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MARCUS CASSIUS PHILIPPUS |
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NOVA ROMA Ludi Victoriae 2759 a.U.c
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| THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT WAS UNEARTHED NEAR
OSTIA ANTICA, ITALY DURING THE SUMMER OF 1994 WHILE ARCHEOLOGICAL
EXCAVATIONS WERE UNDER WAY AT A PLACE CALLED THE VILLA PHILIPPI. THE AUTHOR
OF THIS PAPYRUS CODEX IS REPUTED TO HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS
ONCE SUMPTUOUS FIRST CENTURY C.E. ROMAN SEASHORE ESTATE. THE CODEX WAS
DISCOVERED INSIDE A LARGE SEALED WINE AMPHORA IN A CORNER OF A ROOM AT THE
EXCAVATED VILLA. THIS ROOM WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE TABLINUM OR STUDY OF THE
MANSION. WHILE SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THIS CODEX MAY BE OF QUESTIONABLE
HISTORICAL VALUE, THE PUBLISHER WISHES TO POINT OUT THAT IT MAY AT LEAST BE
ENTERTAINING TO READ (FOR A FEW).
(text in parenthesis – editor's comments) I, Marcus Cassius Philippus, am putting my rarely used stylus to papyrus in order to record the events of this day, the proudest of my life and career thus far in my honorable military service to Roma. I am a Miles Gregarius (private in the heavy infantry with standard pay). I have been notified this morning that I will soon be promoted to Miles Duplicarius (Non-Commissioned Officer similar to a sergeant with double pay) no doubt because of my heroics in the Iewish War. Anyway, I digress, I am still a simple Miles in the First Century, Second Cohors of Legio Tertia (Third Legion), more commonly called Legio Cyrenaica, Caesar's Conquerors. It is called thus because this legion was founded at Cyrenaica, Syria by the infamous Proconsul Marcus Antonius about one hundred years ago while he was residing in Alexandria, Egypt with that iniquitous Egyptian queen and world renown whore, Cleopatra Ptlolemy VII. Command of the Legion then passed to Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augusus upon his defeat of Marcus Antonius at the battle of Actium. As you may already know, Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augusus was formerly known as Gaius Octavius, before becoming Imperator and was the nephew and adopted son of the famous Proconsul Gaius Julius Caesar Divi. Since I have distinguished myself with valor at the siege of Ierusalem last year and in the quelling of the Iewish Revolt in Iudea, I was selected to be among those few legionaries who actually marched just behind the Triumphator Titus Flavius Vespasianus' triumphal biga (chariot). This biga was pulled today by four of the purest white Arabian stallions I have ever seen, part of the spoils of this war. At the crowing of the cock the Triumphal Parade assembled just outside the Servian Walls in the Campus Martius. First in the parade were the Leaders of the vanquished in chains with guards to keep them moving along. At the end of this day these hapless folk will all end up being ritually strangled by a select group of legionaries at the Tullianum (a tiny jail house within the city of Rome). Next in the processional parade came many ox driven wagons filled with the spoils of this war. Much gold and silver was acquired in Ierusalem. The most precious of all the spoils being the enormous seven branched solid gold oil lamp taken from the Temple at Ierusalem which they called a Menorah in their Hebrew language. It was precious to the vanquished Iewish people primarily due to its religious significance not just because its monetary value. This temple was absolutely magnificent to behold, it is a shame that we burned it down, but orders are orders and that's that. We soldiers do not question orders, we just follow them. Thousands of captured slaves came next in the parade. All of which will be sold in the slave markets of Roma. The proceeds of their sale will be divided up between Imperator Titus, his officer staff and every single Legionary who took part in the siege, including me. With my take of the loot and my military back pay I will perhaps be able to soon purchase a small villa near Ostia where I can take advantage of all the friendships that I established with Alexandrian merchants while stationed there. Some day I may become a wealthy Ostian merchant myself with all these foreign contacts. Unless of course, I lose my seed money. But that will surely not happen, I always have great luck with the dice. Musicians, dancers and men holding large placards drawn with scenes of the war follow the captive slaves. My image sports one of them. The Greek artist employed for this task liked my features enough to use them in one of the largest and most colorful of the placards. He told me that he will ultimately use it as a study for one of the friezes he intends to sculpt on the sides of the future Triumphal Arch he has been commissioned by the Senate to work on. It will be known (of course) as the Triumphal Arch of Titus. The placard depicts me and several other legionaries mounting the walls of Ierusalem from one of our siege towers, our scuta (shields) and gladii (swords) solidly held in our hands while killing the enemy soldiers attempting to thwart our advance off the siege tower's ramp onto the heavily fortified wall. Finally, the biga with Titus on it was placed in the parade right behind the numerous exhibitionery