The Buffed Historian

Bust and artistic recreation of Cleopatra Selene II This post takes a much deeper look into what turned out to be a rather popular thread on my official Legionary Books Facebook Page . The story of Cleopatra's oft-forgotten daughter, Cleopatra Selene II, and their family can best be described as "complicated." First off, in light of that atrocious Netflix series claiming to be a documentary, let's sort out the whole racial elephant in the room and get that out of the way. I don't care what Jada Pinkett Smith says, Cleopatra was not black. Nor was she white. She looked nothing like Adele James or Elizabeth Taylor. Heck, she wasn't even Egyptian! The Ptolemies ruled Egypt, but were ethnically Alexandrian Greek and Macedonian. And because they were obsessed with keeping their bloodlines "pure," they were notoriously inbred. And we're not even talking cousins. Cleopatra's first two husbands were also her brothers! Given the attention-to-detail an...

  #booksandbiceps  My thirty-first book,  Soldier of Rome: Kingdoms Fall  (Book 7 of the Artorian Dynasty), has been released! It is available on Kindle , paperback , and most eBook readers . *** The year is 104 A.D. Two years have passed since King Decebalus knelt in submission to Emperor Trajan. The recent war between Rome and Dacia was brutal and costly for both sides. The graves of many thousands lie between the River Danube and the gates of Sarmizegetusa. With peace finally come to the frontier, Trajan returns to Rome in triumph. Yet Decebalus’ feigned surrender was but a ruse. With echoes of the previous war, the spirits of vanquished warriors crying out for retribution, and the humiliation of kneeling before the Emperor of Rome, the King of Dacia renews the call to arms. Tiberius Artorius Castus’ tenure as Deputy Prefect of the Imperial Horse Guards is ending. But before he can begin the next chapter in his life, perhaps returning to his native Britannia, the...

  My thirtieth book,  Soldier of Rome: Beyond the Frontier (Book 6 of the Artorian Dynasty) , has been released! For twelve years a disgraceful pall has hung over the Roman Empire. Trouble along the Germanic frontier forced an abrupt end to Emperor Domitian’s war against King Decebalus of Dacia. The terms were an embarrassment to Rome and a drain on the imperial coffers, with two million denarii paid to the Dacians every year. Now, a new Caesar is firmly ensconced upon the imperial throne. Emperor Trajan vows to subjugate the Dacians, humble their king, and restore honour to the Empire. A massive force numbering over 100,000 soldiers, one-third of the entire might of Rome, gathers along the Danube. It is the largest Roman army assembled in over a hundred years. Tiberius Artorius Castus has matured into his position as Deputy Prefect of the Imperial Horse Guards over the past three years. Still a young man, he is a world away from the naïve youth who first came to the capital n...

  Steve Martin as Orin Scrivello, the sadistic dentist in Little Shop of Horrors (Warner Bros. 1986) You'll be a dentist! (You'll be a dentist) You have a talent for causin' things pain! (Pain) Son, be a dentist! (Son, be a dentist) People will pay you to be inhumane! (Inhumane) Every six months, the classic song from Little Shop of Horrors echoes in my mind. Thankfully, I was born with good teeth, never required braces, and my dentist visits are usually brief and painless. It helps brushing twice a day, having an electric toothbrush that can reach way back to my wisdom teeth ... and because I actually floss! I've also never smoked and rarely, if ever, consume processed sugar. But what of our ancestors? We all know the stereotype, as seen in endless films, of the medieval peasant with either missing or black, rotten teeth. So naturally, going back another thousand years or so, we must assume the Ancient Romans also had wretched teeth, right? Actually, on the whole, neit...

My twenty-ninth book, Soldier of Rome: Nova Era (Book 5 of the Artorian Dynasty) , has been released! A new age has dawned for Rome. Following the brief reign of Emperor Nerva, Marcus Ulpius Trajan inherits the mantle of Caesar. A revered general and statesman, the senate a people of Rome greet his rise with an optimism not seen since the reign of Vespasian. Tiberius Artorius Castus, whose tenure with the Vigiles of Rome is ending, is summoned by Trajan to the Rhine. The emperor offers him a return to active service with the newly raised Equites Singulares Augusti, more commonly known as the Imperial Horse Guards. Rome eagerly awaits the arrival of its new, charismatic Caesar, yet Trajan must first secure the Rhine and Danube frontiers. He musters a division for an expedition against the Marcomanni in retribution for their invasion in support of the Pannonia Revolt, six years prior. For Tiberius, the campaign offers a chance at redemption, as the Imperial Horse Guards accompany Trajan ...

It's been requested I compile a reading list of all my works. And since some get written out of sequence, or a stand-alone gets wedged in the middle, or I had to insert one series between volumes of another (i.e.  The Great Jewish Revolt  and  Year of the Four Emperors ), below are listed all my works chronologically. Think of it as reading one giant history. Links are included for each book's Amazon page, though you can find them in multiple formats, including audio. *Note: I will update this page with every new release.   Soldier of Rome: The Legionary   Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion Soldier of Rome: The Centurion Empire Betrayed: The Fall of Sejanus Soldier of Rome: Journey to Judea Soldier of Rome: The Last Campaign Empress of Death Slaves of Fear: A Land Unconquered Soldier of Rome: Rebellion in Judea Soldier of Rome: Vespasian's Fury Soldier of Rome: Reign of the Tyrants Soldier of Rome: Rise of the Flavians Soldie...