AD244–249
Philip the Arab
AD249–251
Decius
AD251–253
Trebonianus Gallus
AD253
Aemilianus
AD253–
Valerian
AD253–
Gallienus
List of Characters
To avoid giving away any of the plot, characters usually are only described as first encountered in King of Kings.
Accius: Tribune commanding third cohort of Celts.
Acilius Glabrio (1): Gaius Acilius Glabrio, a young patrician, a member of the emperor’s consilium in Antioch in AD256, appointed commander of cavalry in the army of the Dux Ripae for the Circesium campaign.
Acilius Glabrio (2): Marcus Acilius Glabrio, brother of Gaius, was killed while Tribunus Laticlavius of Legio IIII Scythica, commander of the detachment of the Legion in Arete.
Adventus: Marcus Oclatinius Adventus, sometime head of the frumentarii, offered the throne on the death of Caracalla in AD217.
Aelius Spartianus: Tribune commanding Roman troops in Circesium.
Aemilianus: A senator, governor of Hispania Citerior, a persecutor of Christians.
Albinus: Prefect of Equites Tertii Catafractarii Palmirenorum.
Anamu: A synodiarch (caravan protector) and councillor of Arete.
Antistius: A slave of Aurelian.
Apollonius of Tyana: A philosopher/wonder worker of the first century AD.
Apollos: A Christian ‘heretic’.
Appian: Son of Aristides, a Christian.
Aratos: A fisherman from Pigeon Island near Ephesus.
Aulus Valerius Festus: A member of the Boule of Ephesus, a Roman equestrian and a Christian.
Aurelian (1): Lucius Domitius Aurelian, a Roman officer from the Danube, known as manu-ad-ferrum (‘hand-to-steel’).
Aurelian (2): Tribune of the Equites Singulares, known as ‘The Italian’ or ‘The Other Aurelian’.
Aurelius Dasius: Roman governor of province of Osrhoene.
Bagoas: The ‘Persian Boy’, at one time a slave owned by Ballista; he has claimed his name before enslavement was Hormizd.
Ballista: Marcus Clodius Ballista, originally named Dernhelm, son of Isangrim the Dux, warleader, of the Angles; a diplomatic hostage in the Roman empire, he has been granted Roman citizenship (AD238) and Equestrian status (AD245), having served in the Roman army in Africa, the far west, and on the Danube and Euphrates. When the novel starts he is returning from the city of Arete.
Bargas: Ballista’s standard bearer.
Basilides: A Christian ‘heretic’.
Bathshiba: Daughter of the late Iarhai, a synodiarch (caravan protector) of Arete.
Calgacus: A Caledonian slave originally owned by Isangrim; helped raise Ballista in Germania, and was sent with him into the Roman empire as a body servant.
Camillus: Tribune commanding Legio VI Gallicana.
Caracalla: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, known as Caracalla, Roman emperor AD198–217.
Castricius: A centurion in Legio IIII Scythica.
Cato: Marcus Porcius Cato, known as ‘Cato the Elder’ or ‘Cato the Censor’ (234–149BC), stern moralist of the Republican age.
Censorinus: Lucius Calpurnius Piso Censorinus, Princeps Peregrinorum, commander of the frumentarii.
Cledonius: Ab Admissionibus to Valerian.
Commius: A charioteer with the Blue faction.
Crassus: Marcus Licinius Crassus, Republican general who lead his army to disaster at Carrhae in 53BC.
Croesus: King of Lydia (c. 560–546BC), of proverbial wealth: ‘as rich as Croesus’.
Cupido: An ex-gladiator hired by Julia as a bodyguard.
Decius: Gaius Messius Quintus Decius, Roman emperor AD249–251, ordered first empire-wide persecution of Christians, died in battle against the Goths.
Demetrius: The ‘Greek Boy’, a slave purchased by Julia to serve as her husband Ballista’s secretary.
Dernhelm (1): Original name of Ballista.
Dernhelm (2): Lucius Clodius Dernhelm, second son of Ballista and Julia.
Diocles: A charioteer with the Green faction.
Domitian: Titus Flavius Domitian, Roman emperor AD81–96.
Eros: Greek slave, secretary to Aurelian.
Faraxen: Charismatic leader of a native revolt against Rome in North Africa.
Flavius Damianus: Scribe to the Demos of Ephesus, descendant of a famous Sophist of the same name.
Florianus: Marcus Annius Florianus, half-brother to Tacitus (2).
Fritigern: King of the Borani.
Gaius Valerius Festus: A member of the Boule of Ephesus, a Roman equestrian, brother of Aulus Valerius Festus, but not a Christian.
Gallerius Maximus: A senator, appointed governor of Africa Proconsularis, a persecutor of Christians.
Gallienus: Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus, declared joint Roman emperor by his father, the emperor Valerian, in AD253.
Gillo: A slave of Aurelian.
Haddudad: A mercenary captain who had served Iarhai, Bathshiba’s father.
Hannibal: A nickname given to a frumentarius from North Africa serving as a scribe on the staff of Ballista.
Heracleon: A Christian ‘heretic’.
Isangrim (1): Dux, warleader, of the Angles, father of Dernhelm/Ballista.
