“‘Veni, vidi, vici?’” Apollodorus said.

Posted October 29, 2020 by Dana

In December 2019 I traveled to Egypt to do research for the Eye of Isis novels, a series set in Alexandria in the time of Cleopatra.

Wall carving at the Theban Necropolis at Luxor. Rameses III accepting tribute following a battle.

The defeated king. You can tell by the bound hands and the pointy beard.

Rameses paid a bounty to his soldiers for every enemy soldier killed when they brought him a hand of the enemy. Until he figured out they were cheating by bringing him both hands.

Whereupon he had them bring him the enemy soldiers’ penises. Ew.

In Hathyr news came of Caesar’s victory over Pharnaces, and of Caesar’s report of the battle to the Senate and People of Rome. “‘Veni, vidi, vici?’” Apollodorus said. “It’s amusing, certainly, but that use of the first person—‘I came, I saw, I conquered’—must have annoyed the hell out of Cato and the rest of those dreamers still hoping for a return of the Republic.” — Death of an Eye, 2018