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Venus In Copper
''Venus in Copper'' is a 1991 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the third book of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Rome during AD 71, just after the year of the four emperors, the novel stars Marcus Didius Falco, informer and imperial agent. The copper of the title refers to a simple copper signet ring featuring a portrait of Venus, worn by the suspect Severina Zotica. That Venus was the goddess of love hints at the motives for some of the murders perpetrated by the suspect: revenge out of unrequited love. Plot summary The story begins in Rome during late spring, AD 71. Falco is in the Latumiae Prison, accused by the spy Anacrites of having stolen lead ingots which were property of the State ( Shadows in Bronze). Bailed out by his mother, Falco is heading across the city to visit Helena Justina when he is beaten up by his landlord's bullyboys for defaulting on his rent—despite having been bailed out by none other than Helena Justina. Marcus d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lindsey Davis
Lindsey Davis (born 1949) is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire. She is a recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger award. Life and career Davis was born in Birmingham and after taking a degree in English literature at Oxford University ( Lady Margaret Hall), she became a civil servant for 13 years. When a romantic novel she had written was runner up for the 1985 ''Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize'', she decided to become a writer, at first writing romantic serials for the UK women's magazine ''Woman's Realm''. Her dedication of the book '' Rebels and Traitors'' (2009) reads: "For Richard / dearest and closest of friends / your favourite book / in memory", and the author's website relates: "I am still getting used to life without my dear Richard. For those of you who haven't seen this before, he died in October 008" The author says in her publisher's newsletter: "The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pincian Hill
The Pincian Hill (; it, Pincio ; la, Mons Pincius) is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical centre of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original boundaries of the ancient city of Rome, and was not one of the Seven hills of Rome, but it lies within the wall built by Roman Emperor Aurelian between 270 and 273. Villas and gardens Several important families in Ancient Rome had villas and gardens (''horti'') on the south-facing slopes in the late Roman Republic, including the Horti Lucullani (created by Lucullus), the Horti Sallustiani (created by the historian Sallust), the Horti Pompeiani, and the Horti Aciliorum. The hill came to be known in Roman times as ''Collis Hortorum'' (the "Hill of Gardens"). Its current name comes from the Pincii, one of the families that occupied it in the 4th century AD. Modern Rome The Pincio as seen today was laid out in 1809–14 by Giuseppe Valadier; the Fren ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Historical Novels
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other types of narrative, including theatre, opera, cinema, and television, as well as video games and graphic novels. An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period. Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments. The historical romance usually seeks to romanticize eras of the past. Some subgenres such as alternate history and historical fantasy insert intentionally ahistorical or speculative elements into a novel. Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1991 British Novels
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, making it the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century; MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I Treaty; A tropical cyclone strikes Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight 004 crashes after one of its thrust reversers activates during the flight; A United States-led coalition initiates Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 1991 So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poseidon's Gold
''Poseidon's Gold'' is a 1993 historical mystery crime novel by Lindsey Davis and the fifth installment of the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series. Set in Rome during AD 72, the novel stars Marcus Didius Falco, informer and imperial agent. The gold in the title refers to the treasure, taken by Falco's brother Festus for one of Festus' wild schemes and which now appears to have gone down with the ship, returning to ''Poseidon''. Plot summary In ''Poseidon's Gold'', Falco returns from a six-month mission to Germania Liberia, only to become embroiled in the after-effects of a scam by his now-deceased, older brother Festus. The story recounts shipping scams, crooked antiques auctions, and hired thugs, all while Falco is trying to clear his family's name and sort out Festus' business dealings. Characters in ''Poseidon's Gold'' Main characters * ''Decimus Camillus Verus'' - Senatorial father of Helena Justina. * ''Helena Justina'' - Daughter of the Senator Decimus Camillus Ver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tracey Wiles
