AUTHOR’S NOTE

This work of historical fiction is based upon the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Josephus and Velleius Paterculus.

Thumelicus was born in Rome and was forced to become a gladiator. Tacitus says that he will tell us of his fate at the appropriate time; the fact he never does points to it being part of the missing text, either 30–31 or 37–47, thus giving me the freedom to have him still alive at the time of the story.

As a hostage in Rome, Arminius would, more than likely, have lived in Drusus’ house as it had been to him that Siegimeri had surrendered and given his pledge. Because of this I have felt free to have him be a part of the elite society of Rome and to be befriended by Lucius Caesar. Lucius’ excessive character is my fiction but not out of the question.

Arminius was given equestrian rank by Augustus.

Gaius Caesar did go on a mission to Parthia to conclude a treaty with Phraates V; there is nothing to suggest that Lucius went with him, although Sejanus did go as one of the tribunes. Phraates was the son of Musa, a hetaira who had been given, illegally, by Augustus to Phraates IV as part of his negotiations for the return of the Eagles lost at Carrhae. Josephus tells us that she married her son but that was too much for the Parthians and they were overthrown.

Lucius died in suspicious circumstances in Massalia in AD 2; Sejanus being a part of his entourage is my fiction. Gaius did die two years later forcing Augustus to recall Tiberius – coincidence?

Tiberius was planning a mass invasion of the Marcomanni in ad 6, planning to push all the way to Maroboden, modern-day Prague, when news of the Pannonian revolt came through. He spent the next couple of years suppressing the revolt and Arminius served with him as auxiliary cavalry prefect. Varus being present for the invasion of Bojohaemum was my fiction.

The Battle of the Teutoburg Wald I have based mainly on Cassius Dio’s account of the four-day fight, which happened pretty much as described. The tribes did join in, one by one, and there was a terrible downpour. With the fantastic work that Major Tony Clunn did to identify the site of the final day at the Teutoburg Pass, it’s now possible to walk much of the ground – and I highly recommend a trip to the museum if you are ever that way. Paterculus tells us of Eggius’ surrender, Vala’s flight with the cavalry and Caedicius holding out at Aliso.

Strabo is the only writer to preserve Thusnelda’s name although it is Tacitus who tells us that Arminius abducted her whilst she was engaged to another; that it was Adgandestrius is my fiction.

Tacitus gives us good accounts of Germanicus’ campaigns and I have based my narrative mainly on them. For those of you who wish to read more on the subject, I can recommend Rome's Greatest Defeat, by Adrian Murdoch.

Arminius and Flavus did have a conversation across the river before the Battle of Idistavisus and Flavus did end up losing his temper. Arminius was wounded before the final battle at the Angrivarii Ridge and that was blamed for his less than lustrous defence. Tiberius did recall Germanicus before the re-conquest was complete, ostensibly to celebrate his triumph but, more probably, because he was jealous of Germanicus’ success.

Arminius was killed by a kinsman; whether it was Flavus and Segestes we do not know but I felt that they seemed to be the appropriate two to do the deed.

Publius Gabinius did retrieve the Eagle of the Seventeenth in ad 41. To find out how he gets it you’ll just have to read Rome’s Fallen Eagle!

Although this is a stand-alone novel it is connected with Rome’s Fallen Eagle in that I conceived the idea for writing the story of Arminius’ life when Vespasian meets Thumelicus in that book. Both books therefore share a couple of chapters although they are told from different points of view, Thumelicus’ and Vespasian’s. I hope, dear reader, that you will forgive me for repeating myself.