Vittorio Carvelli

The Story of Gracchus

LIBER I
The First Book

I. Piratæ
1. Pirates

revised and extended: Aug 2017

Marcus and his parents are sailing from Athens to Brundisium, but they never get there as intended. Their ship is attacked by pirates. Marcus, however, does arrive in Brundisium, alone, but by then he is known as Markos and is a Greek slave

It was daybreak, the sea was calm, with hardly a ripple. The teenage boy was standing by the cargo ship's rail, looking expectantly and hopefully for the first sight of land.

Marcus was just shy of 14 years old, slim, and of moderate height, with reddish blond hair. As you could probably guess from his name, he was a Roman boy, but his hair belied the fact. Roman boys usually had their hair cut very short, but Marcus' hair was longer, and tended to curl. His father was always ordering him to have it cut, and a slave would escort his young charge to the barbers, but then Marcus would run away, and the old slave would not be able to catch him. And the same thing was always happening when Marcus was escorted to school, but instead of attending to his lessons, Marcus would break free, and spend his time in the local gymnasion.

And there would always be hell to pay at home when Aelius, Marcus' stern, Roman father found out.

And at the Gymnasion, where Marcus spent his time with his teenage Athenian friends, when he should have been at school, Marcus quickly became fluent in the local 'street Greek', Koine, and eventually he even spoke Latin with a Greek accent.

But to get back to that crisp early morning on the boat taking Marcus to Brundisium as the sun rose. The thirteen year old boy who was standing by the cargo ship's rail had never been to sea before; in fact he had rarely seen the sea, except on a few occasions when his father took him to Piraeus on official business to meet a senator or legatus arriving from Brundisium. Piraeus was the port of Athens, and Athens was the capital of the Roman province of Achaea (which we now call Greece).

What Marcus didn't know was that the danger when travelling by sea, even in the relatively settled time during the reign of the Emperor Nerō was the risk of encountering pirates.

Nerō Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (15 December 37 AD – 9 June 68 AD) was the Roman Emperor at the time that our story begins, and his subsequent fall from power has important ramifications for many of the events later in the story. Nerō was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius, and became Claudius' heir and successor. Like Claudius, Nerō became emperor with the consent of the Praetorian Guard.

Skip the introduction on the Cilician pirates

Cilician pirates dominated the Mediterranean Sea from the 2nd century BC until their partial suppression by Pompey in 67-66 BC.

Although there were notorious pirate strongholds in Cilicia, 'Cilician' had long been a generic term for pirates.

With the destruction of Ancient Carthage, the demise of the Seleucid Empire, and Ptolemaic Egypt on the wane, there was no strong naval power left in the Mediterranean. Rome was the only major Mediterranean power left, but by this time her navy was reduced and Rome relied on hiring ships as necessity required. Rome only protected the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, on account of their proximity, with expeditions sent against the pirate bases on the Ligurian and Illyrian coast. The Balearic Isles were cleared in 120 BC for the same purpose. As a result, the pirates became consolidated and organized.

The smaller communities of the Greek and African waters were left to make their own arrangements. Communities unable to fend off the pirate incursions were forced to come to an understanding with the pirates, and thus became havens. Crete at this time was still an independent Greek territory. Civil wars had devastated the land, and much of the population turned to piracy. Crete became a major haven for piracy, with its strategic position in the midst of the Mediterranean and because it did not fall under the control of any of the Mediterranean empires.

Cilicia was the other major pirate refuge. Like Crete, Cilicia enjoyed excellent natural harbors which geography rendered easily defensible. The Seleucids were too weak to suppress them, and Diodotus Tryphon, king of the Seleucid Empire from 142-138 BC, actually supported them, in order to strengthen his position.

Around 140 BC, Rome sent Scipio Aemilianus to assess the situation. He reported that the governments of the region were too weak or unwilling to settle the issue. Rome at this time was unwilling to spend the effort needed to reduce the Cilician pirates, perhaps because of the benefits piracy afforded the Romans. Consequently, the pirates remained the only considerable naval power in the Eastern Mediterranean. They eventually had bases all throughout the Mediterranean.

The main trade of the pirates was slavery, and it was Roman merchants bought the most slaves. Roman land owners held large plantations worked by slaves, and in particular Sicily was notorious for its slave plantations owned by Romans. At its heyday, a 100,000 slaves passed through its markets in a single day.

By the 1st century BC, what began as a nuisance became a plague on the Mediterranean commerce. The Cilician pirates roamed across the entire Mediterranean, and began to attack the towns of Italy itself; in fact, even Ostia, the port of the city of Rome was plundered.

Eventually, Rome took action.

Pompey Magnus

In 75 BC, P. Servilius Isauricus led a campaign over land against the pirate bases in Cilicia and against their allies the Isauri, but this was only a temporary relief. Finally, after heated debate, Pompey was granted extraordinary powers to eliminate the Cilician pirates.

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), usually known in English as Pompey the Great, was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic. He came from a wealthy Italian provincial background, and his father had been the first to establish the family among the Roman nobility. Pompey's immense success as a general while still very young enabled him to advance directly to his first consulship without meeting the normal requirements for office. His success as a military commander in Sulla's Second Civil War resulted in Sulla bestowing the nickname Magnus, 'the Great', upon him. He was consul three times and celebrated three triumphs.

Pompey divided the Mediterranean into thirteen districts, to each of which he assigned a fleet, and a commander. Pompey then swept through the western Mediterranean with his own powerful fleet, driving the pirates out or into the paths of his other commanders.

By keeping vigilance over all the sea at the same time (and at great cost), there was nowhere to run or hide.

Those Cilician pirates that did escape fled to the eastern Mediterranean, and Pompey was able to complete this first part of his campaign in 40 days. Pompey then turned to the eastern Mediterranean. He gave mild terms to those pirates who surrendered to him personally, as opposed to his other commanders. Some pirates surrendered their ships, their families and themselves up to Pompey. From these, he learned about where others were hiding.

Many pirates retreated to their strongholds of Asia Minor, where they gathered, and waited for Pompey to attack them. The Romans took the wealth the pirates had collected, and released many of their prisoners, whom the pirates intended to ransom; other prisoners, however, were sold into slavery.

The eastern campaign lasted 49 days.

In total, Pompey's campaign almost completely removed the Cilician pirates, who had held a stranglehold on Mediterranean commerce and threatened Rome with famine, in a mere 89 days, the summer of 66 BC. Piracy, however, although controlled, was not eliminated from the Mediterranean, and continued to be a danger to anyone undertaking a sea voyage. Only the Roman navy was immune from pirate attacks, and even Gaius Julius Caesar, when young, was capture, and held for a short time, by pirates.

So what is the connection between Cilician Pirates and our hero, young Markos?

Well, Marcus Gaius Aelius (later to be known as the slave-boy 'Markos') was the son of Gaius Agrippa Aelius, a lower ranking Roman official. Gaius Agrippa Aelius had been sent to Athens for a number of years, on Imperial business. During that time his wife had given birth to his only son, Marcus Gaius Aelius.

Young Marcus, being brought up in Athens, spoke Greek as his first language, despite the disapproval of his father, and unfortunately Marcus, as it later turned out, spoke Lain with a decidedly Greek accent, which proved not to be to his advantage – or maybe…

Regardless, inevitably, orders came from Rome, and Gaius was required to return to the city to take a more responsible post in the great metropolis. He was somewhat loath to return to Rome, however. It was in the final years of the reign of the Emperor Nero, shortly after the Great Fire (64 AD), and the political situation in Rome was fraught and difficult.

Gaius, his wife and their 13 year old son, Marcus were to embark at Piraeus, the port of Athens, and would then sail across the Sea of Adria (the Adriatic) to Brundisium. From Brundisium they would travel by road to Rome. Between Piraeus and the Sea of Adria, however, there was an area close to Crete, where there was a known danger from some of the remaining pirates who still attacked some of the shipping lanes.

The ship that the family were sailing on was a cargo ship; at this time there were no 'passenger ships' as we would understand the term. In this case the ship was carrying slabs of Pentelic marble, from the quarries at Penteli north of Athens, for Nero's massive building works in Rome, and also some bronze statues to adorn some the Imperial buildings. There were also a group of slaves, captives from the recent war in Armenia, against the Parthians, which had been successfully prosecuted by Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, who were on their way to the slave markets in Brundisium. The only other passengers, apart from Marcus and his mother and father, were a troupe of dancing boys, escorted by their trainer, who were also headed for Rome.

It was early in the season, the weather was calm and fine, and the ship made good progress as it sailed out into the Sea of Adria.

Impetus Piratarum
The Pirates Attack

At first it was only a dot on the horizon, but then it grew larger.

Another cargo ship? a Roman war galley, on patrol?

But as it drew closer, it was obvious, it was pirates!

The captain of the little cargo boat desperately tried to make for the coast, but the pirate ship was a galley, with sails and oars, and was easily able to outrun them. Gaius Aelius immediately hustled his wife and Marcus below decks, while he tried to organize the crew, in a futile attempt to fend off the pirates when they attempted to board the cargo ship. In a very short time the large galley had drawn alongside the merchant ship.

The captain wanted to surrender his ship, hoping that in that way he might be able to placate the pirates, and at least save his life, and the lives of his crew, even if he lost his ship and its cargo. Gaius Aelius, however, would hear non of it and, as the pirates swarmed aboard, he and some of the braver members of the crew attempted to fend off the marauders.

Gaius Aelius and the crew, however, were no match for the pirates, and soon most of the crew were either dead or captured. Gaius, himself, was overpowered, and could only watch helplessly as the pirates searched below decks for the passengers and the cargo. Gaius could hear his wife and son screaming, and then there was only the noise of shuffling feet, as the Armenian slaves, the boy's dancing troop and Marcus was dragged up onto the deck.

With Marcus was his mother. She was bleeding from numerous wounds, and as soon as she came up on deck she collapsed. Immediately three of the pirates finished her off with spears.

The captain of the cargo ship then had his hands tied behind his back, and was thrown over-board; he drowned in a matter of minutes. The pirates then transferred the slaves and remaining passengers onto their galley.

The pirates had found Gaius' papers, identifying him as a Roman official. Having been hunted down for years by the Imperial navy, the pirates were intent on wreaking their revenge on Gaius. He was unceremoniously stripped naked, emasculated, and his severed genitals were tied round his neck. He was then hung by his wrists from the main mast of the pirates ship.

Young Marcus, who was on deck with the Armenian slaves and the dancing troupe, was forced to witness his father's humiliation, and listen to Gaius squealing as he was emasculated.

Then, with the cargo ship in tow, the galley made off towards Crete, where the pirates had a safe harbor. Eventually, when the harbor at Crete came into sight, the pirates cut down Gaius, and threw him into the sea. With his wrists still tied, he drowned in a few minutes.

As the galley and the cargo ship docked in the small harbor, the pirates organized slaves to unload the cargo of Pentelic marble, and the bronze statues. Those items would later be transferred to another ship, and would be sold in Alexandria. The Armenian slaves, the boy dancers, and Marcus were then unloaded from the Galley, and placed in guarded pens, where they would later be sorted, and decisions would be made as to where they would be sold.

II. Servitium
2. Slavery

revised and extended: Aug 2017

And so Marcus waited, through the night, in the slave pen, on the island of Crete.

The closest parallels to enslavement in warfare were capture by pirates and brigands, de facto equivalent to standard military practice, but lacking public sanction.

Many slaves were provided to the slave-trade by eastern Mediterranean 'pirates' in the second and early first centuries BC, and there are many indications that communities based in Cilicia and Pamphylia, as well as Crete that had gained autonomy from the erosion of the great Hellenistic powers engaged in increasingly wide-ranging raiding ventures, that presumably entailed a considerable amount of slave-making. Significantly, it is possible to interpret the later, spasmodic character of Roman countermeasures, as a sign of tacit collusion between sellers and buyers. Rome certainly needed slaves at the end of the Republic, and after the death of Augustus, and were not always fussy about the sources of such slaves.

However, that explanation would have been of little interest to Marcus. Stripped naked, he spent his first night on Crete, he spent his first night on Crete, with the boy dance troupe, in a slave pen, awaiting his fate. It may have been the spring, when the seas were expected to be calm, and the weather good, but at night the slave pens, situated in the harbour, were cold and forbidding, as the salt sprayed wind whipped up from the sea.

The pirates who had captured Marcus were concerned to keep a low profile with the Roman authorities, particularly as, during this raid they had killed two Roman citizens, Marcus' father and mother. They were not sure if Marcus was also a Roman citizen, or a slave-boy belonging to Gaius Aelius. The fact that the boy spoke Latin with a Greek accent inclined them to believe that he was a reasonably well educated Greek slave-boy.

It was noticed, once they had arrived in Crete, that Marcus was wearing a bulla, but the pirates were not sure of its significance, and presumed that as the boy was probably a slave, that it had been a gift from his master. They were going to take it from him, as it looked as if it might have been made of gold, but in all the confusion of getting the boys into the slave pens, it was forgotten.

The haste and lack of attention was undoubtedly because they were keen to be rid of Marcus, the boy dancers, and the Armenian prisoners of war, and were therefore prepared to quickly sell them on, without too much quibbling about the price to a local slave-trader.

While Marcus and his companions waited in the slave-pen, the leader of the pirates struck a deal with a young Greek slave-trader, over wine in a local hostelry.

Now Arion, who was the young Greek slave trader, may have been young, but he was far from inexperienced. His father before him had traded in slaves, and Arion, from boyhood, had learned the dificult and complicated trade. The Armenian prisoners he would take, just to keep the pirate leader happy. The troupe of dancing boys he knew he could get a good price for. The Greek 'slave-boy' puzzled him. He could, even on first glance see that the boy was attractive, in fact his refined, slim physique looked very much like a product of a Greek gymnasion. To Arion's eyes, the boy would be a prefect ephebe, once he was cleaned up, oiled, and had his hair brushed and curled, and that was exactly what many rich Roman patricians were wiling to pay handsomely for. Arion had struck lucky. The leader of the pirates had been in so much of a hurry to rid himself of his human cargo, and get his bronze, marble and statues to Alexandria, that he had overlooked to obvious value of the dancing troupe, and also the 'Greek slave-boy'.

Navigatio ad Brundisium
Sailing to Brundisium

The next morning the boys and Marcus were roughly taken out of the slave pens, chained together, and led to another merchant vessel belonging to Arion. As fate would have it, the boat was bound for Brundisium, which had been the original destination of the family of Gaius Aelius and his wife and son.

Brundisium was an Ancient Greek settlement predating the Roman expansion. The Latin name Brundisium comes from the Greek Brentesion (Βρεντήσιον) meaning 'deer's head', which refers to the shape of the natural harbor. In 267 BC (245 BC, according to other sources) it was conquered by the Romans. Herodotus spoke of the Mycenaean origin for these populations. The necropolis of Tor Pisana (south of the old town of Brundisium) returned Corinthian jars in the first half of the 7th century BC. The Brindisi Messapia certainly entertained strong business relationships with the opposite side of the Adriatic and the Greek populations of the Aegean Sea, including, of course, Crete.

After the Punic Wars it became a major center of Roman naval power and maritime trade. In the Social War it received Roman citizenship, and was made a free port by Sulla. It suffered, however, from a siege conducted by Caesar in 49 BC (Bell. Civ. i.) and was again attacked in 42 and 40 BC.

The poet Pacuvius was born here about 220 BC, and here the famous poet Virgil died in 19 BC. Under the Romans, Brundisium, a large city in its day with some 100,000 inhabitants, was an active port, the chief point of embarkation for Greece and the East, via Dyrrachium or Corcyra. It was connected with Rome by the Via Appia. The termination of the Via Appia, at the water's edge, was flanked by two fine pillars.

It was good sailing weather, and the journey by sea was relatively safe, as the ship could stay reasonably close to the coast, but somewhat ironically, there was always the chance of meeting up with pirates again. As it happened, the voyage was uneventful, and they soon weighed anchor at Brundisium.

Arion then quickly arranged for his consignment of chained, naked slaves, including the dancing troupe, and Marcus, to be unloaded. Despite his youth, Arion, over a number of years had built up a sizeable fortune by confining himself to the top end of the market, where profits could, if one was clever and lucky, be enormous.

The price of slaves varied greatly. Captives sold by Roman generals did not cost much, because generals were eager for quick sales and, on the trip back to Rome, dealers were liable to heavy losses from disease, fatigue and especially suicide. Some slaves, however, fetched huge prices.

