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The Death of a Goth Girl
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It will later be numbered 362 AD, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Mamertinus and Nevitta. Flavius Claudius Julianus, known to us as Julian the Apostate, has been the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire for a year. Especially in the Western Empire, signs of decay were everywhere, though ignored or denied by most.

In Southern Gaul, there had settled a barbarian people known as Goths. The ancient legends traced their origin to southern Scandinavia. They crossed the Baltic in three ships under their king Berig to the south shore of the Baltic Sea, where they settled after defeating the Vandals and other Germanic peoples in that area. They later settled in what is now Romania until driven westward by the Huns. Entering the Roman Empire in Gaul, they were despised as ignorant barbarians by the cultured Romans. They had no rights in the Empire, and many were unjustly enslaved. One of those many unfortunates is the topic of this sad tale.

The daughter of an elder, a wise man of the local Goth tribe, Barbara had been raised with exceptional education for a Goth and an untameable spirit. At twenty-four, she had eschewed marriage to pursue the ancient knowledge of her people. Respected and not a little feared for her fiery spirit and temper, Barbara nevertheless counseled her people to work with the Romans and decrease their mutual enmity.
 
It was the middle of Augustus Mensis (August) and a sweltering hot day in the province of Gallia Narbonensis in southern Gaul. Barbara had been visiting a neighboring village, spreading her pleas for peace with Rome. Just after noon, she was walking back toward her home.
A squad of four Roman provincial soldiers and a mounted officer were returning to Baenartium, a suburb of the provincial capital, Narbo. As they ambled along, half-asleep in the steaming heat waves wafting in from the Mediterranean, the man on the horse saw Barb coming their way. As they approached, he observed that she was a very shapely young woman, wearing the traditional Sagum, a light, loose robe fastened around with a short spike made of bone. Obviously, a Goth, she was alone and vulnerable. The officer turned to his men told them to grab the girl.
 
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As provincial soldiers, the men were more local thugs and bullies than professional soldiers. They were accustomed to intimidating timid peasants and always having their way. To their surprise, it took all four of them to subdue this wild girl. Barb fought like a she-wolf, scratching and kicking and screaming Gothic curses. In the end, it was only by the officer coming up behind Barbara and knocking her out with the butt of his sword that ended her resistance. They tied her wrists tightly with a rope and tied the other end to a sapling. The officer ripped out the stay and opened her robe. The men all gasped at the pale skin of the brunette and her sexy figure. The officer ordered two men to hold her legs apart, and he approached her to be the first to savor her treasures.

As he grabbed hold of her full breasts, Barbara came to and screamed at the attack. Seeing him bringing his erection toward her groin, she cried out, “No, I’m a Virgo!”

The officer paused and laughed. He was used to whores claiming to be intacto to gain a higher price. But then he wondered at a strange Goth making the claim. He ordered the men to pulled her legs wide, and he bent down to examine the evidence. To his great surprise, her claim proved to be true. Her maidenhead was indeed, intacto.
 
The sexy girl beneath him was most tempting, but the officer was tempted more by money. He knew that Barb, as a virgin, would draw at least five times as high a price as she would if they raped her. He convinced the men of the advantage and they, reluctantly agreed.
He tied the end of the rope to one of the horns of his saddle and remounted. The four men took position at Barb's quarters, and the procession resumed the march to Baenartium.
Barb, still groggy from the blow to her head, staggered along as the rope forced her to keep up. Blood ran down the right side of her face to her neck from the sword blow. Her robe, without the fastener, gaped open in front to the jests of the men. The two behind picked willow branches along the way and used these on her back, butt, and legs to encourage her progress.

An hour later, Barb was covered in dust and sweat and almost delirious with thirst in the mid-afternoon heat. The officer called a brief halt, and the men filled their lagunculae (iron-copper alloy canteens) at a swift-flowing stream by the road. Barb looked pitifully to the men for a drink, but they just laughed at her. One took his laguncula and poured water over the top of her head, washing dust and blood over her face.

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Then the officer resumed the march. Just before the ninth hour (four in the afternoon), they entered the gate at Baenartium and turned on the high street to the house of Marcus Lycus, slave trader and pimp.
 
