Last week, I shared a little about the coin on Antonius: Son of Rome's spine. This week, I'm moving on to the design of Antonius: Second in Command. There is so much one can learn and garner from the study of Roman coinage. The more I read about it, in fact, the more I feel as though I'm seeing only the tip of an iceburg. The political innuendos and nuances about strength, virility, and even cowardice are all there. One just needs to read the history behind them and keep studying.

For my e-readers who don't have a print copy handy, here is the coin mosaic rondel on the spine of  Antonius: Second in Command.

My designer, Jenny Q did a phenomenal job as always. I wanted the continued mosaic rondel to match on each cover. Since this particular one had overtones of blue and teal, Jenny jumped all over that and I loved it! But the coin itself is so symbolic to this book's storyline. 

First of all, images of political or military men/women on Roman coins didn't even transpire until the Imperatorial Period, which was basically the late Republic, when everything started falling apart. Deities, such as the goddess Roma would grace coinage, as well as symbolism. I've seen coins with weaponry, hats, military standards, and even animals on them. However, it wasn't an accepted practice to have the faces of famous leaders on Roman coins during the Republic's heyday. To members of the Roman Senate, coin portraiture construed supremacy, ambition, and all of the other traits that were tantamount to single-man rule--traits that hard-core Republican Romans despised. 

However, during the late Republic, when certain generals gained power, conquered provinces, and earned the loyalty of their armies, they had their own coinage minted--the Senate be damned! One of the first examples of this was Sulla, who became a dictator, as Julius Caesar was, four decades later. 

Here, Sulla is depicted as a Consul, but this coin became a boon for scholars, as it's quite possibly the only contemporary depiction of what the man looked like.

Now, back to my coin, the side of which is featured on the left. Yes, this is Marcus! And this magnificent aureus was minted in 41 BC, at the height of his power. What's intriguing too, is the flip-side of the coin. To compare the images, here is the coin, showing both sides.

For those who have already read Second in Command, this coin was minted right after the Battle of Philippi, when Second in Command ends. The other guy on the flip-side? That's Octavian! Now let's compare them. Marcus was the senior member of the Second Triumvirate. At this stage of the game, Octavian was the guy who was out hiding in the swamp during the battle. Which of the two sides of the coin are the most "masterful"? A no-brainer, huh? Octavian LOOKS weak here and we know that was Marcus's intention. 

The inscription includes the following: M ANT IMP AVG, meaning "Marcus Antonius, Imperator, Augur". For readers who have finished Second in Command, you'll recall that Julius Caesar had him stand for the religious office of Augur which was a life-long honor. In subsequent coins later in his career, he continues flaunting that title, because it maintained his "Roman-ness". 

On the flip-side, Octavian's inscription included the following: CAESAR IMP PONT, meaning "Caesar, Imperator, Pontifex Maximus". But what's more telling is what is NOT there. Marcus Antonius may have had to use Octavian's  adopted name of "Caesar", but he did NOT indicate another title to which Octavian adherred by this time... "divi filius", meaning "son of the god". By this time, Octavian was referring to himself as just that. I find it humorous, imagining Marcus telling his mint guys, "Divi filius? You can leave that part off! I'm not having it!"

Once my third book in the trilogy is published, I'll be sure to add a THIRD coin to the mix! I have it picked out already, by the way!

First of all, welcome back to my blogs! I took one week off from blogging and am back, refreshed and ready to share more tidbits about my books and to allow a few guest bloggers to present here, as well. For this week and next, I'm going to share a few details regarding the spine of my books.

My Dad was a numismatist--a coin collector. He would spend hours cataloging, researching, and updating his collection. He always said he was doing it for me, but honestly--I think it was something he simply enjoyed and felt immensely proud of.

As I grew into adulthood, I'd often visit coin stores and add to his collection for occasions like his birthday or Christmas. On my first cruise with my husband, we bought him a Spanish piece of eight in the Cayman Islands, dating from the 18th century. When we gave it to him, I thought he was going to levitate to the ceiling with excitement.