Handsome, educated teen boys, like Marcus, and beautiful, accomplished girls could cost huge sums, sometimes being worth literally their weight in gold.

On this occasion Arion made next to no money on the Armenian prisoners, and had sold them off on the quayside. He was hoping, however, to make a good return on the young boys dancers, Greeks from about 10 to 14 years old, all healthy, apparently well-trained, and good-looking. He had not, though, taken the boy's trainer, who was still languishing in Crete as, whoever bought the boys would either want to train them himself, or provide them with a trainer of his choice.

Marcus, however, intrigued him, as he would do many others. Arion did not believe for a moment that the boy was actually called Marcus, or was a Roman citizen. He saw that as a rather ridiculous ploy by the boy to avoid enslavement. Instead he saw Marcus' story as a rather ridiculous, but not unknown ploy by the boy to avoid enslavement. Leaving the Armenians to their fate, Arion's 'guards' hustled the dancing troupe and Marcus into a waiting wagon.

Marcus, of course, had no idea where he was. He could see it was a busy port, and wondered to where he would be taken. Although he was used to exercising naked in his local gymnasion in Athens, he did find it strange to be sitting in a wagon in a bustling street wearing absolutely nothing, but he was surprised, and relieved to see that no one was taking the slightest notice of either himself, or his equally naked companions.

Domus Arionis
The House of Arion

It was a short ride, and soon the wagon pulled up outside what looked like a large imposing domus (town house). This was in fact Arion's place of business. It was intended to be discreet, as those who patronised Arion were members of the aristocracy and upper classes and not just from Brundisium.

The wagon did not stop at the main entrance, however, but turned down a narrow alleyway to the rear of the building. Here Arion's new slaves were unceremoniously pulled from the wagon, and pushed through a small doorway into a corridor. Marcus and the boys were then led down the corridor, which was punctuated by numerous stout wooden doors, studded with iron for extra strength. Meanwhile they could hear the door leading to the alleyway shutting with a loud and very firm thump, followed by the metallic sound of a key turning in a lock. One of the doors in the corridor was then opened, and Marcus and the boys were shoved into a relatively large room, set out as a dormitory.

Although the conditions were Spartan, the room was spotlessly clean, and was furnished with a number of simple wooden beds, each one provided with a thin mattress, a pillow, and a couple of blankets. At one end of the room were toilet facilities, along with sponges (Romans used sponges instead of toilet paper), towels, and large jugs of water. All the boys, including Marcus simply found a bed and flopped down, exhausted by their previous experiences.

Nobody said anything; they were all far too tired.

After about and hour the door of the dormitory was opened, and Arion and two of his burly 'house slaves' entered. One of the 'house slave' told the boys to get up and stand in a row in the centre of the room.

Arion went down the line, looking at each boy with an obviously practised eye. Arion, as he inspected his new acquisitions, came to Marcus. Almost immediately noticed Marcus' gold bulla, which the pirates, in their haste (and surprise at the good price they were given), had failed to remove and was still hung on a leather cord round Marcus' neck. Arion could only conclude that Marcus had stolen it, maybe before the voyage, or possibly on board ship. If Marcus had stolen the charm from another boy on the ship, a boy who would have obviously been a Roman citizen (only Roman boys wore a bulla), then Arion wondered what had become of that boy. The obvious solution to the puzzle was that Marcus had assumed the other boy's Roman name, and probably disposed of the lad overboard, when the pirates attacked.

Arion thought it was a clever ploy to obtain freedom, but it alerted him to the fact that Marcus was probably not only a smart, devious boy, but also a potentially dangerous boy.

Colloquium cum Arione
Interview with Arion

"Bring him to the atrium!" (main room in the domus), Arion ordered, and then turned away and left the dormitory.

The other boys slunk back to their beds, and Marcus still with his hands chained, was taken by the house-slaves down another corridor. Moments later he entered a large, opulent atrium. Arion was sitting in an ornate gilded bronze chair.

"Remove his chains!" Arion ordered, taking a risk, but hoping that the boy would appreciate the trust he was being shown, and maybe react in kind.

Marcus was forced to stand in front of Arion, still naked, but with his chains removed.

"So, boy, you call yourself Marcus?" Arion said questioningly in Greek.

Marcus nodded, tongue-tied with fear.

"Now what's your real name, boy?" Arion demanded.

"Marcus, Domine!" Marcus replied timidly.

"Well if it's Marcus, why are you talking to me in Greek?" Arion retorted, obviously getting exasperated.

"Because you're talking to me in Greek," Marcus replied, trying not to sound like he was being cheeky.

"All right,", Arion continued, now in Latin, but with a strong Greek accent. "So let's hear you speak Latin."

"Yes, Domine, what do you want me to say," Marcus replied in Latin.

"Just as I thought, with a Greek accent," Arion replied. "So you are a Greek boy, a Greek slave-boy, whom I will call Μάρκος (Markos the Greek form of Marcus)," Arion said, a little triumphantly.

In Roman times this changing from Greek to Latin when speaking was not at all unusual among those who were educated and was required of upper class Romans and those in positions of authority. This bilingual ability was also common among educated and therefore valuable slaves and particularly among Greek slaves.

So this supposedly 'devious' boy, as far as Arion, and everyone else from then on was concerned, became 'Markos' – which was the Greek version of his name – or perhaps his new owner would take to calling him Ares – as the name Marcus was related to 'Mars', the Roman God of War, and therefore to Ares, the Greek War God. A slave's name, however, belonged to his master, and a master could give his slaves whatever name he desired.

Arion rose from his seat an went to a marble topped table behind where Marcus was standing. The table was strewn with scrolls, one of which he picked up. Returning to where Marcus was standing, he gave the scroll to Marcus.

"Read it boy!" Arion said.

There was something in Arion's tone of voice that made Marcus believe that Arion thought that he couldn't read. Marcus opened the scroll.

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε,
πολλὰς δ' ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προί̈αψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δ' ἐτελείετο βουλή.

Marcus read clearly and easily…

"Enough! And what is it, boy?" Arion asked, slightly taken aback.

"It's from the first book of the Iliad, by Homer," Marcus replied.

Arian nodded, and took the scroll from Marcus. Arion took a second scroll from the table and gave it to Marcus, and again he told Marcus to read the beginning of the scroll. Marcus read from the scroll…

Interea medium Aeneas iam classe tenebat
certus iter fluctusque atros Aquilone secabat
moenia respiciens, quae iam infelicis Elissae
conlucent flammis. quae tantum accenderit ignem
causa latet; duri magno sed amore dolores
polluto, notumque furens quid femina possit,
triste per augurium Teucrorum pectora ducunt.
ut pelagus tenuere rates nec iam amplius ulla
occurrit tellus, maria undique et undique caelum,
olli caeruleus supra caput astitit imber

And what is that, boy?" Arion asked.

"It's from the fifth book of the Aeneid, by Virgil," Marcus replied.

Arian nodded, and actually smiled as he took the scroll from Marcus.

"So, you can read Greek and Latin – very good…

Arion sat down, scratching his chin.

"Good, now go to that table, there's a wax tablet and a stylus there, write 'I am a boy and my name is Marcus', first in Greek, and then in Latin," Arion said carefully.

Marcus did as he had been instructed, and handed the tablet to Arion.

"So… you are a puzzle, young Markos," Arion said.

By then Arion's stare was so intense, as he tried to work out who or what Marcus was that, for the first time since his capture, Marcus became embarrassed by his nakedness.

"I see that at last you are a little embarrassed by being naked, but a real freeborn Roman boy would show far more embarrassment that you do, and would attempt to use his hands to cover his 'private parts'… So explain," Arion said.

"When I lived in Athens I would often go to the local gymnasion, and the Greek custom is to exercise naked, so I got used to it," Marcus explained.

"I see…" Arion said slowly.

"So you do admit that you lived in Athens?" Arion queried.

"I never denied it sir," Marcus replied quietly. "I just said I was not Greek."

All this left Arion thinking… The fact that this boy could read and write Greek and Latin was not only unusual, but such skills, particularly in one so young, were very much in demand.

Arion spent a whole evening talking to 'Markos' (as he called Marcus), trying to tease out the truth, about where the lad came from, and his true identity, and the fact that they conversed in Koiné Greek (not a form of Greek that Roman citizens – even boys – would be familiar with), did not help Markos as he attempted to convince Arion that he was, in reality, a Roman citizen.

Hellenistic Koiné, ('Hellenistic supra-regional language'), was the common form of Greek spoken and written during Hellenistic and Roman antiquity. It evolved from the spread of Greek following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, and served as the 'lingua franca' of much of the Mediterranean region, and the Middle East, during the following centuries. It was based mainly on Attic and related Ionic speech forms, with various admixtures brought about through dialect levelling with other varieties.

It was obvious that the boy came from Athens, but the story of his father being a Roman official, and his claim to be a Roman citizen seemed a clever fantasy. At that point, Arion sent Marcus away to be cleaned up, as the voyage, and the time in the slave pens, had left him looking dishevelled and dirty.

After bathing and a quick massage, Markos was brought again to Arion's atrium. Marcus was still naked, as he would be for the slave sale, but again he did not in any way seem embarrassed. This was confirming to Arion that Marcus was, in reality, Greek, (male Roman citizens were averse to being naked, unlike Greeks) The exercise in the gymnasion, Arion thought, obviously accounted for the lad's fine musculature, unusual in a boy so young, and his confident posture, even when completely nude.

After the long interview, Marcus was given a break, during which he ate some bread, grapes and cheese, seasoned with garum, and had a drink of wine, diluted with water. It was the first proper meal that Marcus had had in many days.

While Marcus was eating, Arion just sat and watched the boy, but Marcus was unaware of the fact, being far more interested in the food.

Intrat Terentius
Terentius arrives

Then there was the unobtrusive approach of a much younger slave-boy, who whispered something into Arion's ear. Arion nodded, and the boy disappeared, only to return moments later with a well dressed man, wearing a gold embroidered red tunic, and probably in his twenties.

"Ah… Terentius!" Arion exclaimed, rising from his seat. I was not expecting you, but it is fortunate that you arrive at this time," Arion added, smiling and offering his hand.

Terentius, as far as Marcus could see, was obviously well known to Arion.

"I have an unusual lad here that you may be interested in, but he is a bit of a puzzle, and could be a problem," Arion said, indicating that he was speaking about Marcus. "He says he's Roman, and freeborn, but gives every indication that he's Greek, but is able to read and write Latin but, being Greek, speaks it with a strong Greek accent," Arion explained.

Terentius nodded, looking closely and carefully at Marcus.

"He was caught by pirates making a passage from Piraeus to Brundisium," Arion explained. "There were Roman citizens on board, I believe, who died in the tussle when the pirates boarded the ship. The boy is wearing a bulla, but I think he is the slave of the Roman couple who were killed, and he probably stole the bulla off the couple's young son. (a bulla was only worn by a boy who had not reached manhood). Whether he killed the boy, maybe pushed him overboard, or the pirates killed the boy, I don't know, so we need to be careful with this one." Arion concluded, looking to Terentius for a response.

"Well, he's a fine figure of a boy and you say he speaks Latin and Greek?" Terentius queried.

"Yes, and he also reads and writes Greek and Latin. I had him reading Homer and Virgil and he definitely knew what he was reading!" Arion said.

"So, he will be expensive I think," Terentius said, non-committally.

"Of course. With a body like his, and good looks, many would want him for sex, but they would also have a slave they could talk to as well as fuck, and he could read to them in the evenings, and eventually act a their scribus (secretary)," Arion replied, being equally non-committal.

Terentius took from his tunic his tabula cerata diptycha (double leaved wax tablet), and a stylus. He then swiftly wrote a number on the pristine wax, and promptly snapped the two leaves shut, and handed it to Arion. Arion opened the tabula cerata, pursed his lips and shook his head. Marcus watched them intently, but had no idea what they were doing and that was not really surprising. In actual fact they were 'stitching up' the following morning's auction.

Arion's auctioneer would take bids approaching to the price offered by Terentius, and then instantly accept Terentius' offer. However, not wanting to cause any ill feeling or trouble with the other bidders, Terentius was now intending to make Arion an offer he simply could not refuse, as Terentius had almost unlimited resources. Again Terentius entered a figure, and gave Arion the tabula cerata. Arion opened the tabula.

"Done!" he said, instantly.

"So, let's drink on it!" Terentius said, and the two men shook hands.

Arion's interview with Marcus was effectively ended, and Marcus was dismissed, and escorted to a small, locked dormitory, where he found the other boys, the dancing troupe, all fast asleep. It was only then that the grief and shock of the last few days overcame him, and he lay and sobbed quietly of his bed. But at least he had a bed, his previous nights had either been on the deck of a galley, or the hard floor of a slave pen.

Arion was obviously being careful with his valuable merchandise, and in the morning that was made even more obvious, as the boys and Marcus breakfasted on olives, bread and cheese, and then were subjected to a long, but communal, bath, followed by a manicure of finger and toe nails, followed by a haircut, and a long and very oily massage.

Servorum Auctio
The Slave Auction

By then it was lunch time, and after a light lunch the boys, and Marcus, were taken to the large hall reserved for the slave auctions. At one end of the hall, where they entered through ornate double doors, there was a large dais, separated from the rest of the hall by a low marble balustrade. On this dais was a desk, where the records were made of the sales. The remainder of the hall was taken up by a number of seats, at the back of the hall, and a large open space in front of the dais.

Slave dealers usually sold their wares at public auctions, which were supervised by aediles who ensured, on behalf of the state, that the rules and regulations. A tax was imposed on imported slaves, such as Markos and the dancing boys, who were offered for sale with their feet whitened with chalk (to indicate that they came from beyond Italia).

A slave was offered for sale usually with a scroll around his neck describing his character, on which was written the slave's name and nationality, and a statement saying that he was free from disease (especially epilepsy) and from a tendency to steal, run away, or commit suicide. If the slave had defects not shown in his guarantee, the dealer had to take him back in six months or make good the buyer's loss. A slave with no guarantee was made to wear a cap at the auction.

Slaves of unusual value (especially those of remarkable beauty) were sometimes offered at private sales to probable buyers and this is what had been organized for Markos, and the other boys.

Arion, realizing that Markos was a slave of exceptional value, had insisted on a minimum bid, in gold, for the boy, and this meant that only the wealthiest buyers would even attempt to purchase him.

In the normal course of events it was likely that Marcus would be acquired to serve as a puer delicatus (beautiful boy), as he appeared to be still young enough to be classified as such, however, unlike most 'beautiful boys', who were often skilled in providing their master with various sexual pleasures, Marcus had the added advantage, even if he might be sexually inexperienced, of being able to speak, read and write Latin and Greek, and appeared to be very well educated. He could therefore provide not only 'beauty' and sex, but also companionship and conversation, a rare combination, and all this would be made clear to the potential buyers at the upcoming auction.

Once the potential buyers had assembled, and had been served wine and delicacies, the large double doors at the back of the dais opened, and the auctioneer entered, not Arion, of course, although young, he was rather too exalted to get involved in the actual selling. The auctioneere entered first, and behind him came the troupe of boys, and coming last was Marcus.

All the slaves to be sold were naked, but were not wearing the usual scroll round their necks, which Arion always thought broke up the fine lines of a beautiful slave's form, and instead the buyers had each been given a scroll with full details of all the various slave on sale.

Strangely, Arion had not removed Markos' bulla (perhaps he was still wondering if Markos' story may have had an element of truth entwined in the boy's unlikely tale.)

To begin the sale the auctioneer then read these details to the assembled buyers, so that no one could subsequently claim to be unacquainted with all the information regarding the 'merchandise'.

Markos was then brought forward. There was a distinct murmuring among the buyers as they rose from their seats, and pushed forwards for a better view, for rarely had they seen such an attractive lad, and in addition they had been informed that he was still 13 year old, read and spoke Greek and Latin, was an athlete, and had also received a classical education.

Soon the bidding began, and it gradually became quite frantic, as some of the potential buyers had set their heart on acquiring the handsome youngster. Of course, the auction had been 'stitched up' the previous evening by Arion and Terentius, so, seemingly unexpectedly, a youngish man, wearing a fine, dark red tunic, emblazoned with an elaborate emblem worked in gold bullion, who was standing at the back of an agitated group of bidders, made a single bid.

Immediately the room fell silent.

The bid was of such an amount that no other person in the room could possibly conceive of equaling, or exceeding it, or even approaching it, for that matter. The auctioneer himself was startled by the bid, not having been told by Arion of the arrangement.

