The First Man in Rome

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The First Man in Rome Page 122

by Colleen McCullough


  Lugdunum

  Loog-doo-noom

  macellum

  mack-ell-oom (mack as in “tack”)

  Marcia

  Mar-kee-ah (English, Marsh-uh or Mar-see-uh)

  Marcomanni

  Mar-koh-mah-nee

  Marrucini

  Mar-oo-kee-nee (heavy r—mar as in “tar”)

  Marsi

  Mar-see

  Masinissa

  Mah-sin-iss-ah (sin as in “tin”)

  Mastanabal

  Mah-stan-ah-bahl (stan as in “ran”)

  Mauretania

  Mow-ret-ah-nee-ah (mow as in “cow”)

  mentula

  men-too-lah (men as in “ten”)

  mentulam coco

  men-too-lahm kah-koh

  Metrobius

  Met-roh-bee-uss (met as in “set”)

  Micipsa

  Mick-ip-sah

  Milo

  Mee-loh (English, Mye-loh)

  Misenum

  Mee-say-noom

  Mithridates

  Mith-rid-ah-tays (English, Mith-rid-ay-tees)

  Muluchath

  Moo-loo-kath

  Myrto

  Meer-toh

  Nabataea

  Nah-bah-tye-ah

  Nabdalsa

  Nab-dahl-sah (nab as in “cab”)

  Naevius

  Nye-vee-uss

  Narbo

  Nor-boh or Nah-boh

  Neapolis

  Nay-ah-pol-iss (pol as in “doll”)

  nefas

  neff-ahss (neff as in “left”—ahss as in “arse”)

  nemo

  nay-moh

  Nicopoiis

  Nick-op-ol-iss

  Numantia

  Noo-man-tee-ah (man as in “man”)

  Numidia

  Noo-mid-ee-ah (mid as in “bid”)

  Ocelum

  Ock-ell-oom (ock as in “sock”)

  Odysseus

  Odd-iss-oos (English, Odd-iss-ee-uss)

  Oedipus

  Ee-dee-puss (American, Ed-ee-puss)

  oppidum

  op-id-oom (op as in “hop”—id as in “bid”)

  opus incertum

  op-uss in-ker-toom

  Oxyntas

  Ox-in-tahss (in as in “sin”)

  Paeligni

  Pye-leen-yee

  Pamphylia

  Pam-fee-lee-ah (pam as in “ham”)

  Paphlagonia

  Paff-la-goh-nee-ah

  papyrus

  pap-eye-russ (pap as in “tap”)

  Patavium

  Pat-ah-vee-oom (pat as in “cat”)

  paterfamilias

  pat-er-fam-ill-ee-ahss

  Patrae

  Pat-rye

  Penates

  Pen-ah-tays (pen as in “ten”)

  Perseus

  Per-soos (English, Per-see-uss)

  phalerae

  fal-er-eye (fal as in “pal”)

  Phrygia

  Fridge-ee-ah

  Picenum

  Pee-kay-noom

  pilum

  pee-loom

  Placentia

  Plah-ken-tee-ah

  plebs

  rhymes with “webs”

  podex

  poh-dex (dex as in “sex”)

  pomerium

  poh-mair-ee-oom

  praefectus fabrutn

  prye-feck-tuss fab-room (fab as in “cab”)

  praenomen

  prye-noh-men

  praetor

  prye-tor

  praetor peregrinus

  pair-egg-ree-nuss

  praetor urbanus

  oor-bah-nuss

  primus inter pares

  pree-muss in-ter pah-rays

  Princeps Senatus

  Prin-keps Sen-ah-tuss

  Priscilla

  Priss-kill-ah (English, Priss-ill-uh)

  privatus

  pree-vah-tuss

  pteryges

  terry-gays

  Ptolemy

  Tol-em-ee (tol as in “doll”)

  Ptolemy Apion

  Ah-pee-on

  Ptolemy Euergetes

  Er-air-get-ays

  Puteoli

  Poo-tay-oh-lee

  Pyrrhus

  Pirr-uss (pirr as in “stirrup”)

  Reate

  Ray-ah-tay

  Regia

  Ray-gee-ah (the g as in “gear”)

  Remus

  Rem-uss (rem as in “hem”—English, Ree-muss)

  Rhenus

  Ray-nuss

  Rhodanus

  Rod-an-uss (rod as in “cod”)

  Roma

  Roh-mah

  Romulus

  Roh-moo-luss

  rostra

  roh-strah

  Rusicade

  Roo-see-kah-day

  Rutilia

  Roo-tee-lee-ah

  saepta

  sye-p-tah

  sagum

  sag-oom (sag as in “hag”)

  saltatrix tonsa

  sal-tah-tricks ton-sah (ton as in “upon”)

  Samnium

  Sam-nee-oom (sam as in “ham”)

  satrap

  sat-rap

  Scordisci

  Skor-disk-ee

  Scylax

  Skee-lacks (English, Sky-lacks)

  Scylla

  Skee-lah (English, Skill-uh or Sill-uh)

  Servilia

  Sair-vee-lee-ah (sair as in “air”)

