Imagine if you will, being above ground and then forced down a hole (probably by ladder) into utter darkness and left there indefinitely. No light, only occasional food/drink, but being completely shut out from society and imprisoned inside an abyss.

This, dear readers, was the Tullianum--sometimes called the Mamertine Prison. 

Now located inside the Church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami, this carcer (prison) was built by the ever-practical Romans right outside the Rostra and the Curia's original location in an area known as the Comitium. It pretty much enabled them to find someone guilty and then dispose of them immediately into "the hole". One of the oldest remaining parts of the Forum Romanum, the Tullianum dates from the 7th cent. B.C. and can still be visited today. People held inside were either held for trial or for execution. In other words, it was NO happy place!

Among the high-profile prisoners kept/executed here were Lentulus Sura, Vercingetorix, and possibly, Jesus's most famous Disciple, Simon Peter.

Lentulus Sura was Marc Antony's stepfather. He didn't stay inside the Tullianum long at all. Because of his his social status and citizenship, ancient sources say that he was held in house-arrest after being captured during the infamous Catiline Conspiracy of 63 B.C. Antonius: Son of Rome tells the poignant story of this particular execution. A typical method used inside the Tullianum was strangulation. That is how Lentulus died.

In my next book, Antonius: Second in Command, the high king of the Gauls, Vercingetorix was a long-term prisoner inside the Tullianum for about six years. What a horrible life he had during that time... never, EVER seeing daylight. I've always pitied poor Vercingetorix. After Caesar's victory at Munda, in Spain, he was hauled out of the prison back into broad daylight. This would have been the first time he'd experienced blinding sunshine in SIX YEARS!!! For the occasion of Julius Caesar's Gallic Triumph, he was lashed to a post and paraded through Rome. I'm sure he was emaciated, sickly, and pale by that time. In fact, it's remarkable he even survived for so long. Immediately following the Triumph, he was lowered back into incarceration inside the Tullianum and strangled. It was a sad fate for a non-Roman who gave Caesar his greatest challenge in his military career.

Lastly, Jesus's Disciple, Simon Peter may have been imprisoned inside the Tullianum, although the only real "evidence" is that the Tullianum was the only known one-room prison in Rome. There is a natural spring inside the Tullianum in which Peter used during his incarceration to baptize believers. I think it admirable that he found a way to spit in the Romans' eyes, despite his condemnation!

It's true that the Romans could be extraordinarily cruel, but I find them fascinating because so many of their architectural and artistic works have survived to the present day. How many apartment buildings and prisons will survive from our society 2000 years from now? 

​Let THAT sink in!

                 Inside the Tullianum. Note the upside-down cross-- the method by which Simon Peter was executed.

I work in a public school and every morning, when I go to the office, I see the trophy case out in the front hallway. Inside are all sorts of things: trophies, stuffed dragons (our mascot is a dragon), ribbons, and photographs. Our trophy case is a showcase of school pride and achievement,  looked upon with satisfaction and accomplishment. So it was in the ancient world, as well. However, trophy cases weren't quite the same back then.

Rome's ancient Rostra was an ancient trophy case. There was a Rostra in the Forum Romanum as early as the 6th century B.C. However, the name rostra was derived from the word rostrum, meaning the deadly ram from a warship. During the 4th century B.C., the Romans celebrated a naval victory and the "Rostra" became a place to display the captured rams from enemy ships.  

Sometimes this ancient trophy case was used in a grisly fashion, too. During the two proscription periods in the Late Republic, lists of condemned men were posted upon it and made public for everyone to see. Often, these hunted enemies of the state would have their heads or even their hands mounted or nailed to the Rostra. Readers will learn about one of these incidents in my next book, Antonius: Second in Command, which will hopefully be launched this fall. But throughout Roman history, the Rostra was most famous as the place where public speakers addressed the populace. My main character, Marcus Antonius, mounted and spoke to the plebians many times during his career as a statesman. His most memorable speech upon the Rostra was at Julius Caesar's funeral, and that electric moment in Roman history was even memorialized by William Shakespeare.