I still have his extensive collection. On rare occasions, I look through it, turning the plastic pages, heavy with coinage from the US, various countries, and--OH! There it is! It's a Roman coin from 4th century Roman Britain. It's condition is actually really crappy and one can barely make out a pronged crown of whoever the reigning Caesar was at the time. The numismatist I bought it from in Bath years ago, when I first became entranced with Roman history, scribbled who he thought may have minted the tiny bronze treasure. But even he admitted that due to its corrosion he couldn't be sure.

Fast forward about three decades and as I was finishing up Antonius: Son of Rome, I wanted some sort of symbol, icon, or jewel that would represent each of my books in the trilogy. It didn't take me long to decide to use Roman coins. If you have a print copy of either of my books, look on the spine. Or, if you're an ebook reader, scroll through my website to find some of the featured coins I'm using. My cover designer did a fantastic job of artistically placing each one onto a mosaic rondel. It's small, but it adds an elegant touch to the spine of the book where the title and my name appear.

Each coin I select for my Trilogy books is somehow tied to Marcus Antonius's story. Why a coin? Because coins in ancient times were loaded with politics, with the history of THAT particular moment, person, or sometimes even with religion.

This week, I want to introduce my readers to the captivating aureus I stumbled upon for Son of Rome. It is an aureus--gold coinage--of the goddess Roma. Romans in particular often depicted places of note (Roma) or even concepts as deities, such as the goddess Concordia, who had her own cult and was the deity representing peace, marital harmony, and good intentions between parties. 

My heart became set on this aureus.I discovered that it not only represented the goddess Roma, but was minted in the same year as Marcus Antonius's birth: 83 BC. It was the perfect coin for Son of Rome's spine, the book telling the story of Marcus's early life. 

Next week, I'll share a bit about the coin featured on Antonius: Second in Command. Until then, have a great week and READ ON!

In addition, here are some thumbnails and links to her books on Amazon. I highly recommend that you read a few. You'll find them remarkable and impeccably researched.
​​
These books can be found on Margaret George's Amazon author page.

 (As much as I love Christmas, my novels are set in pre-Christian Rome. So much for wishing Marc Antony a Merry Christmas! But Romans had plenty of festivals—times of celebrations, visiting temples, and making religious sacrifices. And sometimes, their festivals had nothing to do with religion at all, but honored birthdays, triumphs, or other ostentatious celebrations.

So what exactly did the Romans celebrate during the month of December? In a useful compilation of facts on Roman life, compiled by Lesley and Roy A. Adkins, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome includes a fantastic listing of festivals celebrated annually by the Romans. In December alone, there were at least fourteen holidays.

One of them was Saturnalia.

To the Romans, Saturnalia was considered to be one of the feriae stativae—festivals given a fixed date on the calendar. Celebrated originally on December 17th, it was a major festival, probably observed all over the Empire. It’s believed that by the end of the Republic, Antony and family would have been celebrating it for more than just one day. The party was extended from December 17th thru 23rd. Originally, dedicated to the deity Saturn (see the Temple of Saturn photo), it celebrated the sowing of seeds.

How was it celebrated?

In most intriguing ways! Naturally, it began with sacrifices and offerings at the Temple of Saturn, the remains of which are still in the western part of the Forum Romanum. Considered to be a “jolly” sort of festival, slaves were allowed to temporarily be “free”. In fact, social mores were completely inverted, for all servants in a household dined before their owners and were even allowed to act “insolently”. This even included slaves dressing as their masters—probably using their very clothes. This is all recorded by ancient sources (since I couldn’t make this stuff up!). However, because of the Spartacan revolt at the end of the 1st century BC, I chose to depict this practice as frowned upon by some in my book, Antonius: Son of Rome.

