village near Corinth, terrorised by a man-eating sow until Theseus killed it
Cynic (sin-ick)
someone who followed the philosophy of Diogenes, who scorned pleasure and physical comfort and lived in a clay pot like a dog (‘cynic’ is Greek for ‘doglike’)
Delphi (dell-fee)
stunning site on rugged cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Corinth; it was Apollo’s main sanctuary and home of the famous Delphic oracle, the Pythia
Delphina (dell-fee-nah)
Latin for ‘female dolphin’, the name of Lupus’s ship
denarius (den-are-ee-us)
small silver coin worth four sesterces
diolkos (dee-ol-koss)
paved way with ruts to guide the wheels of carts carrying unloaded ships across the isthmus of Corinth at its narrowest point of about four miles
Dionysus (dye-oh-nie-suss)
Greek god of vineyards and wine; he comforted Ariadne on Naxos
Dipylon (dip-ill-on)
fortified gate in the city wall of Athens
domina (dom-in-ah)
Latin for ‘mistress’ or ‘madam’; a polite form of address for a woman
Eleusis (ell-yoo-siss)
city on the coast near Athens, famous for the mysterious rites celebrated there
Epicurean (ep-ee-cure-ee-un)
follower of Epicurus, who esteemed calmness of mind and devotion to pleasure
Erechtheion (air-ek-thee-on)
temple on the Acropolis with marble sculptures of women (called ‘caryatids’) instead of columns; it was dedicated to Athena and Poseidon
Eumenides (you-men-id-eez)
Greek for ‘Kindly Ones’, a euphemistic name for the Furies and title of the final play in Aeschylus’s trilogy about Orestes
Flavia (flay-vee-a)
a Roman girl’s name which means ‘fair-haired’; Flavius is the masculine form
freedman (freed-man)
a slave who has been granted freedom, his ex-master becomes his patron
frigidarium (fridge-id-ah-ree-um)
the cold plunge in a Roman baths
Furies (fyoo-reez)
terrible monsters who looked like women but had snaky hair like Medusa, they pursued people guilty of terrible crimes, especially murder of a relative
Hades (hay-deez)
the Underworld where the spirits of the dead were believed to go
Helicon (hell-ik-on)
mountain in Boeotia near Delphi, sacred to Apollo and the Muses
Hephaestus (hef-eye-stuss)
Greek name for Vulcan, the god of blacksmiths and metalworking
Hera (here-uh)
Greek goddess of childbirth and wife of Zeus, her Roman equivalent is Jona
Hercules (her-kyoo-leez)
mythological hero who completed twelve tasks and had many other adventures
hexameter (hex-am-it-ur)
type of poetry where each line has a certain number of long and short syllables
hospitium (hoss-pit-ee-um)
Latin for ‘hotel’ or ‘guesthouse’; often very luxurious with baths and dining rooms
hydria (hid-ree-uh)
special jar for bringing water from the fountain
Hymettus (hi-met-uss)
mountain near Athens, famed for its honey and for its marble
Hypnos (hip-noss)
Greek god of sleep, often portrayed as a winged youth who touches the foreheads of the tired with a branch
Iphigenia (if-idge-en-eye-uh)
daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, her father sacrificed her in order to bring fair winds which would carry the Greek fleet to Troy
Isthmia (isth-mee-uh)
site near Corinth where athletic games were held in honour of Poseidon
isthmus (isth-muss)
narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land Jove (jove)
Jove (jove)
another name for Jupiter, king of the gods
Juno (jew-no)
queen of the gods and wife of the god Jupiter, her Greek equivalent is Hera
Jupiter (jew-pit-er)
king of the Roman gods and husband of Juno; his Greek equivalent is Zeus
lararium (lar-ar-ee-um)
household shrine, often a chest with a miniature temple on top, sometimes a niche
lares (la-raise)
minor deities who protected specific areas, most usually the household
Lechaeum (lek-eye-um)
western port of Corinth; one end of the diolkos was here
Lydia (lid-ee-uh)
kingdom in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) ruled by Croesus in the sixth century BC
Megara (meg-are-uh)
town between Corinth and Eleusis with two fortified hills
Minerva (min-erv-uh)
Roman name for Athena, goddess of wisdom and war
Minotaur (my-no-tore)