The startled auctioneer simply muttered 'sold', as two of Arion's slaves led Markos away through the ornate double doors, and back to Arion's atrium.

Of course Markos was non the wiser. He had no idea of how much a slave would cost, so what had just happened had little effect on him.

'and the story continues – as young Marcus is taken by the mystery bidder by carriage from Brundisium, across Italy, to Baiae, where he is taken into one of the opulent and sumptuous villas of his new, and as yet unnamed master…

III. Villa Aurea
Chapter 3. The Golden Villa

Vale Arionis
Farewell to Arion

At the conclusion of the sale, Markos (as he was now called) was handed over to the 'mystery buyer', whom Arion had referred to as Terentius, who was the same man he had seen the previous night.. He was a young man, in his late twenties, wearing a dark red tunic, embroidered with gold bullion, and over that a dark cloak. The cloak was secured by a gold chain, and where the chain was attached to the cloak there were two gold medallions, sewn into the cloth. Each medallion was in the form of an ornate laurel wreath, within which were two intertwined initials of the letter 'G'. The young man wore no slave collar, so he was probably a freedman, but was presumably not the buyer, who was apparently far too grand to inconvenience himself by attending a slave sale, even a high class one, as Arion's certainly was.

Markos was sorry to leave Arion. Even although he was a slave trader, he had been considerate and polite, and had helped Markos to cope with his new position as a slave.

The freedman gave Markos and identical dark red cloak, with the same gold chain and medallions, to wear for his journey, for he was still completely naked, as he had been all during the slave sale. Arion then said goodbye, stiffly and formally, to young Markos, and then Markos and the freedman made their way to the street, where a large, enclosed carriage awaited them.

Usually a slave would be required to walk behind a wagon or litter on the journey to his master, no matter how long the journey may have been, but Markos was now so valuable that he would not only have to be guarded, (and prevented from possibly running away), but also carefully looked after, so that he would arrive in the best possible condition. The freedman had three young slaves with him, one who drove the carriage, one, presumably a bodyguard, who rode beside the carriage during the journey, and a third, who Terentius addressed as Philippos, and who carried writing equipment, and was presumably a scribus, who rode with them in the carriage.

Iter ad Baias
Journey to Baiae

Unknown to Markos, the destination to which he would be traveling was Baiae, (from which is derived the English word 'bay', as the town was situated on the Bay of Neapolis). Baiae is on the west coast of Italy, a considerable distance from Brundisium, which is on the east coast, and so they travelled all that afternoon, stopping once in the early evening for a light meal, and then travelling on into the night.

The Bay of Neapolis is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9&#frac12; mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy in the Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the north by the citiy of Neapolis, on the east by Mount Vesuvius, and on the south by the Sorrentine Peninsula.The Peninsula separates the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, which includes the Amalfi coast. Pompeii and Herculaneum at the foot of Mount Vesuvius were less sought after resorts, while Baiae was the 'playground of the wealthy and well connected.

During their stop over for a meal, Terentius studiously said nothing to Markos, but instead spent his time carefully perusing documents provided for him by the ever attentive slave-boy Philippos.

The journey was long, and Markos was tired. Gradually, as the carriage swayed from side to side, he drifted off to sleep, but his dreams were disturbed by the visions and sounds of the death of his parents, and his sleeping did little to rest or refresh him. Eventually the noises of a busy market-place slowly woke him up. It was early morning, and the carriage had arrived.

As if to answer Markos' unsaid question, his companion, (the young man who had bought him) announced, rather formally, "This is Baiae."

Baiae
Baiae

"The last age, sung of by the Cumaean Sibyl, is coming – and the great cycle of ages is beginning again – from the beginning…
Vergil – 'Eclogue'

Baiae was a mineral springs and coastal resort on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples. Baiae was very fashionable, and popular with the Roman 'super-rich', and was reckoned as superior to Pompeii, Herculaneum, both close by, and also Capri, famous, or maybe that should be 'infamous', for the Villa Jovis (Villa of Jupiter), once owned by the Emperor Tiberius.

Baiae was notorious for its hedonistic offerings, and the attendant rumors of corruption and scandal. Desirable for its healing thermal baths, mild climate and luxurious surroundings, Baia was conveniently situated in Campania of Southern Italy near the western corner of the Bay of Naples. The very essence of Baia inspired a spirit of idleness and pleasure among the nobility, the rich, and the famous in the Roman Empire. Some of the most notable Roman historical events happened in Baia. The Emperor Nero had his mother, Agrippina, murdered just outside the resort. Caligula built his famous bridge extending from Baia to Pozzuoli. Much later Hadrian died in Baiae in 138 AD, and it is said that Cleopatra was staying in Baia when Julius Caesar died in 44 BC. Baiae was said to have been named after Baius (Βαῖος), the helmsman of Odysseus's ship in Homer's Odyssey, who was supposedly buried nearby.

The adjacent Baian Gulf (Sinus Baianus) was named after the town. The volcanic area of 'The Phlegraean Fields' was the site of classic Greek and Roman legends, in Roman times well known by anyone of culture. Homer's Odyssey and Vergil's Aeneid both involved a descent to the underworld somewhere in this region. Cumae, the seat of the prophet of the God Apollo, known as the Cumaen Sibyl, is very near Baiae (go to the Sibylline Books for more information) and in Baiae itself is the Oracle of the Dead, one of the entrances to Hades. Later, in 'The Story of Gracchus', Gaius Gracchus consults the Cumaen Sibyl, and receives a remarkable prophecy, which is… well you will have to read a lot more of the story…

And nearby to Baiae was the sleepy little town of Cumae, home of the renowned Cumaean Sibyl, the prophetess who announced the oracles of the great God Apollo, patron of the deified Octavian (Augustus).

Markos, of course, had never heard of Baiae and it was hardly the sort of place that his 'straight-laced' parents would have ever thought of visiting, even if they could have afforded to stay there, which they couldn't. In Baiae everything was available, as long as you could afford to pay for it, and most of the people, mainly Roman patricians and aristocrats, who spent their summers in Baiae, could well afford to buy whatever took their fancy. Emperors had villas in Baiae, but the most opulent, and the largest of the villas was the Villa Aurea, the Golden Villa, known as such because of the gilded tiles on some of its roofs , and the huge gilded bronze doors that formed the impressive entrance. Part of the Villa Aurea was situated on a cliff-top, but the gardens associated with the villa swept down to a huge private beach, secured day and night by the owner's 'villa-guards'.

And the owner?

Well he was reputed to be the richest man in Baiae, some even said that he was the richest man in the empire, and related to the gens Julia, for he did bear the name 'Octavian'.

The gens (family) Julia or Iulia was one of the most ancient patrician families in Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The gens is perhaps best known, however, for Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator, and grand uncle of the Emperor Octavian (Augustus, a title rather than a name), through whom the name was passed to the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty of the 1st century AD.

It seems that the owner of the Villa Aurea owned huge swathes of property, mainly shops, in Baiae, and also shops, and many insulae (apartmrnt blocks) in Rome. He was also reputed to have other villas in Italia, and Achaea (Greece), and even in Egypt. It was also rumoured that the owner of the Villa Aurea was married, but that his wife lived elsewhere, no one had ever seen her, and that the mysterious Villa Aurea was staffed by slave-boys and young men, but no females, and this, of course, led to endless speculation…

And where did this speculation come from?

Well, some came from villa slaves who, of necessity, bough provisions and other essentials from Baiae and Neapolis. The other source of information about the owner of the Villa Aurea came from the cliens, of whom there were many, who attended the morning salutatio at the villa.

One of the more peculiar aspects of the Roman society was the relationship between a client (clientela) and his patron (patronus). This was a complex system of interdependency by which a wealthy patron gave to his less fortunate clients one or more of the following: legal counsel, legal aid, their sportula (a regular monetary handout), free meals in their homes, other gifts and/or resources (land, livestock, right to grow crops on their land). The client reciprocated by providing to the patron: respect, political support, an escort if their patrons wished to walk around the city or go on a journey, and financial support. In addition, most mornings the patron's house would be opened for salutatio, when the patron would hold court (if he was available) in the atrium of his house. During this time unofficial business would be conducted, favours requested, political support lined up for votes on important issues, and each client would receive his sportula.

So now you know quite a lot about Baiae, and the surrounding area, and some of the famous people associated with the town, and even something about the largest of the many splendid villas surrounding the bay, but of all these things Markos knows nothing, except what Terentius has told him, which was limited to the bald statement, "This is Baiae."

And so, back to the story…

The young freedman continued, "And now we are approaching the house of my lord, the Villa Aurea (domus domini mei), and my name is Terentius."

All Markos could do was blink in the bright sunlight. He had no idea how he should address this young man, or whether the many question that he wanted to ask would be acceptable, so he simply lowered his eyes, and remained silent for the moment.

"Is there anything that you want to ask me!" Terentius suggested, rather unnerved by the boy's silence.

"Are you Greek or Roman?" Markos mumbled.

"I am a Greek. I originally came from Corinth." Terentius then surprised himself by the way he opened up to this boy who he had just met, and Philippos looked wide eyed, presumably equally surprised. "As a abandoned child I was taken into slavery. It was my very good fortune, when I became a youth, to be bought by my lord. He had me educated, with the intention of making me one of his close helpers. Later, when I became a man, he offered me my freedom, but on the understanding that I would still serve him. He gave me a Latin name, as he does with most of his slaves and freedmen. Now I manage his estate, here in Baiae."

"So you are, like, my master?" Markos interrupted.

"No! In the Villa Aurea, and all the other villas, houses and lands that my lord owns there is only one lord and master. I simply follow my lord's instructions which, in my turn, I will give to you. So you shall obey me as you would obey him," Terentius said with a note of insistence in his voice.

Note: in Latin the word for 'master' and 'lord' are the same, Dominus.

"And who is your lord?" Markos asked, growing a little more confident.

"Your master, and my master, will tell you himself, when he thinks the time is auspicious. And you, boy, will always address me as domine," (Latin: 'sir') Terentius concluded.

Terentius sat back in his seat as the carriage began to slow down. What was it about his boy that had made him drop his guard. And what really worried him was that this new boy was effecting him in a similar way to another 14 year oldslave-boy that he had bought a year or two ago, and also from Arion. It was nothing to do with sexual attraction, although both boys were attractive, (but strictly off limits, because they belonged too his patron). But it was something else, undefinable… and the other boy had been named Petronius by his master, and now worked in the Ludus (Gladiatorial School in Baiae), and just as well Terentius thought, as now he rarely saw him.

Villa Aurea
The Golden Villa

And with that the conversation came to an abrupt end, as the carriage drew up in from of the entrance to a magnificent villa. Terentius got out of the carriage first, went up the the huge bronze double doors, and using one of the large bronze rings, knocked. The sound of bronze on bronze echoed with dull reverberations, a sound as if coming from lofty halls and long marble corridors, which, of course, it was.

Meanwhile, Markos got out or the carriage, all the while looking entranced at the dazzling marble façade of the huge villa.

Slowly the door opened, and a young, smiling slave, maybe a year older than Markos, appeared.

"Good morning, Domine!" came the cheery greeting.

"I see you were most successful in your quest, Domine!" the young slave continued, as he looked with obvious approval at Markos, still only wearing his dark red cloak, who was standing behind Terentius.

"Yes, Glykon," Terentius replied, as he gently guided an obviously overawed Markos through the magnificent entrance portico.

Once inside the vast entrance hall, Terentius spoke in a quite serious tone to Markos.

"Here, in the Villa Aurea, is where you will be staying for the present. Now I want you to see the chief slave, Nerva, who will show you your quarters, get you fed and bathed, and the get you fitted with a slave-collar, and proper clothing. You will then report back to the entrance hall, where I will inspect you, and give you your duties."

Terentius then called Nerva over, and had a few quiet words with him, while Markos waited. Marcus noticed that Nerva was shaking his head as Terentius spoke to him. Nerva was what we would call middle aged (which was quite old by Roman standards). Marcus noticed that Nerva was shaking his head as Terentius spoke to him. Nerva then went off, somewhere, and Markos was left standing in the entrance hall.

Terentius went over to him. " Come with me and I will find you somewhere to sit. Nerva might be some time as he has to get your accommodation prepared."

Terentius then took Markos to a small alcove (used by slaves to keep out of the way while they were on duty, waiting to be called). Terentius then called for a slave-boy to bring a chair, and Markos (who had slept only a little on the journey from Brundisium), slumped down and promptly went to sleep.

"Boy!…" Markos heard, and promptly jerked awake.

It was Nerva, and Markos had no idea how long he had been asleep (it had, in fact, been a couple of hours).

"Wake up, and come with me!" Nerva barked, obviously annoyed.

Nerva then led the way, taking Markos through a small side door, and into a corridor. The corridor was beautifully finished in gleaming white plaster, with contrasting pale grey panelling. At the end of the corridor was a flight of marble steps, leading to a landing, and another corridor. There were numerous elegantly paneled, wooden doors leading off from this corridor. On each door, at eye level, was a small bronze plaque with a name or number inscribed in neat Roman lettering. Nerva took Markos to the only door without a plaque.

"When my master has decided on a fitting name for you, a plaque will be attached to your door, and will be suitably inscribed," Nerva told Marcos.

Here it should be remembered (once again), that a slave was legally the 'property' of his master, and the master was entitled to give the slave a new name. Nerva then opened the door and showed Marcos into the cubiculum (room). The Romans did not, by and large, have specific rooms for specific purposes, mainly because most rooms were very sparsely furnished.

Cubicula (plural) were small rooms used for a number of different purposes; on the upper story and in the interior of the house they often functioned as bedrooms, while the small rooms off the atrium may have been used for private meetings, libraries, etc. While the bedroom here, from the Villa Aurea, has wonderfully fine wall paintings, many cubicula were decorated more simply. Bedrooms were often furnished with no more than a sleeping couch and a small chest;

Markos felt that Nerva had taken an instant dislike to him, and that worried Markos. He sensed that Nerva was probably his immediate superior, and that in the future he would rarely see Terentius, (whom he liked), and may well never see his obviously exalted master. So he was going to have to deal with this rather surly and miserable old man.

Nerva began grumpily: "Remember always that you may not invite any one else into your room. Terentius, or myself, may enter to inspect the room, and of course my lord may enter any room in the villa, invited or not. Here you will keep your clothing in the chest, and any other items provided for your work, and here you may sleep. You may not bring food or drink into this room. Do you understand what you have been told?"

"Yes Domine," Marcus replied respectfully, rather surprised by the spaciousness of the room, and the fine quality of the furnishings.

What Markos did not realize was that this was no ordinary slave's room. When Markos had lived with his parents, in Athens, he had never seen the rooms occupied by his parent's slaves, and so he did not know that those slaves had slept on a tattered, filthy mattresses on the floor, and six slaves had been crowded into a cubiculum the same size, or maybe even smaller, than the one that Markos had now been given.

People in the Roman Empire was obsessed by status. Even among slaves there were various classes. Lowest of all were slaves who worked in the mines or rowed the galleys. Then after them came agricultural workers. There were also slaves who worked on the many building projects and public utilities who were of low status. Household slaves' status depended first on the status of their master, and then on the work that they were required to perform for their master. The same applied to slaves in the Imperial Household. As a result even a slave in the Imperial Household could be of low status if his task was the wash out the latrines. If he was the curator of his master's library, and helped to manage his master's financial affairs, then he would be of very high status, and treated accordingly, with excellent food, clothing and housing. It was therefore possible for some slaves to have a better life-style than even affluent plebeians. Markos' situation, at this point in his career was highly unusual, and noticed by other members of the household, because his task appeared to be an .assistant doorkeeper, and yet he was accorded a very high status, and a very fine cubiculum.

"y master obviously already values you very highly, for reasons of which I have no knowledge, having given you such a fine cubiculum and fine furnishings, and right at the start of your service with him, without even having met you. You are fortunate. Make sure that you live up to my master's high opinion of you," Nerva said, seemingly puzzled by the favour being shown to Markos.

"So now," said Nerva, "give me the traveling cloak, and I will take you to the bath."

They returned down the staircase, with Markos now stark naked, and turned into another corridor, and through a door. The bath, even the bath for the high ranking slaves, in the Villa Aurea was as palatial as the rest of the building, and Markos wondered what the bath used by the owner of the villa would be like.

