Junia; a friend of Scipio and commander of the Praetorian Guard at the siege of Carthage.
Cato â Marcus Porcius Cato (c. 238â149 BC ), famous elder statesman of the Roman Senate who repeatedly called for Carthage to be destroyed, âCarthago delenda estâ.
Claudia Pulchridina â Of the gens Claudia, fictional wife of Scipio by arranged marriage; her name means âbeautifulâ.
Demetrius â Demetrius I, later named Soter (âSaviourâ); contemporary of Scipio Aemilianus, a scion of the Seleucid dynasty held hostage in Rome during his youth. He became king of Syria from 161 BC.
Ennius â Ennius Aquilius Tuscus, a fictional scion of the original Etruscan branch (the Tuscii) of the gens Aquilia; a close friend of Scipio and commander of the fabri, the army engineers.
Eudoxia â Fictional British slave girl and friend of Fabius.
Fabius â Fabius Petronius Secundus, a fictional legionary from Rome who is the bodyguard and friend of Scipio in the novel.
Gaius Paullus â Gaius Aemilius Paullus, fictional cousin of Scipio on his fatherâs side.
Gnaeus â Gnaeus Metellus Julius Caesar, of the gens Metelli. Fictional son of Metellus and Julia whose true paternity is revealed in the novel; present as a tribune at the siege of Carthage.
Gulussa â Second son of Masinissa, sent by his father to Rome in 172 BC to present the Numidian case against Carthage; on Masinissaâs death Scipio made him commander of the Numidian forces, which he led in the siege of Carthage.
Hasdrubal â General who defended Carthage in 146 BC ; the fate of his wife and children is described by the historian Appian.
Hippolyta â Fictional Scythian princess who joins the academy in Rome and later leads the Numidian cavalry alongside Gulussa in North Africa.
Julia â Fictional daughter of the historical Sextus Julius Caesar, from the Caesares branch of the gens Julia; friend and lover of Scipio, but betrothed to Metellus.
Masinissa â ( c. 240â148 BC ) Long-lived first king of Numidia in North Africa, foe and then ally of Rome during the Second Punic War (218â201 BC ) whose conflict with Carthage over disputed territory led to the Third Punic War (149â146 BC ).
Metellus â Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus (born c. 210 BC ), praetor in Macedonia in 148 BC who defeated the upstart Andriscus and then went on to serve under Mummius in the siege of Corinth in 146 BC ; in the novel he is the rival and enemy of Scipio, and husband of Julia.
Perseus â Last king of the Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia, defeated by Aemilius Paullus at the Battle of Pydna in 148 BC.
Petraeus â Gnaeus Petraeus Atinus, fictional âold centurionâ who trains the boys in the academy at Rome.
Petronius â Fictional tavern-keeper near the Gladiator School in Rome.
Polybius â (born c. 200 BC ) Greek cavalry commander and historian, famous for his Histories, who became a close friend and adviser to Scipio; present at the siege of Carthage.
Porcus â Porcus Entestius Supinus, fictional servant and adviser to Metellus.
Ptolemy â Ptolemy VI Philometor (âmother-loverâ), a contemporary of Scipio Aemilianus and scion of the Ptolemy dynasty who became king in Egypt in 180 BC , marrying his sister Cleopatra II.
Quintus Appius Probus â Fictional centurion at Intercatia in Spain.
Rufius â Fabiusâ hunting dog, present with him and Scipio in the Macedonian Royal Forest.
Scipio â Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus, the âYoungerâ Scipio (born c. 185 BC ), second son of Aemilius Paullus and adoptive grandson of Scipio Africanus; what is known of his historical career up to 146 BC forms the framework for the novel.
Scipio Africanus â Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the âElderâ Scipio ( c. 236â183 BC ), of the Scipiones branch of the gens Cornelia, outstanding Roman general of the