Isangrim (2): Marcus Clodius Isangrim, first son of Ballista and Julia.
Julia: Daughter of the Senator Gaius Julius Volcatius Gallicanus of Nemausus, wife of Ballista; also known as Paulla (‘little one’) to her family and Paullula to her husband.
Lappius: Decurion of Equites Primi Catafractarii Parthi.
Lucian: Writer and satirist of the second century AD.
Macrianus (1): Marcus Fulvius Macrianus ‘the Elder’ or ‘the Lame’; Comes Sacrarum Largitionum et Praefectus Annonae of Valerian.
Macrianus (2): Titus Fulvius Junius Macrianus ‘the Younger’; son of Macrianus (1).
Maeonius Astyanax: A senator, supporter of Macrianus.
Marcus Aurelius: Roman emperor AD161–180; author of philosophical reflections in Greek To Himself (often known as The Meditations).
Mariades: A member of the elite of Antioch who turned bandit before going over to the Sassanids.
Maximinus Thrax: Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus, Roman emperor AD235–238, known as ‘Thrax’ (The Thracian’) because of his lowly origins.
Maximus: Bodyguard to Ballista; originally a Hibernian warrior known as Muirtagh of the Long Road, sold to slave traders and trained as a boxer then gladiator before being purchased by Ballista.
Mucapor: A young Roman officer from the Danube, friend of Aurelian.
Musclosus: A charioteer with the Blue faction.
Nicomachus Julianus: Gaius Julius Nicomachus Julianus, a senator, Proconsular Governor of Asia.
Niger: Prefect of Equites Primi Catafractarii Parthii.
Odenathus: Septimius Odenathus, Lord of Palmyra/Tadmor, a client ruler of the Roman empire.
Piso Frugi: Gaius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, a senator and nobilis, supporter of Macrianus (1).
Plato: Famous Athenian philosopher (c. 429–347BC).
Pliny the Younger: Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (c. AD61–c.112), Roman senator and author; ten book of Letters and a Panegyric on the emperor Trajan survive.
Pomponius Bassus: Marcus Pomponius Bassus, elderly patrician.
Pupienus: Marcus Clodius Pupienus, Roman emperor AD238.
Romulus: Standard bearer to Ballista, died outside Arete.
Rutillius Rufus: Prefect of Legio III Felix.
Saloninus: Publius Cornelius Licinius Saloninus Valerianus, second son of Gallienus, made Caesar in AD258 on the death of his elder brother Valerian II.
Sandario: A young Roman officer from the Danube, friend of Aurelian.
Sasan: Founder
of the Sassanid house.
Scorpus: A charioteer with the Red faction.
Sejanus: Lucius Aelius Sejanus, praetorian prefect under the emperor Tiberius.
Shapur I: (or Sapor) Second Sassanid King of Kings, son of Ardashir I.
Successianus: Praetorian prefect under Valerian.
Suren: The Suren or the Lord Suren, a Parthian nobleman, the head of the house of Suren, vassal of Shapur.
Tacitus (1): Cornelius Tacitus (c.AD56–c.118), the greatest Latin historian.
Tacitus (2): Marcus Claudius Tacitus, Roman senator of third century AD (most likely) of Danubian origins; may have claimed kinship with or even descent from the famous historian, but this is unlikely to be true.
Teres: A charioteer with the White faction.
Thallus: A charioteer with the White faction.
Tiberius: Tiberius Julius, Roman emperor (AD14–37).
Titus (1): Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Roman emperor (AD79–81).
Titus (2): A trooper in Ballista’s Equites Singulares.
Turpio: Titus Flavius Turpio, Pilus Prior, First Centurion, of Cohors XX.
Valash: Prince, ‘the joy of Shapur’, a son of Shapur.
Valerian (1): Publius Licinius Valerianus, an elderly Italian Senator elevated to Roman emperor in AD253.
Valerian (2): Publius Cornelius Licinius Valerianus, eldest son of Gallienus, grandson of Valerian, made Caesar in AD256, dies in AD258.
Vardan: A captain serving under the Lord Suren.
Velenus: King of the Cardusii, a vassal of Shapur.
Verodes: Chief minister to Odenathus.
Videric: Son of Fritigern, King of the Borani.
Viridius: Prefect of numerus of Saracen archers in the army of the Dux Ripae.
Xenophon: Athenian soldier and writer (c.430–c.350BC); author of the Anabasis (March Up Country).
Zenobia: Wife of Odenathus of Palmyra.
Table of Contents
Cover
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Maps
The Outward Itineraries of Ballista
The City of Ephesus
The City of Antioch
Prologue: The Syrian Desert between the Euphrates River and the city of Palmyra (Autumn AD256)
Warrior of Rome: PART II: King of Kings
Dux Ripae (Autumn AD256–Spring AD257)
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
Vicarius Proconsularis (Summer AD258–Spring AD259)
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
Comes Augusti (Spring AD260)
XXIV
XXV
XXVI
XXVII
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI
Epilogue (Spring AD260)
Appendix
Historical Afterword
Thanks
Glossary
List of Roman Emperors of the time of King of Kings
List of Characters