The Triumph of Caesar

Someone has recently worked out the number of slaves a Roman household would have to own to enjoy a modern familly's standard of living. Exactly how he or she calculated the human equivalent of a washing machine, dishwasher, constant running hot water, transport and having entertainment always available I do not know but the figure arrived at was ninety three. There were, of course, very few Romans who owned ninety three slaves. Many owned none at all and of those who did even the wealthiest fell short of this figure. So what does this prove? Well, the average Western familly lives like a Roman Emporer so quit moaning could be one answer! Another is settle down in your centrally heated living space in your clean clothes and as you digest a meal that most Romans could only dream about read The Triumph of Caesar by Steven Saylor. This is the twelfth and latest of his justly praised Roma Sub Rosa series. Sub Rosa refers to the tradition of hanging a rose above a meeting indicating that the proceedings were confidential and secret. No Rupert Mudochs or Max Cliffords in Rome then! The main character in this, as in all the Sub Rosa series is a Roman private eye Gordianus known as The Finder and like all good fictional detectives he is not in it just for the money but for truth and justice and all that jazz. OK I'm a Cynic! In the decade or more of civil conflict in Rome Gordianus has shown himself to be, despite his son Meto being a senior aide and admirer of the newly created Dictator for Life, no supporter of Caesar. In the opening chapter he is sent for by Calpurnia, the wife of Caesar, who is convinced that there is a plot against his life and that Gordianus can discover who is behind it. She reveals that she has already hired Hieronymus of Masilia, a friend of Gordianus, to do the job but he was found in an alley behind her villa with a knife between his ribs. Gordianus, who can never resist the chance to take a high moral tone with the aristocracy, agrees to do the job in order to find the killer of his friend and will not accept a fee from her. He does, of course, in the end but that is liberals all over! Like all of Saylor's books it is well researched and unobtrusively informative. Hands up all those who knew that Caesar was awarded an unprecedented four Triumphs by the Senate. These took place over a period of eight days and form the backdrop to the action of the book. To complicate matters Calpurnia is under the influence of an Etruscan Haruspex named Porsenna who claims to be able to read the future in the entrails of animals. He did not, however, foretell the death of Hieronymus. Further, her uncle, Gnaeus Calpurnius, a Pontifex or senior priest is always on hand to pour scepticism on her concerns. Gordianus discovers the notes and reports that Hieronymus has made on his investigation which lead him to interviews with many of the leading figures of the day. Marc Antony, who is currently estranged from his friend Caesar. Cleopatra who has come to Rome to get Caesar to publicly acknowledge their son Caesarion as his heir and Cicero the elderly ex consul and enemy of Caesar who is besotted with his teenage bride. Then there is young Brutus, supposedly a friend and aide to Caesar and we all know how that ended. Once again Steven Saylor blends fact and fiction into a satisfying story which I wholeheartedly recommend.