Saturnalia was also a time of gift-exchanging and the usage of wax candles. In what context these items were given or used isn’t necessarily clear. Typically, oil lamps were used for lighting households, so candles may have been used simply for their loveliness, adding ambiance to the holiday, much like today. Or, perhaps they were used in the religious part of the festival’s observance

Like me, you’re probably thinking that Saturnalia sounds an awful lot like Christmas, save for it being a pagan festival. Well, you’re right. It was replaced by Christmas, so to keep disgruntled non-Christians as happy as possible, customs like gift-giving, the use of candles, and merry-making remained. The date changed only slightly. A late-Imperial cult dedicated to the deity Sol Invictus celebrated the winter solstice on December 25th, according to the Julian calendar. This pagan event was also discontinued, but since it was so close to the dates of Saturnalia, the Christian holiday of “Christmas” was given that date, which has continued to the present.
​
Therefore, I’ll wish everyone a Merry Christmas and use the words of the Roman poet Catullus (14.15), to describe his festival of Saturnalia, wishing all of my readers “the best of days”!

And before I end this week's blog, there are some exciting additions coming to my blog in the New Year! Be on the lookout for some fascinating reads and articles that will be blogged soon. And in the words of Dickens's Tiny Tim, I'll close by saying, "God bless us, everyone!"
 

As Christmas and Hanukkah quickly approach, you and your family may be taking off on a big vacation. Others of you might be visiting family on a road trip. I wish each of you safety, love, and joy. This week, let's take a look at what travel would be like two-thousand years ago.

First of all, in the ancient world, travel was always a challenge. By the end of the 1st century B.C., my characters like Marcus Antonius did have an entire network of Roman highways on which they could travel. But that still doesn't mean it was easy. In both Antonius: Son of Rome and Second in Command, I reference some of the Roman roads--the Via Appia, Via Aurelia, Via Egnatius... and there were many, many more.

As is the case today in the US and Britain, miles were used as a measurement of distance as they are today. However, in Marcus Antonius's lifetime they were still measured rather crudely. To military men like him, a mile was a thousand paces (not really an accurate measurement!), and they counted only the left foot striking the ground in what was considered a military march. Eventually, mile-markers were spaced according to measurements taken by ancient odometers. Usually made of rough-hewn marble or stone, they were nothing compared to the "golden milestone" which eventually marked the center of the Roman Empire . Unfortunately, that one was lost!

Within the Mediterranean basin, the other option was travel by sea. It was surprisingly fast, if one took the riskier route in the peak sailing season (during late spring and summer). However, many sea captains preferred staying closer to shore. It was slower, but safer, and undoubtedly the preferred itinerary during changing seasons and the winter months, when high winds and rougher seas could capsize a boat. Underwater archaeology has become a thrilling and lucrative means for researchers to study trade-routes, ship-building techniques, and find amazing artifacts that have added to our knowledge of ancient seamanship. That being said, the many shipwrecks in the Med testify to the risky nature of sea-travel so long ago.

When writing Antonius: Son of Rome, I needed to be as accurate as possible in giving a projected amount of time for Marcus to travel to--let's say from Brundisium in ancient Italia, to Athens, Greece. Fortunately, for geeky authors like me, there is ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World. This incredible, FREE online resource enables me to plug in Marcus's departure and chart his course, whether he leaves in the spring, summer, fall, or winter. I also get to choose whether he'll be traveling at a rapid military march or by ship across the Mediterranean. Using a safer, slower coastal jaunt by ship, he'd make it in just over a week's time. I encourage those of you who might be curious to check out this remarkable resource. For authors like me, it's GOLD! Here's a link to ORBIS if you want to check it out: https://library.stanford.edu/projects/orbis-stanford-geospatial-network-model-roman-empire

​And now, I hope everyone has safe travels over the Holidays, wherever you're headed! 

An ancient Roman mile-marker located along the Via Appia in Italy. As with most things, the Romans built this to stand the test of time. Even the inscription is still highly legible.

 Today, I'm writing from my heart. Usually, I stick to facts in my blog, informing my readers and sharing my love and views on history and the material in my books. However, most people have no clue regarding the amount of work, sweat, and money that goes into the writing of a single novel. I'm hoping to inform everyone in this blog about what's involved in modern publishing. 

Many of you are aware that this week, Antonius: Son of Rome won three awards through the Coffee Pot Book Club, a well-respected blog-spot in the United Kingdom. It was a great honor to receive Best Debut Novel, Best Historical Fiction Book, and the overall Book of the Year, 2019 awards.