Lycus held himself out as a simple Mercator, a merchant, a trader in goods. Slave trading, though an everyday commercial activity, was regarded with distaste by cultured Romans. He examined this Goth girl closely. She was indeed a beauty and might draw a high price. He had the soldiers hold her open so he could confirm that she was a Virgo. Marcus estimated to himself that she might draw as much as 6,000 denarii from a wealthy buyer in Rome. However, here in Narbo, there was not so much wealth, and he guessed 2,500 would be a fair price. He made an offer of 800 denariii to the officer, his usual starting point at one-third. After some haggling, 950 denarii was agreed, yielding 150 to each soldier and 350 to the officer. For each, this represented a half-year's pay - a good return for an afternoon's work. They turned Barb over to Lycus, pocketed the money, and adjourned to a local tavern to celebrate.
 
Even dehydrated and exhausted by the forced march on a sweltering day, Barbara tried to protest her unjust treatment. Ignoring her, Marcus called his head eunuch and had Barb chained. He instructed that she be bathed and cleaned, and secured in one of the cells for the night. He sent a boy around Narbo, announcing that a particular slave auction would occur at the third hour the next day.
Barb was given some water and regained alertness as they herded her to the slave quarters within Lycus's house. Several large guards accompanied the eunuch and maids to assure she would be no trouble. Barb appealed to them that it was so unjust, unfair! She wasn't a slave. She had been kidnapped. Of course, none of her captors paid any attention to her protests. After she had been cleaned and dressed in just a slave loincloth, Barb was locked in a dark basement cell with some water and a small bowl of porridge.
Sleep was difficult for the unfortunate girl. The discomfort of her accommodation, along with her distress at her predicament, combined to keep her mind racing. In addition to fear and pain, anger welled up in Barb. It was so unjust that one could be kidnapped from the road and sold into slavery with no rights or appeal!
 
Even dehydrated and exhausted by the forced march on a sweltering day, Barbara tried to protest her unjust treatment. Ignoring her, Marcus called his head eunuch and had Barb chained. He instructed that she be bathed and cleaned, and secured in one of the cells for the night. He sent a boy around Narbo, announcing that a particular slave auction would occur at the third hour the next day.
Barb was given some water and regained alertness as they herded her to the slave quarters within Lycus's house. Several large guards accompanied the eunuch and maids to assure she would be no trouble. Barb appealed to them that it was so unjust, unfair! She wasn't a slave. She had been kidnapped. Of course, none of her captors paid any attention to her protests. After she had been cleaned and dressed in just a slave loincloth, Barb was locked in a dark basement cell with some water and a small bowl of porridge.
Sleep was difficult for the unfortunate girl. The discomfort of her accommodation, along with her distress at her predicament, combined to keep her mind racing. In addition to fear and pain, anger welled up in Barb. It was so unjust that one could be kidnapped from the road and sold into slavery with no rights or appeal!
Is the phrase "head eunuch" an oxymoron?

" Barbara tried to protest her unjust treatment ..." - I'll bet she did!
 
In the morning, the Goth slave was brought back to Marcus for inspection. Iron manacles bound her wrists behind and were joined by a heavy chain to her ankle fetters. Marcus was impressed by the sight of Barbara so bound and wearing only a brief loincloth. This slave girl would bring a good price.

As soon as she was brought before the slaver, Barbara began her complaints. Raising her voice to a near scream, she protested her treatment's unfairness and demanded her release. Marcus listened for a brief while with a smirk on his face. Then he nodded to the guard at her left. The man backhanded her across the mouth. The blow would have thrown her to the ground if the other guard hadn’t caught her. The two straightened the girl back up to face Marcus. A deep bruise was already forming over her lips and blood seeped from a cut on her upper lip.
 
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As soon as she was brought before the slaver, Barbara began her complaints. Raising her voice to a near scream, she protested her treatment's unfairness and demanded her release.
Way to go girl!!!! :clapping:


Marcus listened for a brief while with a smirk on his face. Then he nodded to the guard at her left. The man backhanded her across the mouth.

Ooops. That didn’t go as well as hoped. :confused:
 
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