Etruscan towers
The Sestius family were associated with the town of Cosa through the number of amphorae discovered in the area, all with the family stamp. At the time of my Sestius family, Cosa was going through a decline, with rich owners investing in business-like villa estates out in the countryside and the great archaeologist Andrea Carandini […]
The real Lucius Sestius
I came across the Sestius family when I read Cicero’s speech defending Publius Sestius on charges of political violence. In the middle of the speech, delivered in 56 BCE, Cicero points out that the teenage son of the defendant, the defendant’s daughter and even his aged father-in-law are there in court. Roman lawyers would use […]
Sulpicia
Love has come at last!
I’m not going to be shy – yell it out!
My Muses begged the goddess and she dropped him into my lap.
Venus kept her promise. She tells my joy to anyone who doesn’t believe.
No messenger for this poem – the boy will be the first to read it.
Being a bad girl is fun! Reputation? Hah!
I’m his, he’s mine, all I need anyone to know
The Coin
This arose out of another Qatar National Library Writing Circle challenge: to write a story about an object. For a long time, I have wanted to write about the silver denarius minted by Lucius Sestius Quirinalis in Asia, and last year we were fortunate enough to track down a beautiful example of this coin. Minted […]
Christmas pearls
I was very happy when the Qatar National Library published my short story “The Pearl of Catara” on their blog yesterday! For Qatar National Day, the Library had asked people to write stories celebrating Qatar’s milestones, and this story was inspired by the appearance of Qatar in maps. https://www.qnl.qa/en/blogs/12430 In the Library’s specialist Heritage Library […]
The Ara Pacis
I’m thinking of how to end the Lucius Sestius trilogy at the moment, and I’ve decided to make him one of the sculptures on the Ara Pacis which has always been one of my favourites. I first saw it before it had its facelist and transferral to the lovely museum created for it which you […]
The Pearl of Catara
Day 3 of NaNoWriMo and we need to celebrate! Here is a story I wrote in response to a challenge from Qatar National Library – to write something celebrating Qatar’s milestones. In this story, I imagine something making it all the way from Qatar to Rome for the first time, and ending up being bought […]
Caesarion
This post is available as a podcast One of the saddest stories I’ve come across in my research for The Third Daughter is that of Caesarion, Cleopatra’s son by Julius Caesar. Born in 47 BCE, and killed in 30 BCE, this young man had no time at all to make a mark on life: there […]
Poetry success!
Third prize in the Virtual Writers’ poem-a-day competition! Go to this website to read “Mariam on Umrah” https://www.virtualwriters.org/poem-a-day-contest-winners-2020/
The Cushion Shop
Now that the first draft of The Third Daughter has been – more or less – hammered out, I’m experimenting a little. I look for images from the ancient world which depict everyday activities and use them to improve my descriptions of Junia Tertia’s childhood and upbringing. I am indebted here to websites like the […]