mythical monster with a man’s body and a bull’s head; killed by Theseus
modus operandi (mo-duss op-er-an-dee)
Latin for ‘way of operating’ or ‘method of doing something’
mulsum (mull-some)
wine sweetened with honey, often drunk before meals
nereid (nair-ee-id)
sea-nymph; daughter of Nereus, a sea god
Nero (near-oh)
emperor who ruled Rome from AD 54 to AD 68
Oedipus (ed-ip-uss)
king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother
omphalos (ome-fall-oss)
Greek for ‘navel’; stone altar at Delphi which represented the centre of the world
Orestes (or-ess-teez)
son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, he was commanded by Apollo to avenge his father’s murder by killing his mother and was then pursued by the Furies
Orpheus (or-fee-uss)
mythological lyre-player who charmed men, animals and rocks with his music
Ostia (oss-tee-uh)
the port of ancient Rome and home town of Flavia
paean (pee-un)
a chant of triumph or praise, sometimes used by Greeks as a battle-cry
palla (pal-uh)
a woman’s cloak, could also be wrapped round the waist or worn over the head
papyrus (puh-pie-russ)
the cheapest writing material, made from pounded reeds of the same name
Parnassus (par-nass-uss)
high mountain with twin peaks, on its slopes were Delphi and the Castalian Spring
Parthenon (parth-uh-non)
magnificent and famous temple to Athena on the Acropolis in Athens
pelanos (pell-an-oss)
a sacred pie which had to be presented to the priests of Apollo, along with a goat or lamb, before an audience with the Pythia could be granted
penates (pen-ah-teez)
Latin guardian deities of the household and hearth
Plataea (pluh-tee-uh)
city in Boeotia; famous as the site of a Greek victory over invading Persians
Pnyx (pnicks)
hill near the Areopagus in Athens where the Athenian assembly met
Pollux (pol-lucks)
one of the mythological twins (he was immortal and Castor mortal); he was a skilled boxer and horseman
Polydeuces (polly-dyoo-seez)
Greek version of the name Pollux, Castor’s immortal twin
Poseidon (poh-side-un)
Greek god of the sea, the equivalent of the Roman god Neptune
Procrustes (pro-crust-eez)
innkeeper and robber who cut or stretched his guests to fit his notorious bed
promanteia (pro-man-tee-uh)
the privilege to see the Pythia before anyone else
Propylea (pro-pie-lee-uh)
monumental entrance to the sanctuary of Athena on the Acropolis
Pythagorean (pie-thag-or-ee-un)
person who followed the teachings of the famous mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras
; Pythia (pith-ee-uh)
priestess who uttered the responses of Delphic Apollo
Saronic Gulf
large bay of the Aegean, bordered by Attica to the north and the Isthmus of Corinth to the west
Sciron (skeer-on)
mythological robber on the Isthmus who forced travellers to wash his feet before tossing them over the cliff to his man-eating turtle on the rocks below
scroll (skrole)
a papyrus or parchment ‘book’, unrolled from side to side as it was read
Seneca (sen-eh-kuh)
Stoic philosopher of Nero’s time who wrote about death and destiny
sesterces (sess-tur-seez)
more than one sestertius, a brass coin; four sesterces equal a denarius
Sibyl (sib-ill)
female soothsayer or prophetess; the most famous one lived in a cave near Naples
Sinis (sigh-niss)
mythological robber who tied his victims to pine trees and then released them
Sparta (spar-ta)
town and region in central Greece, famous for its warlike inhabitants who scorned luxury and comfort in their attempt to train mind and body
stele (stee-lee)
Greek work for a ‘pillar’ or ‘column’, usually a grave marker, often marble, usually painted
stoa (stow-uh)
Greek word for ‘portico’ or ‘colonnade’, i.e. a covered walkway lined with columns
Stoic (stow-ick)
Greek philosophy popular in ancient Rome; among other things, its followers cultivated indifference to physical pleasure or pain
stola (stole-uh)
a dress like a long sleeveless tunic worn by married women
stylus (stile-us)
a metal, wood or ivory tool for writing on wax tablets
Symi (sim-ee)
small island near Rhodes famous for its sponge-divers
temenos (tem-en-oss)