placards depicting the particulars of the war. His magnificent horses were anxious to get started, as if this were a chariot race at the Circus Maximus instead of a stately parade. One of his officers pulled in on the reigns in order to calm down the Arabians. He would be the one actually driving the biga. Titus was dressed in his finest Cuirass, made of solid gold, yet thin enough to be worn all day long without weighing him down inordinately. His matching gold helmet was crested with the most beautiful red plumes imaginable, each about one foot long. Titus' face was tinted a deep crimson this day. A tall slave, already standing behind him was holding a laurel crown just above Titus' head and would do so throughout the entire Triumph, taking great care not to touch his head with it on pain of death. I could already overhear his steadily repeated admonition to Titus from where I stood: "Memento mori." ("Remember thou art mortal.") He will be reciting this line to him continually during the entire Triumph. Titus, like his father Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus is a stocky, yet well muscled man. A man among men, he is used to the rigors of military life although he is just as comfortable with the arts and literatures of Roma since he was brought up and educated in the highest of social circles of Roma itself. He is a strict disciplinarian and although not well liked by the rank and file, he is non-the-less well respected. He has also served Roma well in Germania and Britannia as a military Tribune. At the beginning of the Iewish Revolt he was given command of Legio Quinta (Fifth Legion) more commonly called Apollinaris (Apollo's Legion) by his father, then governor of Iudea. Three years ago he took over full command of the war in Iudea and that's when elements of Legio III were summoned from his father Vespasianus who was then in Alexandria where Legio III is headquartered. I was in one of these Cohors of Cyrenaica sent to Iudea. Two years ago Imperator Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus committed suicide and set in motion the quick succession of three different Imperators in just one year. They were Servius Galba Imperator Caesar Augustus, Imperator Marcus Otho Caesar Augustus and Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Imperator Augustus. This madness finally ended when Vespasianus, Titus' father was proclaimed Imperator and Augustus and in turn had Titus proclaimed Caesar shortly before the final siege of Ierusalem commenced. Well, enough of this background summary, suffice it to say that I was in the first row of Miles Gregari in the Triumph. We Miles at the front of the parade were the legionaries who had been awarded civic crowns and other such honors for valor above and beyond the call of duty in the battlefield. I earned mine by being the first Roman legionary to successfully set foot on the walls of Ierusalem and then leading the first assault from there against the hard fighting defenders of that former foreign capital city. The only Legionaries marching before my row were Titus' military Legates, military Tribunes and the Primi Pili Centuriones (top Centurions) of the participating legions. Behind me were approximately one thousand men selected from all the legions that took part in the war, separated into units representing each legion. I smelled really nice for a legionary this morning since I had spent all of the previous day at the baths. I was dressed in a brand new and highly polished lorica segmentata (segmented body armor), over my recently issued red linen military tunic which I had laundered in Roma while I was at the baths. I was however wearing my old battle scarred Italica Helmet, which I polished to the best of my ability. I wouldn't think of wearing any other since I owed so much of my fortune in war to it. My helmet has been my amulet ever since I drank sacred water from it at the beginning of the Iewish War. The water came from a river in Iudea called the Iordan, I personally dipped this very helmet into it and drank from it. There is a legend that the water from this river, although foul tasting, has some astonishing qualities. The legend relates how a famous Iewish mystic used to bathe there or something like that and that one day he bathed a god there. Apparently this is the same god that this new fanatical religious cult called Christians worship. Whatever, all I know is that ever since the day I dipped my helmet in it and drank its waters, I have lived a charmed life. While so many others were cut to pieces right next to me in combat in the last few years, I haven't even been scratched. My new caligae (sandal boots) were still a little stiff, this march through Roma would break them in nicely. I had also been issued a new scutum (shield), my old one was too beat up looking for a parade. I still had my old trusty Gladius (sword) and Pugio (dagger) though. They had been through too much with me for me to give them up easily. They had never failed me and I literally owed my life to them. The sun was starting to get warm by now and the humidity was beginning to make me feel a bit uncomfortable in all this gear when the parade finally started to move forward. The Pilus Prior Centurio (top Centurion) of the First Century, First Cohors of Apollinaris (Fifth Legion) barked out the order to start marching: "Move!" he yelled and we all