So Markos relaxed in the bath, and after about half an hour Nerva returned and took him to another room, where a young slave gave him a massage. Then he was taken down a narrow passage-way. Unlike the other passages and corridors, this passage-way was not sheathed in marble veneers or decorated, but instead it was just plastered. Coming up the passage-way was the smell of smoke, and as they came to the end of the passage they came out onto what appeared to be a metal working shop. There were swords, spears and pieces of armour lent against, and hanging from the walls. There was a fire, with bellows for heating metal, and an anvil, and a big muscular slave, stripped to the waist, and bearded.

"The master has deigned to call our blacksmith 'Vulcan', which, you will probably realize, being an educated boy, was the name of the master craftsman of the gods." Nerva told Markos, with a broad grin on his face, it was the only time he had smiled, or shown any emotion other than disdain or annoyance.

"For reasons I can't go into now, Vulcan cannot talk."

Then Nerva spoke to Vulcan. "Use one of your finest silver slave-collars. Make sure it's a good fit, and rivet it well. We don't want this young stallion running off."

Vulcan, dribbling, grunted and nodded.

Then, while Vulcan shambled off to select a collar for Markos, Nerva noticed Markos' bulla. "And what have we got here?" Nerva asked, taking hold of the amulet. "Well? who did you steal this off?" Nerva demanded, on the verge of becoming angry.

Nerva picked up a small knife from Vulcan's work bench and Markos became very fearful. Nerva brought the knife close to Markos' neck, but all he did was to cut the leather thong from which the bulla was suspended.

"That I will give to Terentius and I hope for your sake, that you can explain where you got it from. If you can't tell us how you got it, then Vulcan is always here to encourage you to tell us."

A bulla, is an amulet worn like a locket, was given to male freeborn boys in Ancient Rome nine days after birth. A bulla was worn around the neck as a locket to protect against evil spirits and forces. A bulla was made of differing substances depending upon the wealth of the family. Before the age of manhood, Roman boys wore a bulla, a neckchain and round pouch containing protective amulets (usually phallic symbols), and the bulla of an upper-class boy would be made of gold. Other materials included leather and cloth. A boy would wear a bulla until he became a Roman adult. His bulla was carefully saved, and on some important occasions, like his becoming a general and commanding a parade, the bulla was taken out. He would wear the bulla during the ceremony to safeguard against evil forces, like the jealousy of men.

Nerva then put the bulla in a pouch hanging from his belt, and calmed down somewhat, as he explained to Markos about the slave collar.

"This collar, which is very valuable, will be riveted round your neck. If you were ever so foolish as to try and run away, you would find it very hard to get it removed. Vulcan has a very special skill in these matters, and anyone else trying to remove the rivet would probably seriously injure, or even kill you, it's not worth the risk. If my lord ever deigns to free you, then Vulcan, or if Vulcan is no longer here, then his apprentice, will remove it safely, and it will be a gift to you. And just to remove any thoughts from your mind about leaving my lord's service, after you have had the collar put on, I will show you something that will make it clear to you what would happen if you decided to leave us without my master's permission."

Vulcan then brought out a magnificent silver collar, complete with an amulet of the sacred eagle of Jupiter, and fitted it round Markos' neck.

"Don't move, boy, or it will be the worse for you!" Nerva warned, as Vulcan skilfully hammered the hot rivet into place. Vulcan then stood back, admiring his own handiwork.

Supplicium
Punishment

"Now come with me, boy, and I will show you a disobedient slave."

Nerva led Markos through a doorway at the back of the workshop, which led to an enclosed square courtyard. It was quite large, but the walls were windowless and high. There was, however, a door in each wall, including the one that Markos and Nerva used. The walls were of rough, unfinished stone that had been badly whit-washed.

"This is the punishment area," Nerva announced, solemnly. "Other punishments are often performed in the Ludus in Baiae."

And it was quite obvious to young Marcus, because, in one corner a naked young slave of about 15 year old was tied to a cross-beam, and impaled through his anus. He was groaning pitifully, jerking up and down, literally 'fucking' himself, in a hopeless attempt to lift himself off the thick wooden post which was, by then, deep in his guts. To add to his humiliation, the poor lad was horribly sexually excited, with a large erection which was dribbling semen, as a result of being forcibly penetrated.

Nerva explained, "He tried to run away. Went to Neápolis, but no one there would remove his slave collar. They all knew where he had come from, because the collar was thick silver, and he was soon reported, found, and sent back here. My lord had no other choice but to subject him to this punishment. If slaves are not punished then why should they obey their master?"

Markos was shocked, but tried not to show it.

"So how long has he got?" he asked, trying to be somewhat nonchalant.

"He's struggling so hard that he will tire soon and sink right down on the post, which will mangle his guts completely, and he will bleed to death, probably by the morning. Each day, for as long as the miscreant lasts, I am required to bring groups of slaves down here to witness, for a short period, the punishment, as a deterrent, and to add to the miscreant's humiliation."

The sedile a structure protruding from the upright of the execution frame that allowed the condemned man to take some of the weight off of his shoulders and arms, which drew out the death process and prolonged his suffering. Using a sedile could more than double the time it would take for the man to die. Probably the most common sedile was a simple rod, or plank, that jutted straight out of the upright post, and went between the victim's legs. To increase the suffering of the condemned individual, sometimes the sedile was made out of a flat piece of wood, that had been sharpened to a fine edge, and there is evidence that some sediles were even made of a triangular shaped piece of iron. It is therefore likely that prisoners crucified in that matter slowly castrated themselves as they struggled. There was also a more humiliating type of sedile that was used, mainly for the punishment of the most serious crimes.

Instead of a plank or post that went between the legs, a fairly stout rod was used, made of wood or metal, with a large round bulb at the end, that was greased and positioned into the condemned man's rectum so that it was forced into him, positioned actually inside him. This type of sedile would significantly increase his suffering and humiliation. The condemned man would then be forced to 'rape' himself as he struggled up and down. This usually produced a very strong penile erection, accompanied by one or more ejaculations of semen before the unfortunate victim died.

Nerva and Markos turned to go.

"Help me!" the boy grunted, as he pulled himself up, and then, unable to hold his position, dropped even further down on the post, squealing as he fucked himself, and forced more spunk from his obscenely jerking, stiff penis.

Nerva closed the door on the repulsive sight, and he and Marcos turned into another corridor, where Markos would be fitted out with some clothing.

"Remember, boy, the villa is well guarded, so it would be foolish ever to try to leave without the permission of my master or Terentius," Nerva stated, as a final warning, as the left the punishment area.

Dies Primi
Early Days

Having been fully 'kitted out', allocated a room, and shown the consequences of disobedience, Markos was ready, despite the fact that it was his first day, to start working.

He was taken back to the entrance hall by Nerva, where they found Terentius chatting to Glykon.

"Everything has been done according to your instructions, Domine," Nerva deferentially said to Terentius.

"Excellent!" Terentius beamed, scrutinizing Markos appearance carefully, and approvingly.

"What should I do with the boy's bulla?" Nerva asked, taking the amulet out of the pouch attached to his belt, and showing it to Terentius.

Terentius look puzzled, having forgotten about the bulla. Nerva, of course, was referring to the gold 'locket' that Markos wore on a leather strap round his neck, which had been removed by Vulcan, when the silver slave-collar had been fitted.

"Ah yes, the boy has a bulla… " Terentius said, quickly taking it from Nerva.

"Nerva," Terentius then said seriously. "You never saw this… do I make myself clear?"

Nerva nodded, but looked concerned. "And Vulcan?" Nerva asked.

"No problem, he can't speak or write," Terentius replied.

"I must give it the the Dominus (Master), as it is a sacred amulet and leave him to deal with it," Terentius mused quietly to himself.

"Glykon is our most trusted door-keeper, and he has knowledge of the identities of all who call here at the Villa Aurea."

"Yes, Domine," Markos replied, obediently.

"Our lord is a great and an important man, and he is patron of numerous clients, who come to visit him regularly, particularly in the mornings. There are some, however, who come on the off-chance, who are not recogniz Terentius, however, was privately worried. He had been stupid not to remember about the bulla, and if it indicated that the boy Markos was not a slave, then there could be serious legal repercussions for both Terentius and his master, if the matter was ever discovered. Freeborn Roman citizens, by law, could not be bought as slaves.

"Thank you Nerva, you may go," Terentius said to his chief slave, being careful not to communicate his concern.

Then turning to Markos, "Now. Markos, you will be on duty here with Glykon," Terentius continued. Glykon is our most trusted door-keeper, and he has knowledge of the identities of all who call here at the Villa."

"Yes, Domine," Markos replied, obediently.

"Our master is a great and an important man, and he is patron to numerous clients, who come to visit him regularly, particularly in the mornings. There are some, however, who come on the off-chance, who are not recognized as our master's clients, and such men may not be admitted. Your task, at present, is simply to watch Glykon, and take note, remembering the faces and names of those who are to be admitted as clients of our master. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Domine," Markos replied.

"Good!" Terentius continued, "And I will speak to you again, soon. And Glykon will arrange for you meals, and give you any further help that you may need."

Patronage (clientela) was the distinctive relationship in Roman society between the patronus (patron) and his cliens (plural clientes, client). The relationship was hierarchical, but obligations were mutual. The patronus was the protector, sponsor, and benefactor of the client; the technical term for this protection was patrocinium. Although, almost always, the client was of inferior social class, a patron and client might even hold the same social rank, but the former would possess greater wealth, power, or prestige that enabled him to help or do favors for the client. From the emperor at the top to the local municipal man at the bottom, the bonds between these groups found formal expression in legal definition of patrons' responsibilities to clients.

Benefits a patron might confer include legal representation in court, loans of money, influencing business deals or marriages, and supporting a client's candidacy for political office or a priesthood. In return, the client was expected to offer his services to his patron as needed. A freedman became the client of his former master (as in the case of Terentius). The regulation of the patronage relationship was believed by the historians Dionysius and Plutarch to be one of the early concerns of Romulus; hence the relationship dated to the very founding of Rome. An important man demonstrated his prestige or dignitas by the number of clients he had. The client and patron were not allowed to sue or to bear witness against each other, and had to abstain from any injury to each other.

Opera et Cogitationes
Work and Reflections

And so the days passed, with Marcos watching as Glykon greeted a succession of obviously wealthy and influential individuals, attended by their slaves and freedmen.

While Markos tried to remember the name, Glykon would politely but firmly deny some access to the villa, while others he would direct to one of the three atria close to the main entrance hall.

Atria were a common feature in Ancient Roman dwellings, providing light and ventilation to the interior. Such a court was partly open to the sky, with an impluvium – a shallow pool sunken into the floor to catch the rainwater. In the Villa Aurea the main atrium, reserved for the most important guests, contained a little chapel to the ancestral spirits (lararium), and a bust of the master of the house. Normally there would only be one atrium in a house or villa, but the Villa Aurea was built on such a grand scale, and was required to cater to so many guests, that there were three atria, the main atria being where the lararium was situated.

But Markos was bored and lonely. Each day began with bathing and a massage and attention to his hair, all performed by lowers status slaves. He soon learned the names of the various clientes who called at the Villa, usually in the morning, and who was permitted access, and to which atrium they should be sent, and other than that there was little to do.

Unlike slaves in small villae and domus (houses), who usually took their meals by snacking in the kitchen, in the Villa Aurea there was a separate room where the high status slaves, (which included Markos), ate, while lower status slaves served them. There Markos had the opportunity to talk occasionally to Glykon, but it was obvious that the other slaves were very wary about talking to him, being unsure as to why such a newly acquired slave should have gained, almost immediately, such high status. They realized that Markos spoke both Greek and Latin, and it was rumored that he could read and write in both languages and they were unsure of his real role or function in the villa.

Markos was expected to stay on duty in the main entrance hall every night until nearly midnight, and then had to rise just after dawn, and all the time Neva was watching and checking on him, and reporting to Terentius.

It was during his lonely nights, confined to his Cubiculum that Markos (or Marcus as he truly thought of himself, as he was determined not to forget his true name) was able to consider the strange turn that his life had taken. Like most Romans of his time, he deeply believed in the gods and spirits that controlled the world and peoples' destinies. He believed that he had been punished, possibly by the goddess Furrina, or perhaps Fortuna, for being a wayward son, and not honouring his parents, or the mos maiorum (ways of the ancestors).

Gradually he came to believe that if he could at least be a good, honest and hard-working slave, then one day the curse may be lifted, and perhaps he would be free once again.

Mos Maiorum is is the unwritten code from which the Romans derive their social norms. It is the core concept of Roman traditionalism, distinguished from, but in dynamic complement to written law. The mos maiorum was collectively the time-honoured principles, behavioural models, and social practices that affected private, political, and military life in ancient Rome.

Traditional Roman values were essential to the mos maiorum:

• Fides, The Latin word fides encompasses trustworthiness, faithfulness, confidence, reliability and credibility. The concept of fides was personified by the goddess Fides whose role in the mos maiorum is indicated by the antiquity of her cult. Her temple is dated from around 254 BC and was located on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, near the Temple of Jupiter.
• Pietas was the Roman attitude of dutiful respect towards the gods, homeland, parents and family, which required the maintenance of relationships in a moral and dutiful manner. Cicero defined pietas as 'justice towards the gods.' It went beyond sacrifice and correct ritual performance to inner devotion and righteousness of the individual, and it was the cardinal virtue of the Roman hero Aeneas in Vergil's Aeneid.
• Religio and cultus, related to the Latin verb religare, 'to bind', religio was the bond between gods and mortals, as carried out in traditional religious practices for preserving the pax deorum ('peace of the gods'). Cultus was the active observance and the correct performance of rituals.
• Disciplina, the military character of Roman society suggests the importance of disciplina, as related to education, training, discipline and self-control.
• Gravitas and Constantia, Gravitas was dignified self-control. Constantia was steadiness or perseverance. In the face of adversity, a good Roman was to display an unperturbed façade.
• Virtus, derived from the Latin word vir ('man'), virtus constituted the ideal of the true Roman male. It is virtus for a man to know what is good, evil, useless, shameful or dishonorable.
• Dignitas and Auctorias, dignitas and auctoritas were the end result of displaying the values of the ideal Roman and the service of the state, in the forms of priesthoods, military positions and magistracies. Dignitas was reputation for worth, honour and esteem. Thus, a Roman who displayed their gravitas, constantia, fides, pietas and other values of a Roman would possess dignitas among their peers. Similarly, by that path, a Roman could earn auctoritas ('prestige and respect').

Now all of this may sound very academic and, by present standards, 'over the top', but to understand The Story of Gracchus, and the subsequent events that befall Marcus, the concepts of the mos maiorum need to be always kept in mind.

'and the story continues – as young Marcus meets his new master for the first time – a fateful meeting, because many things change for Markos after his 'meeting with Gracchus'…'

IV. Occursus cum Gracchum
4. Meeting with Gracchus

Occursus
The Meeting

Then, after an interval of a few months (in which Marcus had his 14th birthday, unnoticed), Terentius fulfilled his promise, made on the day that Markos arrived at the Villa Aurea, and came to speak to Markos once again.

"So… young Markos, how are you finding things here at the villa?" Terentius began tentatively.

"I cannot complain, Domine," Markos replied carefully. "I find my work is not difficult, and I am well looked after."

"But I think that you do not find your work challenging enough, or interesting," Terentius interjected, "and I think that you may be lonely, as the other slaves are, quite rightly, wary of you… and anyway, we do not want you getting too friendly with the other slaves. Your place is with us."

While Markos knew that what Terentius said was true, he found the freedman's last statement very puzzling and to some extent worrying… Who did he mean by 'us', and why was it desirable for him to avoid friendships with the other slaves?

"Come with me, Markos," Terentius then said to the puzzled looking boy. "There is someone who wants to meet you."

Obediently Markos followed Terentius at a respectful distance, as the young freedman strode through the main atrium, and then through a doorway leading to a wide, elaborately decorated corridor. At the end of the corridor were a pair of imposing bronze doors, with gilded panels and decorations in the form of double 'G' monograms, surrounded by wreaths of laurel leaves. On either side of the door were tall, young slave-boys. As Terentius approached the doors, the slave-boys carefully swung them open. Just before he went through the doors, Terentius turned to Markos.

"You are meeting your master, so show respect!" he whispered.

The room, despite its huge double doors was not particularly large, and was obviously equipped as a study or an office. Markos stepped into the room, hesitantly, and there, sitting relaxed and at ease was the lord of the Villa Aurea, and much else besides.

