All Roads lead to Rome... via the Celts

It's a Fantastic Friday for me!

I'm heading off for a quick trip tomorrow. My road will eventually lead to Rome, by way of Edinburgh, though I'm not quite intending to follow the exact route taken by the Ancient Romans who appear in my historical adventure novels.

Agricola- Wikimedia commons / Bath

In my Celtic Fervour Series Gnaeus Julius Agricola is mentioned as being superior to my character, Gaius Livanus Valerius, a tribune of the Legio XX.  The Taexali Game has Emperor Severus and son Caracalla as minor characters. Those real live Romans made their way to my part of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by way of the Roman roads that they laid down or on the rudimentary campaign trails that they also created all the way north in what for them was the island of Britannia. They all, probably, travelled the roads in reverse - except if they made use of the Roman Classis for part of their journey. Since the fleet played quite a role in the northern campaigns, I'm guessing it's possible that they may have used them in part.

Agricola returned to the Emperor Domitian in Rome after his campaign in north east Scotland and was awarded honours for his endeavours as Governor of Britannia, and for his part in the so called victory over the massed iron age tribes of the north at the 'Battle of Mons Graupius' (according to the writing of Tacitus).

There is no fabulous marble arch of Agricola for me to visit in Rome, since only an emperor got those structures, but there is the Arch of Severus for me to definitely visit and the Baths of Caracalla.

Arch of Severus -Wikimedia Commons

I can't say how excited I am to now go and see the ruins of what were absolutely magnificent buildings created at the time of the 'Romans' who are in my novels. Before I wrote my historical novels, I had a mild hankering to visit Rome but it never happened. Now I can't wait to see all of the splendours of Ancient Rome.

But first...before I even step on an aeroplane which will deposit me in Rome in a matter of 3 hours, I will be visiting another fabulous venue. I'm setting aside a few hours before I head off to Rome to visit the 'Celts' Exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. This is a spectacular event that I don't want to miss. My main sadness is that I won't be able to take any photographs at the exhibition (not allowed) but I'll work out something to remind me of what are the most exciting parts of the displays.

I'll not be on this blog for a while and I'll be having Facebook withdrawal symptoms since I don't intend to log on much - if at all! Updates to follow later...

Cheers,
Slainthe!