started to march forward, ten across each row and countless rows deep. The clinking of the legionary belts drowned out the sounds of the horses' hooves on the stones paving the Vicus Triumphalis (Street of Triumph) leading from the Campus Martius to the Porta Triumphalis (Gate of Triumph). Already we could hear the derision being hollered at the captives as they approached the Pomerium (official boundary of Rome – not necessarily at the walls of Rome) of Roma ahead of us. The day was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, so everybody in Roma was out in the streets along the path of the Triumph waiting to pay us homage. It was quite an honor to have over a million people watching us go by. I shall never forget this day as long as I live. The sounds of the multitude of Roma was already becoming deafening, blotting out every other sound. It would get much worse once we crossed the Pomerium into Roma proper and I couldn't even imagine what it would be like once we entered through the Porta Triumphalis (Gate of Triumph) onto the Vicus Iugarius (Loop Street) which parallels the Servian Walls on the north side of Roma. Well, once we did enter through the Servian Walls at the Porta Triumphalis the roar of the crowd was beyond deafening. "Ave Titus. Ave Titus. Ave Titus." was the never ending refrain of the multitude. The noise was so overwhelming that I could not even hear my own caligae's hobnails hitting the cobble stones underneath me. I could only feel them hit the stones. It was useless to try to say anything to my new friend Quintus Marcius Brutus of Legio Quinta to my right or Gaius Licinius Drusus, my old comrad from Legio Tertia to my left, they would never have heard me even if I were to have yelled. There wasn't a place where there weren't people packed closely together watching us, roofs included. Roma's resident legion kept the mob from getting into the path of the parade by forming a wall of men on the sides of the entire parade route. We turned right onto the Velabrum which as you know sits on the low ground between the Mons Palatinus (Palatine Hill) and the Mons Capitolinus (Capitoline Hill) slowly making our way towards the Circus Maximus (Stadium). It was swelteringly hot here because these two splendid hills hem in this minuscule valley between them so completely that they cause the air in the Velabrum to never move much except when a heavy storm comes in from the west. Here in the Velabrum we passed numerous insulae (apartment buildings) of multiple stories packed with people watching us from every possible nook and cranny. Especially noteworthy were the countless beautiful maidens just about falling out of their second and third floor balconies trying to get us to look in their direction. Some actually displayed their beautiful naked bosoms to us in a desperate attempt to get our attention. A note from one of these young ladies fell just in front of me. I did not make any attempt at picking it up, not just because I was marching in a Triumph and it would have been shameful to do so but also because to do so and responding to any of these women's invitations would inevitably end up in a marriage soon after. Abject servitude to her father, her family and his small family business which probably makes small cheap terra cotta oil lamps or something like that would then follow like rain follows dark clouds. Each and every day would be most likely be very dull and exactly like the one before it for the rest of my life. I would then also always have to endure the never ending disdain of her family. That I should be glad to be a part of her great family since I was just an ordinary legionary until I married her would always be at their lips. No thank you, when I settle down it will be on my terms, not via a cute little trollop's silken trap, no matter how stunning she may seem right now. There were many stores and artisan's workshops lining the first floors of these insulae. It was quite evident that the owners of the shops had recently repainted the front walls of their businesses and that their landlords had also recently repainted the surfaces of their insulae that where visible from this street in order to make a good impression on everyone attending this Triumph. This is Roma's oldest middle-class plebian merchant district and every one of theseinsulae had an open air courtyard at their center where there would be a nice garden and a small pool to cool thing off a bit for the residents of the insula, who all had balconies overlooking it. The higher the floor, the less expensive and smaller the apartment and consequently its balcony, the top floor apartments would only have windows overlooking it but they would have access to the roof where many had potted plant gardens to cool the air a little. After the Velabrum makes a right hand turn and gradually angles left we came to the western and official entrance to the Circus Maximus. We then entered the Circus Maximus to the roar of at least a quarter of a million souls in its stands, all frantically trying to outshout one another. We went through it exiting out the east side of it onto the Via Triumphalis (Way of Triumph, not to be confused with the Vicus Triumphalis or Street of Triumph just outside the city where the Triumph begins at the edges of the Campus Martius). This wide thoroughfare circumnavigates the eastern side of the Mons