Anen—Friend of Arthur Flinders-Petrie, high priest of the temple of Amun in Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty.
Archelaeus Burleigh, Earl of Sutherland—Nemesis of Flinders-Petrie, Cosimo, Kit, and all right-thinking people.
Arthur Flinders-Petrie—Also known as The Man Who Is Map, patriarch of his line. Begat Benedict, who begat Charles, who begat Douglas.
Friar Roger Bacon—The early philosopher, scientist, and theologian of Oxford in the mid-1200s; he has been called Doctor Mirabilis for his wonderful teaching.
Balthazar Bazalgette—The Lord High Alchemist at the court of Rudolf II in Prague, friend and confidant of Wilhelmina.
Benedict Flinders-Petrie—The son of Arthur and Xian-Li and father of Charles.
Brendan Hanno—Attached to the Zetetic Society in Damascus, an advisor to ley travellers.
Burley Men—Con, Dex, Mal, and Tav. Lord Burleigh’s henchmen. They keep a Stone Age cat called Baby.
Cassandra Clarke—A post-graduate palaeontologist who accidently gets caught up in the quest for the Skin Map.
Charles Flinders-Petrie—Son of Benedict and father of Douglas, he is grandson of Arthur.
Cosimo Christopher Livingstone, the Elder, aka Cosimo—A Victorian gentleman and founding member of the Zetetic Society, which seeks to reunite the Skin Map and learn its secrets.
Cosimo Christopher Livingstone, the Younger, aka Kit—Cosimo’s great-grandson.
Douglas Flinders-Petrie—Son of Charles and great-grandson of Arthur; he is quietly pursuing his own search for the Skin Map, one piece of which is in his possession.
Emperor Rudolf II—King of Bohemia and Hungary, Archduke of Austria, and King of the Romans, he is also known as the Holy Roman Emperor and is quite mad.
Engelbert Stiffelbeam—A baker from Rosenheim in Germany, affectionately known as Etzel.
En-Ul—Elder statesman of River City Clan.
Giambattista Becarria, Fra Becarria, aka Brother Lazarus—A priest astronomer at the abbey observatory on Montserrat, and Mina’s mentor.
Gianni—See Giambattista Becarria, above.
Giles Standfast—Sir Henry Fayth’s coachman, Kit’s ally, and erstwhile servant of Lady Fayth.
Gustavus Rosenkreuz—Chief assistant to the Lord High Alchemist and Wilhelmina’s ally.
Lady Haven Fayth—Sir Henry’s headstrong and mercurial niece.
Sir Henry Fayth, Lord Castlemain—Member of the Royal Society, staunch friend and ally of Cosimo, and Haven’s uncle.
Jakub Arnostovi—Wilhelmina’s wealthy and influential landlord and business partner.
J. Anthony Clarke III, aka Tony—Renowned astrophysicist and Nobel nominee, he is Cassandra’s concerned and protective father.
Rosemary Peelstick—Zetetic Society host, colleague of Brendan Hanno.
Snipe—Feral child and malignant aide to Douglas Flinders-Petrie.
Turms—A king of Etruria, one of the Immortals, and a friend of Arthur’s; he oversees the birth of Benedict Flinders-Petrie when Xian-Li’s pregnancy becomes problematic.
Wilhelmina Klug, aka Mina—Formerly a London baker and Kit’s girlfriend, she owns Prague’s Grand Imperial Kaffeehaus with Etzel.
Xian-Li—Wife of Arthur Flinders-Petrie and mother of Benedict. Daughter of the tattooist Wu Chen Hu of Macao.
Dr. Thomas Young—Physician, scientist, and certified polymath with a keen interest in ancient Egypt, he is also referred to as The Last Man in the World to Know Everything.