Primary characters in the book
The Carinnas
- Titus Licinius Carinna
- Senator of Rome
- Terentia
- his wife
- Publius
- their older son, a suicide three years earlier
- Marcus
- their younger son
- Nina
- Marcus's twin sister Carinnina, a governor's wife
- Phormio
- Marcus's childhood tutor and companion, a slave
- Jason, Rufus, Dio
- some of the other household slaves
The Caesars
- Augustus Caesar*
- the first Princeps of Rome
- Tiberius Caesar*
- the second Princeps, Augustus's stepson
- Caligula Caesar*
- Tiberius's grandnephew, the third and current Princeps
- Agrippinilla*
- oldest of Caligula's three sisters
- Drusilla*
- his middle sister, married to Lepidus
- Livilla*
- his youngest sister, once betrothed to Publius Carinna
- Gemellus*
- their cousin, now Caligula's adopted son
- Germanicus Caesar*
- Caligula's late father, a famous and popular general
Other Romans
- M. Aemilius Lepidus*
- wealthy patron of the Carinnas, Caligula's brother-in-law
- Saxa
- commander of the Special Cohort of the Praetorian Guard
- Gaius Silius*
- Marcus's boyhood friend, now a magistrate
- Pertinax
- Silius's mentor, a merchant from Gaul
Germans
- Aurima
- Marcomanni priestess who is a hostage in Rome
- Maelo
- Aurima's uncle, her protector in Rome
- Ingiomar
- Aurima's father, an enemy of Rome
- Flavus*
- Romanized brother of Hermann, who led the Great Rebellion
that terrorized Rome 28 years earlier - Heriberhto*
- Hermann's son, raised by Flavus
* Historical personages
- Find out more about the book
- Read an excerpt of Chapter 1