Palatinus (Palatine Hill) where most of Roma's true elite have their luxurious town houses and it eventually intercepts the Via Sacra at its northeastern boundary. All along the Via Triumphalis we pass the sumptuous homes of some of Roma's most prominent merchants, foreign and native as well the homes of Roma's noble wannabee classes of the Empire. These are primarily people who are wealthy enough to own a home here at the edge of Roma's most wealthy neighborhood but do not have enough clout to be able to purchase one on the actual Mons Palatinus. These Mansions on the hill are reserved for the truly powerful families of Roma. However, they could do much worse, they could be living in the squalor of an insula (apartment building) in the Subura, just northeast of here, where it stinks so dreadfully that dignified persons are forced to carry roses close to their noses when walking through it. This is something that typically only happens when they are forced to go there to collect their usurious rents. Whenever possible they send one of their most trusted house slaves to do this for them and these uppity slaves are the ones usually seen in the Subura with roses by their noses. You rarely if ever saw the palanquins of Patricians in the Subura, and then always surrounded by ex-gladiators employed as body guards for protection in this dangerous neighborhood. At the crossroads of the Via Triumphalis and the Via Sacra we came to the villainous Crossroads Tavern on our left. This is the home of the Brethren of the Crossroads Deity, Sokar, an obscure, minor fertility and death god imported from Egypt a century ago with a very small cultist following here in Roma, namely the Brotherhood of this Crossroads Tavern. The smell of stale wine and urine permeated this area. There were several commercial laundry shops in this vicinity which also made the stench of urine that much more palpable to one's nose. The one saving grace was that there was a large and popular bath house nearby. Laundry shops and Bath houses go well together, you just don't want to use the entrance to the bath house where the Laundry shops are clustered around. Whew, what a stench, worse than a Legion that has been on the march for over a month! This Crossroads Tavern is where we would eventually end up this evening for a bite of stale, two day old bread dipped in inexpensive olive oil, a few flagons of cheap wine, and a lot of awful singing. Of course, an unscrupulous gambler or two who reside there will undoubtedly try to cheat us out of as much of our silver denarii as they can before we head off upstairs to the brothel owned by the Brotherhood. This always happens to Legionaries after a Triumph, everyone knows we are carrying lots of money in our pouches. Believe it or not, this is one of the two chief reasons we will be going to this particular tavern, since these gamblers will try to ply us with the tavern's best wine at their expense in order to quickly get us as drunk as possible, therefore making us easy prey for cheating. They will be quite surprised that we know how to hold our liquor very well. We were stationed in Alexandria for many years! Now there's a drinking town if ever there was one. The other reason, which is just as important to us is because the Brotherhood owns the best, cleanest and most affordable brothel in Roma and there is only one way to receive access to it. You have to receive their permission. At this point in the parade route is where something quite unexpected happened. As I just wrote, the Brotherhood of the Crossroads Tavern owned the best bordello in the city. Consequently all their lovely employees were upstairs crowding the balconies overlooking the Via Triumphalis watching the parade go by. The bordello was housed in the same insula where the ground floor Crossroads Tavern was located. Indeed, the Brotherhood owned the whole insula on that auspicious corner. My friend Quintus Marcius Brutus was so taken with one of the young prostitutes who was busy advertising her beautiful asset to him that he didn't look where he was stepping and his caligaed right foot planted itself right in the middle of a surprise package just plopped there by one of the Arabians. It got worse, it made him slip and he went down right on top of it. For the rest of the Triumph we had to march next to Horse S**t Brutus as he has been so affectionately known to us ever since. Great Iupiter, he smelled ghastly for the rest of the Triumph. We then turned left onto the Via Sacra (Sacred Way). The Via Sacra is very much like the Via Triumphalis except that near its lower end close to the Forum Romanum we start to pass many official state buildings and temples. The first of these is the Temple of Iupiter Stator (Stayer of Army Retreats) on our left, then the Temple of Penates (The Public Penates) on our right as we approached the last couple of turns of the Via Sacra before it enters the Forum Romanum itself. All the temples have a fresh coat of paint on them and have festive garlands twining around all the columns in commemoration of this festive event. The colors of the temples and state buildings are of very bright reds, blues, greens, yellows and pretty much every color in the rainbow that is available in paint. All the statues and friezes are also brilliantly and realistically painted to look like what they depict. As we turned the corner we came