A Mixture of Madness, Book II of The Bow of Heaven (64 page)

Livia knows how I crave figs.

AFTERWORD

When reading historical fiction, I am constantly asking myself the question, “Which category does this piece of information fall into, historical fact, or poetic license?” So if you are also trying to separate fact from historical fiction, here are some of those answers. If any reader has more to add, please let me know.

Seneca, Pliny the Elder and Cassius Dio all assert that the killing of the elephants commemorating the inauguration of Pompey’s theater was conducted in the Circus, and although not specified, this is most likely the Circus Maximus, not the venue more convenient to the theater, the Circus Flaminius. I have chosen to place the final day’s massacre within the theater itself, in order to make the carnage more intimate.

There is no evidence that Cicero took the stage with the actor, Aesopus, at the dedication of Pompey’s theater.

Little is known of Gaius Cassius Longinus’ early life. Since his first recorded military action was acting as
quaestor
in Crassus' invasion of Parthia, it is probable he must have had some prior military experience. I have placed him with Caesar in Gaul to make it plausible for Publius Crassus to know and trust his abilities.

There is nothing in the historical record that I am aware of that confirms that Tertulla ever made the trip to
Syria. In addition, the old palace known as the Regia in Antioch, built by the Seleucids, was most likely located in the old town, not on the island as I have placed it. The Imperial Palace, said to have begun construction by Gallienus (253-268 CE) completed by Diocletian, was the structure actually built there. Either way, in 526 CE and again in 528, two severe earthquakes flattened the palace, and the area was abandoned.

Julius Caesar did have an affair with Aulus Gabinius’ wife, Lollia, though whether or not he was aware of it is unknown.

While nailed curse tablets were known to thrown on the tracks during chariot races, the scourging depicted at the hippodrome in Antioch is not based on any factual account.

It is probable that Publius Crassus did not arrive in Syria before November of 54 BCE. I had him appear in Antioch two months earlier because I did not want the brunt of Alexandros’ sentence to fall on Marcus Crassus alone.

Thank you very much for downloading the second installment of the trilogy! I would love to hear from you - please visit me at
www.andrewlevkoff.com
. Click
here
to read a
brief sample from
The Bow of Heaven, Book III: The Arc of the Arrow
. (If the link is not working, please scroll down past the glossary and the timeline. Thanks.)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my family, who both encourages and puts up with my passion. Never has “enabler” had a more positive connotation.

To Laura, who gives me such a hard time; and to Kevin, who doesn’t.

To Margie, who taught me when to dash and when to slow down.

To my grandfather, Sammy. Little Pop could fake any accent like a native. When I was around him, I was having too much fun to realize he was teaching me the true lessons of love.

To my grandmother, Gert. Gigi taught me that life without fine art is less fine.

To Mr. Peter O’Toole, whose use of the English language makes one appreciate why it is so damned complicated and convoluted. Music is what he utters. Hear him, and you’ll know why they call them
pipes
and vocal
chords
. If you doubt it, listen to him speak extemporaneously, off the cuff. The Bard weeps in heaven for never having heard him on the boards. I hope this little book finds you in good health, and if not, may there be a good bottle within easy reach.

A final word of thanks to Stephany, who wielded all the right tools whenever they were needed:  mirror, window and sieve.

•••

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of all photographs used in this book. In the event that any have been inadvertently overlooked, please contact me so that the situation can be rectified in future editions.

