by James Mace
Certain historical characters, in particular the Emperor Tiberius and his mother Livia, I have taken a more sympathetic role towards. Many things written about them were born out of gossip rather than fact, in which case I discarded that which I found not to be believable. This is particularly true regarding the death of Germanicus. While historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius have speculated much into their roles in Germanicus’ demise, none can actually say for certain whether either was involved or not. Since it is all speculation, I felt alright with giving my own interpretation of what I think actually happened. This however is strictly my own interpretation.
To answer the often-asked question, yes the Pontius Pilate depicted in Soldier of Rome is the same man made famous in The Bible. Since so little is known about Pilate’s career before his governorship of Judea, I was able to, rather effortlessly, insert him into the story. Some apocryphal accounts have Pilate stating that he was, in fact, at the Battle of Idistaviso. Ironically, I had completely fabricated his participation in the battle, only discovering this information after I had already published The Legionary. And while Pilate’s wife, Claudia Procula, was a real person, her relation to Centurion Valerius Proculus is fictitious. Her sister Diana is also a fictitious character.
While I have worked to keep this series as historically accurate as possible, I have had to take a lot more literary license with The Sacrovir Revolt, particularly because it is not as well documented in any histories that I have read. While I have done everything possible to write a rich and intriguing story, at no time have I deliberately changed known historical facts. Be that as it may, any historical inaccuracies that may exist in the Soldier of Rome series, and that I have not already cited, are errors on my part and completely unintentional.
Bibliography
Note: All citations are from the Annals of Tacitus, Volume III
Further Reading:
Tacitus, Cornelius. The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
The adventures of Artorius and his legionaries continues in Part Three of The Artorian Chronicles,
Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion
A new trilogy of Ancient Rome by James Mace
Available now through Amazon and Amazon U.K.