and A. Cameron, vol. XII 2nd edn, Cambridge, 2005, 474-9). A rather more detailed introduction is J. Duchesne- Guillemin, 'Zoroastrian Religion', in E. Yarshater (ed.), The Cambridge History of Iran: volume 3(2): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods (Cambridge, 1983, 866-908).
While Zoroastrianism seems to have been rather more tolerant under Shapur I than is suggested here, the alert reader will have noted that the main characters' impressions of the religion are totally derived from the views of just one Persian, Bagoas, and Ballista comes to suspect that Bagoas is something of a fanatic. The Roman Day Based on profound knowledge of the classical sources, J. P. V. D. Balsdon, Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome (London, 1969, 17-81), is a superb guide to the ways the Romans thought about time and passed their days. There is no better introduction to Roman social life in general. Linguistic Problems Unlike English, Greek and Latin were inflected languages (i.e. the endings of words changed with their case or tense). After some thought and discussion I decided that to mirror this in this novel (e.g. Dominus changing to Domine, Dominum, etc., depending on its role in a sentence) would be a scholarly affectation which would irritate many English-speaking readers. The only exception to this is the plural (thus a siege engine, a ballista, becomes ballistae when there is more than one). Previous Historical Novels Any historical novelist who claims to have used only contemporary sources and modem scholarship is lying. All historical novelists read other historical novelists. In each novel in this series it is a joy to include homages to a few of those novelists whose work has greatly influenced me and given me a lot of pleasure.
The late Mary Renault should need no introduction. Bagoas is named after the hero of her novel The Persian Boy (London, 1972).
Mystifyingly, Cecelia Holland seems little read on this side of the Atlantic. Maximus's original name, Muirtagh of the Long Road, is a combination of two of her heroes, Muirtagh from The Kings in Winter (London, 1967) and Laeghaire of the Long Road from The Firedrake (London, 1965). Various Quotes The Anglo-Saxon poetry from his youth that comes into the mind of Ballista, of course, is Beowulf.The translation used here is that of Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Anglo-Saxon World (Woodbridge, 1982, 139).
The 'Persian poems' sung by Bagoas are (gloriously anachronistic) quatrains from Edward FitzGerald, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (ist edn, 1859).
When Acilius Glabrio and Demetrius quote sections of Ovid, The Art of Love, the translation is that of Peter Green in the Penguin Classics Ovid: The Erotic Poems (Harmondsworth, 1982).
The translation of the Iliad of Homer is that of Robert Fagles in the Penguin Classics (New York, 1990). Thanks As with all first novels, the list of people whom I have to thank is long. First, my family. My wife, Lisa, for looking after our sons, Tom and Jack, and keeping some normalcy and contemporary fun in our lives when I have been living so much in an imaginary version of the third century AD. My mother, Frances, and my aunt, Terry, for their wonderful faith in the idea and for taking on the roles of tireless unpaid publicity agents. Then, colleagues and friends: Maria Stamatopoulou at Lincoln College, Oxford, and John Eidinow at Greyfriars Hall and St Benets Hall, Oxford, for helping me find the time away from teaching to write the novel. All my students at Oxford – especially Vicky Buckley, Ed Maclennan and Mohan Rao, who managed to take excellent degrees, despite their tutorials often turning into extended discussions of historical fiction. Simon Swain of the University of Warwick for checking the Historical Afterword and the Glossary for any really awful mistakes. Anne Marie Drummond, Senior Tutor at Lincoln College, Oxford, and Michael Farley of Woodstock Marketing, for providing me with two ideal refuges in which to write the thing. All my friends in Woodstock for their encouragement – especially Jeremy Tinton. Last, but crucial, Jim Gill, my agent at United Agents, and Alex Clarke, my editor at Penguin – I could not hope to have a better team around me.
Harry Sidebottom Woodstock Glossary The definitions given here are geared to Fire in the East. If a word has several meanings only that or those relevant to this novel tend to be given.