Also, this week, my sweet friend, Sarah Penner announced a book deal of a lifetime! I'm SO thrilled for her! She has achieved every writer's dream. Sarah and I met at the Portland Historical Novel Society Conference in 2017. She happened to be sitting next to me in a Masters Class session and the speaker was (unfortunately) rather dull. My mind had wandered, trying to figure out how I was going to get my hair up for the costume party that night. When I saw the woman next to me with lovely long hair, I figured I'd ask her to help me. Our friendship began with, "Ummm, would you be willing to help me with an up-doo?" Yeah. I'm the sort of person who asks total strangers to do stuff like that for me! Fortunately, Sarah agreed and we've been good friends ever since. While in PDX, we did a fabulous seafood dinner, went book-shopping (image THAT!), and we have continuously helped one another throughout the publishing process. 

The irony in all of this, is that there are two different roads these days by which an author can get published, and Sarah and I have pursued different avenues.

I didn't have any success in securing representation through a literary agent. Mainly, it was due to the fact that at the time, ancient Rome wasn't the "trending" period of history that agents sought. And--Marc Antony is a MALE protagonist. In our feminist-driven society right now, agents were seeking FEMALE protagonists. So, because I didn't want to wait any longer or shift gears to a different project, I opted to go ahead with SELF-publication. I have an editor, a formatter, cover-designer, and several graphic designers with whom I work--all VERY gifted individuals. I advertise, I blog, I put up a web-page (with a lot of help!), and I continue to promote myself and my work through the platforms I've built on social media. That being said, ALL of that is an out-of-pocket expense. LOL! My poor husband the accountant and auditor doesn't need to remind me that I'm still in the red! Some day--hopefully--that will not be the case! Every award, special mention, review, and sale is another rung, straight up the ladder to eventual prominence in the field. And it's still my hope and desire to someday acquire representation and become traditionally published. At that point, I'd become a HYBRID author! (Oooooh, I sort of like the sound of that!)

Sarah's path was different than mine. She finished the book she was working on when we first met, queried 100+ agents, but gained no interest. She shelved her first project and began another. Within about eight months or so, she contacted me, asking if I'd be an advance reader. I have to say that during the three weeks of reading The Lost Apothecary, I couldn't WAIT to get home from work to get back to it and my notes to her. The whole time I was reading, I thought, "Whoa. This might just be her ticket... THIS is what some agent out there is looking for..." 

Sarah got additional help from another traditionally published author then sent her first batch of queries to some of the industry's best agents. This was in June. Within a period of five days, FIVE agents had responded--all offering representation!!! And these were TOP agents in the industry, remember. Sarah had the pick of the litter! And what has happened since then has been nothing short of magic. This week, her announcement appeared in Publishers Weekly, and Park Row Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, has bought her book! Not only that... but already TEN international deals have been made for translations of her work in other countries. The Lost Apothecary will launch in early 2021. It's a FANTASTIC and fast read, so be on the lookout for it. Sarah will receive an advance, be endorsed and receive publicity through the publisher for the next year and more. I am SOOOO excited for her!

So, I've presented you with two very different stories, but I think it's important to see where we authors come from.

​The biggest "pro" for being an indie is having the complete freedom to put my book together the way I want it done. Also, I don't have to follow trends within the industry; I write whatever I want to write. Sarah's biggest boon is the publicity end of it all. She'll have her name and title in every bookstore in the nation AND in many countries internationally; with her work translated. Most of her advertising will be done in preparation for her book to launch. Having your name glossing Publisher's Weekly in a positive way never hurts an author! 

So now you've heard the "Tale of Two Authors". Hopefully, you will continue to share in my story. It's been such a fabulous journey and I have ZERO regrets about taking the path I've chosen. Would it have been better for me to have waited around for an agent? Who knows? I know of some authors who have actually quit the traditional route to become "indies" due to low sale offers or the inability of an agent to sell their work. 

