My Second Falco Quiz

Answer: Heart attack, choked on a lozenge, mauled by a panther

Severus Moscus, her first husband, is said to have died of a heart attack brought on by heatstroke after sitting out in the sun for too long watching a gladiator show.

Eprius, her second husband, was an apothecary and is said to have choked on a cough lozenge.

Grittius Fronto, her third husband, was a wild animal importer who is said to have been mauled to death by a panther destined for the arena which was let out of its cage too early.

Not surprisingly, the friends of Severina's latest fiance are a trifle nervous.

Answer: A reading couch

Camillus Verus contributed a reading couch, though as Falco realised, a reading couch can be used for other purposes.

The other contributions came from Falco's sisters: Junia, whose husband actually has a paying job, provided the bed; Galla provided a broken chair, which Falco tries to mend, though he knows Gallia will want it back if he does mend it; Maia provided some oil for the lamps.

Answer: A fish

It was no ordinary fish, it was a turbot: a fish bigger than an adult human being. If you caught one it was customary to present it to the emperor. Falco throws a house warming party to celebrate his new apartment and for his family and Petronius's family to eat the turbot. Romantic and social disaster looms.

Helena Justina appears at the party, and realises she hasn't been invited. Then Titus turns up to sample the turbot as well.

Answer: Falco

It was an accident. Falco unknowingly added poisoned spices to Viridovix's wine. The poison had been meant for Hortensius Novus, who never got to try the poisoned spices because he had already been poisoned from another source.

Answer: Chloe

The parrot kept calling Cerinthus's name. Tyche was the fortune teller. Anthea was the kitchen skivvy, possibly Viridovix's girlfriend.

Answer: Because it was her birthday.

Of course, Falco didn't know it was her birthday. He had asked her when her birthday was but she didn't answer the question.

She decided to leave Rome because Falco went to Veii. She didn't turn up for the dinner with Titus.

Answer: XIV Gemina

The fort at Moguntiacum is a double one, shared by two legions, the XIV Gemina and I Adiutrix, the legion with which Camillus Justinus, one of Helena Justina's brothers is serving. Vespasian wants to know if he can trust the XIV Gemina in Moguntiacum or whether they should be sent to Britain.

The II Augusta was Falco's old legion. Because of events during the Great Rebellion in Britain, there is bad blood between the XIV Gemina and II Augusta.

The IV Macedonia, despite its name, was originally from Moguntiacum. It joined the Gallic federation Civilis tried to start.

Answer: Xanthus

Up to this point Falco had been very suspicious of Xanthus, wondering whether Titus had ordered Xanthus to make sure Falco would never return to Rome.

Macrinus was the soldiers' commanding officer and was informed afterwards of the attack and the death of one of his men.

Helena Justina saw the attack from the house and raised the alarm.

Answer: In an old Roman watchtower

She lived in the forest but not in a treehouse. Although Cerialis's flagship had been given to Veleda by the tribesmen, she doesn't seem to have done anything with it, certainly not any maintenance.

Answer: He was speared.

He was speared by the representative from the Gallic ceramics industry, who realised Helveticus could incriminate him for the murder of the German ceramic industry representatives.

It was the missing legate of the XIV Gemina, Florius Gracilis, who was gored and trampled by the aurochs. Falco managed to cut the animal's throat.

Although the ship did run aground, no-one was hurt, they just got a bit wet.

Answer: Victorina

One of Victorina's daughters, Augustinalla, had been sent with Helena Justina to Germany for Falco to look after when Victorina had "women's trouble". It's not made any clearer than that what the problem was, but Victorina needed an operation. How or why exactly she died we are not told.

Answer: Falco was a murder suspect.

Petronius was investigating the murder of the centurion Censorinus Macer, with whom Falco had had a public fight in Flora's Caupona the day before the murder.

Answer: Poseidon

Falco's late brother Festus was supposed to have been shipping a statue of Poseidon by Phidias to Cassius Carus and Ummidia Servia. As the statue never arrived, they want their money back from Falco's family.

Answer: He hanged himself.

He killed himself because he thought he had been recognised as a runaway slave, and was afraid he would be found out as a murderer.

Answer: 400,000

Four hundred thousand sesterces was the minimum he needed to be enrolled in the middle classes, and so be in a position to formalise his marriage to Helena Justina. Unfortunately even with the money, Domitian turned him down as a candidate for promotion to the middle classes and so he didn't go through with the loan.

Five hundred thousand sesterces was the amount Cassius Carus and Ummidia Servia were demanding.

One million sesterces was the minimum amount needed to be eligible for election to the senate.