Accensus: The secretary of a Roman governor or official. Adventus: An arrival; the formal ceremony of welcome of a Roman emperor or high official. Agger: Latin term for a siege ramp. Agora: Greek term for a marketplace and civic centre. Agrimensores: Roman land surveyors. Ahriman: In Zoroastrianism, the evil one, a demon, the lie, the devil. Alamanni: A confederation of German tribes. Angles: A north German tribe, living in the area of modern Denmark. Antoninianus, plural antoniniani: A Roman silver coin. Apodyterium: Changing room of a Roman bath. Archon: A magistrate in a Greek city; in the fictional city of Arete the annual chief magistrate. Auxiliary: A Roman regular soldier serving in a unit other than a legion. Bahram fires: The sacred fires of Zoroastrian religion. Ballista, plural ballistae: A torsion-powered artillery piece; some shot bolts, others stones. Ballistarius, plural ballistarii: A Roman artilleryman. Barbalissos: A town on the Euphrates, scene of a defeat of the Roman army in Syria by Shapur I, probably in AD252. Barbaricum: Latin term for where the barbarians live, i.e., outside the Roman empire; in some ways seen as the opposite of the world of humanitas, civilization. Barritus: German war-cry, adopted by the Roman army. Borani: A German tribe, one of the tribes that made up the confederation of the Goths, notorious for their piratical raids into the Aegean. Boukolos: A Greek official supervising the entry and exit into a town of herds of animals. Boule: The council of a Greek city, in the Roman period made up of the local men of wealth and influence. Bouleuterion: The council house in a Greek city. Bucinator: A Roman military musician. Caestus: Roman boxing glove, sometimes with metal spikes. Caldarium: The hot room of a Roman bath. Caledonia: Modem Scotland. Campus martius: Literally Field of Mars, a Roman parade ground. Cantabrian circle: A Roman cavalry manoeuvre. Caracallus: A northern hooded cloak. Carpi: A barbarian tribe on the Danube. Centuriation: Roman system of marking out land in squares or rectangles. Clibanarius, plural clibanarii: heavily armed cavalryman; possibly derived from 'baking oven'. Cingulum: A Roman military belt, one of the symbols that marked out a soldier. Coele Syria: Literally 'Hollow Syria', a Roman province. Cohors: A unit of Roman soldiers, usually about 500 men strong. Cohors XX Palmyrenorum Milliaria Equitata: A double-strength Roman auxiliary unit, consisting of about 1,000 men, part mounted, part infantry; historically part of the garrison of Dura-Europos; in Fire in the East part of the garrison of the city of Arete. Commilitiones: Latin term for 'fellow soldiers', often used by commanders wishing to emphasize their closeness to their troops. Concordia: Latin term of harmony, concord; in Fire in the East the name of a Roman warship. Conditum: Spiced wine, sometimes served warm before dinner. Consilium: A council, or body of advisors, of a Roman emperor, official or elite private person. Conticinium: The still time of the day, when the cocks have stopped crowing but men are usually still asleep. Contubernium: A group of ten soldiers who share a tent; by extension 'comradeship'. Curule: A chair adorned with ivory, the 'throne' that was one of the symbols of high Roman office. Cursus publicus: The imperial Roman posting service, whereby those with official passes, diplomata, would be given remounts. Denarius: A Roman silver coin. Dignitas: Important Roman concept which covers our idea of dignity but goes much further; famously, Julius Caesar claimed that his dignitas meant more to him than life itself. Diplomata: Official passes which allowed the bearer access to the cursus publicus. Disciplina: Discipline; Romans considered that they had this quality and others lacked it. Dominus: Lord, Master, Sir; a title of respect (Latin). Draco: Literally a snake or dragon; name given to a windsock-style military. standard shaped like a dragon. Dracontarius: A Roman standard-bearer who carried a draco. Drafsh-i-Kavyan: The battle standard of the Sassanid royal house. Dromedarii: Roman soldiers mounted on camels. Dux Ripae: The Commander, or Duke, of the Riverbanks; a Roman military officer in charge of the defences along the Euphrates river in the third century AD; historically based at Dura-Europos, in this novel based at Arete. Elagabalus: Patron god of the town of Emesa in Syria, a sun god, also name often given to one of his priests who became the Roman emperor formally known as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (AD218-222). Epotis: The 'ear timber' of a trireme projecting out from the side of the vessel just behind the ram. Equestrian: The second rank down in the Roman social pyramid, the elite order just below the Senators. Equites singulares: Cavalry bodyguards; in Rome one of the permanent units protecting the emperors; in the provinces ad hoc units set up by military commanders. Eupatrids: From the Greek, meaning the 'well-born', aristocrats. Exactor: The accountant in a Roman military unit. Familia: Latin term for family, and by extension the entire household including slaves. Franks: A confederation of German tribes. Frigidarium: Cold room of a Roman bath. Frumentarius, plural frumentarii: They were a military unit based on the Caelian Hill in Rome; the emperors' secret police; messengers, spies and assassins. Germania: The lands where the German tribes lived. Gladius: A Roman military short sword; generally superseded by the spatha by the mid-third century AD; also slang for 'penis'. Goths: A confederation of Germanic tribes. Harii: A German tribe, renowned night fighters. Haruspex, plural haruspices: A priest who divines the will of the gods; one would be part of the official staff of a Roman governor. Hibernia: Modern Ireland. Hyperboreans: Legendary race of men who lived in the far north,
