Author(s): John Stack

BABIES & TODDLERS

Against a backdrop of the clash of the Roman and Carthaginian empires, the battle for sovereignty takes place on the high seas. Ship of Rome is set in the earlier period of Rome when the empire was not nearly as well established and when the Romans were challenged for their control of Southern Italy and Sicily by the powerful trading nation of Carthage. The Carthaginians have the advantage in their control of the seas by their impressive navy while the Romans had few shipd and even fewer sea-going fighting captains. Atticus, son of a modest fishing family starts as the captain of a small ship protecting the harbours and shores of Suthern Italy from pirates. Surpirsed by a large Carthaginian fleet, he creats a brilliant victory and alerts the Roman legions nearby. His success results in his being instrumental in the creation of a Roman navy. However, because he is from a Greek colony, Atticus is often made to feel inferior - a second class citizen. He has a complex relationship with the Roman legionaries abord his ship, and with the Senators who control operations. The story is told from the point of view of several characters, both real and fictional, Roman and Carthaginian, politician and sailor. Though both are mighty Empires, the ambitions and ethos of Rome and Carthage are completely different and fascinating. The Sea battles are magnificent, the detail of the ships, the tactics and strategies, and the descriptions of life on bord are completely convincing and very interesting.