Tracy Wiles (born c. 1970) is an English actress, who has worked on radio, stage and TV, and in film. She has appeared in '' McCallum'' (1997), ''Sea of Souls'' (2004), ''Doctors'' (2005-2023), ''The Line of Beauty'' (2006), ''Britz'' (2007), ''Holby City'' (2007–2017), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008), ''EastEnders'' (2011), ''Le Donne'' (2015), ''Manhunt'', ''Shetland'' and ''Top Boy'' (all 2019), and ''The Catch'' in 2023. Biography Wiles was born in Lincolnshire but raised on the Island of Islay. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 1995. Film appearances include ''Samaria Intrigo'', '' Wild Rose'', '' Bronson'', ''Swinging with the Finkels'' and the short film ''Awakening'', which won Best Drama at the New York Short Film Festival 2015. Her television work includes ''Shetland'', ''Top Boy'', ''Manhunt'', '' Outnumbered'', ''Law & Order'', ''Siblings'', ''EastEnders'', ''Holby City'', '' Ashes to Ashes'' and ''Britz''. She has won the Carleton Hobbs BBC ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anna Madeley
Anna Madeley (born 1 October 1976) is an English actress. She performed for three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in three off-West End productions. She has starred in productions on each of the main British television channels and has also worked in radio and film. Madeley has appeared as Kate Kendrick in ''Deadwater Fell'' and as Audrey Hall in the remake of '' All Creatures Great and Small''. Biography Madeley grew up in London, attending North London Collegiate School, and began her career as a child actress. She then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in its 2001–2002 and 2003–2004 seasons. She appeared in '' The Roman Actor'' opposite Sir Antony Sher. From 2003 to 2005, she was a regular cast member of ITV's ''The Royal'' in which she played Nurse Samantha Beaumont. In 2005, Madeley appeared in three off-West End productions (Laura Wade's ''Colder Than Here'', as well as '' Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anton Lesser
Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Minister Clement Attlee in ''A United Kingdom'' and as Chief Superintendent Bright in '' Endeavour''. Early life Born in Birmingham, Anton Lesser attended Moseley Grammar School and the University of Liverpool, where he read architecture. He then went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and on graduation in 1977 he was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year. He is of Jewish background. Career As an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Lesser played many of Shakespeare's great roles in the BBC Television Shakespeare productions including Troilus (''Troilus and Cressida''), Edgar (''King Lear''), Petruchio, Romeo, Henry Bolingbroke, Brutus (''Julius Caesar''), Leontes (''Winter's Tale'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roman Senate
The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC). It survived the overthrow of the Roman monarchy in 509 BC; the fall of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC; the division of the Roman Empire in AD 395; and the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476; Justinian's attempted reconquest of the west in the 6th century, and lasted well into the Eastern Roman Empire's history. During the days of the Roman Kingdom, most of the time the Senate was little more than an advisory council to the king, but it also elected new Roman kings. The last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, was overthrown following a coup d'état led by Lucius Junius Brutus, who founded the Roman Republic. During the early Republic, the Senate was politically weak, while the various executive magistr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort for high-rank political officials ( senators and procurators) and were bodyguards for the senior officers of the Roman legions. In 27 BC, after Rome's transition from republic to empire, the first emperor of Rome, Augustus, designated the Praetorians as his personal security escort. For three centuries, the guards of the Roman emperor were also known for their palace intrigues, by which influence upon imperial politics the Praetorians could overthrow an emperor and then proclaim his successor as the new ''caesar'' of Rome. In AD 312, Constantine the Great disbanded the and destroyed their barracks at the Castra Praetoria. In the Roman Republic In the period of the Roman Republic (509–27 BC) the Praetorian Guard originated as bodyguards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turbot
The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food fish. Turbot in the Black Sea have often been included in this species, but are now generally regarded as separate, the Black Sea turbot or kalkan (''S. maeoticus''). True turbot are not found in the Northwest Atlantic; the "turbot" of that region, which was involved in the so-called "Turbot War" between Canada and Spain, is the Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot (''Reinhardtius hippoglossoides''). Etymology The word comes from the Old French , which may be a derivative of the Latin ('spinning top') a possible reference to its shape. Another possible origin of the Old French word is from Old Swedish , from 'thorn' + 'stump, butt, flatfish', which may also be a reference to its shape (compare native English halibut). Ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolidation of the empire generated political stability and a vast Roman building program. Vespasian was the first emperor from an equestrian family and only rose later in his lifetime into the senatorial rank as the first member of his family to do so. Vespasian's renown came from his military success; he was legate of Legio II Augusta during the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 and subjugated Judaea during the Jewish rebellion of 66. While Vespasian besieged Jerusalem during the Jewish rebellion, emperor Nero committed suicide and plunged Rome into a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. After Galba and Otho perished in quick succession, Vitellius became emperor in Apri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
