“Our lord, Gaius Julius Caesar, has defeated Pompey’s sons, Gnaus Pompeius and Sextus in Spain!” the newsreader declared. The crowds listened intently, including Marcus Scribonious Dulcitius — son of General Lucius Scribonius Dulcitius — who was looking forward to his father finally coming home from war. Marcus had gone everyday for the past year to get news about his father’s whereabouts. Everyday, he said a prayer at the Temple of Vesta in the Forum Boarium for Lucius’ health. After hearing the happy news, he would go to the Forum Boarium to with his slave, as usual, to see what things were needed at the house. He and his mother, Aurelia, wanted their house on the Palatine Hill to be organized and decorated in time for Lucius’ return.
Lucius often thought about what his wife and son would look like. How strong and well mannered Marcus would be and how beautiful Aurelia would be. He looked forward to sharing stories of victories, and more importantly, teaching Marcus to hunt and take up farming. Faustius Aemilus Galeo imagined something a bit grander than a simple life in the country. As an equestrian, Faustius looked forward to lavish dinners with his family and friends (despite the fact Titus would not be there), seeing many beautiful women, and walking around in a well-decorated litter and men at his command.
And that’s what his family was preparing for him after hearing the good news from the news reader. They believed their only son, a war hero of the republic, deserved to be treated like a Roman prince on the Capitoline Hill. While the Temple of Jupiter prepared to sacrifice a bull for the King of the Gods, Faustius’s parents were preparing their own personal feast of thanksgiving over their son’s heroism. They sent their male slaves to the Forum Boarium for the best meats while the female slaves cleaned the house tirelessly for this thanksgiving feast.
Caesar’s armies sailed back from Spain one legion at a time. Lucius and Faustius arrived near the end of March as both of their families prepared their homes for feasts in honor of Mars while Caesar watched many skills depicting his victory over Pompey and prepared his triumph. The houses of Dulcitius and Galeo were full of celebration. Many guests had arrived to both houses eating and drinking in honor of Mars. But Lucius and Faustius were not there. Instead, they were bound in rope in a slave caravan heading toward doom.