This was Senator Gnaeus Octavius Gracchus of the Iulii.

"So, at last we meet, young Markos, or is it Marcus?" Gracchus, said gently, with a smile playing round his lips. "And in case you haven't realised, I am your master. I am Gnaeus Octavius Gracchus."

"Yes… Dominus," Markos replied.

Markos was terrified, but was intent on not showing it. Here was a man who had the power of life or death over him, could free him, on a whim, or keep him in servitude for the rest of his life.

"Terentius has told me much about you… but there is still much that remains a mystery."

Gracchus said enigmatically, as he settled himself in his chair.

"As you may have guessed, Terentius was in Brundisium the night the ship bringing the consignment of slaves, including yourself arrived in the harbour. Intrigued by your appearance and manner, he immediately made contact with the captain of the ship, feigning that he was interested in a troupe of dancing boys. He took the captain to a waterfront tavern and plied him with wine… and discovered that a boy answering your description had been accompanied by his parents on the boat they had attacked, and that both parents had been killed in the attack. Terentius also discovered that the ship had come from Piraeus and, therefore, presumably from Athens."

"Yes Dominus," Markos said, careful to agree with everything Gracchus was saying.

Gracchus then turned to Terentius. "You may leave us now. I will speak to you later."

Terentius thanked Gracchus, and walked towards the doors, which mysteriously opened as he left. The doors then closed with a soft thud, and Markos was alone with Gracchus. It was late morning, and the room was warm, almost stuffy. In shafts of sunlight minute particles wafted from the numerous dusty scrolls strewn on Gracchus' huge marble table. Markos felt distinctly uneasy as Gracchus gazed at him, seemingly knowingly. Could this man fathom some base secret held deep in Markos' soul, the boy wondered. Markos thought it best not to stare back, but instead lowered his gaze, looking meekly at the finely figured marble floor. Gracchus, however, continued to look at Markos keenly, as if expecting a response.

"So, anyway, to continue your story, Markos… Arion and Terentius had already agreed a price before the auction, which was really just a sham, as you probably knew, and you were then brought to Baiae, and the Villa Aurea. As soon as you arrived Terentius explained the situation to me. And he handed me this!"

And Gracchus held up Markos bulla, which dangled from its leather cord, and glittered in the sunlight that pierced the shadows of Gracchus' study.

"So where did it come from?" Gracchus asked, quite aggressively, throwing the bulla down onto the marble table, among the scrolls.

"It's mine, Dominus. I've always had it, for as long as I can remember," Markos replied, beginning to panic.

"And what is a little Greek boy doing with a bulla, may I ask?" Gracchus asked sarcastically.

"But it's mine…!" Markos replied, unable to explain the matter any further.

Grachus looked long and hard at Markos. He then put the bulla into an elaborately veneered ivory and gold box.

"Well… young man… I will keep it for you, and who knows, one day we may find a use for it,", Gracchus concluded, smiling weakly at Markos, who was very nearly on the verge of tears.

Gracchus then settled himself in his chair once again, and perused a scroll on his marble topped table, as he considered where next to take his strange interview with this strange boy.

"And now I have to decide what to do with you," Gracchus said, as if starting a new chapter. Once again Gracchus settled himself in his chair.

"Terentius tells me that you speak Latin as well as Greek," Gracchus commented, as so far their conversation had been entirely in Greek.

"Yes Dominus," Markos replied, trying to recover his self composure.

"And you read and write in both Greek and Latin?" Gracchus continued, speaking in Latin just to test Markos. "Yes Dominus," Markos replied in Latin. "And how did you acquire this remarkable erudition?" Gracchus asked, not only seeking information, but also testing Markos' vocabulary.

"My father, Gaius Agrippa Aelius, ensured that I was given a good education…" and Markos paused and hung his head, "but I did not always attend well to it."

Gracchus shook his head at the mention of Gaius Agrippa Aelius. He was well aware of a Gaius Agrippa Aelius, but not aware of any son, so at this point Markos' claims seemed spurious to say the least, but there was the matter of Markos' obvious abilities, which remained, to Gracchus, a mystery.

"Then tell me, Markos, would you like to continue your education?"

"If it is your wish, Dominus," Markos replied deferentially.

Gracchus slammed the palm of his right hand down on the large marble table, disturbing some of the scrolls. "Look, boy! I want to know what you want, not what you think I want!"

This was a new, less pleasant side to the urbane, polite Gracchus that Markos had imagined his master to be. Gracchus was obviously annoyed, even angry, and Markos was fearful.

"I'm sorry,… Dominus," Markos stuttered. "Yes, Dominus, I would very much like to continue studying," Markos continued, desperately trying to make amends.

"That's better…" Gracchus continued, quickly recovering his calm pleasant demeanour. Gracchus paused for a moment, obviously giving some thought to his next move.

"Send me Quintus!" Gracchus called to one of the slave boys standing near the door, in the shadows. Quintus must have been standing just outside the door, because he appeared almost immediately, carrying a tabula and stylus.

"Markos, this is Quintus, one of my secretaries (scribus)," Gracchus said in an offhand way to Markos.

Markos nodded towards Quintus, who was a middle aged slave who looked somewhat careworn, and Quintus nodded back in response. Quintus gave the distinct impression that he'd seen it all before, and probably had.

"Quintus! Take this down!…" Gracchus began.

Gracchus then thought for a moment, looked at Markos, and then started to address Quintus.

I will engage two tutors for Markos. One to continue his education in Greek, and the other to continue his education in Latin. Markos will therefore study grammar, rhetoric, lectio, partitio, Law and philosophy, and I will obtain monthly reports from his tutors regarding his progress. I will also engage for Markos an athletics coach. His duties will be to coach Markos in using a javelin, to fight in armor, and to ride a horse, and also to box, to wrestle, and to swim.

Lectio is basically literary criticism. Partitio is the analysis of poetry. Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers to inform, most likely to persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Roman tradition.

Have you got that, Quintus?"

"Yes, Dominus," Quintus replied wearily.

Now make a copy for Terentius, and bring me the original, and the copy, for me to sign and seal, and then give the copy to Terentius, and tell him to get to work on it!" Gracchus continued.

"Of course, Dominus!" and with that Quintus, and his wax tablets quickly disappeared.

"He's a good slave, Quintus. He writes better Latin than I do," Gracchus said carelessly, smiling.

A wax tablet (cerae) is a tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax, often linked loosely to a cover tablet, as a 'double-leaved' diptych. It was used as a reusable and portable writing surface in Roman times. Cicero's letters make passing reference to the use of cerae. Writing on the wax surface was performed with a pointed instrument, a stylus. Wax tablets were used for a variety of purposes, from taking down students' or secretaries' notes to recording business accounts. Early forms of shorthand were also used.

As Quintus made his way out of Gracchus study, Markos was puzzled by the orders that Gracchus had just dictated.

"May I ask a question, Dominus?"

"Of course my boy, and I will answer it, if I can."

Markos screwed up his courage.

"Why are you doing all this for me?"

There was a long pause, and Markos felt that he had made a terrible mistake in asking such a question, but Gracchus was still smiling.

"It's very simple, Markos. Because it pleases me…"

There was then an awkward silence, as Markos waited for the rest of the answer.

But that was it.

Gracchus was being, possibly, deliberately inscrutable.

"Send in Terentius!" Gracchus ordered one of the slave-boys.

Moments later Terentius arrived.

"I have decided to continue Markos' education, and his physical training. You are to make all the necessary arrangements immediately. I leave the choosing of tutors to you. His athletic coach shall be a young centurion, and I will arrange prolonged leave for him through the tribune Marcellus, who is one of my clients. Quintus is even now transcribing my instructions from his wax 'scrawl' onto a decent roll of papyrus which I shall sign and seal.

A centurion (Latin: centurio; Greek: κεντυρίων) was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded groups of centuries of around 100 men but senior centurions commanded cohorts, or took senior staff roles in their legion. Centurions were also found in the Roman navy. Being held personally responsible for the training and discipline of the legionaries under their command, centurions had a well-deserved reputation for firmness, which undoubtedly would be good for Markos.

The word papyrus refers to a thick paper-like material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus. Papyrus can also refer to a document written on sheets of papyrus joined together side by side and rolled up into a scroll, an early form of a book.

"When you have the document in your possession, add an addendum, to be written by Markos in Latin, in which he states that he will study and train diligently, and get him to sign it in Greek and Latin, and then you must witness it with your own signature as a freedman."

"Yes, Dominus!" Terentius replied looking somewhat surprised.

As soon as Markos' tutors and his athletic coach are in place, Markos shall assist Glykon in the morning for only two hours, then have his midday meal, and then start studying with his tutors, Greek one day, Latin the next. Later in the afternoon, when it is cooler, he shall work with his trainer until just before sunset and then bathe and have a massage. In the evening he shall work on his studies, and be provided with papyrus scrolls, ink, pens, and sufficient oil and lamps to do so. Is that clear?"

"Of course, Dominus," Terentius replied.

"Now you may take the boy back to the entrance hall, and we shall speak more of this later."

"Thank you, Dominus," Terentius said, as he turned to Markos.

"What do you say, boy?"

"Thank you, Dominus," Markos echoed, mechanically and obediently, as Terentius hustled the overawed boy out of Gracchus' study.

What Markos didn't see, as he left, was the broad grin of Gracchus' face.

"So Markos, what do you think about that?" Terentius asked, as they made their way back to the main atrium.

"I don't know what to think," Markos said. "The Dominus frightens me, and I do not understand him, but… I think he is being very good to me… but I don't understand why," Marcus tried to explain.

"I see," Terentius said, as they approached the main entrance, where Glykon was waiting.

"Well, Markos, so far you've caused me a lot of trouble…" Terentius continued.

"But how, Domine?… I didn't mean to…" Markos replied, alarmed.

"Well maybe not trouble, but inconvenience… Now I have to got to Rome, to buy two new slaves… a Greek tutor, and a Latin tutor, because it's not possible to buy good slaves here or in Neapolis or Capua. Then I have to see the Legatus Marcellus, to arrange for a long term loan of one of his centurions. Then we have to get some new furnishings for your cubiculum from Neapolis, a table, chair, chests and lamps. And then I need to get Quintus to let me have some papyrus, pens and ink for you, and that will be the most difficult part of all!" Terentius explained, as he had his little joke about Quintus.

"I'm sorry Domine. I didn't mean to be any trouble for anybody," Markos replied.

"But where will you stay in Rome?" Markos asked, naively.

Terentius was touched by the boy's concern. "Don't worry, the Dominus has a comfortable little house in Rome where I can stay," Terentius replied, smiling.

Then, before they came into earshot of Glykon, Terentius stopped and turned to speak to Markos more seriously. "Listen carefully to my instructions, Markos," Terentius said quickly and quietly.

Markos nodded.

"Say nothing about your meeting with the Dominus, other than inconsequential comments about the Dominus welcoming you as a slave in the villa, and how he warned you about the foolishness of trying to run away and such like. Make no mention of the bulla, or of lessons or training. Is that understood?" Terentius said.

"Yes, Domine." Markos replied. "Now go about your duties, and I will speak to you again in a few days when I return to the villa," Terentius said, and strode off, leaving Markos to his work with Glykon.

and the story continues – as young Marcus begins his studies and his physical training under the watchful eye of Terentius, and finds a friend in the young centurion, Servius…

V. Opus non Iocus
5. Work – and No Play

Introductiones
Introductions

Four days after Markos' interview with Gracchus, Terentius came to the entrance hall in the early morning.

"Come with me, Markos, there are people I want you to meet."

Terentius led Markos down a corridor, one that he had not seen before,, and took him into a large room. It was obviously Terentius' main office, and there were a number of slaves, including Quintus, who Markos recognised, working on tablets and papyrus scrolls. Surprisingly, to Markos, Quintus seemed to be the senior scribus, with other slaves approaching him deferentially to have documents checked, and asking his advice. At one end of the large room was a pair of imposing doors, leading to a smaller room, obviously Terentius' private officium. It was lavishly decorated and furnished, and Markos began to realise just how important a person Terentius really was. There was an imposing table at one end of the room, a table with gilt bronze legs and a marble top, with various documents scattered on it.

Around the table stood three men, obviously in awe of Terentius, and Markos began to think that he should not have been so casual and relaxed with Terentius, and more particularly,, with the Dominus. One of the men was fairly young, and obviously a Greek, the other was older, and dressed in Roman style, with a voluminous toga, and the third was young, and very athletic looking. Markos, in his own mind hazarded a guessed who they were, but obviously let Terentius introduce them.

"These gentlemen will be responsible for your education, and your training," Terentius announced, in his most formal manner.

Terentius then turned to his three guests.

"This is the young man that we have been speaking of. As you already know, he has an excellent command of spoken Greek and Latin, and also reads and writes in both languages. What he needs, however, is to lose> his Greek accent when he speaks Latin, that is essential, and his style of speech need to be polished in both languages. Also he has only passing knowledge of the masters of Greek and Latin literature, I mean, of course, in the first place, Homer and Virgil. He has little knowledge of rhetoric, and no knowledge of philosophy or law. He also needs a basic grounding in mathematics, geometry and astronomy. As for his physical training, he has undertaken some athletics in the past, and has an above avergae physique for his age. I think you will agree that he is just at the right age to put on some muscle, and in the process he must learn all the martial arts. Also he cannot swim, and this is not permissible, as the villa itself it built right by the sea. I know that we have already discussed this, but I am reiterating this in the presence of the boy, so that he realizes that we are all aware of his shortcomings, and are aware of the need for him to make a consistent effort in his studies and training."

The two tutors, and the trainer, all nodded gravely as Terentius finished speaking. And by this time Markos simply wanted to sink into the marble floor and disappear.

"This is Αρισταρχος (Aristarchos)," Terentius said, gesturing to the Greek looking gentleman, "who will be you Greek tutor," and Aristarchos bowed, politely. Aristarchos, of course, was a slave, although, like many well educated slaves, he had the poise and demeanour of a patrician, which highly annoyed many real Roman patricians, who considered all Greeks to be effeminate and weak.

"And this is Lucius, your Latin tutor," Terentius said, gesturing to the Roman looking gentleman, who nodded briskly in Markos' direction. Lucius was of Italic origin, and Italic slaves, particularly well educate ones, were difficult to find.

"And, finally this is Servius Juvenalis, a Roman centurion of the Legio XIII, who will be your athletics coach."

Servius, a young man of 19 year old, smiled broadly at young Markos.

Legio tertia decima Geminia, in English the 13th Twin Legion, also known as Legio tertia decima Gemina, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of Julius Caesar's key units in Gaul and in the civil war, and was the legion with which he famously crossed the Rubicon on January 10, 49 BC. Its symbol was the lion.

"And this, gentlemen, is young Markos, about whom we have already discussed, in some detail."

Marcus blushed, and stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the floor.

"A fine looking lad," centurion Servius commented, while the two tutors nodded in obvious agreement.

Then Terentius concluded the interview by turning to the coach and the tutors.

"You will begin your work, gentlemen, with your, hopefully, keen pupil tomorrow."

Terentius then turned to Markos.

"So, Markos, tomorrow, after two hours in the entrance hall, a slave will collect you and take you to your study room. And now you may leave us."

"Thank you, Domine," Markos said respectfully, and bowed as he left, to return to the entrance hall.

Back at the entrance hall, despite what Terentius had previously told him about not talking about his studies, Marcus felt that he had to give some explanation to Glykon as to why he would be spending to little time at the main entrance. Glykon spoke very little Latin, so Marcus pretended that Terentius wanted him to improve his Latin by having some lessons. The explanation seemed to satisfy Glykon, at least at that time.

Opus Incipit
The Work Begins

And so… the next day, a slave came to the doors at the entrance hall where Glykon and Markos were on duty.

"Morning, boys," the young slave said cheerily.

"I've been sent to get Markos."

"That's me," Markos replied.

"Enjoy your lessons, Markos," Glykon said, jesting, but also, to some extent, jealous of his friend's privileges.

The two slaves then went off for their midday meal, and then to the rooms that had been allocated by Terentius for Markos' study. The young slave left Markos outside the door. Markos then knocked, and a stern voice told him to enter. It was his Latin tutor, standing behind a table on which were piles of scrolls.

"Good day, Domine," Markos said, deferentially.

The tutor nodded, and beckoned him over to the table.