  Servilia Caepionis

  Kye-pee-oh-niss

  smaragdus

  smah-rag-duss

  Smyrna

  Smeer-nah (English, Smur-nuh—smur as in “fur”)

  stibium

  stib-ee-oom (stib as in “crib”)

  stimulus

  stim-oo-luss (stim as in “dim”)

  Subura

  Soo-boo-rah

  Sulpicia

  Sool-pick-ee-ah

  suovetaurilia

  soo-of-et-ow-rill-ee-ah

  Syrtis

  Seer-tiss (seer as in “leer”)

  Taprobane

  Tap-roh-bah-nay

  Tarpeian

  Tar-pay-ee-an

  tata

  tah-tah

  Teutobod

  Ter-toh-bod (bod as in “cod”)

  Teutones

  Ter-toh-nays

  Thermopylae

  Ther-mop-ee-lye

  torc

  tork

  tribuni

  trib-oo-nee (trib as in “crib”)

  tribuni aerarii

  eye-rah-ree-ee

  tribuni militum

  mill-it-oom (mill as in “will”)

  tribuni plebis

  pleb-iss (pleb as in “web”)

  Tullianum

  Tool-ee-ah-noom

  Tusculum

  Tuss-koo-loom (tuss as in “puss”)

  Tyrrhenian

  Tir-ray-nee-an (tir as in “stirrup”)

  Ubus

  Oo-buss

  Ulysses

  Oo-liss-ays (English, Yew-liss-ees)

  Utica

  Oo-tee-kah

  Vediovis

  Ved-ee-of-iss (ved as in “bed”— of as in “of”)

  Velabrum

  Vel-ab-room (vel as in “sell”—ab as in “cab”)

  Velia

  Vel-ee-ah

  Vercellae

  Ver-kell-eye

  via

  vee-ah

  Via Aemilia

  Eye-mill-ee-ah

  Via Aemilia Scauri

  Eye-mill-ee-ah Skow-ree (skow as in “cow”)

  Via Annia

  Ah-nee-ah

  Via Appia

  Ah-pee-ah

  Via Aurelia

  Ow-ray-lee-ah (ow as in “cow”)

  Via Domitia

  Dom-it-ee-ah (dom as in “tom”—it as in “sit”)

  Via Flaminia

  Flam-in-ee-ah (flam as in “ham”)

  Via Lata

  L
ah-tah

  Via Latina

  Lat-ee-nah (lat as in “sat”)

  Via Nova

  Noh-vah

  via praetoria

  prye-tor-ee-ah

  via principalis

  prin-kip-ah-liss

  Via Sacra

  Sack-ran

  Via Salaria

  Sal-ah-ree-ah (sal as in “pal”)

  Via Tiburtina

  Tib-er-tee-nah (lib as in “crib”)

  vicus

  vee-kuss

  Vicus Patricii

  Pat-rick-ee-ee (pat as in “sat”)

  Vicus Tuscus

  Tuss-kuss (as in “puss”)

  Volcae Tectosages

  Vol-kye Teck-toh-sah-gays

  Volscian

  Vol-skee-an

  ABOUT THIS BOOK

  The world cowers before its legions, but Rome is about to be engulfed by a vicious power struggle that will threaten its very existence. At its heart are two exceptional men: Gaius Marius, prosperous but lowborn, a proud and disciplined soldier emboldened by his shrewdness and self-made wealth; and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a handsome young aristocrat corrupted by poverty and vice.​

  Both are men of extraordinary vision, extreme cunning and ruthless ambition, but both are outsiders, cursed by the insurmountable opposition of powerful and vindictive foes.

  ​ If they forge an alliance, Marius and Sulla may just defeat their enemies, but only one of them can become First Man in Rome.

  ​ The battle for Rome has just begun.

  REVIEWS

  ‘A towering work of Roman historical fiction. Highly entertaining and compulsive.’

  Robert Fabbri

  ‘The Masters of Rome series is a tour de force, a brilliant recreation of the twilight of the Roman Republic as Caesar and Pompey vie for power. This is historical fiction at its finest.’

  Sharon Penman

  ‘A powerful story told with the verve of a novelist and the commitment of a historian.’

  The Sunday Times

  ‘Incomparable… Engrossing… Breathtakingly detailed… A triumph.’

  Chicago Tribune

  ‘A truly astonishing work.’

  Time

  “An awesome and epic new work... This is an absolutely absorbing story—not simply of the military and political intrigues that went into the final days of the Republic but also of what it was like to live, love and survive at this pivotal point in our civilization... A master storyteller... A 900-plus-page novel that is every bit as hard to put down as it is to pick up.’

  Los Angeles Times

  “Splendid in conception... The narrative sweeps along as does the force of history... Colleen McCullough understands the undercurrents of human emotion. She reveals people as they are... Exceptional.”

  Washington Post Book World

  “McCullough is terrific... Her characters quiver with life.”

  The New York Times Book Review

  “A treat for those who troll bookstores searching for real historical fiction... As compelling as any novel of contemporary power seekers.”