I'd like to invite you to check out more about Sarah's story too, because hers is so incredible. It's all here in this article in Publisher's Weekly:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-deals/article/81932-book-deals-week-of-december-9-2019.html

And everybody... please READ ON!!!

I took a journalism class in high school and it was one of my most memorable experiences. In fact, it was during this time in which I discovered my love for writing. Naturally, we were given the usual tools to start us out--namely the questions: WHEN? WHO? WHAT? WHERE? & WHY? So hang on, because the Battle of Philippi was one wild ride.

WHEN: The first phase of the battle, (which occurred in two phases) was fought on Oct. 3, 42 BC. 

WHO?​ First of all, the Battle of Philippi turned out to be one of antiquity's hugest battles, with over 200,000 men involved. Two of them, Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Brutus were ringleaders in Julius Caesar's assassination. Brutus supposedly dealt the final blow to Caesar and these two men wound up facing Antony and Octavian across a battlefield in northeastern Greece two years later to have it out. It was to be a last-man-standing affair.

WHAT? By 42 BC, Rome had been involved in some sort of civil unrest for nearly one-hundred years. Antony and Octavian had already crossed swords once, but borrowing some of Caesar's luck, Antony wound up with a lion's share of legions from areas in the north that the Senate THOUGHT were loyal to them. Because of Antony's good fortune, Octavian had no choice but to treat with him. During this meeting on a little islet in Bononia, another bloody thing happened. To pay for the upcoming war against Brutus & Cassius, proscriptions (the killing of men for money) was instigated. This had previously in Rome's history and it was an unpopular, bloody season in Roman history. Cicero met his fate at this time. So now, it was all-out WAR. Antony and Octavian left the third man in their triumvirate, Lepidus, to deal with Rome's affairs, and they crossed over to Greece to deal with Caesar's conspirators, once and for all. 

WHERE: Brutus and Cassius encamped on the high ground in what was then known as Macedonia. In fact, the nearest city was Philippi, originally founded by Phillip of Macedon--Alexander the Great's father. I had the chance to visit there and it was an incredible experience. Phenomenal mosaics from the early Christian period, an especially high acropolis, a theater in which the orchestra is still preserved in its original Greek (round) design, and views of the battlefield and environs which really helped shape my writer's imagination.

WHY? The battle took place because of the assassination of Julius Caesar. He had become so powerful that on the Ides of March, the Senate had finally agreed to bestow monarchical powers upon him throughout the provinces, EXCEPT for Rome proper. Because of this intended legislation, Brutus, Cassius, and the rest decided to act upon that day. Antonius: Second in Command tells this tale from Antony's point of view. However, he wasn't present during Caesar's murder, but had been called away by a supposed friend so he wouldn't be able to defend the dictator in any way. Caesar was stabbed at least twenty-three times, but as many as sixty men may have been in on the plot. 

Getting to visit Philippi and its environs was a real highlight of an extended tour I took through Greece a few years ago. My favorite moment was standing atop the theater, built by Phillip of Macedon, and looking out over the battlefield. In fact, being up there made such an impact on me, that I decided to use that vantage point at the very end of Antonius: Second in Command. 

If you have already read Son of Rome, I encourage you to continue with my next book. It's full of intrigue, adventure, and yes--the Battle of Philippi will figure prominently at the very end.

Read ON, everybody!!!

As we Americans prepare to sit down to Thanksgiving feasts, I thought it might be interesting to discuss Roman foods. And the first thing I'll say about them is that ancient tastes were MUCH different than those of today! 

Here is a listing of some preferred delicacies gracing the noble Roman table. Not all of them were bizarre, but I think it's safe to say that most people today might crinkle their noses at the mention of a few.

DORMICE: Yeah... as in MICE. The Romans actually farmed these little rodents, as they were considered such a delicacy. They were fattened with nuts, often served stuffed with pine-nuts, meats, or grains, then roasted. Sometimes they were dipped in honey, like a chicken nugget. According to Wikipedia, they're still considered yummy in places like Slovenia and Croatia. Thanks, but I'll stick with chicken.