And so the first day, after his midday meal, was filled with a dissertation by Lucius on the glories of Virgil, and the adventures of Aeneas, but you will probably be pleased to know that while Markos had to listen and take notes, you may, if you wish, just read this very brief explanation of the importance of Virgil, and the Aeneid or you may go on with the story.

Publius Vergilius Maro (October 15, 70 BC – September 21, 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period (the period when Gaius Octavian was Emperor, many years before Marcos was born). Virgil is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid. Virgil is traditionally ranked as one of Rome's greatest poets, and his Aeneid, about the foundation of Rome by the Trojan hero Aeneas, has been considered the national epic of ancient Rome, and a favorite of Gracchus, which is why Markos had to study it.

There is more to Virgil than the basic facts, however. Virgil, when young studied in Neapolis, and later in life settled near Cumae. His greatest work, the Aeneid, has episodes that involve the Cumaean Sibyl, and the Oracle of the Dead, situated at Baiae, and the connections between Virgil, Octavian (Augustus), the 'Aeneid', the God Apollo, and Cumaean Sibyl all have relevance to later events in the Story of Gracchus.

All of this, however, is obviously completely unknown to Markos, as he sits, sweaty and sleepy, at the feet of Lucius, when he would far rather be lounging around, chatting and joking with Glykon. To Markos, at this point, it seemed that one of the things that he had spent much of his young life trying to avoid the boring dullness of the school-room, had now become something that he was completely unable to escape. In the villa, all the doors to the outside world were locked, and even if he could escape, if he were recaptured, his eventual fate would be appalling, as he discovered on his first day in the villa.

As his first lesson came to a close, Markos, discovered that his studies would pursue him beyond the school-room. It semed tha Lucius required him to write a précis the lesson about Virgil, so he knew that he would be busy for the rest of the evening, and possibly late into the night. Fortunately Markos had been listening, but for him his studies seemed never-ending.

Γυμνάσιον
The Gymnasium

But it was now later in the afternoon, and the slave who had brought Markos to Lucius, now returned to take Markos to Servius Juvenalis, the Roman centurion of the Legio XIII. Markos was taken to the γυμνάσιον or gymnasion, the private exercise area of the villa, where Servius, Markos' gymnastai (coach/trainer) was waiting for him.

The word gymnasion, of course, (and as Lucius, Markos' Latin tutor, would undoubtedly tell us) is the Latinisation of the Greek word for 'gymnastic school', which is derived from the common Greek adjective γυμνός (gymnos) meaning 'naked', by way of the related verb γυμνάζω (gymnazo), whose meaning is 'to train naked'. The verb had this meaning because Greeks always trained naked.

The Villa Aurea also had a Palaistra that was the part of the gymnasium devoted to wrestling, boxing and ball games.

Romans had a problem with nakedness. It was one of their cultural quirks, that separated them from the Greeks. While the Romans were not prudish in any way (with naked sculpture, and painted and carved phalli (phalluses) on everything from jewelery and charms to signs outside shops, it was not deemed appropriate for male Roman citizens to expose their genitals in public, hence the loincloth or thong. For slaves (who were not citizens) there was no problem, however, and it was quite acceptable for them to be naked in public, both male and female.

Markos arrived at the large, beautifully equipped gymnasion, which was deserted, apart from Servius, who was waiting for him. The gymnasion floor, like much of the villa, was laid with the most intricate marble mosaics, in complex geometrical designs. The walls, also like much of the villa, were panelled with veneers of the most expensive marbles, and in the gymnasion the marble used was mainly an almost translucent, grey veined variety. After their formal greetings Servius told Markos to strip, as he was to train naked, wearing only his slave-collar. Fortunately, Markos was quite used to this, as he had trained naked for a couple of years previously in the gymnasion in Athens. Servius, however, as Markos' gymnastai (trainer), and a roman citizen, would remove his tunic, but retain a brief loincloth. Servius appraised the naked lad's body carefully, getting him to flex one set of muscles after another.

"For your age, Markos, you have a very well developed physique. You are a credit to your gymnastai in Athens."

Markos blushed, and starred down at his feet. "Thank you, Domine," he mumbled.

"I think that Gracchus did well to choose you, but tell me, do you shave your body?" Servius asked, hesitantly.

"Of course not, Domine, and the Dominus didn't choose me, it was Terentius," Markos replied, rather surprised, and embarrassed by the question.

"Well I only ask because most boys of your age, and physical development, have at least some pubic hair, and you appear to have none, and I thought, maybe, that you had shaved, as Gracchus likes his boys without body-hair."

Markos look confused.

"You did know that Gracchus likes boys?" Servius asked, trying to explain matters.

"No, Domine" Markos stammered, now looking even more confused, and concerned.

"You see," Servius went on to explain, "Gracchus is married, but has no children, and his wife never lives in the same villa as Gracchus, and as you may have noticed, all the slaves here are male, and mostly teenage boys."

Markos looked around, uneasily…

"I didn't realize, I never thought," he mumbled.

"But don't worry," Servius went on, "I don't think he's interested in you in that way, at least not for himself. And as you are, in some strange way, his favorite, you are strictly off limits to all the other slaves, and myself, for that matter, and your tutors and Terentius."

At this Markos looked somewhat relieved.

"But, Markos, if you don't mind me saying, I think you are somewhat inexperienced in these matters," Servius went on.

"Perhaps," Markos replied, trying, somewhat unconvincingly, to be non-committal.

"That's no problem," Servius said, encouragingly, "And I am sure that, if you wish it, I could make some arrangement with Gracchus and Terentius to find someone appropriate, of you own age, to improve matters for you in that respect."

"Perhaps," Markos replied, still being non-committal.

"Well then, that's settled, so let's get on with the training."

The training session was long and hard, and it was clear to Markos that Servius knew his business, and after a couple of hours Markos was exhausted.

"You work well, Markos, and so I will see you tomorrow," Servius said in parting, "Now get some rest and be sure to have a massage."

Ardebat Olei in Medio Noctis
Burning the Midnight Oil

That night, after his bath and massage, Markos worked on late, writing the précis which Lucius' would require the next time they met, but all during the time he wrote thoughts kept popping into his mind about the various things that Servius had said about Gracchus, teenage boys and sex. Markos also wondered about how Servius would spend his free time, for his working day, with Markos, was extremely short.

The following morning, after assisting Glykon in the entrance hall, Markos was once again taken to the study room. Glykon had been eager to know about Marcus' lesson, and Markos was careful to make it all sound very boring and mundane and he made no mention of his training in the gymnasion with Servius. On arriving at the study room, Markos found that he was to study Greek, and his Greek tutor, Aristarchos, was waiting for him. Aristarchos was younger, and more friendly that Lucius, but was just as single-minded in his determination to instruct and educate his young charge.

The subject of Aristarchos was Homer, but as before, you will probably be pleased to know that while Markos had to listen and take notes, you may, if you wish, just read this very brief explanation of the importance of Homer and the Iliad or you may go on with the story.

Ὅμηρος, Homer, is best known as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He was believed by the ancient Greeks to have been the first, and greatest, of the epic poets. When he lived, as well as whether he lived at all, is unknown. Herodotus estimates that Homer lived no more than 400 years before his own time, which would place him at around 850 BCE or later. The importance of Homer to the ancient Greeks is described in Plato's Republic, which portrays him as the protos didaskalos, 'first teacher', of the tragedians, the hegemon paideias, 'leader of Greek culture', and the ten Hellada pepaideukon, 'teacher of all Greece'. Homer's works, provided models in persuasive speaking and writing that were emulated throughout the ancient Roman world, so it is easy to see why Markos had to study his works.

Marcos, not surprisingly, was required to write a précis of Aristarchos' talk about Homer, so now he had two pieces of work to complete.

Visita ad Medicum
Visit to the Physician

It was now later in the afternoon, and the slave who had brought Markos to Aristarchos, now returned, but instead of taking Markos to Servius Juvenalis, the slave had instructions to take Markos to Gracchus' personal physician.

Like almost all good physicians in the Empire, this physician was a Greek slave. The physician, middle-aged, dark-haired, bearded and tall, introduced himself as Agathon.

"Well, Markos… as you are new here at the villa, Terentius has asked me to have a look at you to check that you are healthy… so take off your clothes, and let me have see you," Agathon said in fine, educated Greek.

Markos started to strip.

"So tell me, where, in Greece, do you come from?" Agathon asked casually, as he carefully watched Markos strip.

"I was born in Athens," Markos replied, warily, not wanting to mention Rome as he presumed that Agathon had been told he was a Greek slave.

"Ah, that is quite close to where my family come from Aegina," Agathon said casually, as he started to feel the muscles in Markos arms and shoulders.

"And your appetite is good?"

"Yes, Domine," Markos replied politely.

Markos had quickly learned to call everyone older that himself, slave or not, Domine (Sir), as it seemed to make things easier. It was only Gracchus that he called Dominus (Master).

"And you use the toilet regularly, and have no trouble making water?" Agathon asked.

"No problems, Domine," Markos replied.

"And what about sex? Are you sexually active?" Agathon, as casually as if he were asking the time of day.

"Do you want me to be honest?" Markos answered nervously.

"Of course boy, I'm your physician. We must be honest with each-other."

"Well, since my parents died, quite recently, I have had no sexual feelings at all," Markos replied.

"I see," Agathon said, in a non-committal manner.

"Yes, I have been told about your parents. You have my sympathy," Agathon said, in a softer tone.

"I also note that you have no growth of pubic hair, which is unusual in a boy as well developed as yourself," Agathon continued, bending down an gently feeling Markos' smooth, hairless scrotum.

"You are well endowed, but there seems to be a lack of some essential sexual characteristics, which is unusual."

Agathon stepped back and looked at Markos directly.

"Tell me, do you prefer girls or boys?" he asked.

"I don't know, Domine. I have not had sex with either, Domine"

"Well, at least you seem to be honest," Agathon said, smiling.

"Well, my boy, you are very healthy, but I think that your recent experiences have depressed you slightly, which is why you have no sexual feelings at present. As for the physical development I will ask for you to have roast goat's testicles on a daily basis, along with extra garlic with coriander to be taken in neat wine, and also the water of boiled wild asparagus. It's all very tasty, so it will be no hardship."

Yes… these are genuine cures for sexual dysfunction in ancient Rome, but how effective they are is difficult to tell, and if you wish to experiment with these remedies, you do so at your own risk.

"But I think to really help you you will need to indulge in some penetrative sex, on a fairly regular basis. A strong lad like you, once my remedies have started working, needs a physical outlet, but not too much, mind you, and after my dietary treatment I think that you will need empty yourself of your excess seed in an appropriate manner. So get dressed, and I will call for you in about ten days."

And so Markos left Gracchus' Greek physician, and went to train with Servius Juvenalis, who was waiting for him in the Gymnasion.

Now… as you will have probably guessed, the physician's check-up was not accidental, but was rather the result of a conversation between Servius and Terentius.

They were, quite rightly, somewhat worried about Markos, and without letting him know, were intent on making him as content in his new situation as possible, after all, the happier Markos was, the happier Gracchus would be, and that was important for everyone involved with the the master of the Villa Aurea.

'and the story continues – as young Markos 'finds' love – or is it rather – lust? – in the form of the beautiful young slave-boy, Cleon.'

VI. Amor invenit Marko
6. Love Finds Markos

Capri Testiculi
Goat's testicles

A couple of days after Markos' session with the Greek physician Agathon, Terentius met Markos, not at all by accident, at the entrance hall.

"And how are you today, my boy?" Terentius inquired in an avuncular manner.

"Very well, Domine, thank you," Markos replied, wondering what the real reason for this encounter would be.

"And how are you enjoying your goat's testicles?" Terentius asked, with a slight smile playing round his lips."

"The're good, Domine… Surprisingly tasty," Markos replied, trying to take Terentius' questioning seriously.

"Well, Agathon was very pleased with you, and it seems that there is nothing to worry about, it's just a matter of good diet and time, as you mature."

Terentius paused for a moment, as if weighing up was he was going to say next.

"I have been speaking to your tutors. You are studying very well, but they consider that the intensity of the studying may be counterproductive, and they think that you may need a little more time to relax and rest. This does not apply to your physical training, however, as you seem more than capable of coping with that. Servius is very pleased. I have decided, therefore, that your study sessions should be divided into two day sessions, Latin one day and Greek the other, separated by a day for rest and relaxation, although you will still be expected to do some light training, maybe swimming, on the rest day. Do you understand this?"

"Yes, Domine, Thank you very much," Markos replied, relieved that there had been no complaints about him, and pleased that at last he would have some free time.

The problem, however, for Marcus, was that during that new 'free time' there would be nowhere to go, and nothing to do, apart from maybe reading the scrolls that his tutors had given him. There was, of course, a magnificent indoor swimming pool in the villa, but at that point Markos could hardly swim a stroke. The private beach attached to the villa was 'out of bounds', and so were the gardens that led down to the beach, although the enclosed peristyle gardens were available to him. It seemed to Markos that his Dominus was afraid that he might run away. Markos also wondered where Servius went during his free time, as he never saw him in the villa.

Revertere ad Studium
Return to Studies

So it was back to his Latin, with Lucius. By now Lucius had got on to Cicero, probably his favorite Roman author.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (Greek: Κικέρων) (3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul, and constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.Cicero has traditionally been considered the master of Latin prose. The writing he produced from about 80 BC until his death in 43 BC exceeds that of any Latin author whose work survives in terms of quantity and variety of genre and subject matter, as well as possessing unsurpassed stylistic excellence. Cicero's many works can be divided into four groups: (1) letters, (2) rhetorical treatises, (3) philosophical works, and (4) orations. His letters offer a vivid picture of the public and private life among the Roman governing class. Cicero's works on oratory are important for Roman theories on education and rhetoric, and his philosophical works are exceptionally influential, so there was a lot for Markos to learn.

And so Markos spent that night poring over scrolls of Cicero's works that Lucius had given him to read, with the promise that he would be tested during his next Latin study session.

Bona tempora in Gymnasion
Good Times in the Gymnasion

In the late afternoon it was off to the Gymnasion, and Markos' coach Servius. At that time, it was the part of the day Markos enjoyed the most. Whereas in the rest of the villa everything was hushed, quiet and dignified, in the Palaistra Markos could run around naked, and laugh and shout as he played ball with Servius.

Also, in the Palaistra Servius had started to teach Markos the finer points of wrestling. This Markos enjoyed, but also, strangely, he welcome the closeness of another human body, of oiled skin against oiled skin, in a forceful, but somewhat playful 'embrace'.

However, although Markos was wrestling naked, never became sexually aroused while in the gymnasion, although he would often have erotic fantasies, at night when he was in bed, about wrestling with Servius, or someone very similar, and those thoughts often led to prolonged bouts of masturbation, so presumably the goat testicles were working. Undoubtedly, Markos thought of Servius as a friend, probably because, apart from his tutors, Servius was one of the few people somewhat distanced from the Villa, for he was a Roman army officer, and not a slave or freedman belonging to Gracchus.

In this way, Servius had an objective, independent view of the life Markos was leading, which Markos appreciated. But it was not his friendship with Servius that brought love to Markos. Servius was, and would remain a friend, but that would be as far as it would go, for the moment, at any rate.

The following day it was the turn of Aristarchos, the Greek tutor, to give Markos his lessons.

Markos, however, was still expected to spend two hours in the main vestibule, helping Glykon with the numerous clients, and would-be clients who knocked on the massive bronze doors. By this time, Markos was quite well known by many of the regular visitors, usually older men, who liked to flatter themselves that they had a handsome young 'friend' at Gracchus' Villa.

Of course the clients remained 'masters', and Markos remained the 'slave', and any apparent friendship that they had was purely superficial, and pursued simply for the sake of the older man's vanity.

And so Markos returned to his lessons, and the days lessons, on this occassion were a continuation of the study of Homer. Markos' Homeric studies would continue for many months, beginning with an introduction to the Iliad.

Ἰλιάς, the Iliad is written in Classical Attic; and is sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Ilium (Troy) is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege; the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. Then the epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles' looming death and the sack of Troy, prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly, so that when it reaches an end, the poem has told a more or less complete tale of the Trojan War.

Once again Markos spent that night poring over scrolls of the first chapters of the Illiad, (in Greek, of course) that Aristarchos had given him to read with the promise that he would be tested during his next Greek study session.

In the late afternoon, Markos was once again off to the Gymnasion, and Markos' coach Servius. For this session, however, Servius took him to Gracchus' indoor pool, and Markos had his first swimming lesson. He told Servius about his visit to Agathon, and the remedies that the Greek physician had ordered for him.

