BLOG: Social Life in the Roman World All Posts A Rooster for Asklepios A Bull for Pluto A Ram for Mars Welcome to my site! June 2, 2023 No Comments I'm thrilled to launch this Website in support of my two new historical novels, A Rooster for Asklepios and A Bull for Pluto. If you've... Magdala and International Trade March 3, 2026 No Comments The city of Magdala plays a vital role in A Ram for Mars as the final stop on Marcus's quest to find his mother and the place where he and Miriam decide to settle down... Galilee of the Gentiles? March 2, 2026 No Comments Galilee, the northern district of Israel, plays a vital role in A Ram for Mars as both the homeland of Marcus’s ancestors (through his grandmother)... A Roman Island in a Jewish Sea March 1, 2026 No Comments Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel, once quipped, “Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses... The Wild, Wild—East? February 27, 2026 No Comments Anyone who has heard anything about Jesus knows that he was crucified by Roman soldiers after being condemned by the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate... Slavery in the Roman world June 2, 2023 No Comments Mosaic of slaves preparing for or serving at a banquet I anticipate that many of my readers will be surprised to see the relatively... Antioch-near-Pisidia June 2, 2023 No Comments Map of modern Turkey showing the location of Antioch-near-Pisidia The city where much of this story takes place was one of 16 cities in... Marking time with the Romans June 2, 2023 No Comments Since the A Slave's Story series is written from the vantage point of one of the characters in the story, I made a conscious effort to... An empire of cities June 2, 2023 No Comments Artist's rendition of a typical Greek city One of the hardest things for modern readers to comprehend about the ancient world, at least... To market, to market… June 2, 2023 No Comments Ruins of the commercial agora in Ephesus, Turkey Did you ever wonder where people in the ancient world bought the things that they needed... Sickness in the Roman world June 2, 2023 No Comments Shared public toilets were a common channel for spreading disease in Greek and Roman cities It can be hard for citizens of modern Western... Ancient Physicians and Health Care June 2, 2023 No Comments Fresco from Pompeii depicting a physician removing an arrowhead from the leg of Aeneas In today’s world physicians are highly trained,... The Oldest Known Greek Song June 2, 2023 No Comments Greek vase painting showing four of the nine Greek muses playing musical instruments Music doesn't play a notable role in my two novels,... Asklepios, Gracious Savior and Healer June 2, 2023 No Comments Relief of the god Asklepios and his daughter Hygeia treating a sleeping girl (Piraeus, Greece) All of the books in my A Slave’s Story... Anti-Judaism in the Roman World June 2, 2023 No Comments Colorized version of a panel from the Arch of Titus in Rome depicting the conquest of the Jews in 70 A.D. (For more on the colorization,... Roman roads in Asia Minor June 2, 2023 No Comments Remains of the Via Sebaste, the Roman road where the journey narrated in my novels begins. If you were asked to name ten factors that... Getting around in Roman Asia Minor June 2, 2023 No Comments Tomb carving of a Roman carpentum, the kind of carriage used in my novels As I noted in a previous post, the Romans either built or... Dining with Greeks and Roman June 2, 2023 No Comments Where did Greeks and Romans eat? It depends on where you stood in the social pyramid. A vast gulf existed in Greek and Roman cities... Taking care of business, Roman style June 2, 2023 No Comments Urine collection pot from the shop of a fuller (launderer) in Pompeii, Italy The first two books of my new historical fiction trilogy, A... Women Rule! Mighty Goddesses of Asia Minor June 2, 2023 No Comments Long before the coming of the Greeks and Romans, the peoples of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) honored powerful earth goddesses as a key... What’s in a Dream? June 2, 2023 No Comments Hypnos, Greek god of sleep, holds his wand over Leda as Zeus comes to her at night as a swan Modern science views dreams as a set of... What’s So Bad about Christians? June 2, 2023 No Comments Second-century AD Christian mural showing a communion ceremony led by a woman (left), from the Catacomb of Marcellinus and Peter in Rome.... What Saith the Oracle? June 2, 2023 No Comments 5th century BCE Greek painting from a drinking bowl showing Aegeus, one of the mythical founders of Athens, consulting the oracle at...
