The Iron Hand of Mars
Encyclopedia
Plot introduction
Set in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Germania
Germania
Germania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
during AD 71, The Iron Hand of Mars stars Marcus Didius Falco
Marcus Didius Falco
Marcus Didius Falco is the central character and narrator in a series of novels by Lindsey Davis. Using the concepts of modern detective stories , Davis portrays the world of the Roman Empire under Vespasian...
, Informer and Imperial Agent. It is the fourth in her Falco
Marcus Didius Falco
Marcus Didius Falco is the central character and narrator in a series of novels by Lindsey Davis. Using the concepts of modern detective stories , Davis portrays the world of the Roman Empire under Vespasian...
series.
Explanation of the novel's title
The title refers to the standard, shaped like a giant hand made of iron, which Falco is required to deliver to the imperial legions in Germany.Plot summary
In The Iron Hand of Mars, Falco is sent to GermaniaGermania
Germania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
Liberi in the aftermath of a rebellion. He is dispatched by Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
to deliver a new standard, give a report on the Legio XIV Gemina
Legio XIV Gemina
Legio quarta decima Gemina was a legion of the Roman Empire, levied by Julius Caesar in late 58 B.C. The cognomen Gemina suggests that the legion resulted from fusion of two previous ones, one of them being the Fourteenth legion that fought in the Battle of Alesia, the other being the Martia ...
, and to discover what happened to their Legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
. He also searches for the rebel leader Julius Civilis.
In Rome
- Arria Silvia - Wife of Petronius Longus (friend of Falco's)
- Balbillus - Ex-legionary
- Canidius - A clerk of censored archives
- Decimus Camillus Verus - Senatorial father of Helena Justina.
- Helena Justina - Daughter of the Senator Decimus Camillus Verus
- Marcus Didius Falco - Informer and Imperial Agent from the Aventine.
- Titus Caesar - Eldest son of the Emperor.
- Xanthus - Barber
- Vespasian Augustus - Emperor of Rome.
In Germany
- Arminia - Friend of Augustinilla
- Augustinilla - Falco's niece
- Dubnus - Pedlar
- Julius Mordanticus - Potter
- Regina - Barmaid at the Medua
Belonging to the Fourteenth Legion
- A Macrinus - Senior Tribune
- Cornicularis - Commissariat Clerk
- Florius Gracilis - Legate, missing.
- Julia Fortunata - Mistress of Florius.
- Maenia Priscilla - Wife of Florius.
- Primipilus - Chief Centurion
- Rusticus - Slave, missing.
- S. Juvenalis - Camp Prefect
Belonging to the First Legion
- Dama - Centurion
- Lentullus - Recruit
- Q. Camillis Justinus Helveticus - Brother of Helena Justina, Tribune.
Major themes
- Investigation into the disappearance of an imperial legate and the whereabouts of a rebel leader.
- Developing relationship of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina.
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
- Set in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and GermaniaGermaniaGermania was the Greek and Roman geographical term for the geographical regions inhabited by mainly by peoples considered to be Germani. It was most often used to refer especially to the east of the Rhine and north of the Danube...
in AD 71, during the reign of Emperor VespasianVespasianVespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
. The story takes place in the aftermath of a real rebellionBatavian rebellionThe Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between 69 and 70 AD. It was an uprising against Roman rule by the Batavians and other tribes in the province and in Gaul...
by the BataviansBataviansThe Batavi were an ancient Germanic tribe, originally part of the Chatti, reported by Tacitus to have lived around the Rhine delta, in the area that is currently the Netherlands, "an uninhabited district on the extremity of the coast of Gaul, and also of a neighbouring island, surrounded by the...
and other Germanic tribes in AD 69-70. This is described by TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
in his HistoriesHistories (Tacitus)Histories is a book by Tacitus, written c. 100–110, which covers the Year of Four Emperors following the downfall of Nero, the rise of Vespasian, and the rule of the Flavian Dynasty up to the death of Domitian.thumb|180px|Tacitus...
. However, much of this Tacitus' work has been lost and the Histories breaks off in the middle of the Batavian rebellion.
Release details
- 1992, UK, Hutchinson, Hardback (out of print)
- 1993, UK, Arrow, Paperback ISBN 0-09-920091-0
- 1994, US, Crown/Ballantine ISBN 0-345-38024-X
- 1999, UK, Arrow, Paperback ISBN 0-7126-8018-7 (as part of single-volume omnibus edition, Falco on his Metal, with Venus in CopperVenus in Copper-Plot introduction:Set in Rome during August and September of AD 71, Venus in Copper stars Marcus Didius Falco, Informer and Imperial Agent.-Explanation of the novel's title:...
and Poseidon's GoldPoseidon's Gold- Plot introduction :Set in Rome during AD 72, Poseidon's Gold stars Marcus Didius Falco, Informer and Imperial Agent. It is the fifth in her Falco series.- Explanation of the novel's title :...
)
Film, TV, Radio or theatrical adaptations
- BBC Radio 4 starring Anton LesserAnton LesserAnton Lesser is a British actor. He attended Moseley Grammar School and the University of Liverpool before going to RADA in 1977 where he was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year....
and Anna MadeleyAnna MadeleyAnna Madeley is a British actress. She has been described by the British Theatre Guide's Philip Fisher as one of the United Kingdom's "brightest and most versatile young actresses".-Biography:...
, first broadcast from 6 April 2007 in 6 parts.