Killing
the Hydra – Eagles and Dragons Book II has been
unleashed!
In honour of the occasion, I’m going to be
writing a series of posts called ‘The World of Killing the Hydra’.
As I did with Children of Apollo, this blog series will take a look at many of
the people and places that the series protagonist, Lucius Metellus Anguis,
encounters throughout his journey.
So, let’s step back in time to the early 3rd
century A.D., and explore the first place Lucius comes to in Book II.
The ruins of Leptis Magna are located at
what is now Khoms, a site by the Mediterranean Sea at the northwestern corner
of Libya. As a Roman city and archaeological site, it is not really familiar to
the average person. Mainly academics have studied it, and excavated its wealth
of cultural treasures.
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| Aerial view of the site |
It was founded around 1000 B.C. by Berbers
and Phoenicians. Later, Carthage held sway over the polis until that great
civilization finally succumbed to the Roman war machine at the end of the Third
Punic War in 146 B.C.
It was during the reign of Emperor Tiberius
(A.D. 14-37) that the city was officially incorporated into the Empire’s
province of Africa Proconsularis. In A.D. 110, the Emperor Trajan (reigned c.
A.D. 98-117) made Leptis Magna a colonia,
an official settlement for retired men of the Legions and Roman citizens. From
then on, the city experienced a period of growth and success, making it the
third largest city of Roman North Africa after Carthage and Alexandria.
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| The theatre and surrounds |
It had a theatre that was built during the
reign of Augustus (27 B.C. – A.D. 14), and one of the most flourishing North
African markets of its day. In Leptis Magna, you could buy slaves, exotic
animals, olive oil from the rich estates that surrounded the city, garum
(Romans’ favourite fish sauce), salted fish, ivory, precious gems, spices, etc.
etc. etc.
There was also a forum, the heart of every
city, which had a curia, a basilica, a Temple of Liber Pater, a Temple of Hercules,
and a Temple of Rome and Augustus.
Finally, what’s a Roman city without a bath
complex? In A.D. 126, on his tour of the Empire, Emperor Hadrian had a huge
bath complex with a palaestra
(exercise field or hall) built for the city. It certainly seemed like the
emperors paid attention to this hot, wind-kissed settlement on the south side
of the Middle Sea.
 |
| Emperor Septimius Severus |
But the real heyday for Leptis Magna came
when her own favoured son, Lucius Septimius Severus, became Emperor (reigned
A.D. 193-211). It was through this half-Punic (Carthaginian), and half-Roman
ruler that the city truly felt the warmth of the sun on its face.
You can read more about the Severus and his
family HERE.
Septimius Severus did what most rulers will
do for their favourite cities – he gave it infrastructure, and he gave it
beauty. Give a city these two things and it will attract population, trade, and
the Empire’s attention.
Around A.D. 203 the imperial family and
court descended on Leptis Magna; the Emperor had returned home and there were
festivals, banquets, and the unveiling or dedication of monuments.
 |
| Severan Basilica |
The ruins that have been uncovered in
Leptis Magna reveal an ancient city that was wealthy, efficient, and enjoying
the good life.
Among the things that Severus built in
Leptis Magna were a new harbour and docks, complete with a lighthouse,
warehouses and a Temple of Jupiter. For a city involved heavily in trade, this
was a big bonus.
Leading from the docks to the nymphaeum (a monument, spring, or
fountain dedicated to the Nymphs), Severus ordered the building of a long
colonnaded street that was sixty-five feet wide.
 |
| Medusa Head from Forum |
He added many new public buildings too,
including a large basilica which was decorated with red granite columns with
white marble capitals. And even though Leptis Magna already possessed a forum,
Severus built a new one that was graced with the enormous Medusa heads that
remain to this day.
One of the most interesting pieces of new
architecture that appeared in the city during Severus’ reign was the four-sided
Arch of Severus. Its design was something new, the friezes and political and
religious scenes displaying an artistic style that had not been seen before.
It must have felt like a true ‘Golden Age’
to the citizens of Leptis Magna.
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| Four-sided Arch of Severus |
You can imagine the palpable excitement
among the people in the streets as the Emperor, Empress and their sons
disembarked from their ship in the harbour and processed to their palace. The
entourage would have been enormous, as well as the force of Praetorians who
would have followed the Emperor. After all, Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, Prefect
of the Praetorian Guard, was also a son of Leptis Magna.
It is in the midst of all this excitement,
among all these powerful and wealthy people, that Lucius Metellus Anguis’
journey in Killing the Hydra begins.
There is a lot going on in the world, and
many dangers lurking in the shadows about Lucius.
He will have to tread very carefully
indeed…
Thank you for
reading!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killing
the Hydra is now available!
If you’ve read Book I in the series and are
now ready to move on to Book II, now is your chance.
Eagles and Dragons Publishing is running a
special launch promotion until March 17th, 2014.
You can get Killing the Hydra for a discounted price at the following places:
Amazon (paperback and e-book for Kindle)
As ever, if you read and enjoy Killing the Hydra (or Children of Apollo) I’d appreciate it if
you left a short review wherever you purchased the book. These reviews are
incredibly useful in helping new readers to find the series.
Thanks again, and if you have any questions
at all, just contact me!
In the meantime, here are a few more stunning photos of the magnificent artwork discovered at Leptis Magna:
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| Libyan and Italian archaeologists excavating a superb mosaic (National Geographic) |
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| An magnificent array of more Leptis Magna mosaics |
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| Site map of Leptis Magna ruins (Wikimedia Commons) |
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