During Julius Caesar's dictatorship, he rearranged some monuments in the Forum Romanum, in preparation for building projects. The Rostra that remains today at the western end of the Forum Romanum underwent multiple restorations throughout the Roman Imperial period. Though tourists aren't allowed to ascend the Rostra like my book characters once did, it's still possible to get fairly close to it. Today, what appears to be a humble stone wall saw some of the most dramatic episodes in western history.

                                                                                Brook Allen in front of the Rostra.

This summer, I'm headed back to Rome to see more sights and gain inspiration for the next two books in the Antonius Trilogy. This month, I thought I would share some of the wondrous sights in the center of ancient Rome: the Forum Romanum.

First of all, what IS a Forum? Fora were centers of commerce (markets), religion, social spots, where law offices and courts held trials, and the hub of the political scene. They were places to find something to eat or even use the bathroom! Most all Roman cities boasted a Forum. One of the best ones to visit is in Pompeii, where many buildings dating from Vesuvius's eruption are still partially standing. 

The main forum in Rome was the original: the Forum Romanum. As time passed, other fora were built by various Caesars, spreading Roman commerce and trade all over the city. Today, if one visits, it's really difficult to tell what buildings were or how they were used. So many ruins lay jumbled about, that it's highly advisable to use an audio tour or guide, as not every ruin you pass was standing at the same time. 

Since Antonius: Son of Rome takes place in the 1st century BC, this month I'll be focusing on ruins that once stood during that time. Buildings like the Curia, the Rostra, the Tabularium, the Temple of Vesta, and the Temple of Saturn are a few that I'll focus on.

If you visit Rome, be sure to go inside the Capitoline Museum for a visit. Go downstairs, and you'll pass a fascinating exhibit of funerary steles. Just past that, turn right and keep walking. When you reach the terrace lookout, you'll have a stunning view of the entire Forum Romanum. And you'll be standing in a building that has been in Rome since the 70's BC: the Tabularium!

So--hey! Let's all go to the FORUM ROMANUM!

                      Sunrise over the Temple of Venus Genetrix, built by Julius Caesar shortly before his assassination.

Rome was a patriarchal society, and the Latin term paterfamilias was a power-packed title when Marc Antony was alive.

Romans were the original Italians, and without sounding grossly stereotypical, "family" included extended family; cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews--even ones that were second cousins or once/twice removed cousins, even clients, and freedmen. Because Antony was a distant cousin of Caesar's (possibly a first cousin, once removed), he indeed enjoyed some privilege of attention, education, and training at Caesar's directive. Especially, since his father had died.

The paterfamilias was the "master of the house". He was the eldest male in a Roman household--sometimes in several households of extended family. Obviously, it all depended on the circumstances. A paterfamilias held the power of "patria potestas" (paternal power). In Roman law, this literally meant that he held the power of life and death over every single member of his household, including slaves! A paterfamilia could also SELL his child if he wished. Now fortunately for the members of the household, these stringent and dire consequences eased up during Imperial times, and the paterfamilias couldn't execute his daughter for refusing to marry the man of his choice! However, in Marc Antony's day, though it would have been looked down upon, Roman law probably would have allowed for that.

Scary, huh?

So, in ancient Rome, you would have wanted to be Dad's favorite, for sure! The original Twelve Tables of Roman Law ensured that infants born into a family with disabilities were put to death. We know that some families didn't adhere to this practice, for the Emperor Claudius is an example of a special needs person surviving the death wish of his paterfamilias. It's more likely that his father accepted him in infancy. Lucky for him!

Heirs could not assume the rights of a paterfamilias until his death. However, even if a boy was extremely young, he could assume the role if his father died before full adulthood. As was the case of Marc Antony, when Lentulus (his stepfather) died, he assumed full responsibility of paterfamilias in the domus Antonii when he was only nineteen.

It was a BIG responsibility being good 'ol Dad in Roman times.

                                                      Brook Allen's beloved "paterfamilias" with her Mother in 2008.