FLAMINGO TONGUES: Actually, the entire bird was considered to be a fabulous course at banquets among the elite. However, the tongues of flamingos were the cats meow. They have a meaty surface that Romans simply loved. And apparently, they tasted fantastic! I'm still sticking with chicken.

GARUM: Garum was the ketchup of the Roman world. It was a fermented fish sauce, and since I happen to love fish, I thought (at first) that here was something I would give a try. However, after some research, I discovered that garum was made using fish intestines, and now I'm back to plain old chicken, again. Still, garum was popular not only in Rome, but the Greeks had already developed a form of it, and later on, the Byzantine people adored the stuff. There are many examples of amphorae (pottery vessels) that were used to store garum, and traces of the substance have even been discovered in Pompeii. 

JELLYFISH: Even though I'm sticking with chicken, many Asian societies still eat jellyfish, and so did the Romans. One popular way of serving it was to prepare it with eggs, according to Marcus Gavius Apicius, a foodie during the reign of Tiberius. Apicius left the world a good many recipes and from his writings, we are left with a great deal of information on eating habits in the Roman world.

EEL: Just like dormice, eels were often farmed and considered haute cuisine. In fact, they are still very popular in Asian cooking. However, if you were a Roman who (like me!) wouldn't stomach eating one, then it was much in vogue just to keep them as pets! In fact, Marc Antony's daughter is said to have owned a pet eel that she adorned with earrings! Julius Caesar, however, may have had a taste for eels. Two commentaries record that he purchased either two-thousand of the slimy snacks (according to Varro) or six-thousand (according to Macrobius) to feed the populace during his Triumphs. 

ICE CREAM: Yes, Romans enjoyed sweets. A sort of "iced-cream" was often served as a dessert, mixed with snow from the mountains, along with milk, cream, honey, nuts, and dates. 

If you're interested in more information on cuisine and feasting in the ancient world, several cookbooks are now available, translated from original recipes. I have one in my own cookbook collection. The Classical Cookbook by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger is loaded with recipes and intriguing information on things the ancients ate.

Bon appetit and Happy Thanksgiving!

Below is one of many mosaics which have been discovered, featuring foods enjoyed by Romans. They were a popular theme for triclinia (dining rooms) and it's fun to look at them and see both the familiar and the bizarre!

Our own age has made getting around from place to place so easy. Hop a flight to London, take a scenic train trip through the Canadian Rockies, or road-trip it to Yellowstone over summer vacay. 

Two-thousand years ago, things were much different, without modern modes of transportation. However, because the Mediterranean basin lent itself so well to sea-travel, people could get places much more easily than some imagine. That being said, travel generally depended on social status and occupation, as well as whether one had the money to cover expenses. Granted, sea merchants probably accrued the most mileage, though often their routes were repetitive and seldom changed. Sea captains, hiring themselves out for voyages were undoubtedly the best-traveled.

Marcus Antonius' first "major" trip, according to Plutarch, was to Athens as a student. He left when he was bankrupt, and ancient sources suggest that it was Julius Caesar who helped him launch that part of his life. During his stay in Athens, he somehow met Aulus Gabinius and was given command of Gabinius's cavalry during his command as proconsul in Syria. With rebellion breaking out in Judea, much of Marcus's time was spent in those southern reaches of loosely compiled Roman Syria, chasing Hasmonean rebels and quelling skirmishes. After that, he wound up trekking to Egypt to assist Ptolemy Auletes back onto his unsteady throne. All of this was when he was in his mid-twenties... a young man, to be sure.

Compared to most in his day, he was well-traveled. 

Sometime around Julius Caesar's two incursions into Britannia, Marcus joined him in Gaul. There is no historical evidence indicating that he was with Caesar on either trip to ancient Britain. However, there is also nothing that DIS-proves whether he went. In Second in Command, Marcus joins Caesar on the second voyage to British shores. So now, here's a guy in his twenties, two-thousand years ago, who has been all the way to Athens, Greece, through the Middle East into what is now Syria and parts of Israel, then over to Egypt, THEN north of Italy through Gaul (France) on into Britannia.

