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Praefectus's Shorter Subjects

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Marcus spoke as if lecturing a recalcitrant child, "You are a slave of the Divine Roman Empire, a piece of property. Property has no rights - no claims to fairness or justice. You will save yourself much pain if you learn that lesson now."

Despite being groggy from the first blow, Barb began to object. However, before two words were out of her mouth, the guard slammed his fist into her belly. With her arms held fixed, the blow had sufficient force to lift her hips off the ground. The poor girl retched and heaved as her stomach cramped.

Marcus continued as if nothing had happened. "What is your name, slave? And from where do you come?

Coughing and drooling, Barb stated her name and her origin in the Goth encampment to the North.

“Goth?” observed Marcus. "Are you pagan filth or Arian* heretics?”

Slowly regaining her breath, Barb replied with evident resentment. “We are Christians. We follow the teaching of the blessed Arius whose followers brought the faith to our people while we were still in Dacia**." Barbara’s knowledge of the history and customs of her people was extensive.

Marcus, like all western Romans, was a Catholic follower of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. As such, he despised the Arians as heretics.
“You heretic, barbarian Goths came to Gaul without invitation or permission. Today you will go on the auction block. Guards cover her with a robe and take her to the market square. The bello praeconem*** expects her. Barb was dragged away.

*After the Council of Nicea, thirty-seven years earlier, a split had emerged in the Christian Church over the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. The Western Church, under the Pope in Rome, held to the Trinitarian doctrine of Nicea. The East split between Trinitarians and a group following Arius, who argued that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were divine but under and created by God. Eventually, the Trinitarian view triumphed, and the followers of Arius went into exile. Many journeyed to the Gothic tribes to the North and converted them to Christianity in the "Arian" form. This was the faith they brought with them to Gaul. As a consequence, these North Germanic people were called Arians by the Romans.
This should not be confused with the term Aryan, which has a totally different origin and meaning.

** Dacia – the area of modern Romania and Moldovia.

*** bello praeconem -auctioneer.
 
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Marcus spoke as if lecturing a recalcitrant child, "You are a slave of the Divine Roman Empire, a piece of property. Property has no rights - no claims to fairness or justice. You will save yourself much pain if you learn that lesson now."

Despite being groggy from the first blow, Barb began to object. However, before two words were out of her mouth, the guard slammed his fist into her belly. With her arms held fixed, the blow had sufficient force to lift her hips off the ground. The poor girl retched and heaved as her stomach cramped.

Marcus continued as if nothing had happened. "What is your name, slave? And from where do you come?

Coughing and drooling, Barb stated her name and her origin in the Goth encampment to the North.

“Goth?” observed Marcus. "Are you pagan filth or Arian* heretics?”

Slowly regaining her breath, Barb replied with evident resentment. “We are Christians. We follow the teaching of the blessed Arius whose followers brought the faith to our people while we were still in Dacia**." Barbara’s knowledge of the history and customs of her people was extensive.

Marcus, like all western Romans, was a Catholic follower of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome.
As such, he despised the Arians as heretics.
“You heretic, barbarian Goths came to Gaul without invitation or permission. Today you will go on the auction block. Guards cover her with a robe and take her to the market square. The bello praeconem*** expects her. Barb was dragged away.

*After the Council of Nicea, thirty-seven years earlier, a split had emerged in the Christian Church over the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. The Western Church, under the Pope in Rome, held to the Trinitarian doctrine of Nicea. The East split between Trinitarians and a group following Arius, who argued that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were divine but under and created by God. Eventually, the Trinitarian view triumphed, and the followers of Arius went into exile. Many journeyed to the Gothic tribes to the North and converted them to Christianity in the "Arian" form. This was the faith they brought with them to Gaul. As a consequence, these North Germanic people were called Arians by the Romans.
This should not be confused with the term Aryan, which has a totally different origin and meaning.

** Dacia – the area of modern Romania and Moldovia.

*** bello praeconem -auctioneer.
PrPr's trademark belly punch and a wealth of ancient history - perfect!
 
“We are Christians. We follow the teaching of the blessed Arius whose followers brought the faith to our people while we were still in Dacia**."
There are times when making a statement like this, no matter how righteous and truthful it may be, is a really a dumb idea. :facepalm:
 
Septimus Silva, was the foremost bello praeconem, in Narbo. He always extracted top denarii from the bidders, especially when offering young female slaves. He knew how to tease and tempt the men, raising their lust while emptying their purses. When he saw Lycus’ guards bring Barbara, barely covered in an open-front robe, toward him, he knew he would be getting a princely sum for her (and his ten percent commission).

Septimus signed the transfer document and had his own men take charge of the Gothic beauty. Noticing her cut lip and bruised belly, he asked Lycus’s head guard. “She a defiant one, this Barbarian,” replied the guard. “Nothing but complaining.”

“I’ve handled that before,” Silva laughed. He ignored Barb’s questions and complaints and had the men chain her feet wide-spread on the turntable.

