizontal grip placed behind this. Decorative designs were often painted on the front, and a leather cover was used to protect the shield when not in use, e.g. while marching.
Signia: modern-day Segni, in Lazio, central Italy.
Sirens: enchantresses from Homer’s Odyssey whose song lured sailors to their deaths.
Sogdia: a region lying in modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Sparta: also known to Greeks as Lacedaemon or Lakonia, which gave rise to the modern word ‘laconic’, the land of the Spartans spanned the central Peloponnese.
speira (pl. speirai): a 256-man-strong unit of the Macedonian phalanx. It measured sixteen men wide, sixteen deep. (See also Author’s Note.)
stadion (pl. stadia): a Greek unit of measurement, roughly corresponding to 176 metres/577 feet.
strategia (pl. strategiai): a five-thousand-man strong unit of the Macedonian phalanx. (See also the Author’s Note.)
subarmalis: a padded garment worn over a legionary’s tunic and under his mail shirt. It served to dissipate the force of a blow from an enemy’s weapon.
Syria: part of the Seleucid empire.
Tarentum: modern-day Tarento.
Tartaros: part of the underworld.
Tempe: an eight-kilometre/five-mile defile in the mountains between Thessaly and Macedon. It was the easiest route between the two regions but could be easily defended.
tesserarius: one of the junior officers in a century, whose duties included commanding the guard. The name originates from the tessera tablet on which was written the password for the day.
Thasos: a town and island of the same name, lying close to the coast between the Hellespont and Macedon.
Thermopylae: site of one of history’s most famous battles. In 480 BC, King Leonidas of Sparta and his three hundred warriors, together with 6–7,000 Greeks, held off a vastly larger Persian army for two days. When the enemy appeared behind them, most of the Greeks left, but not Leonidas and his three hundred.
Thessaly: a region of north Greece. Essentially plains enclosed by mountains except for the Pagasean Gulf to the east, in the third century BC it was mostly controlled by Macedon; Aetolia held sway over smaller areas.
Thrace/Thrake: a region populated by fierce, warlike tribes – the Thracians. Today it would lie in parts of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.
triarii (sing. triarius): the oldest, most experienced soldiers in a legion. These six hundred men wore helmets, mail shirts and a single greave. They each carried a shield, and were armed with a sword and a long, thrusting spear.
tribune: one of six senior officers in each legion. During the mid-Republic, these men were of senatorial rank.
Trikka: modern-day Trikala, in Thessaly.
turmae (sing. turma): a ten-man cavalry unit. In the mid-Republic, each legion had a mounted force of 300 riders. This was divided into thirty turmae, each commanded by a decurion.
velites (sing. veles): light skirmishers recruited from the poorest social class. Twelve hundred were attached to each legion. Young men of perhaps 16 to 18 years, their equipment consisted of a small, round shield and a bundle of 4’ (1.2 m) javelins. They also wore strips of wolfskin on their heads.
Via Appia: the road that linked Rome with Brundisium, at Italy’s heel.
vitis: the vine stick carried by centurions. It was used as a mark of rank and also to inflict punishment.
Vulcan (in Latin, Vulcanus): a Roman god of destructive fire, who was often worshipped to prevent – fire!
wine: it is unclear when viticulture first came to Italy. It was practised by the Etruscans but could also have been introduced by Greek settlers. At the time of this book, Roman winegrowing had not yet reached its peak. Alban, Caecuban and Falernian were some of the most famous types.
xyston: the long thrusting spear of the Companion cavalryman. Up to 5 metres/16.5 feet in length, it had a metal butt spike and was held two-handed in combat, which is incredible when you consider there were no saddles being used.
Zama: site of Hannibal’s defeat at the hands of Publius Cornelius Scipio in October 202 BC. Today the probable site lies south-west of Tunis, close to the border with Algeria.
Zeus Soter: Zeus was the most important Greek god, and ruler of the other deities. He was revered as the god of thunder and of the sky. Soter means ‘the Saviour’; it was a title given to many gods.
About the Author
Kenya born, Irish by blood and UK resident, Ben Kane’s passion for history has seen him change career from veterinary medicine to writing, and taken him to more than sixty countries, and all seven continents. During his travels and subsequent research, including walking hundreds of miles in complete Roman military gear, he has learned much about the Romans and the way they lived.
Nine of his eleven novels have been Sunday Times top ten bestsellers, and his books are published in twelve languages; a million copies have sold worldwide. In 2016, his research was recognised by Bristol University with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. Kane lives in Somerset with his wife and children, where he writes full time.
Also by Ben Kane
The Forgotten Legion Chronicles
The Forgotten Legion
The Silver Eagle
The Road to Rome
Hannibal
Enemy of Rome
Fields of Blood
Clouds of War
Spartacus
The Gladiator
Rebellion
Eagles of Rome
Eagles at War
Hunting the Eagles
Eagles in the Storm
Copyright
AN ORION EBOOK
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Orion Books
This ebook first published in 2018 by Orion Books
Copyright © Ben Kane 2018
Maps copyright © Neil Gower 2018
The right of Ben Kane to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book, with the exception of those already in the public domain, are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 4091 7340 3
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Praise For
Title Page
A SHORT NOTE ABOUT GREEK CITY STATES
PROLOGUE
PART ONE
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
PART TWO
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXIII
PART THREE
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXV
CHAPTER XXVI
CHAPTER XXVII
CHAPTER XXVIII
CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXX
CHAPTER XXXI
CHAPTER XXXII
CHAPTER XXXIII
PART FOUR
CHAPTER XXXIV
CHAPTER XXXV
CHAPTER XXXVI
CHAPTER XXXVII
CHAPTER XXXVIII
CHAPTER XXXIX
CHAPTER XL
CHAPTER XLI
CHAPTER XLII
CHAPTER XLIII
CHAPTER XLIV
CHAPTER XLV
CHAPTER XLVI
CHAPTER XLVII
CHAPTER XLVIII
CHAPTER XLIX
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
GLOSSARY
About the Author
Also by Ben Kane
Copyright
