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Article: My Roman thriller; WE LUNCHED WHERE CAESAR WAS KNIFED.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- November 20, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: ROBERT HARRIS
Gangster Caesars, execution vaults, doomed virgins - and all the pizza you can eat . . . how a star novelist brought Rome to life for his children
ON APRIL 1, 49BC, a troop of soldiers marched into the Forum of Rome, led by Julius Caesar. His objective was the Temple of Saturn on the Forum's western side. It was the Roman republic's treasury. Locked inside were some 45,000 bars of gold and silver. One man stood in his path: a young senator named Metellus.
'Get out of my way,' ordered Caesar.
Metellus refused.
According to Roman historian, Plutarch: 'Caesar then raised his voice and threatened to kill him ...