         The Roman Colosseum at night. Claudius couldn't use this venue, as it wouldn't be built for several decades yet.

​ This week, Christians will be commemorating the last week of Christ's earthly life, known as Holy Week. Because of this, I have decided to blog about a method of execution that was very common in the Roman world: crucifixion. 

To this day, crucifixion is not something people want to discuss. It was a dreadful way to die, and most certainly a cruel method of executing prisoners. People hanging on crossed timbers literally suffocated by their own weight. That, coupled with the agony of having one's hands and feet pierced by long, iron nails, would have been excruciating. And sometimes, to hasten death, legionary soldiers carrying out the execution would break a victim's legs. 

Of course, the most documented and discussed crucifixion in history was that of Jesus of Nazareth, in what was probably 33 AD. People condemned to death by crucifixion were typically non-Roman citizens who had committed a crime, prisoners of war against Rome, disobedient slaves, or persons involved in uprisings against Rome. And that was exactly how the Jewish San Hedrin approached their case against Jesus, before Pontius Pilate.

It wasn't unusual for condemned prisoners to have their name and crime posted on their cross as they suffered. Pontius Pilate did this. He ordered a wooden board placed upon Jesus's cross. Because Jerusalem was a multi-cultural city in the first century, he had his men write Jesus's name/offense in three languages: Aramaic (the lingua franca of ancient Judea), Greek, and of course, Latin. The Latin would have appeared like this, written out: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. "INRI" would have been the abbreviated version, as Romans were prone to shorten phrases in inscriptions. The translation of the above would have been: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". 

In my book, Antonius: Son of Rome, there is a disturbing crucifixion scene that has been historically documented. After Marcus Licinius Crassus defeated Spartacus in his slave revolt, six thousand surviving slaves were crucified along the Appian Way. It must have been a macabre scene--one that could have given an adult nightmares for years, much less a child. 

Sadly, crucifixion continued throughout the Roman period and continues as a harrowing method of execution today in some parts of the world. 

    Rembrandt's depiction of Christ crucified. Note the placard above his head in the three specified languages: Aramaic,                                                                                                     Greek, and Latin.

 Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) was the Roman Republic's motto: "The Senate and the People of Rome". Writers such as Cicero and Livy used this phrase in their legal or official literature and it was often inscribed onto public monuments in both bronze and marble. Even Roman coinage often bore these words. One might ask why. It was because 
SPQR was a signature of Roman power and authority. 

It was sometime during the Republic when this phrase first came into play. One inscription from around 80BC bears SPQR, but many scholars think it was probably used earlier than that--probably sometime after the Republic was founded and people were supposed to have been given more of a voice. Of course, that was not the case by the time Marcus Antonius was born.

But what's interesting is that during the Imperial period that followed the fall of the Roman Republic, Emperors continued using this phrase--usually abbreviated--in statuary, military standards, and on building projects. As time passed, the letters SPQR simply became synonymous with Rome. Through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and then during WWII, when Italy was under Mussolini's iron fist, "Il Duce" had manhole covers emblazoned with SPQR. They are still in use today!

So, the next time you visit Rome or watch a movie and see the four letters: SPQR, remember the ancient phrase Senatus Populusque Romanus. It was the symbol of Rome's might and power.

                                                                   The inscription from the Arch of Titus in Rome. 

I'm getting a touch dark this week with my Latin phrase: Dis Manibus. This pretty much meant "to the spirits of the dead" and anybody visiting Rome's incredible grave-stele display in the Capitoline Museum will see either this phrase or the abbreviated form of it (DM), carved into steles on display there.

Whenever someone died, "Dis Manibus" would usually be above their name, for according to pagan worship practices of the day, they were being committed unto the spirits of the dead. These "spirits" were the manes, and to superstitious Romans, that meant ghosts. Funerals featured loud tibia (double-pipe) music, along with hired mourners and usually, a procession. Roman nobility often paraded their ancestors' wax death masks. There may have actually been a certain amount of "ancestor worship" involved in these rites, though that's left to conjecture.

