Upon entering the villa, Marcus
requested his quickest slave Thesius to retrieve word of Caesar’s morning
proceedings in hopes of arranging a meeting. As he entered the villas atrium he
was pleased to see that the house slaves had performed the duties that were
asked of them prior to his departure to the market. Britannica had already begun
his sons schooling for the day within the villa and Felix had prepared a
breakfast. As a General in Caesar’s army, Marcus rarely had the luxury of
enjoying the equestrian lifestyle and his domus required little maintenance,
much of which was overseen by his wife. Because of this, he only owned three
slaves all of which were of Greek origin. Slaves came from many backgrounds and
their worth varied but Greek slaves were always highly demanded. Valuing their
education and loyalty Marcus never saw the need of acquiring more.
Perplexed by her husband’s early return
to the villa, Julia inquired of Marcus’s morning business and distressful
request to Thesius. Her question was answered with silence. Typically Marcus
would spend the morning socializing with fellow equestrians at a café within
the forum but the unusual morning stripped him of his usual social nature. As
Felix approached, Marcus disbanded his toga, exposing the tunic underneath and
handed it to him. Roman citizens wore the toga as a symbol of their class while
attending social events or conducting business within the city but in the villa
Marcus felt less obligated to be dressed for such occasions. As Julia entered
the triclinium she requested Felix to leave the room and attend to the garden. Felix
quickly acknowledged the request and left the two in privacy. With her
husband’s long periods of absence Julia maintained the villa and oversaw the
duties of the house slaves.
Breakfast was served with cheese, fruit,
bread and wine. As Marcus positioned himself on the sofa beside the table and
across from Julia he discarded the pair of soleae’s he wore to the market in
exchange for a more comfortable pair of sandals. His uneasiness was obvious.
Seeking his attention Julia began to inquire about the seating plans for the
dinner party they planned to host in the evening. Romans were extremely
conscious of their status and examined seating plans carefully to discover
their rank relative to the other guests. Despite the necessity, Marcus was
still lost in thought and awaiting Thesius’s return. It was not a day of political
meeting but Marcus was aware that Caesar had been known to hastily summon the
senate. He feared that if Caesar had not already been warned of the potential
danger than such an act could leave him vulnerable.
