by Liisa Eyerly
From atop Rome’s Palatine Hill, Roman rulers governed millions of people, from Britain to Egypt for nearly two thousand years. Crowning the famous hill stands the palace Domus Augustana. Power and wealth, control and opulence, radiated from every marble column and gilded hall. Designed to awe foreign ambassadors, military commanders, and senators alike, the palace proclaimed a single message: Rome had one ruler. It was not merely the emperor's home—it was the beating heart of an empire.
Gone are its elegant courtyards,
reflecting pools, audience halls, and lavish dining rooms. Its grand vaulted
chambers, stairways, and terraces that cascaded down the hillside are mere
skeletons, connected by crumbling colonnades and collapsed balconies. A relic
of one of the largest and most extravagant royal residences in the ancient
world.
- The public state palace (Domus Flavia)
- The private residence (Domus Augustana)
- The enormous garden-stadium
- Multiple courtyards, pools, fountains, reception
halls, dining rooms, and service areas.
Cassius Ahenobarbus, CC BY-SA 3.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
You can still see the
remains of sunken peristyle courtyards and the famous third peristyle, which
still preserves the footprint of its massive rectangular pool. Archaeologists
believe the pool occupied most of the courtyard and may have contained a small
island shrine, possibly dedicated to Minerva, Domitian's favorite goddess.
Despite its grandeur, the palace
witnessed one of Rome's most dramatic assassinations. In September of AD 96,
Emperor Domitian was lured into a private chamber by conspirators that included
palace officials and members of his household. Believing he was receiving
routine business, he instead found himself surrounded by assassins. After a
violent struggle, he was stabbed repeatedly and killed, an event
that launches Powers of Death, the third book in my Secrets of
Ephesus series. Domitian I, Sailko,
CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via
Wikimedia Commons,
building forums, temples, roads, aqueducts
chariot races, gladiatorial contests, beast hunts
military campaigns
excessive palace staff, extravagant court entertainment
religious festivals, imported luxuries
A flashpoint of criticism
came when he demolished many of the previous aristocratic houses to construct
his Domus Flavia and the Domus Augustana, the first true
imperial palace complex on the Palatine Hill. The palace dwarfed the homes of
earlier emperors such as Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero. Critics viewed
the vast palace complex as a symbol of monarchy rather than the unpretentious
leadership expected of a Roman princeps. His home asserted that
Domitian intended to rule as an absolute monarch. ([Wikipedia][1]) (Cassius Ahenobarbus, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsAugustus,)History invites an unsettling question: would Domitian have been assassinated
had his ambition and ego not driven him to create one of the largest and most
extravagant residential complexes in the Roman world—a sprawling monument of
marble, fountains, and gardens? Had Domitian been content with a more modest
residence, would his enemies have found fewer reasons to strike? We can never
know. But there is a certain irony that the emperor who built a palace the size
of seven modern football fields may have also constructed the perfect stage for
his own assassination.
Step into the shadowy streets of 96 AD Ephesus, where danger lurks around every
corner, and the line between friend and foe is razor-thin. Fortunes of
Death, plunges you into a world where faith is tested, alliances are
shattered, and one woman's courage could be the difference between life and
death.
Sabina, a fierce young Christian widow, is thrust into a deadly game when a
wealthy citizen is murdered. With her friend’s life hanging in the balance,
Sabina must unravel a web of lies, deceit, and hidden motives. Every clue she
uncovers brings her closer to the truth—and closer to becoming the next victim.
This isn't just a murder mystery. It's a gripping tale of faith, resilience, and the power of one woman standing against the darkness.
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Mystery, murder, and mayhem aren’t
your typical Christian themes—but why should secular authors have all the fun
solving crimes in ancient Rome? My love of history, scripture, and whodunits
led me to blend faith with intrigue, bringing the world of the early Christians
to life. Writing from my home in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I also draw
inspiration from my travels to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, where I’ve walked the
same streets my characters once did. Through historical mysteries, I explore a
time when faith was a matter of life and death—literally
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