British Museum: The Plot Against the Emperor (An Ancient Roman Puzzle Mystery)

Can you crack the Latin codes?

With special thanks to Dr Richard Abdy at the British Museum for his contribution and advice.

First published 2023 by Nosy Crow Ltd Wheat Wharf, 27a Shad Thames, London, SE1 2XZ, UK

Nosy Crow Eireann Ltd

44 Orchard Grove, Kenmare, Co Kerry, V93 FY22, Ireland

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ISBN 978 1 83994 708 7 (HB)

ISBN 978 1 83994 645 5 (PB)

Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.

Published in collaboration with the British Museum.

Text © Andy Seed 2023

Illustrations © James Weston Lewis 2023

The right of Andy Seed to be identified as the author and James Weston Lewis to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted.

All rights reserved.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed in China.

Papers used by Nosy Crow are made from wood grown in sustainable forests. 1

(PB)

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To everyone at Bessacarr Primary School, with very best wishes - A.S. For Mabli Clem, with all my love - J.W.L.

Introduction

Plotters in the Forum

Hiding in the Pantheon

The Search at the Aqueduct

Danger at the Campus Martius

Shoe Trouble

Bathtime

Clue at the Colosseum

A Deadly Cargo

A Race at the Circus Maximus

Voices at the Victory Parade

A Deadly Banquet

Guilty!

Puzzle Solutions Glossary

Introduction

Welcome to ancient Rome, the greatest city on Earth. The year is 118 AD and something shocking is about to happen. Can you help young Roman friends Flavia and Julius escape from disaster and save the emperor?

Julius

Julius is the son of a tribune, an army officer who is in charge of a cohort of 500 Roman soldiers. He lives in a villa on the edge of Rome and loves learning about the history of the mighty Roman Empire. Julius has already learned how to write in Latin and he enjoys making notes as he explores the great city with his friend Flavia.

Flavia

Flavia is the daughter of the senior aquarius, who is in charge of the huge stone aqueducts that supply water to the city of Rome. She is sporty and daring, always on the lookout for adventure, although she is expected to help around the house more than she would like. Flavia is learning Latin with a tutor at home but would rather be outdoors having fun.

codebreaker

Flavia and Julius are in a race against time to stop a group of Roman villains from carrying out a dreadful plan. On their adventure they have to solve a series of puzzles, but can you help them? The people of ancient Rome spoke in a language called Latin, which this book will help you to read. It’s like cracking a code. Follow the clues on each page and use the special charts and dictionary at the back of the book to help you unravel the secrets of the Roman plotters!

Here’s an example:

Puzzle

What are these two Roman soldiers saying?

estne clipeus novus? sic

The first soldier is asking a question. Looking in the LATIN PHRASES at the back of the book you can see what it means:

latin prases

est puella et puer: The girl and the boy

estne clipeus novus?: Is that a new shield?

estne coclea?: Is that the snail?

The first soldier is saying, ‘Is that a new shield?’

Observation challenge

latin words

sandalia shoes

senator senator sic yes

The second soldier is saying, ‘yes’

Rome was a place full of rats as well as people.Can you spot a rat in each scene? The wolf is the symbol of the city. Can you find three wolves hidden in the book, too?

Plotters in The forum

“Race you to the top of the Capitoline Hill!” called Flavia, dashing up the stone steps. “There’s no point,” said Julius, panting. “You always win. Anyway, I want to show you something special over there.”

They walked across the south side of the hill to a craggy area covered in bushes. Julius pointed to the long drop below them. “This is the Tarpeian Rock. My dad said that the authorities used to throw criminals off here.”

Flavia was about to reply when she heard voices behind them. Peering through the undergrowth, the children saw two well-dressed men and a woman, speaking in hushed tones. As they listened, Julius’s face turned red and Flavia gulped. It was clear these people were planning something dreadful.

didyou know?

Rome was the biggest city in the ancient world and home to over one million people! At its centre was the Forum, a large public square which acted as a meeting place and somewhere to hold special events. It was surrounded by important government buildings, temples and monuments.

The three figures were looking at something. The woman crouched down and pushed it under a rock while two large men kept a lookout. As they walked away towards the Forum, Flavia scurried out and pulled the object from its hiding place. It was a lead tablet with words scratched into the surface.

She had almost made it back to where Julius was hiding when they heard a shout. The people were coming back! “They’ve seen us!” Julian yelped. “We’ve got to run, come on!”

“After them!” the woman ordered to the two henchmen at her side.

Puzzle

What does the message on the lead tablet say? It is written in Latin, the language spoken by the ancient Romans, but some of the letters were rubbed away by the rock when Flavia picked it up. To help you crack the code, use the guide at the back of the book.

CODE CLUE

The Romans used nearly all of the letters we use today. The Latin alphabet had 21 letters (J, U, W, Y and were not used at this time).