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Contents ( 111)
  1. BY ADRIAN GOLDSWORTHY
  2. CONTENTS
  3. MAP
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. I
  6. In the hill country
  7. Nearer the Euphrates
  8. The same night
  9. II
  10. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana, Fifty-five miles east of Cyrrhus
  11. Fifteen days before the Kalends of March
  12. III
  13. On the training grounds outside Zeugma
  14. Fifth day before the Nones of March
  15. In the house of Simon the merchant, Nicopolis
  16. The next day
  17. IV
  18. The temporary camp of Legio VIIII Hispana
  19. V
  20. Outside Nicopolis
  21. Eleventh day before the Kalends of April
  22. Nicopolis
  23. The same day
  24. VI
  25. On the road to the crossing at Zeugma
  26. Tenth day before the Kalends of April
  27. VII
  28. Zeugma
  29. Seventh day before the Kalends of April
  30. VIII
  31. The camp of VIIII Hispana
  32. One day before the Nones of April
  33. Nicopolis
  34. The same day, late afternoon
  35. IX
  36. Outside Nicopolis
  37. Eighth Day before the Ides of April
  38. X
  39. Near Nicopolis
  40. A little later
  41. XI
  42. In the plain in front of Nicopolis
  43. The Ides of April
  44. Nicopolis
  45. The same night
  46. XII
  47. In front of Nicopolis
  48. Eighteenth day before the Kalends of May First day of the siege
  49. XIII
  50. Outside Nicopolis
  51. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of May Second day of the siege
  52. XIV
  53. Outside Nicopolis
  54. Fifteenth day before the Kalends of May The fourth day of the siege
  55. Nicopolis
  56. The sixth day of the siege
  57. XV
  58. Up country
  59. Thirteenth day before the Kalends of May The eighth day of the siege
  60. XVI
  61. Zeugma
  62. That same night
  63. XVII
  64. The siege lines outside Nicopolis
  65. Eleventh day before the Kalends of May The tenth day of the siege
  66. XVIII
  67. The large camp to the east of Nicopolis
  68. Tenth day before the Kalends of May The eleventh day of the siege
  69. Nicopolis
  70. Late on the fourteenth night of the siege
  71. XIX
  72. Before Nicopolis
  73. Fifth day before the Kalends of April Sixteenth day of the siege
  74. XX
  75. Outside Nicopolis
  76. The Kalends of May The twenty-first day of the siege
  77. XXI
  78. Before Nicopolis
  79. The day before the Nones of May The twenty-sixth day of the siege
  80. Nicopolis
  81. The next day The twenty-seventh day of the siege
  82. XXII
  83. North west of Nicopolis, some miles from the road
  84. Fifth day before the Ides of May The thirty-second day of the siege
  85. XXIII
  86. In front of Nicopolis
  87. The day before the Ides of May The thirty-fifth day of the siege
  88. XXIV
  89. Outside Nicopolis
  90. The Ides of May
  91. The thirty-sixth day of the siege
  92. XXV
  93. The breach in the western wall
  94. XXVI
  95. Outside Nicopolis
  96. Seventeenth day before the Kalends of June The thirty-seventh day of the siege
  97. The prison at Nicopolis
  98. Three days later
  99. The forty-first day of the siege
  100. XXVII
  101. The citadel at Nicopolis
  102. The last hours of the fourteenth day before the Kalends of June
  103. The forty-first day of the siege
  104. XXVIII
  105. Nicopolis
  106. The same night
  107. EPILOGUE
  108. The next morning
  109. HISTORICAL NOTE
  110. GLOSSARY
  111. CAST OF CHARACTERS

One-eyed Brennus was waiting for them. ‘Glad that’s over,’ he said.

‘You reckon?’ Vindex said and strode off. ‘I need a drink,’ he called back over his shoulder.

XIV

Outside Nicopolis

Fifteenth day before the Kalends of May
The fourth day of the siege

‘WE COULD CRUCIFY the little bugger,’ Caecilius suggested, ‘and the rest of them. Make a big show of it, setting up the posts in plain view and letting them watch. That’s not nice for anyone, especially the family and friends.’ His face was impassive, the tone the same as when he spoke of quantities of timber and how much a hundred men could be expected to build or dig in an hour. There was a hint of bitterness, but that was nothing unusual. The primus pilus always sounded more than a little sour, and gave the impression of absolute belief in his superiority over all those around him. On the whole, men of his rank had fairly good reason to think that way, and this was accepted as how the army was.

An hour after dawn, Arrian had once again asked to negotiate, and this time had taken along the young man Ferox had captured. His name was Heraclides, and he claimed that his father was a councillor and one of the leading and most popular men in the city.

‘He did his best,’ Arrian told the rest of the consilium. ‘Told them of our strength and how we really did not want to fight them at all, but wished friendship. He was more eloquent than I expected.’

‘Did not work though, did it?’ Caecilius spoke as if pointing out an error in a calculation.

‘Well, he does admit that he has three brothers, all older than he is. But…’ Arrian searched around the room for support. ‘But that only makes his loss less fatal. Even the father might not sacrifice his city for a younger son, that’s assuming that he has the influence to sway the rest.’ The tribune felt that logic was the best way to counter the suggestion.

‘I remember reading of Corbulo’s campaigns.’ Rufus’ confidence continued to blossom, and even Caecilius admitted that the young centurion was good at planning and calculation. ‘They came to a city and had to fight to get close, just like us. He ordered the heads cut off the enemy dead and shot them over the walls. One came through the roof at a meeting of the elders and turned out to be one of their sons. They surrendered straightaway.’

Arrian tried to lighten the mood. ‘Well, my dear fellow, if you can tell us precisely where the council of Nicopolis meets, the time of their meeting, and calculate the angle and force needed to strike such a target with precision… And frankly if you know all that, I would have to wonder whether you are a spy for the other side!’

Rufus stared down at his lap, blushing, but laughed with the others, and even Caecilius smiled.