sacred marked-out area, usually in a sanctuary
Theagenes (thee-ah-gun-eez)
king of Megara who lived in the seventh century BC
Thebes (theebz)
Greek town in a flat plain between Athens and Delphi; birthplace of Oedipus
Theseus (thee-syoos)
mythological hero, son of Aegeus; grew up in Troezen; set out for Athens aged fifteen to claim his birthright; met many monsters and villains along the way
triclinium (trick-lin-ee-um)
ancient Roman dining area, usually with three couches to recline on
tunic (tew-nic)
a piece of clothing like a big T-shirt; children often wore a long-sleeved one
vespasian (vess-pay-zhun)
Latin slang for ‘chamber pot’, after the emperor who levied a tax on urine
vigiles (vidge-il-lays)
watchmen who guarded Roman towns and provinces against fire and crime
vir (veer)
Latin for ‘man’
Virgil (vur-jill)
a famous Latin poet who died about a hundred years before this story takes place
votive (vo-tiv)
an object offered to mark a vow, prayer or thanksgiving to some god
vow
a pledge to a god or goddess which usually took the form ‘If you do something for me, I will do something for you’; often the latter was the setting up of an altar
wax tablet
a wax-covered rectangular leaf of wood used for making notes; often two or more are hinged together with twine to make a ‘book’
Xerxes (zurk-sees)
king of Persia in the early fifth century BC; he invaded Greece and was defeated
Zeus (zyooss)
king and greatest of the Greek gods; his Roman equivalent is Jupiter
Romans living in the first century AD had mixed feelings about Greece. On the one hand, they looked down on the Greeks, because Rome was the conqueror and Greece the conquered. On the other hand, the Romans still admired Greek culture enormously. Greek was the language all educated Romans had to learn. Many Greeks worked for Romans as tutors, secretaries, artists and musicians. Rome had adopted the Greek gods and given them different names (except for Apollo), and Romans adored the Greek myths. Two of their favourites were the myths of Theseus and Orestes. Theseus was the young Athenian whose first quest was to reach his rightful kingdom after clearing the land route to Athens of monsters and brigands. Orestes was the son who had to avenge his father’s death by killing his own mother. His terrible tale is told in a trilogy of plays which we call The Oresteia, by the great Athenian playwright Aeschylus.
By the first century AD, when this story takes place, Corinth was arguably the most important city in Greece. Situated on a narrow strip of land known as an isthmus, it was a major port in the Mediterranean. In 146 BC, Corinth had been destroyed by Rome and its walls torn down. Later, in 44 BC – more than a hundred years before this story takes place – it was rebuilt as a Roman colony and became the capital of the Roman province of Achaea (Greece).
There really were ancient maps and guidebooks in the first century AD. They told travellers how far cities were from one another and where the best places to stay were.
All the characters who appear in this story are fictional, but almost all the places they visit are real. The only place I have made up is the Cave of the Furies. We know it was near the Areopagus but are still not certain exactly where.
To Kirsten, Penny and Trisha,
beautiful women and good friends
* * *
This story takes place in ancient Roman times, so a few of the words may look strange.
If you don’t know them, ‘Aristo’s Scroll’ at the back of the book will tell you what they mean and how to pronounce them. It will also tell you about Roman names.
* * *
Flavia Gemina and Jonathan ben Mordecai were kissing. They had been kissing for some time.
At least it felt like it to Flavia.
Finally she pulled back and gasped for air.
‘That was my first time,’ said Flavia. She was almost eleven years old, with grey eyes and light brown hair pinned up in a simple knot. She wore new leather sandals and a short, sleeveless tunic of sky-blue linen. The gold bulla hanging from a silver chain around her neck showed that she was both free-born and rich.