across the gigantic Porticus Margaritaria first directly in front of us and then to our left as the Via Sacra turns right there. This is where the most expensive gem, jewelry, pearl, perfume and luxury shops in Roma rent space. Then again on our left as the Via Sacra turns again, this time to the left. For a short spell here it is actually called the ClivusSacer, after it turns to the northwest around the Porticus Margaritaria and starts to rise toward the Mons Capitolinus (Capitoline Hill). Later as the Via Sacra starts to truly climb the Mons Capitolinus after it leaves the Forum Romanum (Forum of Rome), it is again commonly referred to by a different name, this time the Clivus Capitolinus. Next, again on our left we came to the stately Domus (residence or home) of the Pontifex Maximus (head priest of the state religion of Rome) and attached to it, the domicile of the Vestal Virgins - the Atrium Vestae of the Domus Publicus (state owned or "public" residence) where all Wills are registered and deposited into their trust. This is also where the Eternal Flame of Roma is carefully tended by the Vestal Virgins. It is said that if this flame were to go out Roma itself is doomed. Across from these residences are the Domi Publici (state owned or "public" residences) of the three major Flamines (priests), the Flamen (priest) Dialis, Flamen Martialis and Flamen Quirinalis. Next to them we came upon the huge Basilica Aemilia which houses many commercial businesses as well as some publicly used spaces. It dwarfs the minute but beautiful Temple of Venus Cloacina (Temple for the Purifications of the Waters) in front and to its immediate left. We then came to the intersection of the wide thoroughfare called the Argiletum which ends at the Via Sacra. There, on our right just after the Argiletum we saw the rather large round Well of the Comitia and its Rostra where many a great oration has taken place. The Tribunes of the Plebs rule here and this is also where all the tribes of Rome meet to vote. The Forum Romanum is directly to our left as we passed the Well. It was so crowded today that it would have been impossible for any person to fall there. People were everywhere, on top of the temples, on every rooftop, at every window and balcony. Anywhere you looked there was someone crammed there watching the parade and yelling the same refrain at the top of their lungs: "Ave Titus." After passing the Forum Romanum, we started to climb up the Clivus Capitolinus as we passed the most ancient Temple of Saturn to our right which is also the Official Treasury of Roma and where the Via Sacra suddenly becomes the Clivus Capitolinus. Finally we arrived at the Temple of Iupiter Optimus Maximus at the very top of the Mons Capitolinus, also know as the Capitolium. We then stood in the smoldering heat of the midday sun and watched as Imperator Titus entered this immense temple. With the assistance of the Pontifex Maximus, the Flamen Victoriae (priest of the goddess Victoria or Victory) and many other Flamen (priests) of the Religio (official pagan religion of Rome) he offered the laurels of Victory to the gods Iupiter Optimus Maximus and Victoria. The sacrificial ceremony is simple and thankfully quick. As I stated, this ceremony takes only a few minutes and then to the roaring cheer of just about everyone in the city, as they exited the temple, the Triumph was finally over and everyone began their individual journeys back to their homes, inns, taverns or baths to freshen up for the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris which now commenced this very day and would last for several days. Many chariot races at the Circus Maximus, Plays, Gladiatorial and Venationes (animal fights) Ludi held in makeshift wooden amphitheaters throughout the city as well as in the Circus Maximus will be held in honor of this Triumph. In addition, lots of private parties filled with much eating, drinking and orgies will undoubtedly take place around the city from the most elite of high society to the lowest Subura type. Free bread is distributed to the poor and affluent alike throughout the city during this celebration so that none will be hungry on such a festive occasion. We headed back to our tents in the Campus Martius, after dousing Brutus with plenty of water at a public fountain. We then dispensed with all our armor and gear at our encampment. Brutus thankfully discarded his still stinky, soiled tunic and put another one on. I sat at my camp table and wrote this memoir of this day until it started to get dark. Now that I have written all this down in ink so that even my great, great grandchildren will be able to read of this, the greatest day of my life, I will join my friends and re- enter Roma for the celebrations. It feels good to be out of armor. Our tunics, belts with daggers and money pouches hanging from them are all we will need for the festivities of the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris which are now in progress. I would relate to you about our misadventures at the Ludi but that is another tale! Signed and dated on this date: ante diem XII Kal. SEXTILES DCCCXXIII a.u.c. (July 21, 823 a.u.c. / 70 c.e.), Vires et Honos, Marcus Cassius Philippus Miles Gregarius Legio Tertia (Legion III - Cyrenaica) Caesar's Conquerors _____________________ TRIUMPH LUDI VICTORIAE
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