McCullough explains that, while it is certainly known Sulla's first wife was a Julia, it is not known to which branch of the Julii she belonged, but she was certainly a relation of Marius's better-known Julian wife, hence the decision to assign her the role in the novel of a younger sister.Ī third storyline is focused on the figures of Marcus Livius Drusus and his sister Livia Drusa who both feature more prominently in The Grass Crown: and their own growing friendship with the Servilius Caepio family resulting in a double marriage, which proves disastrous when Quintus Servilius Caepio Senior is not only accused of embezzling more gold than there was in the Roman Treasury, but also is responsible for Rome's most disastrous military defeat for generations – a defeat which so ruins the credibility of the conservative leaders of the Senate that it lets Marius into power far earlier than he expected, and for a longer time. However, although Marius can be considered the protagonist, Sulla occasionally becomes the central figure of the narrative there are several lengthy sections dealing with his plot to murder the two wealthy women with whom he lives, his use of the newfound wealth in establishing himself politically, his homosexual relationship with the Greek child-actor Metrobius, and his marriage to the (fictitious) younger daughter of 'Julius Caesar Grandfather', Julilla. The main plot of the novel is generally concerned with the rise of Marius, his marriage to Julia, his success in replacing Metellus as general in charge of the Numidian theatre of war, his defeat of King Jugurtha of Numidia, his re-organization of the Roman Army system, his unprecedented consecutive consulships, his defeat of a massive invasion of German tribes (the Teutones, the Cimbri and the Marcomanni/ Cherusci/ Tigurini), and the details of his relationship with his subordinate and close friend Sulla. The cast includes most of the major historical figures of the late Roman Republic, including Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, as well as the Gaius Julius Caesar who was grandfather of Julius Caesar, Julia, Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, Publius Rutilius Rufus and Lucius Appuleius Saturninus. The First Man in Rome is a 1990 historical novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough, and the first in her Masters of Rome series.
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