‘It was my first time, too.’ Jonathan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was eleven and a half, with curly dark hair and brown eyes. Like Flavia, Jonathan was freeborn, but he wore a small herb pouch rather than a bulla around his neck.
‘So?’ said Flavia. ‘How was it?
Jonathan considered for a moment. ‘Did you have salad for lunch?’
Flavia nodded. ‘Why? Could you tell?’
‘I could taste the vinegar.’
‘And you had olives, didn’t you?’ said Flavia.
Jonathan nodded.
‘But how was the kissing part?’ asked Flavia, brushing away a strand of hair that had come unpinned.
‘Well,’ said Jonathan, ‘apart from it being interesting because we could both tell what the other one had for lunch . . . I have to say it didn’t clang my gong.’
‘Me, too,’ sighed Flavia. ‘I mean, me neither. I mean, I like you, but not like that.’
‘That’s a relief,’ said Jonathan, getting up from the marble bench and bending over the bubbling fountain at the centre of Flavia’s inner garden. He took a long drink of water, then turned to look at her.
‘So why did you want to kiss me?’
The jasmine bush beside the fountain trembled as a dark-haired boy in a sea-green tunic jumped out from behind it. He flourished a wax-tablet.
‘Lupus!’ Flavia jumped up from the marble bench. ‘How long have you been spying on us?’
Lupus ignored her. He was dancing in front of Jonathan, laughing and waving his open wax tablet. Flavia saw the first words written on the tablet:
FLAVIA NEEDS TO PRACTISE
‘No!’ She lunged for the tablet, which Lupus w
as holding at arm’s length.
‘What?’ said Jonathan. ‘Why does Flavia need to practise? Give me that!’
He tackled Lupus and they rolled in the dust beneath the quince bush.
Flavia hovered over them, trying to snatch the tablet. ‘Give me that, Lupus! Give it – OW!’
The wax tablet flew through the air and the three of them scrambled towards the pebbled pathway where it lay.
Just as Flavia was about to grasp it – and she knew she would have been first – a sandalled foot and a walking stick appeared beside the tablet, and a man’s hand closed over it. Flavia, Jonathan and Lupus looked up the folds of a toga into the amused eyes of the man who held the tablet.
‘Pater!’ stuttered Flavia, who should have been behaving like a proper Roman girl.
‘Captain Geminus,’ wheezed Jonathan, who suffered from asthma.
‘Unnggh!’ grunted Lupus, who had no tongue.
The three of them stood up.
Flavia’s father handed the wax tablet to a dark-skinned girl standing next to him. ‘Nubia,’ he said, ‘would you like to show me how much your Latin has improved in the past year?’
‘No!’ cried Flavia. ‘Please don’t let her read it, pater! It’s private.’
‘On the contrary,’ said Captain Geminus pleasantly. ‘I believe it concerns all of you. Nubia?’
The dark-skinned girl frowned down at the tablet. Flavia knew that although Nubia’s reading was much improved, she could still only read if she pronounced the words out loud.
‘Flavia needs to practise,’ Nubia read haltingly, ‘because we’ve been invited . . . to the Villa . . . Lim-o-na . . . and Pul-chra says there will be lots of highborn young men there.’
‘Excellent, Nubia,’ said Captain Geminus. ‘Isn’t that nice? The four of you have been invited to spend the rest of June in Surrentum, at the villa of Publius Pollius Felix. So, my little owl,’ he said, turning to Flavia, ‘what were you and Jonathan practising?’
‘Hello, father,’ said Jonathan. ‘Hello, Tigris! How’s my boy?’ He bent to greet his large black puppy as Lupus bolted the front door behind them. ‘Where’s mother?’ asked Jonathan, straightening up and looking around.
‘Out. Again.’ Jonathan’s father sighed and turned to go back through the atrium. ‘Shopping, I presume. I don’t know why she doesn’t let that slave-girl of hers do it.’
‘I think she just likes to get out, because for ten years she was a slave and wasn’t allowed to,’ said Jonathan as they all moved into the tablinum.
The Roman Mysteries Complete Collection Page 145