Flavia Gemina

Just as I suspected! Thanks, guys! Flavia

My editor has just asked me to explain the superstition surrounding the Ides of March. Suetonius writes this: Again, when he was offering sacrifice, the soothsayer Spurinna warned him to beware of danger, which would come not later than the Ides of March... and on the day before the Ides of that month a little bird called the king-bird flew into the Hall of Pompey with a sprig of laurel, pursued by others of various kinds from the grove hard by, which tore it to pieces in the hall... Both for these reasons and because of poor health he hesitated for a long time whether to stay at home and put off what he had planned to do in the senate; but at last, urged by Decimus Brutus not to disappoint the full meeting which had for some time been waiting for him, he went forth almost at the end of the fifth hour; and when a note revealing the plot was handed him by someone on the way, he put it with others which he held in his left hand, intending to read them presently. Then, after several victims had been slain, and he could not get favourable omens, he entered the House in defiance of portents, laughing at Spurinna and calling him a false prophet, because the Ides of March were come without bringing him harm; though Spurinna replied that they had of a truth come, but they had not gone. Often days of ill-omen were even-numbered or associated with an historical disaster. The 15th is obviously an odd-number of the month, so that can't be it... Was there a disaster pre-dating Caesar's assassination? In other words, is there any intrinsic superstition associated with the Ides of March BEFORE the assassination of Julius Caesar? Any facts appreciated! Flavia

Of course for names like Caesar and Cicero, English-speakers have to pronounce them as they've come down to us, whether the pronunciation is correct or not. I was querying Jacobi's pronunciation of names or words very few people are familiar with: Caenis, quaestor, aedile, etc. Couldn't he at least get those right? Flavia

He actually says 'keester' rather than 'kweester' at one point! I go for the AY pronunciation for 'ai' or 'ae'. So in my glossary at the end of my books -- called 'Aristo's Scroll' I give the pronunciation of Baiae as BYE-eye. But I don't suggest W for V a. because I think it sounds stupid! b. because the V pronunciation helps kids realize the root word, e.g. vigiles linked to 'vigilant' etc... c. because -- in Ostia at least -- graffiti and mosaics suggest they pronounced V hard, e.g. 'Bita' is written instead of 'Vita'... So I would pronounce quaestor as KWY-store aedile as EYE-deel praetor as PRY-tore verna as VUR-nuh Vale! (with a hardish 'V') Flavia

Salve, Pertinax! That's why they invented amazon.co.uk!

I received this today and started listening straightaway. I have to say I was a little disappointed. It's very abridged. Titus only gets 10 minutes! *wah!* Also I don't agree with the pronunciation. Someone told Jacobi to pronounce 'Caenis' as 'SEE-niss' rather than 'KAI-niss' as I would pronounce it. And he pronounces 'Quaestor' as 'Keester'. A very unfortunate choice... Still, it's Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus... Flavia

Gratias maximas ago, Cato! That is an oldie but definitely a goodie! It also has a lovely map of Alexandria, where my next book is set! Euge! Flavia

When the young sleuths arrive in Baiae to interview Locusta, they discover it is her daughter; not the famous Locusta, who was bumped off by Galba, as you say. Don't worry. I have done my research! Flavia

Thanks, Gaius! Your second one is from the site I've just been to, but the previous one (from www.centuryone.com) is great! I'll see what my editor says! Many thanks, Flavia

This one looks quite good, too: Roman Empire AD 116 Flavia

Thanks, Nephele and Gaius! I'll have a look into those. I think the wonderful wall map might have too much info! Also, we need it pretty quickly. Is there a downloadable version? Still open to other ideas... Flavia

Salvete, omnes! For my latest book I need a good map of the Roman Empire in the Flavian Period for my publisher's artist to adapt, ideally a map from AD 80, the reign of Titus. Does anyone have a reference? URL would be best but a book is OK, too! Best suggestion gets a free copy of The Roman Mysteries Treasury when it comes out in September. Gratias ago! Flavia

Why not? Pliny the Younger began a Greek tragedy at the age of 14! I have ordered the audiobook of Suetonius to download onto my iPod. Should provide hours of fun and lots of ideas... Flavia

