“Many believe that knowledge, particularly science, should only be shared in the most careful way—almost as an initiation into a religion or a cult. But I’m not of that belief. Knowledge is something that many have contributed to. It grows with each generation. Like a huge temple, we are steadily detailing it, adding an embossment here, an inscription there. But it’s not just for those who build it. It’s not some fantastic mystery to be secreted away. It’s for everyone. It’s a tool to learn with, to learn about ourselves and about others. And it’s a tool to improve our place in the world. To make life better and richer for everyone, not just the privileged. Knowledge is best shared.”
“Even when used to make weapons?”
“Civilization and the knowledge that comes with it are the products of thousands of years of human struggle. Both will continue to grow and be built upon for many thousand more. During that time, we will make many missteps, but with every misstep, we will make advances. This, I believe, is the destiny of humankind. To create a knowledge that will allow us to live on the Earth without war, without slavery, and without enduring hardship. I believe we will achieve it.”
“Was it a mistake for Archimedes to torture himself over this?”
“No, it was a necessary part of learning how to use the knowledge.” Ithius paused and tilted his head. “What makes you ask such a question, Timon?”
“I learned quite a bit from Archimedes. He made me promise not to divulge some of the things he showed me.” I placed my hand on my chest, feeling the leather pouch beneath my tunic. “Now I wonder if those secrets need to be revealed—if sharing them is what I’m meant to do—if that’s my destiny.”
Ithius smiled warmly and put his hand on my shoulder. “If those are the questions that are in your heart, and you have the honesty to ask such questions, questions that few men can even imagine, then yes, you are the right person to reveal those secrets.”
“I hope you are right, Ithius. I hope you are right.” I turned to walk away.
“I almost forgot, Timon. A soldier left a letter here for you. It’s on the table in the entrance hall.”
I went to the table and found the sealed letter. I opened it and read the short note. I have heard from my colleague Claudius Nero that you have exceptional talent as a mapmaker. There will be a time in the future when I will need accurate maps of north Africa. I would like your assistance with this. When the time comes, I will call for you. It was signed Publius Cornelius Scipio.
I was honored. Recognition by the illustrious Scipio was important, but it only made me think of the war and Hannibal and my mother traveling with his army. How I wished this note had been from her, telling me she had been released and that I would be seeing her that day. Instead, I found myself staring at the floor, thinking of the image of her I had seen through the lenses and wondering if I would ever see her again.
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Adeon- house slave in Timon’s home in Croton
Aemilia- one of unchaste Vestals
Aemilus Pallus- senator who died at Cannae
Ajax- Sempronia’s pet parrot
Arathia Arathenus- Timon’s mother
Balius- Timon’s horse
Blattius- member of Salapia city council
Britomartus- King of the Gaesatae
Caelius- King of the Crooks
Calpurnius Piso- Roman proconsul in Arretium
Candaules- character from Herodotus’ Histories
Capitolinus- man who sexually abused Marcus Claudius
Carthalo- Carthaginian cavalry officer
Cassius Regulus- augur for Marcellus during second campaign
Claudia- Marcellus’ daughter
Dasius- member of Salapia city council
Decius- Timon’s tentmate, all three campaigns
Dora- Sempronii slave
Edeco- Claudii slave
Esmeralda- Venusian farm girl
Euroclydon- Marcus’ horse
Fulvia- Sempronia’s mother
Gaius Arrenius- tribune of the plebs
Gaius Cornelius Nero- prefect for Marcellus, second and third campaigns
Gaius Decimius Flavus- tribune for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Gaius Fulvius Flaccus- brother of Quintus and Gnaeus
Gaius Laelius- Publius Scipio’s naval commander
Gaius Publicius Bibulus- tribune of the plebs
Gaius Tubero- tribune for Marcellus, first and second campaign
Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus- brother of Quintus and Gaius, killed at Herdonea
Gnaeus- Timon’s tentmate, all three campaigns
Gnaeus Furius- legate for Crispinus
Gyges- character from Herodotus’ Histories
Hektor- military cook on island of Ortygia in Sicily
Helvius Paetus- tribune for Marcellus, second campaign
Hiero- King Hiero II of Syracuse
Horatius- Timon’s tentmate during the second campaign, Titus’ brother
Ithius- Claudii slave
Julia- Laelia’s daughter
Junius Pennus- perfect for Marcellus, second campaign
Laelia- Claudii slave
Leptines Pelopedias- nobleman from Syracuse
Licinia- one of unchaste Vestals
Livius- Timon’s tentmate, first campaign
Lucius Arrenius- tribune of the plebs
Lucius Cornelius Lentulus- legate for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Lucius Furius Purpurio- Legate for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Lucius Herenius- farmer from Narnia
Lucius Oppius- qaestor for Marcellus
Lucretia- house slave in Timon’s home in Croton
Lydiades- Greek from Tarentum
Manius- slave from Vestal Palace
Manius Atilius Regulus- tribune for Quintus Fulvius
Manlius Torquatus- oldest Roman senator
Maharbal- Carthaginian cavalry officer
Manius Acilius- Roman senator
Manius Aulius-Prefect for Crispinus