And that was just the beginning. After Caesar's assassination, Marcus had plenty of business in northern Italy and southern Gaul. Then, it was back to Greece for a trans-Greco journey across the Via Egnatia (Rome's Greek super-highway) all the way to Macedonia, which was pretty much northeastern Greece. Here is where he and Octavian beat Brutus and Cassius at Philippi and from there, he took over the Eastern portion of Rome's fledgling "empire". 

Marcus Antonius was literally all OVER the Roman "east" for the next nine years, implementing client kingdoms that would continue under imperial rule. He made at least two major sea voyages across the Mediterranean to meet with Octavian and form new alliances and agreements. It was also during this nine-year stint that he journeyed as far east as modern day Kurdish Iran, to an ancient city called Phraaspa--part of the Median east. The tale of what occurs on that campaign will appear in my next and final book of the Antonius Trilogy. 

To close, I did an experiment, using ORBIS (The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World). I (loosely) went through Marcus's lifetime, jotting down the departure points and destinations of places he covered in his fifty-three some odd years. On foot, by ship, horse, or wagon, he traveled a MINIMUM distance of 22,577 kilometers (14,028 miles). 

Pretty impressive for a guy who never flew in an airplane, drove a car, or rode a train.

Brook Allen on part of the ancient Via Egnatia in Philippi, Greece. This city was founded by Phillip of Macedon, Alexander the Great's father. It lies very near the battlefield of Philippi, where the forces of Marcus Antonius and Octaviandefeated Brutus and Cassius.

                                                                                      
I’ll never forget the first time I visited Pompeii.

I entered through the Marina Gate and as I walked slowly toward the Forum, it was as though I was going back into time with each and every step. And the place still possesses its very human story through its various buildings—some of which still stand complete—and it’s wall frescoes and plaster-cast molds of victims. The site is a world treasure. Though people and animals tragically died here, it’s a veritable time-capsule of information on just how ancient Romans lived and died. And perhaps the most surprising thing that a visitor takes with them upon leaving is the thought that, “They were just like us!”

In Rome itself, apartment buildings called insulae (islands) were often up to seven or even eight stories high. Plutarch, an ancient biographer who liked to tell the stories of famous Greeks and Romans, told about Marcus Licinius Crassus, a contemporary of Julius Caesar. Crassus became rich through vast purchases of properties in Rome—specifically insulae. Since Rome had no fire brigade at the time, Crassus trained a band of his own slaves to be firemen. If there was a fire in an insula, which occurred regularly, due to people trying to cook in their apartments, Crassus would show up with his firemen. He’d offer to buy the insula for a ridiculously low price and the poor, panicked owner would either have to sell his enflamed property or watch it burn, as Crassus would only order his firemen into action if he sealed a deal!

And—hey! McDonald’s anyone? Common plebians typically ate their meals at fast food stalls (thermopolia), located on the streets and sometimes even built into insulae. Americans might think they invented fast-food, but these tiny eateries would serve up steaming veggies and meats onto husks of bread for a filling meal two-thousand years ago. It was only the upper middle classes and families of noble descent who could really afford to recline in their painted triclinia, served by slaves.

Lastly, I have to mention the Roman passion for games. Now their tastes were different than ours—bloody beast and gladiator shows were the norm. But this enormous public park easily lends to our imaginations what mighty structure once stood there. The Circus Maximus was the place to go for gladiator shows, public executions of criminals, and the favorite Roman past-time—chariot racing! The Circus Maximus is HUGE and worth a visit. Visitors can still walk where the original track was laid out and see where the spina—the “spine” of the complex—once was. By Julius Caesar’s day, this enormous arena seated over one-hundred-fifty THOUSAND people! As the Republic morphed into Empire, several Emperors renovated and improved the mighty Circus Maximus, and other hippodromes similar to it, were added in notable cities throughout the Roman Empire.

 I am of the opinion that there’s NOTHING boring about history. People who poo-poo the study of other cultures from the past simply haven’t gotten INTO the spirits of the people who lived so long ago. Tourists who visit Pompeii and experience the many similarities between ancient Roman culture and ours are right. In many regards, they were “just like us.”