Septimus had been an early adapter of new technology. On his last trip to Rome, he had seen slaves, especially pretty girl-slaves, exhibited on a rotating platform to exposed every inch of their bodies to the drooling and helpless buyers. He had immediately ordered one for his business in Narbo. Barbara presented an excellent opportunity to introduce this means of display in his city.
 
Silva took the titulus that Marcus Lycus had prepared and had his man hang it around Barb's neck. This was most important. It listed her age, origin, health, character, intelligence, education, and other information pertinent to purchasers. Although the Romans coined the expression, Caveat Emptor (Let the buyer beware), law and custom forbid misrepresentation of a slave for sale. Slave dealing was overseen by the quaestor, a local fiscal official. The one in Narbo, Lucius Piso, was a hard-ass for honesty in slave sales. Because the Romans wanted to know exactly what they were buying, slaves were presented naked. The dealer was required to take a slave back within six months if the slave had defects that were not manifest at the sale or on the titulus.

Septimus noted that Barbara’s titulus was short with character, intelligence and education omitted. However, her properties included Virgo! Unusual in one her age, the auctioneer knew it would cause a significant increase in the bidding. Combined with her beautiful face and stunning figure, he knew he would be appealing to the lusty desires of his wealthy male customers. He also knew that he must insist on the winner inspecting and confirming that attribute before taking away his prize.
 
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Silva took the titulus that Marcus Lycus had prepared and had his man hang it around Barb's neck. This was most important. It listed her age, origin, health, character, intelligence, education, and other information pertinent to purchasers. Although the Romans coined the expression, Caveat Emptor (Let the buyer beware), law and custom forbid misrepresentation of a slave for sale. Slave dealing was overseen by the quaestor, a local fiscal official. The one in Narbo, Lucius Piso, was a hard-ass for honesty in slave sales. Because the Romans wanted to know exactly what they were buying, slaves were presented naked. The dealer was required to take a slave back within six months if the slave had defects that were not manifest at the sale or on the titulus.

Septimus noted that Barbara’s titulus was short with character, intelligence and education omitted. However, her properties included Virgo! Unusual in one her age, the auctioneer knew it would cause a significant increase in the bidding. Combined with her beautiful face and stunning figure, he knew he would be appealing to the lusty desires of his wealthy male customers. He also knew that he must insist on the winner inspecting and confirming that attribute before taking away his prize.
"Virgo!" ... surely that has to be simply a reference to her star sign :sisi1 ...
 
Silva had decided to present his new commission in a semi-private chamber of the mercatus (merchandise hall) on nundinae (lit. Ninth day, market day, the beginning of a kind of weekend for the Roman elite). This way, he would draw the largest number of well-heeled buyers in person and be able to screen out the lurkers who came only to leer and touch and not bid.

Next, Silva had the guards remove her robe and loincloth. With her legs chained wide and her arms chained behind her, Barbara's magnificent body was fully exposed. Silva did his inspection and was completely satisfied by the condition of this young woman and her 'special' asset. Throughout all the preparation, Barbara, in halting Latin, complained incessantly about the injustice of her fate and the rudeness of his inspection. Septimus was usually undisturbed by unruly slaves – he only needed to put up with them for a short time. But even he ran out of patience and gave a hard slap to her cheek.

“You talk too much, Goth slut. Keep that up, and your new owner might deal very harshly with you – very harshly indeed. You will encounter far more rough probing when the buyers arrive."

With that, he instructed the guards to add more chains to retrain her motion further and went, himself, to freshen up before the show.

Promptly at the fourth hour (10 AM), Silva had the guards open the outer curtain and allow the bidders to enter.
 
Silva had decided to present his new commission in a semi-private chamber of the mercatus (merchandise hall) on nundinae (lit. Ninth day, market day, the beginning of a kind of weekend for the Roman elite). This way, he would draw the largest number of well-heeled buyers in person and be able to screen out the lurkers who came only to leer and touch and not bid.

Next, Silva had the guards remove her robe and loincloth. With her legs chained wide and her arms chained behind her, Barbara's magnificent body was fully exposed. Silva did his inspection and was completely satisfied by the condition of this young woman and her 'special' asset. Throughout all the preparation, Barbara, in halting Latin, complained incessantly about the injustice of her fate and the rudeness of his inspection. Septimus was usually undisturbed by unruly slaves – he only needed to put up with them for a short time. But even he ran out of patience and gave a hard slap to her cheek.

“You talk too much, Goth slut. Keep that up, and your new owner might deal very harshly with you – very harshly indeed. You will encounter far more rough probing when the buyers arrive."

With that, he instructed the guards to add more chains to retrain her motion further and went, himself, to freshen up before the show.

Promptly at the fourth hour (10 AM), Silva had the guards open the outer curtain and allow the bidders to enter.
"... With her legs chained wide and her arms chained behind her, Barbara's magnificent body was fully exposed ..." - So hot!

The Slave Block.jpg
 
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