Manus- slave from Capua
Marcus Aemilius Lepidas- Roman senator
Marcus Atilius Regulus- Roman general during the first Punic War
Marcus Claudius- Marcellus’ son
Marcus Claudius Marcellus- Roman general
Marcus Livius Macatus- Roman garrison captain in Tarentum
Marcus Maevius- nobleman from Sora
Marcus Valerius Laevinus- Roman consul
Marius Baebus- Pulcher, sub-centurion for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Marius Geminus- legate for Crispinus
Meda- Claudii slave
Messalina- virgo vestalis maxima, senior sister for Vestal Virgins
Moira- Sicilian girl, love interest of Timon’s from Syracuse
Muttines- Carthaginian cavalry officer
Nico Percon- Greek military officer in Tarentum
Olcades- military surgeon
Paculla Annia- priestess from Capua
Pacuvius Calavius- prefect for Marcellus, first campaign
Papus Laetorius- prefect for Marcellus, first campaign
Philip of Macedon- King of Macedonia
Philomenus- Greek officer in Tarentum
Portia- Marcellus’ wife
Publius Cornelius Lentulus- garrison captain in Syracuse
Publius Cornelius Scipio- young Roman general in Spain
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives- pontifex maximus
Publius Metellus- Marcellus’ son-in-law
Quinctius Crispinus- Roman consul
Quintus Ennius- Roman playwright and poet
Quintus Fabius Maximus- elder Roman senator
Quintus Fulvius Flaccus- Roman consul, brother of Gaius and Gnaeus
Rullo- Laelia’s son
Sempronia- Marcus’ bride-to-be
Seppius- Timon’s tentmate, first and second campaign
Sextius Buteo- augur for Marcellus during third campaign
Spurius- Timon’s tentmate, first campaign
Statorius Galba- centurion for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Tiberius Claudius Asellus- cavalry captain for Marcellus, all three campaigns
Tiberius Sempronius Longus- Roman senator, father of Sempronia
Timon Leonidas- the Greek narrator
Titus- Timon’s tentmate during second campaign, Horatius’ brother
Titus Mamulus- messenger from Tarentum
Titus Otacilius- Marcellus’ step-brother
Titus Veturius Pollio- legate for Marcellus, first campaign
Troglius- Timon’s tentmate, all three campaigns
Varus Nasica- augur for Marcellus during first campaign
Vibellus Rullus- prefect for Marcellus, third campaign
Vibius Virrius- member of Capua’s city council
GLOSSARY
as (pl. asses)- bronze Roman coin, four quadrans make one as
auguraculum- tent in Roman military camp used by augurs
baldric- belt worn over the shoulder to carry a sword
bastinado- gaunlet-sytle military punishment
buckler- shield
bulla- lucky charm worn around neck by Roman children
carroubes- calluses formed by Roman helmet clasps
cella- main room in a Roman temple
centuria praerogativa- the honor of nominating the first pair of consuls at the Century Assembly
comitium- sunken amphitheater in front of the Curia
cuirass- breastplate of metal or formed leather
Curia- Senate House
curule chair- seat for consuls in Roman Senate
decurion- captain of turma
denarius- silver Roman coin equal to ten asses
equites- second order of nobility in Rome
extraordinarii- elite Roman soldiers
februa- bloody animal skin used in the Lupercalia
flamen (pl. flamines)- religious orderly
garron- small horse ridden by Numidian cavalry
gladius (pl. gladii)- double-bladed, short sword of Spanish origin
greave- a bronze or leather shin guard
haruspex- priest trained to read entrails or actions of birds
hastatus (pl. hastati)- first row of soldiers in a Roman legion
howdah- leather and wood tower worn by an elephant or camel
ides- fifteenth day of the month
imagines- wax masks cast from a family’s ancestors
imperium- authority to rule
intervallum- space between ramparts and tents in Roman camp
lares- protective gods of the home, one for each member of the family
lictor- bodyguard for Roman consul
mahout- trainer and rider of elephant
mola- religious sacrament made from salt and flour
mulsum- honey-sweeten wine
new man- a Roman citizen who has recently gained social prominence
nones- the ninth of the month
optio- sub-centurion, watches maniple action from rear
palla- shawl for Roman women
penates- household gods
peristyle- garden in Roman home
pilum (pl. pila)- a spear with wooden handle and extended iron tip
pons- bridge
pontifex maximus- highest position in Roman religious hierarchy
porta- gate
poulterer- man who takes care of haruspex’s chickens
praetorium- headquarters in Roman military camp
princeps senatus- president of Roman senate
princeps (pl. principes)- second row of soldiers in Roman legion
pugio- small dagger carried by Roman velites
quadrans- smallest denomination of Roman coinage, a quarter of an as
quaestor- military accountant, quartermaster
quinquereme- a warship with five tiers of oars
rostra- the speaker’s platform overlooking the amphitheater in the Roman forum
scutum (pl. scuta)- semi-cylindrical Roman shield
spolia opima- one general killing another on the battlefield
stola- Roman woman’s dress
toga praetexta- toga worn by Roman consul
triarius (pl. triarii)- third row of soldiers in Roman legion
tribunal- platform for presiding over assemblies
triclinium- the Roman dining room
trireme- a warship with three tiers of oars
turma- squadron of thirty equestrians
velites- light infantry in Roman legion
via principalis- main street in Roman military camp
virgo vestalis maxima- head priestess for Vestal Virgins
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I could not have written this book without the love and support of my wife Judith. My thanks to her is always and forever.