Very commendably, Servius confessed that it was he who had mentioned the subject to Terentius, and had recommended a visit to the physician.

"That's no problem," Markos replied, "You are my gymnastai, my coach, and it is part of your professional duties to look after my health, and send me to the physician if you think it necessary."

Servius smiled at the rather stilted language that young Markos had used, and tousled the boy's hair.

"Come on, let's get you swimming."

After the swimming lesson, and a massage, Marcos returned to his room and settled down to read the first chapter of the Iliad. He read until late, because he knew that there would be no lessons on the next day.

Dies Liber
A Free Day

The following morning Markos performed his usual duties in the entrance hall with Glykon. While he was in the entrance hall, Terentius came by.

"Good morning, Markos!… and how are you today?" Terentius inquired.

"Very well, Domine, thank you," Markos replied, wondering what the real reason for this encounter would be.

"Well… this is your first day off, so I do hope you enjoy your evening," Terentius continued, with an enigmatic smile, that puzzled Markos.

Later, after his midday meal, he had an early session with Servius, who was continuing Markos' swimming lessons in the pool. Markos then returned to his room in the late afternoon, as he couldn't swim.

A period of leisure was, by this time, something strange to Markos.

He wasn't allowed out of the Villa, however, and he wasn't allowed to roam the corridors or atria of the huge house. Access to the gymnasion and the pool was only permitted if he was accompanied by Servius. He was allowed to bathe, and take meals, but other than that, he was confined to his room.

This was the less pleasant side of slavery.

Granted he had to do very little work, and had the great privilege of gaining a first rate education. He also had access to health facilities and a private gymnasion and pool that would be the envy of even the sons of wealthy aristocrats, and a luxurious room that few plebeians could even dream of owning, but essentially he was not free.

And on that night it came home to him, as he sat on his bed, wondering how to fill in the hours before he slept.

So Markos gathered up his scrolls of the Illiad, went over to his desk, and decided that he may as well start reading, in preparation for his next lesson.

Cupido Vulnerat Marko
Cupid Wounds Markos

Now Cupid was the god of love in Roman mythology. The name Cupid is a variation on Cupido ('desire'), and this god was also known by the name Amor ('love'). It was commonly believed that Cupid was the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and this association between Venus and Cupid was quite popular in myth, poetry, literature, and art. Significantly, the ancient Romans often depicted Cupid as beautiful winged boy, who carried a bow and quiver full of arrows. Indeed, the Roman poet Ovid seems to delight in portraying Cupid as a willful and capricious young lad in many of his poems from the Amores and the Art of Love. Cupid was known to the Greeks as Eros, from which we derive the word 'erotic'.

Undoubtedly, the beautiful boy had been 'stalking' Markos, and on this night, it would seem, one of Cupid's well-aimed arrows had pierced young Markos' heart.

It was at that moment that there was a soft knock on the door.

Markos was startled, it was late, and no one should be calling on him at such an hour.

He had never had anyone come to his door at this hour, and he could not imagine who it might be. It was unlikely to be Terentius or Nerva, as this was his evening off.

Markos waited for a moment, unsure of what to do. The soft knock was repeated.

Markos went over to the door, unlocked and then opened it slightly. Through the gap, Markos could see that in the corridor was a beautiful boy. No, not Cupid, but probably the next best thing… obviously a slave boy because he was wearing only a white thong, and a silver slave collar, identical the the collar that Markos wore.

The boy was about a year younger than Markos, with deep blue eyes, a shock of pale brown hair, and wide, sensuous lips.

"Hi! I'm Cleon!" he said, brightly, in Greek.

Markos stared at the boy, uncomprehending.

The Latin form of Κλεων (Kleon), a Greek name derived, (very apropriately in this case), from κλεος (kleos) 'glory'.

"Terentius sent me, to amuse you on your evening off," Cleon said brightly.

Cleon was apparently Greek, so Markos continued to speak to him in Greek.

"What do you mean?" Markos stuttered, still not understanding what the boy meant.

"Well… Terentius said you were inexperienced, but…," and he smiled, delightfully.

Markos was still looking puzzled, and had not fully opened the door to his room.

Cleon lent forward. "I'm here so you can fuck me," he whispered, in a conspiratorial tone.

"Is this a joke?" Markos whispered, unable to believe what young Cleon had just said.

"Of course not. It would be more that my life's worth to lie about the noble Terentius, and, in case you don't know, our Dominus has forbidden any slave or freedman to touch you, without his consent. I, however," he continued proudly, "have been selected to befriend you, and be you pullus, if you will have me."

Markos paused, shook his head, and wondered if he was dreaming.

"Well why not," Markos replied, still confused by what young Cleon had said.

Pullus was an affectionate word traditionally used for a boy (puer) who was loved by someone (male) "in an physical, sexual sense." More accurately Cleon, probably without realizing it, was taking the part of a concubinus. It was Roman custom that boys (who were Roman citizens) on reaching puberty would be provided with a slave-boy (preferable younger), as a 'bed-mate' for the boy, in order to discourage masturbation. Masturbation was frowned upon as being 'unmanly', as a Roman citizen (male) should find his sexual satisfaction by penetrating a person of lesser status (wife, slave-boy or slave girl, or defeated enemy). Slave-boys were preferred, for the simple reason that slave-boys did not get pregnant, thus avoiding any complications regarding inheritance. It was probably this custom that was responsible for so many Roman men (citizens, even including Emperors) preferring boys to women as sexual partners in later life. What was odd about the arrangement that Gracchus made for Markos was that Markos was (apparently) not a Roman citizen, but rather a slave and not entitled to a concubinus. And so the mystery deepens.

"You'd better come in," Markos said, opening the door fully.

"Nerva did tell me that I couldn't have anyone else in the room, but if Terentius sent you, then I suppose it's all right."

Cleon entered Marcus' cubiculum and looked round, wide-eyed.

"Well… what a room! What did you have to do to get this?" Cleon exclaimed with a cheeky grin.

"Nothing! Nerva brought me here the day I arrived at the villa, and told me that Terentius had allocated this room to me," Markos explained, feeling rather guilty.

"And a double-bed, I see! Just what we need!" Cleon continued, as he looked around admiringly at the decorations and the furniture.

"And what's all this!" Cleon said, picking up one of the scrolls from Markos' desk.

"It's my school work," Markos replied.

"They send you to school!" Cleon exclaimed, with a look of total disbelief on his face.

"No, Gracchus has two tutors, one Greek and one Roman to teach me, and a Roman centurion as my athletics coach. He's ok, but the others are a bit weird," Markos continued.

"I really don't believe it!"Cleon responded.

"No wonder Terentius thinks you need a good fuck to get all that study out of your system!" he went on, enthusiastically.

"And I'm lucky, 'cause you're Greek, and real cute, and maybe you'll give a good fuck, who knows. So why don't we do it?" Cleon suggested, as he slipped off his thong.

And like Servius had said, all Gracchus' slave-boys were shaved, or so young that they didn't have any body-hair, and that was the case with young Cleon, who was, however, very 'well-hung'.

"Well, as you may have been told, I've never done it before, with a girl of a boy, so lets take it easy, and make allowances for me," Markos said apologetically, as he pulled off his tunic.

There was already a significant bulge in his white thong, which Cleon 'noticed'.

"Now I think that you are really ready for this, by the look of you." Cleon giggled, pointing at Markos' bulging crotch, and with that he slipped off the tiny thong, and Markos' stiffening cock jerked up eagerly suggestively.

"Come on, let's get on the bed!" Cleon said encouragingly, and took his hesitant partner's hand.

Markos lay back on the bed, and Cleon lay on top of him. Almost immediately the two boys passionately embraced, their arms and legs intertwining. Markos had tears in his eyes and was taking deep breaths, almost sobbing. He had had no emotional outlet for so long, that the feel of young Cleon's warm flesh against his, and the boy's lips and tongue exploring his mouth he found almost overwhelming.

At the same time, Cleon, who was skilled in matters of love-making, was reaching down to fondle Markos' well-filled scrotum, and then worked upwards, along the shaft of his now, incredibly stiff, penis.

"If you want you can enter me," Cleon whispered.

"You do it," Markos suggested. "It may be easier the first time if you just go down on my stiff cock."

And that's exactly what Cleon did, facing Markos and slowly sinking down on the trembling boy's huge 'tool'. As it slowly disappeared inside Cleon, the Greek boy moaned in obvious delight.

"Fuck! That feels so good!" Markos groaned, as he felt Cleon's strong arse muscle rhythmically tightening on his swelling penis.

Then Cleon started 'riding' Markos' cock, while at the same time jerking himself off. After a few minutes of this it all got a bit too much for Markos.

"Oh shit! I think I'm gonna cum!" Markos blurted out.

"Don't worry," Cleon replied, as he kept as still as possible, in order to avoid stimulating Markos to orgasm.

"I'll turn and face the other way, and lie against you, so that you can do the thrusting, and control things better."

It was obvious that young Cleon was quite an expert, and also a bit of an athlete, as he changed his position, while ensuring that Markos' penis stayed inside him. The new position gave Markos much more control, and he was able to play with Cleon's penis and testicles, while at the same time thrusting into him in a steady and controlled rhythm.

Slowly, however, the pace of Markos' thrusting became faster and more insistent as he became more excited. At the same time he worked frantically on the thick, long shaft of Cleon's huge penis.

Eventually, as Markos approached the point of no return, Cleon's strong anal muscles began to rhythmically grip Markos' cock, and Cleon's cock began to jerk and swell even more as he reached his orgasm.

"Fuckin' shit!" he groaned as his creamy boy-seed spurted and splattered over his smooth, flat belly.

"Shit! I'm cummin'!" Markos cried out, at the same time, as his hot semen gushed inside Cleon.

Almost immediately both boys flopped back on the bed, breathing heavily, grinning and still dribbling semen. Both sweaty lads were still quite erect, as the last effects of their orgasms subsided.

"That was good!" Cleon panted. "You can fuck me any time!"

Markos laughed.

Loquacitas
Much Talking

So the boys lay on the bed, and set to talking long into the evening.

Cleon explained that he had been born a slave, in Corinth, but then his master had lost a great deal of money (Cleon did not know how), and had to sell many of his slaves. Cleon was one of the slaves who was sold. Terentius (although Cleon did not know him at the time) was at the auction, and on the look-out for attractive slave-boys for Gracchus. Although Cleon had no particular skills (he had simply helped in the kitchen of the small villa his master owned), his looks meant that Terentius thought he would be a good investment for Gracchus. Cleon had now been at the villa for four years.

Cleon then went on to talk about Markos. "When you arrived many of Gracchus' favorite slaves, and I like to think that I am one of those, were very puzzled. As I said, you got this really nice room, usually reserved for Gracchus' freedmen. And then you hardly seemed to do any work. Then one of the boys said that in the afternoon you spent time with a Greek freedman, and an older, Roman freedman, and after, you had athletics sessions in the gymnasion, with a young man, whom, it was rumored was a citizen, some suggested an army officer. One thing we did know from the 'door slaves' was that you had only seen Gracchus once, so it seems he was not having sex with you, or getting you to 'perform' for him," Cleon explained.

"What do you mean, 'perform for him'?" Markos asked.

"Yes. I forgot. You don't know much about Gracchus." Cleon paused, and started to look conspiratorial, which Markos thought was quite amusing.

"Now don't tell anyone I told you, but it's an open secret anyway, Gracchus likes boys."

"I know. My coach told me," Markos interjected.

"But, it seems, he doesn't like to fuck them, at least not often. Instead he likes to watch," Cleon continued.

Voyeurism is the sexual interest in watching people engaged in intimate behaviours, particularly sexual activity. The voyeur does not normally interact directly with the subject of his interest, as the essence of voyeurism is observing. Voyeurism has high prevalence rates in most populations, and in ancient Rome it was considered quite acceptable for high status citizens to stage 'performances' involving their slaves, (male and female, or male on male) sometimes just for their own enjoyment, or in many cases as an 'entertainment' for their guests, and such events were often performed at banquets. An aspect of these voyeuristic practices was to be found also in the Roman theater (at the time of this story), where slaves would enact plays (often on a mythological basis) involving real sexual activity. Similar 'performances' also took place a interludes between gladiatorial contests in the arena.

"He like to see us fuck, jerk-off and suck cock. Sometimes, when he has many guests, he gets us to wrestle in the triclinium, the winner, of course gets to fuck the loser, and his guests bet on the outcome," Cleon explained, but to Markos little of what Cleon was saying seemed to fit in with the mature, concerned and caring Dominus that he had met, but he said nothing.

A triclinium (plural: triclinia) is a formal dining room in a Roman building. The word is adopted from the Greek τρικλίνιον, triklinion, from τρι-, tri-, 'three', and κλίνη, klinē, a sort of 'couch'. Each couch was wide enough to accommodate three diners who reclined on their left side on cushions while slave-boys served multiple courses, and others entertained guests with music, song, dance, wrestling, and sometimes 'performances' as described above. Dining was the defining ritual in Roman domestic life, lasting from late afternoon through late at night. Typically, 9-20 guests were invited, arranged in a prescribed seating order to emphasize divisions in status and relative closeness to the dominus (lord, in this case Gracchus). As privileged space, dining rooms received extremely elaborate decoration. Smaller triclinia, of which there were a number in the Villa Aurea, would be used for smaller dinner parties, with a more exclusive set of guests.

"And you do this?" Markos asked, quite amazed.

"Well yes, but not just the sex. We serve Gracchus' guests with food, and dance and perform acrobatics, and sometimes wrestle. That's why there is a gymnasion and a Palaistra in the villa. Me and the other boys have a Greek dancing master, athletics coach and wrestling coach, and we spend quite a lot of time training, but not when you're there. And sometimes, as we always train naked, Gracchus comes and watches, like I said, he likes to watch!"

Cleon paused.

"But of course, it's only the ones that Gracchus likes the look of that do this. There are lots of other slaves, some of them quite old, but we have nothing to do with them."

Cleon, who was lying next to Markos, looked at his newly found friend.

"But what is he planning for you, I wonder?"

'and the story continues – life at the villa goes on for 14-year old Markos. He now has a friend, and 'lover' in 13-year old Cleon, and a friend in Servius, but his thoughts now turn to the freedom that he once had… He gains some freedom – in one sense – but gets 'caged' in another – while Servius springs a surprise – or is it?'

VII. Sol et spiritus libertatis
7. The Sun, & Freedom's Breath

I long for the sun,
And for freedom's breath
To escape from these chains
From this living death

Now you may think that from the title of this chapter that Markos is going to try to escape, but you'd be wrong.

Markos is not that stupid. He knows that the life outside the villa is hard, and very dangerous.

It is important to note that the Roman Empire was not a well organized welfare state. Many people were living well below the poverty line, and half starved people can be very dangerous, particularly as, in most areas of the empire, including most of Italy, there was no organized police force. For an inexperienced teenager, like Markos, living on the street could well be fatal.

And one should remember that life at the Villa Aurea, even for slaves, was very comfortable and secure. There were armed guards at all the entrances, and everyone was checked leaving or entering. Food, for the slaves, was plentiful, and their living conditions far more pleasant than those of most plebeians (ordinary, free working people). For a highly favored slave, like Markos, his situation was on a par with the son of a wealthy aristocrat, except of course that he was not free.

But then teenage sons of Roman citizens were completely under the control of their father, just as Markos was under the compete control of Gracchus.

But Markos wanted just a little more freedom, but that could be difficult.

As dawn broke, Cleon got up and left his still sleeping companion, and went back to his own room in another wing of the villa. Interestingly, he said nothing to his companions, although they noticed that he was missing from his room that night (Cleon, like most of the slaves at the Villa Aurea did not have his own cubiculum, but slept in a dormitory with other slaves), however, they just assumed that he had been required to 'entertain' one of Gracchus' guests who was staying at the villa.

When he awoke a little later, Markos was sad to find his bed empty, he was hoping that maybe he and Cleo could 'make love' in the morning, before they separated to start their day's work.

As usual, Markos had his breakfast with some of the other 'senior' slaves, and then went to assist young Glykon at the main entrance. By this time Markos knew all the regular clients, and his main task was to chat with them until they were called to meet with Gracchus.

Once again Terentius stopped by.

"So, Markos, did you enjoy your day off?" Terentius asked knowingly.

"Very much, Domine. Thank you," Markos replied, as always very respectfully.

