Archaeologists discovered the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus, aka Vespasian:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090808/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_emperor_s_villa
The Roman Empire plunged into another civil war in 69 AD, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Emerging as the last emperor standing, Vespasian ruled for 10 years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespasian
While not much is actually known about Vespasian's rule, he plays a prominent role in the "Eagle Series," by Simon Scarrow. These books are string of 9 historical novels set in ancient Rome:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Series
In this series Vespasian hasn't reached imperial divinity yet and is merely the legate, or commander of the Second Legion. The main protagonists are two Roman soldiers, Marco and Cato. They make something of a Mutt & Jeff pair--or is it Mutius & Jeffius? Marco's an illiterate tough-as-nails centurion, while Cato's an educated and cultured former imperial household slave. Together they make a formidable pair.
So far I've read the first four books and look forward to discovering what further misadventures await Marco & Cato.
No comments:
Post a Comment