  Houston Post

  “Political infighting and power plays; the slaughters and strategies of war; plots thick and nasty... A grandly meaty historical novel... Rich with gracefully integrated research and thundering to the beat of marching Roman legions.”

  Kirkus Reviews

  “A great Goliath of a novel... Perhaps the most thoroughly researched historical novel ever written... A genuine tour de force.”

  Milwaukee Journal

  “An intricate characterization of an age, agile in its movement from the minute details of household management to the precise composition of the military colossus Rome repeatedly mustered to repel the Teutonic hordes... An accomplishment so edifying as to be compelling.”

  New York Daily News

  “The most spectacular of her books... A fascinating history lesson that shows the timelessness of human ambition and misbehaviour... The best work McCullough has ever done.”

  Sacramento Bee

  “An exciting story of tangled lives and epic events... This novel really grabbed me after a few pages, and I savored it to the end... Republican Rome may be distant in time, but through McCullough’s talent for storytelling and intimate knowledge of the Roman life style, the world becomes alive and pertinent to the contemporary reader.”

  Pittsburgh Press

  “Crosses battle lines and boundaries. Deaths, births, prophecies, political alliances and rivalries create a whirlwind of drama. McCullough intermingles the high and the low-assassins, soldiers, wives and mistresses-— to weave an intriguing tapestry of a great empire.”

  Washington Times

  “A serious historical novel that edifies while it entertains... McCullough tells a good story, describing political intrigue, social infighting and bloody battles with authoritative skill, interpolating domestic drama and even a soupgon of romance... Fascinating reading... A memorable picture of an age with many aspects that share characteristics with our own.”

  Publishers Weekly

  “Admirable... Colleen McCullough is an energetic yarn-spinner... Her research is extensive enough to win her half a dozen PhD degrees, and she throws nothing away... A bestseller of higher aspiration.”

  Newsday

  ABOUT MASTERS OF ROME

  MASTERS OF ROME

  110 BC:

  The world cowers before its legions, but the fate of Rome hangs in the balance.

  From the marbled columns of the Senate to the squalid slums of the Subura, the city is about to be plunged into a conflict that will set rich against poor, Roman against Italian, father against son, a conflict destined to destroy the Republic but leave, in its stead, an Empire.

  ​Unbearable cruelty, martial brilliance, murderous ambition, heroic destiny: this is the stuff of legend. Colleen McCullough’s epic Masters of Rome captures the soul of Rome in a way no other writer has ever managed.

  I. The First Man in Rome

  Rome, 110 BC

  The world cowers before its legions, but Rome is about to be engulfed by a vicious power struggle that will threaten its very existence. At its heart are two exceptional men: Gaius Marius, prosperous but lowborn, a proud and disciplined soldier emboldened by his shrewdness and self-made wealth; and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a handsome young aristocrat corrupted by poverty and vice.​

  ​ Both are men of extraordinary vision, extreme cunning and ruthless ambition, but both are outsiders, cursed by the insurmountable opposition of powerful and vindictive foes.

  If they forge an alliance, Marius and Sulla may just defeat their enemies, but only one of them can become First Man in Rome.

  ​ The battle for Rome has just begun.

  ​The First Man is Rome is available here.​

  II. The Grass Crown

  Rome, 97 BC

  Gaius Marius is triumphant. Under his command, Rome has conquered the Western world, weathered invasion and crushed its enemies. There is just one

  prize left to him: an unprecedented seventh consulship.

  ​ But the greatest prize demands the highest price. Marius, now aging and ailing, is pitted against a new generation of assassins, power-seekers, and Senate intriguers. There are many who would like to see him fail, not least Lucius Cornelius Sulla, once his closest ally, now his most dangerous rival. Sulla and Marius’ contest can only be won through treachery and blood. As a deadly enmity engulfs both men and plunges them towards madness, Rome must fight its own battle for survival.

  ​The Grass Crown is available here.​

  III. Fortune’s Favourites

  Rome, 83 BC

  The Republic is disintegrating. Ravaged by disease, tormented by desire, Lucius Cornelius Sulla has returned from his campaign in the East determined rebuild it, even if it means taking battle to the very walls of Rome and purging the city with blood. There will be deaths without number or limit, but amid the chaos, three infinitely ambitious young Romans vie for
greatness.

  ​ The young wolves are Pompeius Magnus, Marcus Crassus and the man the world will one day know by just one name: Caesar. Together, they are Fortune’s favourites – an endorsement that will prove as much a blessing as a curse.

  ​Fortune’s Favourites is available here.​

  IV. Caesar’s Women

  Rome, 68 BC

  Caesar has returned to Rome. Having cut his teeth campaigning in the East, his sites are now set on a new battlefield: the Forum Romanum. This war will be waged with rhetoric and seduction, weapons Caesar will wield with cunning and ruthlessness. Cuckolding political enemies is but a tactic in a broader strategy: Caesar knows that the key to Rome lies with its noblewomen. Whether the powerful, vindictive Servilia, whose son Brutus deeply resents his mother’s passionate and destructive relationship with Caesar, or his own daughter Julia, Caesar is prepared to sacrifice them all on the altar of his own ambition. Caesar’s women will make his name, and one of them will seal his fate.

 

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