Thanks is also extended to the contingent of readers who helped me with this novel: Alice, Jim, Mary, Fast Eddie, Tom, Judith, and Tyler.
Although the research for this book occurred over a period of twenty-five years and included the reading of many hundred books and articles, the historical basis of this book came primarily from the work of two writers, the Greek Polybius (200-118 B.C.) and the Roman Livy (59 B.C.-17 A.D.).
Polybius’ The Rise of the Roman Empire contains the only contemporary history of the Second Punic War. Born two years after the end of the war, Polybius toured the battlefields, traced Hannibal’s route through the Alps, and interviewed men who took part in the war. His book is judged to be one of the masterpieces of classical literature. Written one hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ, less than half of the original text remains.
Livy’s The War with Hannibal is another masterpiece. Because Livy had access to all of Polybius’ writing, many of the missing parts of Polybius’ work are rewritten in Livy’s, though with a Roman slant. These two authors deserve my most profound acknowledgment. Without their work, the details of this story would not be known at all.
The crystal lens and the glass bead were known long before 200 B.C., but the use of them together was not. The presence of this concept in the book is not historical.
Primary Sources:
Bauman, Richard A., Women and Politics in Ancient Rome, Routledge, London, 1992.
Carey, Brian Todd, and Joshua B. Allfree, John Cairns, Hannibal’s Last Battle: Zama and the Fall of Carthage, Westholme Publishing, Pennsylvania, 2008.
Cowell, F.R., Life in Ancient Rome, Berkley Publishing Group, New York, 1980.
Daly, Gregory, The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War, Routledge, New York, 2002.
Dodge, Theodore A., Hannibal, Da Capo Press, Boston, 1891.
Dupont, Florence, Daily Life in Ancient Rome, translated by Christopher Woodall, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, 1989.
Everitt, Anthony, The Rise of Rome, Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York, 2013.
Flaubert, Gustave, Salammbo, Albert and Charles Boni, New York, 1930.
Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, translated by Harry Carter, The Heritage Press, New York, 1958.
Jaeger, Mary, Archimedes and the Roman Imagination, University of Michigan Pres, United States, 2011.
Laxenby, J.F., Hannibal’s War, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1998.
Livy, The War with Hannibal, translated by Aubrey De Sélincourt, Penguin Classics, London, 1965.
MacLachlan, Bonnie, Women in Ancient Rome, New York, 2013.
Miles, Richard, Carthage Must be Destroyed, Penguin Books, New York, 2010.
Műnzer, Friedrich, Roman Aristocratic Parties and Families, translated by Thérèse Ridley, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1999.
Nicolet, Claude, The World of the Citizen in Republican Rome, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1980.
Plutarch, Lives, translated by John Dryden, The Publishers Plate Renting Company, New York, 1937.
Polo, Francisco Pina, The Consul at Rome, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2011.
Polybius, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Em
pire, translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert, Penguin Classics, London, 1979.
Scheid, John, An Introduction to Roman Religion, Indiana University Press. 2003.
Taylor, Lily Ross, Roman Voting Assemblies, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1993.
Warrior, Valerie M., Roman Religion, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2006.
The map of Rome at the front of the book comes from Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 9, page 70.
Notes:
In several cases, pieces of dialogue in the novel have been paraphrased from dialogue appearing in Livy’s The War with Hannibal. The most extensive of these passages are identified below.
1. Manlius Torquatus’ speech to the Roman Senate on page 100 of the novel comes from the above referenced version of Livy, page 384.
2. Marcellus’ response to the Syracusans’ grievances on pages 119-20 of the novel comes from Livy pages 395-6.
3. Licinius’ reading of prodigies to Roman Senate on pages 122-3 of the novel comes from Livy pages 385-6.
4. Marcus Valerius Laevinus’ speech to the Roman Senate on page 134 of the novel comes from Livy pages 401-2.
5. Marcellus’ speech to his troops on pages 303-4 of the novel come from Livy page 444.
6. Hannibal’s comments to his officers after the loss of Tarentum to Fabius on page 318 of the novel come from Livy page 449.
THE AUTHOR
Dan Armstrong is the editor and owner of Mud City Press, a small publishing company and online magazine operating out of Eugene, Oregon. Information about his books, short stories, political commentary, humor, and environmental studies is available at www.mudcitypress.com.
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