Domina Triumphans

Chapter 7: 46 AD, Rome, Lugdunum, and Antioch

Artorius closed the tablet containing Castillus' latest letter. Castillus had tripped over a brick border in his courtyard garden and fell. No bones were broken, but he was sore, scraped up, and shaken. Artorius pondered a reply. All three of them were old, and falls usually signalled a downhill spiral. What to do about their family's position in Gaul in the event Castillus could not continue his role weighed heavily on Artorius' mind. He knew the Emperor was positioning Artos to become Governor of Gallia Celtica. Artos had worked hard and deserved the honor. But Artorius knew Artos was too young yet, and had small children to raise. Antylla was pregnant again. What Artos would do if Rome's interests collided with those of Gaul and Britannia was anyone's guess. Or, yet, what might happen with a new Emperor. Claudius was no spring chicken. As Artorius puttered in Sejana's sitting room, Artorianus rushed in.

"Well, we're in the shit now," he said. "The Bitches tried to poison Artos and now they're blaming the servants."

Artorius knew what that meant. Claudius had received a windfall of enslaved captives from the Britannian campaign and many worked in the lower levels of his household. Recently captured, many barely knowing any Latin or Greek, most with no family, clan, or tribe to turn to, they were in mortal danger. Roman law allowed the crucifixion of all slaves in a household if there was a poisoning, and torture under interrogation as a prelude.

"So innocent people will die for that hag and that fiend and her minions?" Artorius snapped.

"Careful," Artorianus muttered.

Antonillus walked into the room.

"Someone tried to poison Father?"

"Yes, but we have a wider problem," Artorianus said. "She's blaming the servants, and in particular, the ones from Britannia."

"Shit!" Antonillus said.

"You got that right," Artorianus said.

....

Bolt threw down his stylus and pushed back his chair, pondering his latest problem. The Roman Army functioned in writing and arithmetic. Orders, rosters, service records, payment calculations, supply requisitions, disciplinaries and commendations, all were in writing. Quantities and costs were tracked to the last asarius. An army of clerks handled much of this process flow, but so, too, did the centurions, decurions, optii, and duplicarii, as well as the squad leaders. To command a century of 80 soldiers, and 20 orderlies, or a squadron of 30 men plus horses and support staff, a man needed to be a skilled soldier, and literate.

To join, men had to demonstrate some ability to read and write Latin or Greek, but recruiters were sloppy in whom they chose and how well they were vetted. Men were randomly assigned into legions and auxillia with the only distinction being some proof of citizenship, though often that was not checked, either. And, just because someone was a citizen did not guarantee literacy. Public education was available, but free schools were rare and of questionable quality, and not mandatory. Many people went through life with no schooling at all. Others struggled, learned nothing, and dropped out.

Antioch was one of the largest military bases in the Empire and now, decades after Mark Antony's tenure, Latins, Greeks, and even Syrians were in the minority. Celts, Germans, Illyrians, Spaniards, and Africans made up the bulk of each unit. Most spoke only basic Latin or Greek, and many were functionally illiterate. Men wishing to advance paid a private tutor or worked with a willing squad-mate to become more proficient in writing and math. In a base of this size, though, there were too many of them. Bolt had instituted night classes under Layla's direction. She asked for volunteers to act as teachers, Marcellus and Lucillus stepped forward, but they were now provisional cadets so Bolt put them to work teaching riding to younger soldiers. His most qualified teachers were Diana and now Urracca and Iotapa but women did not teach men.