MARS

22 August. Two days before the eruption

CONTICINIUM [04:21 hours]

A strong correlation has been found between the magnitude of eruptions and the length of the preceding interval of repose. Almost all very large, historic eruptions have come from volcanoes that have been dormant for centuries.
- Jacques-Marie Bardintzeff, Alexander R. McBirney, Volcanology (Second Edition)

They left the aqueduct two hours before dawn, climbing by moonlight into the hills overlooking the port—six men in single file, the engineer leading. He had turfed them out of their beds himself—all stiff limbs and sullen, bleary faces—and now he could hear them complaining about him behind his back, their voices carrying louder than they realized in the warm, still air.

"A fool's errand," somebody muttered.

"Boys should stick to their books," said another.

He lengthened his stride.

Let them prattle, he thought.

Already he could feel the heat of the morning beginning ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. 'It struck me that Rome might be a way to write about America' —Robert Harris Robert Harris had initially set out to write about a utopia gone wrong, set in the future and created by a giant American corporation, he even originally researched the Walt Disney 'empire'. Do you think the Roman Empire is an interesting way to write about a modern day superpower? What are the similarities with current global events?
   


2. There is a current vogue in film (Gladiator, Troy, Alexander the Great) as well as books for classical themes — why do you think this is? What are the parallels with our society?
   


3. Harris has referred to 'toga resistance' because so much about the Romans — their habits, assumptions, they way they...