Historical Accuracy of a Body in the Bath House

Historical Accuracy of A Body in the Bath House

Lindsay Davis' A Body in the Bath House tells the story of Marcus Didius Falco, a private detective, out to solve yet another mystery in a far away land. The best part of this story is creativity, suspense, and mystery in the plot of a detective story. The downside to this story as a historical fiction novel is that it is a mystery/thriller set in a historical context (Ancient Britain). All but two of the characters are completely fictional, and none of the plot is relevant to really anything in a historical sense. Emperor Vespasian, King Togidubnus, "Togi's" palace, and its surrounding areas are really the only true pieces of history that have anything to do with the novel.

Falco, a citizen of Rome and the protagonist, is only able to go to Britain because it has been invaded and parts of it conquered and controlled by the Romans. How did the Romans ever get to such a distant place, why would they want to go there? These are decent questions that have thorough answers.

First, as with most civilizations, especially fairly powerful ones, the Roman Empire was imperialistic, meaning that it had a policy of extending its rule or authority of the empire over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/imperialistic)

Second, Julius Caesar, who had been leading a Roman invasion into Western Europe, had encountered an uprising in Brittany (northwestern France). The natives were assisted in their rebellion by tribes from Southern Britain. Caesar recognized that he needed to subdue the tribes of Britain before they could create more problems. Two Roman legions, under the personal command of Julius Caesar, crossed the English Channel in a group of transport ships on the 26th of August, 55 BCE. Many more invasions followed, and within a century southern Britain was almost entirely conquered by the Romans. This reason, if not for pure imperialism, is why and the beginning of how the Roman Empire extended into Britain. (http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/roman/invasion.htm)

But how do we know this? It is through relics, artifacts, and even sometimes ancient structures that we learn of our remote past. Here is the story of one such structure that survived all the way from the Classical World, the Fishbourne Palace.

In 1960, a workman was laying a new water main at Fishbourne in Sussex when he unearthed some pottery. Realizing he may have found something significant, he reported the find to his superiors. In turn, they contacted the British Museum and an archaeological team began excavating the site. As they dug, a building began to surface. The more archeologists uncovered, the more they realized the structure was a huge building. After nine seasons of excavations they finally brought the remains of Fishbourne Palace to the surface. Researchers conclude that the site had developed from a military base at the time of the Roman invasion in 43 CE to a luxurious palace by the end of the first century. (http://www.sussexpast.co.uk/property/site.php?site_id=11)

In 43 CE the Romans, lead by Emperor Claudius, invaded Britain with a force of about 40,000 men at Fishbourne as it was called by the natives, Noviomagus Reginorum as it was called by the Romans, or Chichester Harbor as it is called today. Following the successful invasion, Claudius put Togidubnus (sometimes called Cogidubnus), a Romanized native and the leader of a friendly local tribe, into power as the ruler of a large part of central southern Britain. (http://www.chichester.gov.uk/Old_www/museum/tl3000.htm)

As the local king, Togidubnus had much power and wealth, and wanted to live like a king so he decided to build a palace at Fishbourne. This palace would become the greatest landmark of the region and the biggest single building ever found in Britain, covering an area the size of Buckingham Palace in London. This palace was no ordinary home; it had been built by someone who was obviously a person of authority. Even if Togidubnus was not the greatest king of ancient Britain, he certainly has lived on through his magnificent residence. (http://romans-in-britain.org.uk/arc_fishbourne_palace.htm)

That story tells how Roman Britain began, but there is also the story of how Roman Britain continued. For instance, who ruled over it in the following years?

Several soldiers served under Emperor Claudius in his invasion into Britain, including Titus Flavius Vespasianus. This man would eventually become Emperor Vespasian. Born in Reate, an area north of Rome, in the year 9 CE to an equestrian tax collector, he would accomplish great things in his life. (http://romans-in-britain.org.uk/mis_frame_page.htm)

Vespasian reigned from 69 to 79 CE,