'Is it called mithridatium?' asked Tranquillus, coming over to her. 'Yes!' Flavia looked up at him in surprise. 'How did you know?' 'Mithridates was a king who lived in fear of being poisoned, so he developed lots of antidotes and remedies, including a universal antidote which protects against any poison. Is the recipe there?' Tranquillus leaned over her shoulder. Flavia nodded. 'Pound two walnuts,' she read, 'two dried figs and twenty leaves of rue in a mortarium. Add a pinch of salt. Anyone who takes this on an empty stomach will be immune to poison for the whole day. Do you think it really works?' 'No,' said Pulchra with a sigh. 'When mater was first ill pater called in all the physicians in Campania. Some of them prescribed universal antidotes like that one, but nothing helped. The elixir Jonathan's father sent was the best. But even that one only worked for a while. We don't want a universal antidote. We need a specific antidote.' 'And for that,' said Tranquillus, 'we need an expert on poisons.' 'Philodemus knows about poisons,' said Jonathan. 'He showed me half a dozen different poisonous plants on the way back from the hunt yesterday.' Flavia's eyes grew wide. 'Do you think he's the culprit?' Jonathan shrugged. 'I was thinking of a real expert on poisons,' said Tranquillus. 'Someone like Locusta.' 'Who's Locusta?' they asked. 'Only the most famous poisoner in the world,' said Tranquillus. 'They say three Emperors died because of her skills. She was one of Nero's most valuable assassins.' 'And how do you know about her?' asked Flavia suspiciously. 'Nero is one of my hobbies,' said Tranquillus. 'I want to be a biographer when I'm older.' Jonathan stared at him. 'You want to be a biographer?' Tranquillus nodded. 'I've already written one book. It's not exactly a biography, though; more like a collection of Greek swear words.' Jonathan raised his eyebrows. 'That I'd like to see.' [from The Sirens of Surrentum p 84ff] Flavia

I've just received my 'author's copy'. It's out next month. You can pre-order HERE! How would YOU do? (from the 'Entertainment' section) 1. Which Latin word beginning with

Thanks for the alert! Suetonius appears as an 11-year-old in my eleventh book, The Sirens of Surrentum, which takes place in the Villa of Pollius Felix in the summer of 80 AD! I had lots of fun with that... Vale. Flavia

What a great article, Nephele! Now I know who to go to when I need inspiration for the name of a character! For example, I'm currently writing a 'backstory' for Flavia's father. Any suggestions for what I've got so far? You have asked me, Flavia, to write a few words describing my childhood and how I became a sea captain. I am not quite certain who your intended audience is, so I

Hi Gaius! Great to know you're reading my books to your daughter but 5 is a bit young! I get into some pretty adult topics -- adultery, child abandonment, child abduction (!) -- and I also try not to pull my punches too much, especially in the arena. You can see what a bunch of 7th graders from Vancouver thought of my 7th and 8th books HERE. Some of them loved the gore, others were put off. And they are 12 and 13... Just so you know. Vale. Flavia

Salvete, omnes! No idea when or if it will be on over there, but things are hopeful as the BBC has just commissioned a second series. That means it may well appear on DVD in a year or so... Valete. Flavia

Yes, I am in some aerial view crowd scenes from Buffy Season 4: The Freshman and the classic Hush, to name a few! My husband and I were visiting my family in LA in 1998 and were wandering around the UCLA campus when we came across camera crew, Sarah Michelle Gellar and hundreds of extras. We got to be extras, too! If you freeze your TV and take a magnifying glass we are really easy to see right down there. I am the one with fluffy dark hair and Richard's wearing a straw fedora. We watched our episode when it aired in Britain and subsequently became HUGE fans. I steal from Buffy all the time in my books (which also have an empowered blonde heroine) and one of Joss's lines (stolen by me) actually made it into the Roman Mysteries TV series: 'You fight like a girl!' Nothing will ever match the brilliance of [the first five seasons of] Buffy. Vale. Flavia

You might be interested to know that the Roman Mysteries TV series (based on my books) is due to 'reboot' in the UK on BBC1 on Tuesdays at 4.30pm from 19 June, starting from the first episode, The Secrets of Vesuvius, and running for nine more half-hour episodes, ten in all. (You may or may not know it was suspended for a few weeks due to sensitivity about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.) Some interesting facts about the series: - it cost

Salve, Philip! I also reviewed your book on Amazon.co.uk and on the Newsscroll Page of my website! Please do email me at flaviagemina@hotmail.com. I'd love to get in touch about doing one of your e-courses... Vale. Flavia

Thanks Nephele and Chris! It's great to finally be a part of UNRV! Flavia

Nephele sent this to me as a birthday present (thanks, Nephele) and I love it! With sections on Getting There, The Environs of Rome, Settling In, Out and About, Shopping, Law and Order, Entertainment, Religion, Must-See Sights and Roman Walks, it is accurate and fun. I especially like the quotes from Latin primary sources sprinkled here and there, and the sidebars with fun facts relating to each section. There are also some great full colour CGI illustrations of 2nd century Rome by my pals at Altair. (I visited their offices a few years ago on one of my research trips to Rome...) This book would make a great supplementary travel guide for any classics-lover travelling to Rome. Bene fecisti, Philip Matyszak! Flavia (AKA Caroline Lawrence) www.romanmysteries.com