The Seven Wonders: A Novel of the Ancient World (Novels of Ancient Rome) by Steven Saylor Read Free Book Online Page A

side, and securely trussed. Megabyzoi intoned prayers to Artemis and walked among the crowd, carrying bowls of smoking incense. One of the priests, apparently the foremost among them to judge by the special embroidery on his robe and the height of his headdress, mounted a platform beside the altar where everyone in the crowd could see him. He raised his arms aloft.
    “That’s Theotimus,” whispered Eutropius to Antipater, “head priest of the Megabyzoi.” There was an edge in his voice, and he scowled as he gazed at the priest. So did Mnason.
    The musicians ceased their playing. The girls stopped dancing. The crowd fell silent.
    “People of Ephesus,” cried Theotimus, “welcomed visitors, all who have gathered here for the love and adoration of the goddess—the sacrifices are ready to begin. If our rituals in your honor are pleasing to you, great Artemis—protector of virgins, supreme huntress, patron of wild places, benefactor since its beginning of the grateful city of Ephesus—we beg you, Artemis, to step forth and witness our propitiations to you.”
    The expectant crowd turned its gaze from the priest to the window set high in the temple. From within came a flicker of light, and then the goddess appeared at the window, her outstretched hands open in a gesture of acceptance. The apparition was so uncanny that it took me a moment to realize that I was seeing the statue that had been paraded in the cart. Unless Artemis had propelled herself, the priests had somehow managed to get the image all the way up to the window. Her veil had been removed and her gilded face shone brightly, reflecting the light of the torches and the roasting pyres around the altar.
    As the crowd erupted in cheers, Theotimus strode to the altar, raised a dagger, and slashed the bull’s throat. The bound creature kicked and thrashed, then fell limp. With a single, deft movement, the Megabyzus sliced off the bull’s testicles and held them aloft. The crowd again erupted in cheers.
    “For Artemis!” shouted Theotimus, and others took up the cry: “For Artemis!”
    Eutropius saw the dumbfounded expression on my face. I was used to seeing animal sacrifices, but I had never witnessed a postmortem castration. “The sacred testes are reserved for the virgin goddess; the rest will be for us,” said my host matter-of-factly. “I’m rather partial to the meat of the flank, especially if it’s nicely grilled.”
    One beast after another was slain, with Artemis looking on from her high window, and the process of carving and cooking the meat began. The crowd gradually broke into groups, moving forward to receive their portion according to rules of rank and seniority determined by the Megabyzoi, who moved among the crowd to keep order, especially among those who had imbibed a great deal of wine. Clouds of smoke enveloped the crowd, and the smell of roasting meat mingled with the sweet fragrance of incense.
    “Unless the two of you are terribly hungry, Teacher, this would be a good time for your young Roman friend to have a look inside the temple,” suggested Eutropius. “Anthea and Chloe and the other virgins will be performing more dances.”
    Antipater declared this a splendid idea, and together we followed our host and Mnason up the broad marble steps and onto the porch.
    Amestris came with us. Did that mean she was a virgin? Then I recalled Antipater’s precise words—that no freeborn female could enter the temple unless she was a virgin. If this rule did not extend to slaves …
    I shook my head and put aside this train of thought. What business was it of mine whether Amestris was a virgin or not?
    Striding between the towering columns, we entered the grandest space I had ever seen. The sanctuary was lit by many lamps and decorated with many statues, but was so vast that no part of it seemed cluttered. The floor was of shimmering marble in a dizzying array of patterns and colors. High above our heads was a ceiling of massive cedar