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GLOSSARY

Aediles
  Municipal magistrates and record keepers. They organized and sponsored public games, maintained temples and public buildings.
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A
gora
  Greek. The public square. It was the heart of an ancient Greek city, socially, athletically, artistically and politically. The Agora of Athens is known as the birthplace of democracy.
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Amphorae
  (s. amphora) Storage vessels, usually large, to contain liquids. The three shown at right are from the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.
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Ampullae
  Jugs or bottles, usually clay.
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Anemoi
  Greek wind gods.
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As
  Roman coin worth one-quarter of one sestercius.
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Atriensis
  Chief slave or majordomo of a Roman household.
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Aureus
Gold Roman coin worth 400 as, 100 sesterces, 25 denarii.
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Balnea
(pl.
balneae). A public bath complex, usually less elaborate than the more magnificent
thermae
of the Empire. The layout of the baths to the right comes from Pompeii. The ritual of bathing was an integral part of Roman society, its significance going far beyond our concept of simply taking a bath. The baths were for exercise, politics, socializing and of course, soaking in a nice hot tub. Separate facilities for men and women, changing rooms, pools both heated and unheated, atriums and even ancient versions of a sauna and a steam room might be included. Learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermae.
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Bulla aurea
A small, roundish ornament of gold, worn around their necks by wealthy Roman children, a talisman to protect against evil. When they reached the age of 17 they traded it and the toga praetexta for the toga virilis. If the grown man should ever be honored with a military triumph, he would wear the bulla once again, to protect against envy.
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Calidarium
Roman hot bath.
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Caligae
Roman military hobnailed boots. Their open design gave them the look of sandals, but they were much sturdier.
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Capena Gate
The gate through which the Appian Way enters the city of Rome.
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Catilina
Lucius Sergius Catilina, accused of leading a revolt to overthrow the Republic in 63-62 BCE. Catiline, as he is known to us, wanted to achieve power by offering debt relief to the plebeians. His bid for the consulship failed twice. In the fall of 63 BCE, Crassus received a bundle of letters, left anonymously, which warned of plots to kill many aristocratic senators. Crassus took the letters to Cicero. Some say Cicero wrote the letters himself. Cicero vehemently denounced Catiline in the senate, who volunteered to go into exile, where he raised a small army. The rebellion was put down in 62 BCE and Catiline was killed. Cicero was hailed as the savior of the Republic, but later would face exile himself for his summary execution without trial of some of the conspirators. The subject, motives and actual facts of the Catiline Conspiracy are complicated and muddy. This brief summation barely skims the surface, for the scope of this novel is focused elsewhere. More study is recommended.
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Century
A Roman military unit composed of ten contuberniums, or 80 legionaries. Each century had its own standard and could act as an independent fighting unit. It was led by a centurion, assisted by the second-in-command, the optio.
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Cohort
  A Roman military unit composed of six centuries for a total (at full strength) of 480 men.
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Columba
  Dove.
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Comitia
  The legislative assembly of the Republic. for more information, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_assemblies
.
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Comitium
The center of all political activity in Rome. In this 19
th
century drawing, the forum is in the foreground; the
comitium
is behind the fence. The
rostra
,
curia
and many of the ancient symbols of the city are within its bounds. This illustration depicts how the area looked after the restructuring and rebuilding begun by Julius Caesar and completed by Augustus.
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Compluvium
An opening in the roof of a Roman atrium which let in light and air. Rainwater would fall to be collected in a pool below called an impluvium

Consuls
Similar to co-presidents, they were joint heads of the Roman state and were elected

Cons
cript fathers
Roman senators were originally called “fathers.” When new members joined their ranks, they were known as “patres et conscripti.” The term evolved into Patres conscripti.
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Contubernium
The basic eight-man unit of the Roman army of the first century BCE. Also the term used for an intimate relationship between two slaves, who were not allowed to marry.
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Cubiculum
  Small room in a Roman house or villa, used as work spaces, meeting rooms or bedrooms.
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Culina
  Kitchen.
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Curia
  Where the senate met in the
Comitium;
during Crassus’ time, Sulla had destroyed the old
Curia Hostilia
, which had stood for centuries, and replaced it with the
Curia Cornelia
to accommodate Sulla’s doubling of the number of senators from 300 to 600
.
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Cursus honorum
  The progression of offices each magistrate had to climb on his way up the Roman political ladder.
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