Companions

by Peter Darman Book 5 in the Parthian Chronicles series.

First published 2014

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4.4(1,635)

Set in the eastern Mediterranean in the first century BCE, between the early Parthian adventures and the later dynastic wars, they called themselves Companions – those who escaped from Italy with Pacorus in the aftermath of Spartacus’ uprising, travelling across the Mediterranean to make their home in Parthia. They subsequently assisted Pacorus in turning the Kingdom of Dura into one of the strongest realms in the Parthian Empire.
But one Companion was unwittingly left behind and condemned to the living hell of Roman slavery. When Pacorus discovers this he and a band of comrades embark on a perilous quest to find and free him. Thus begins a journey that will see the King of Dura follow in the footsteps of Spartacus himself as he heads for gladiatorial games being held in the Roman-controlled city of Ephesus.

The eastern Mediterranean of the first century BCE was tied together by Roman provinces, client kingdoms, slave markets and major ports such as Ephesus. Gladiatorial entertainment depended on the same system of enslavement that had helped produce Spartacus's revolt. Pacorus's rescue mission therefore returns the series to a Roman world where individuals could be moved hundreds of miles as property even after the rebellion itself had been crushed.