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A consul's wife asks Marcus Corvinus to look into the death of her uncle, whose death Alexander the Great has assured her in a seance was murder rather than an accident.

Very funny first few chapters lead into an intriguing historical mystery which made me wonder when certain names cropped up how it would gel with real events and which was told by a narrator with a consistently amusing “voice“.

November in Rome sucks.

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The 2nd half of the book, is Caesar conquering more places in Europe and becoming the ruler of Rome. He then got stabbed by a group, like Brutus and Gaius. They got into power and made their own territories. Caesar's cousin, Octavius, who was revealed to be adopted by Caesar went to war with Brutus and Gaius and reclaimed Caesar's legacy. If you like books that are historical then this book is for you.

Caesar's Legion, a book about Caesar's many great battles which mostly were his victory. Giving a focus on his 10th legion which Caesar gave extra attention (rigorous training, discipline, and better food.) to became one of his strongest armies he commands. The story starts with a battle, that shortly cuts to the start of Caesar's reign as a general. The first half talks about his battles with Parts of Europe. The view is a 3rd person observer.

October #bookspin 🤞🏻

Mary Beard is the greatest living scholar on Ancient Rome. This book is yet another triumph. She delves deep into the day-to-day lives of the emperor but is clear that there are great limitations on the available information. She does a great job of explaining how the assessment of each ruler is so dependent on the attitude of the successor. As well as exploring the grave limitations of our available sources.

One of a few books I got today at a book sale at a local library.

Thea, a Jewish slave, falls in love with a gladiator, Arius, but is then sold. She later catches the eye of the emperor Domitian.

The author appreciates the complexities of Domitian's character so he is not just a cardboard villain. The central romance between Arius and Thea was fun, watching to see how they would get re-united. The only thing that I wondered about was whether Christianity was quite so developed by then as is made out.

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Fascinating look at the Roman gladiatorial games with side glances at chariot racing and theatre. The author notices recent attempts at rehabilitating Commodus, but the core of the book is a look at the functions of the games in Roman society and a discussion of what they meant to the Romans themselves, rather than the shock, horror present-day view.