"And I hope that you enjoyed the little extra gift that we provided for you," Terentius was obviously referring to young Cleon.

"Yes, Domine. I'm very grateful."

"Well for the moment you may keep your little friend. He can come to you each time you have a free day, if you wish, but take my advice, and do not become too attached to him," Terentius warned.

It was obvious that Terentius was serious, and Markos took note of the warning. Markos knew that it was good advice, but he was only a boy, and was quite incapable of acting on such advice. Cleon was his 'one true love', even after just one night - regardless of what anyone else would say. As usual, after helping Glykon in the entrance hall, it was back to his studies, however, for Markos.

Novus Scriptor
A New Author

Today it was Latin, with his boring tutor Lucius. After some testing about the work and significance of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Lucius went on to a new topic.

Markos breathed a sigh of relief.

At least Lucius had seemed satisfied with the answers that he had given and, in addition, they were leaving dry old Cicero behind, at least for the moment. Today it was to be Horace.

Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 8, 65 BC – November 27, 8 BC), also known as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintillian regarded his Odes as just about the only Latin lyrics worth reading: "He can be lofty sometimes, yet he is also full of charm and grace, versatile in his figures, and felicitously daring in his choice of words." Horace also crafted elegant hexameter verses, and caustic iambic poetry (Epodes). The hexameters are amusing yet serious works, friendly in tone, leading the ancient satirist Persius to comment: "as his friend laughs, Horace slyly puts his finger on his every fault; once let in, he plays about the heartstrings". His career coincided with Rome's momentous change from Republic to Empire.

Now Markos quite liked Quintus Horatius Flaccus, he was certainly a lot more interesting to a boy of Markos' age than Cicero.

Ad Piscinam
To the Pool

Once the lesson was ended, Markos was sent off with an essay to write about the Odes of Horace.

Then it was a light meal, and off to the pool for more swimming lessons with Servius. Markos was unsure whether he should tell Servius about Cleon. He also wondered if Servius knew anyway, as Servius and Terentius seemed to be quite close.

After about ten minutes of the coaching session, Servius and Markos were sitting on the side of the pool.

"So I've heard that you've found a friend?" Servius questioned, gently.

Markos was relieved that Servius had brought up the subject, it seemed obvious that he had been told by Terentius.

"Yes," Markos replied, trying to be casual. "He's a Greek boy called Cleon."

"That's good!… and if you don't mind me asking… did you fuck him?"

"Well… as you ask, yes," Markos replied, rather taken aback by Servius blunt question.

"And was it good?" Servius continued.

"Well… what do you think?" Markos replied, grinning.

"So now you feel a bit better!" Servius said.

"Yes… but…" Markos began, but then his comment tailed off.

"But what? You've got a cute young boy to fuck, and jerk you off, and someone to talk to. So what's the problem?" Servius replied, sounding a bit exasperated.

"It's like this, and don't laugh. Whenever I think of Cleon I get 'horny', and as I only wear a short tunic and loincloth, it shows," Markos explained, blushing heavily.

"Yes, and you're doing it now, just mentioning him," Servius said, looking down at Markos' wet, naked crotch.

"Well, better that, than no feeling down there at all. And it's quite natural," Servius said, breezily.

"Yes… but what am I to do?" Markos pleaded.

"You can always go and see Agathon, that Greek physician. See what he can recommend," Servius replied.

"Yes, perhaps I will speak to Terentius tomorrow. But there's something else," Markos continued.

Servius looked at the boy, quizzically.

"Since I came here, I have never been outside the villa. I just long for the sun. I have been told that I am in Baiae, but all I have ever seen of it was some streets, when I arrive here with Terentius one morning. I was wondering if, now that I am starting to swim a bit, if we could go to the beach. I know the sea is near, because I can hear the waves at night, in my room," Markos pleaded.

"Well I don't see why not, but the problem, of course, is that Terentius would be concerned that you might try to run away, and then there would be real trouble from Gracchus for both me and Terentius, and of course, if they caught you, you would end up being impaled," Servius warned.

"Yes, but why would I run away. I have no friends or family to go to outside the villa. I would have nowhere to live, and no money, and as soon as anyone saw this collar I would be brought back here, and end up like the young lad I saw on my first day here, naked and dying with a stake up his arse!"

"True!" Servius mused, reflectively. "I will speak to Terentius and see what I can do. As for seeing Agathon, that should not be a problem as I'm your coach, and if he want's to know why you're seeing him, I'll say it's a bit 'private'. As for going swimming on the beach, I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything."

Markos in Decipula
Markos in a Cage

Markos felt a little better after his talk with Servius, and went back to his room to set to work on Horace.

The following morning Markos was surprised when Cleon came to his room.

"No time for any 'fun'," Cleon said, despondently, "That'll have to wait until your next day off. I'm just here to take you to Agathon ."

Agathon was prepared and waiting for Markos.

"I have been told that you have, let's say, a delicate problem to discuss with me," Agathon began.

"Yes, Domine," Markos paused for a moment, deciding how he should explain the matter.

"Since I had sex with one of the slave-boys here, I have been having unwanted and embarrassing erections."

Agathon showing no surprise, went over to cabinet and took out something wrapped in grey cloth.

"That would be young Cleon," he suggested.

Markos nodded. It seemed that he had no secrets from anyone.

"Yes, he's a nice boy… I'm not surprised that you have taken to him. Well I have something here that I know will help." he went on, unwrapping the grey cloth.

The cloth contained an item made of bright, silvery metal, in the form of a cage, shaped like a flaccid penis. Along side the cage was a large ring, with prongs attached.

"This is something that I use on those slave-boys who 'perform' sexually for my lord and his guests."

He continued… "It is in the form of a cage, shaped like a male member, but not an erect one."

Agathon held up the bright, smooth ring. "The ring is placed behind the scrotum, containing the testicles, with the testicles holding it in place."

With his other hand Agathon held up the glittering cage. "The cage is then slotted into the prongs on the ring, and secured with a small piece of wire, which is fastened with a lead seal."

As Agathon spoke, he slotted the cage and the ring together, in order to demonstrate. "In that way I can see if the cage has been tampered with, or removed. Because of the way it is made the boy can urinate quite easily while wearing it, but because the cage is quite small, it is impossible for the boy wearing it to have an erection, masturbate, or have penetrative or oral sex. This effectively blocks any emission of seed, so that when it is finally removed, and the boy has sex, his erection is very strong, and his emission is very full. Do you understand?".

Markos looked at the finely made, glittering object in amazement.

"Yes, Domine," he muttered.

Agathon picked up the ring as he continued his explanation.

"You will find that, although it takes some getting used to, it is quite comfortable, and in no way interferes with you normal activities. So… take off your loincloth, and I will ft it for you."

The ring, which had to pass over Markos' penis and his scrotum was too tight, and Agathon had to find a slightly larger ring, but as he explained, it still needed to be tight to hold the cage securely. Once the ring was in place, Agathon slotted on the cage, which was also a tight fit round Markos' penis, as he was a well endowed boy. Agathon then secured the cage with a small, thin piece of wire, and used a special kind of 'pliers' to clamp a tiny lead seal onto the wire.

"There you are, my boy! And I will remove that the day after tomorrow, in the early evening, ready for your visit from Cleon."

Markos the replaced his loincloth, and feeling somewhat strange, and thanking the physician, left Agathon's consulting room.

Amplius Studere
More Studying

After visiting Agathon, it was time to visit Aristarchos for a lesson. It looked, to Markos, like he would be studying the Iliad for rather a long time, as Aristarchos had decided to analyze the work in terms of themes. Suitably for Markos, perhaps, the first theme that Aristarchos had chosen was 'Fate'.

Fate (κήρ, kēr, 'fated death'), Aristarchos maintained, propels most of the events of the Iliad. Once set, gods and men abide it, neither truly able nor willing to contest it. How fate is set is unknown, but it is told by the Fates and by Zeus through sending omens to seers such as Calchas.

In Greek mythology, Calchas (Κάλχας, possibly meaning 'bronze-man'), son of Thestor, was an Argive seer, with a gift for interpreting the flight of birds that he received of Apollo: "as an augur, Calchas had no rival in the camp". He also interpreted the entrails of the enemy during the tide of battle. In the Iliad, Calchas tells the Greeks that the captive Chryseis must be returned to her father Chryses in order to get Apollo to stop the plague he has sent as a punishment: this triggered the quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon, the main theme of the Iliad.

Men and their gods continually speak of heroic acceptance and cowardly avoidance of one's slated fate. Fate does not determine every action, incident, and occurrence, but it does determine the outcome of life. Linking the Iliad with Virgil, and Lucius' teaching, Aristarchos shows that Fate allows Aeneas escapes the wrath of Achilles and survives the Trojan War.

Whether or not the gods can alter fate, they do abide by it, despite its countering their human allegiances; thus, the mysterious origin of fate is a power beyond even the gods, and despite the earthly powers of the Olympian gods, only the Three Fates set the destiny of Man, as Fate had, seemingly set Markos' destiny. So Markos was set to write an essay about 'Fate' in the Iliad for his next lesson with Aristarchos.

Iterum ad Piscinam
Back to the Pool

Then, after something to eat, it was off to see Servius at the pool. On arriving at the pool, Markos stripped off, and Servius looked admiringly at the gleaming metal cage that now encased the young lad's penis.

"It almost looks like a piece of jewelry!" Servius exclaimed, grinning.

"Is it uncomfortable?" he asked.

"Well at first if feels a bit heavy, but after a while you don't notice it," Markos replied.

"And does it work?" Servius inquired, pointedly.

"Well of course!" Markos exclaimed.

"You can't get 'hard' and you definitely can't jerk-off or fuck. So tomorrow, before I see Cleon, Agathon will have to take it off, for obvious reasons." Markos paused. "But what about the beach? Did you speak to Terentius?" Markos asked urgently.

"Yes I did, and he says it will be alright for tomorrow, that's your day off, as long as you undertake not to do anything 'stupid', by that I think he means try to run off."

"Well of course I won't do anything 'stupid'. As I said, I have nowhere else to go except here, and it's here that my friends are, like you and Cleon."

Servius smiled, and ruffled Markos' hair.

"Of course, I know, and I think Terentius knows as well."

The swimming lesson went well, as Markos was becoming quite adept in the water, and so Servius was quite willing to test the boy out in the sea the following day.

At the end of the day, Markos, tired but more content than he had been for many days, returned to his room to work on his essay for Aristarchos.

Postero Die
The Following Day

Markos was awoken by some discomfort in his groin, and realized that he had woken, as was usual, with a strong erection, except that his penis could not become erect because of the restraining cage. Normally he would 'jerk-off' first thing in the morning, but now that was not an option. However, the discomfort was such that the beginnings of his erection soon subsided, and he had to be content with 'going without' until the evening, when he would be able to fuck young Cleon to his heart's content.

Markos then went off to have his morning meal, and then reported to Glykon at the main entrance.

In Mari
In the Sea

After a couple of hours on duty, Markos then went to the pool, where Servius was waiting for him. Servius then led Markos through some doors that led to a changing room. (Markos had never used the changing room because he usually just stripped off his loincloth when he entered the gymnasion.) From the changing room another door led out to a colonnaded peristyle.

In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture a peristyle (Greek περίστυλος) is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court which contains a garden. Tetrastoon (from Greek τετράστῳον, 'four arcades') is another name for this feature.

Leading from the peristyle were more gardens, this time stepped, and filled with rare shrubs and mythological statuary, that led down to the private beach of the Villa Aurea.

Markos looked at the scene, wide-eyed. He had never imagined for a moment that such a wonderful vista lay so close, and yet, unknown to him.

The day was fine and sunny. There was a gentle, warm breeze, and small waves rippled up onto the golden-yellow sand. The beach itself was deserted, although there were some of Gracchus' guards on duty at various vantage points.

"This is amazing!" Markos exclaimed to a smiling Servius.

"Yes I though that you would like it," Servius said, patting the naked young boy on the back.

"Go on!… Jump in!… the beach is shallow, so it's quite safe!" Servius said, encouragingly, and Markos needed no more encouragement, but ran down the beach, and splashed into the warm waters of the Sinus Cumanus (Gulf of Naples). He was quickly followed by Servius, who then insisted that instead of just splashing around, Markos should show off his new swimming skills.

Encouraged by such a fine environment, Markos was swimming very well, and Servius watched his young protégé admiringly.

Later, after a long swimming session. Markos and Servius came out of the sea, and flopped down on the sand to sunbathe.

The Romans knew about sunbathing, and had a word for it, at least as practiced by men: apricatio. Seneca states that sunbathing (apricatio) was popular; and provision was made in some Roman baths specifically for this purpose. Seneca and Martial also state that professional 'depilators' made themselves available at the baths. Many wealthy Roman men felt the need of cosmetic depilation, or a healthy sun-tan, partly because they were putting their naked bodies on public show at the baths, and at the exclusive beach resorts in the south of Italy; public bathing having become a part of the upper class Roman way of life. Many conservative Romans considered that male depilation was effeminate, unmanly and un-Roman.

They lay on the beach, side by side, Markos lying on his back, and Servius lying prone. They were lying close to a parapet, which overlooked them, so they were out of sight of any of Gracchus' guards, and in a completely private situation.

Then Markos, whose eyes were shut, felt Servius' hand move gently across his chest, and onto his shoulder. Without a doubt, Servius was embracing him. Servius then raise his body, and moved over slightly, facing Markos, and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

"I can't help it!" Servius whispered, "You're so beautiful and boyish."

In fact, Markos had been expecting this for some time, and was not surprised, or shocked. 19-year-old Servius was handsome, with a fine, slim, yet muscular physique, and a sweet personality, and Markos could not hope for anyone better to 'fall for him', but, of course, it could be dangerous.

However, both Terentius and Gracchus realized that, although Markos was technically 'out of bounds', leaving a young man like Servius with an attractive boy like Markos, especially when the boy was naked most of the time, could only end one way, if Servius was a real man, and as long as Servius kept his 'activities' with the boy discreet, then no one would be really concerned.

***

"Will you let me fuck you, Markos?" Servius pleaded. "I really need to."

"Well, yes," Markos relied, hesitantly, "but be gentle, go carefully," he continued.

Servius rose to his knees and removed his bulging, white cotton loincloth. His thick, straight penis was already fully erect, and was framed by a dark, neatly trimmed pubic 'bush'. His scrotum was smooth, and well filled, with heavy testicles.

"If you will lie face down, I think it will be more comfortable, as you're wearing that cage," Servius said, spitting on his hand, pulling back his foreskin, and lubricating his large, bulbous glans.

He then positioned himself, kneeling behind Markos, and pushed his rampant 'tool' between Markos' neat, pert buttocks. Markos grunted, and softly he felt Servius' large, stiff penis enter him, and Servius groaned with obvious pleasure as he felt Markos' tight anal muscles grip his swollen 'tool'.

"Markos! You're so tight and hot!" Servius grunted, as he started thrusting into the prone 14 year old lad.

For Markos it was somewhat uncomfortable. Servius was very well endowed, and so Markos found it difficult to take his huge thrusting 'member' and, in addition, he was responding sexually to Servius' attentions, and his own penis was trying to become erect, but was being uncomfortably restrained by the 'cage' he was wearing. However, although he wasn't able to achieve an orgasm, he did find the experience stimulating and exciting. Just knowing that Servius wanted him, sexually, was very satisfying for Markos.

Servius, of course, had no trouble reaching his 'climax', and was soon moaning as he squirted his hot seed into young Markos. Servius, after ejaculating forcefully, then slowly pulled his shrinking penis from the young lad, and they both rolled over, onto their backs, and lay panting in the sun.

So… Markos, wondered, as he lay in the sun, on the beach, was this the 'Fate' that Aristarchos had been talking about during that morning's lesson?

"We must be careful, Markos," Servius said, turning and looking at Markos, seriously.

"I know, but it makes you happy, and I like that," Markos sweetly replied.

"We could do this again tomorrow, if you can get Agathon to take off the cage a little earlier, and then, when I fuck you, you could get 'hard', and 'cum', 'cause I want to see you really 'hard', and spurting. Of course, you understand, I can't let you fuck me, you're still a slave, and a boy, but there's nothing to stop you 'jerking off' while I'm fucking you, and you 'cumming' as well."

"That's what I want to do!" Markos said eagerly.

'and the story continues – Markos has an exciting day with Servius – and with Cleon, – and also has his second interview with Gracchus.

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