Antonius: Son of Rome's story begins with a death, and just like any culture, Romans had their ways of handling someone's passing. From what I've read, it appears that death itself was a "blemish", considered impure and so it's likely there may have been purification rites after someone handled their deceased or attended funerary rites. During the period of my story--the late Roman Republic, dead persons were cremated and their ashes were gathered and dispensed into an urn. After that, the urn was often placed inside a funerary stele, bearing the inscription Dis Manibus. Funerary steles are fascinating, because sometimes Romans would actually have the deceased's occupation carved into the stele, accompanied by a brief written memorial. Soldiers' steles have been discovered all over the Empire and they're often depicted in their armor or on horseback. Steles of ordinary citizens have shown occupations ranging from baking to midwifery! In Son of Rome, there's a very touching scene in which Marcus visit's a funerary stele and pours a libation into small holes in the top, honoring one who died. 

                  Ancient Roman funerary stele of a young girl. The words DIS MANIBUS appear right above her name.

This week's Latin phrase concerns a topic in which I take particular joy: DOGS! Anyone who knows me knows that my dogs are my family.

In ancient times, dogs were often pets in peoples' homes. In fact, little has changed from Roman times, when it comes to warning a visitor about an unfriendly dog. If you visit Pompeii, the city ravaged by Vesuvius's volcanic wrath, you can still see an ancient mosaic in someone's entryway floor, letting people know that Little Rover might not be too amiable. In letters still easily read today, it says: CAVE CANEM--beware of the dog. And the dog depicted in the mosaic is frisky and enchanting with a modern-looking red collar, similar to one my Ali-dog wears.

Latin words like "canem" in this instance also remind us that we get our species name for dogs straight from the Romans' language. Whenever we say the word "canine", we're really using a Latin term. 

I think it's great that people in ancient times had dogs as pets, trained them, and enjoyed their company just like we do today. While visiting Alexandria, Egypt, where some of the story-line at the end of Antonius: Son of Rome takes place, I saw a splendid mosaic of a beloved dog. It dated from around the 1st century BC, which is the period my character, Marcus Antonius visited Egypt. Look at the color in the mosaic below. It looks as though the artist captured the moment when a dog may have gotten into trouble and knocked over a wine decanter. And the dog is so realistic! It must have been a beloved pet in a wealthy home to have received such special attention from an artist with such talent.

So, the next time you visit Pompeii or Herculaneum, watch out for the houses you wander into that may have CAVE CANEM artistically rendered in a mosaic in an entryway. Fido might bite!

Since Antonius: Son of Rome is about ancient Rome, I thought it appropriate to blog about some Latin terminology for the next few weeks, leading up to the city's birthday--supposedly April 21. Rome is one old lady. This year, she celebrates her 2,772nd birthday.

Let's NOT put candles on the cake!

Ab urbe condita (a.u.c.) means "from the city's founding", which most classicists agree was in 753 BC. Today, when one strolls through the Forum Romanum, it's really difficult to get a clear picture of exactly what the city looked like in any given period, since what we see today was built at different times during the archaeological record. My characters--Antony, Caesar, Fadia--they all lived during the 1st century BC, and not many buildings still stand from that period. For those of you reading my book, you'll find that there are a few extant monuments, but not many.

The majestic Tabularium, which encompasses the west end of the Forum is now part of the Capitoline Museum and one of my favorite places to visit. It was built in the 70's BC. There is the ancient Tullianum prison which is now located inside of Church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami in the Forum. And of course, a few bridges, the Via Sacra, and the network of Roman highways like the Via Appia, can still be seen here and there in their original state. Now, portions of the Theater of Pompeius are being excavated in earnest. That site will be a very important part of my next book, Second in Command. Contrary to what most people think, Caesar wasn't assassinated in the Curia (Senate building), but inside the Theater of Pompeius, which was Rome's first permanent  theater.

When you visit Rome's ruins, the sense of past grandeur is overwhelming. And the Forum is a great place to experience the many layers of history ab urbe condita-- from the city's founding.

                                     The ancient Temple of Saturn in the Forum Romanum beneath the Capitoline Hill