Etruscans loved shiny things. The more glittering and ornate the better. The most stunning examples of jewellery and art came from the era known as the ‘Orientalizing’ period from Circa 720-575BCE. This was a time when Phoenician and Greeks were attracted to Etruria due to its rich metal deposits. The… Read More »Ancient Bling by Elisabeth Storrs
The dramatic stories of dark deeds, love and power surrounding the foundation of Rome are hard to resist. What particularly intrigues me is that significant political change against oppressive rulers often eventuated as the response to the unjust death of a woman. One such woman was Virginia but the most… Read More »Dying for Rome: Tarpeia by Elisabeth Storrs
One of the main themes of my Tales of Ancient Rome series is the exploration of the lives of women in the ancient world through the characters of various women from different cultures. In The Wedding Shroud my protagonist, Caecilia, is an insular Roman girl thrust into the liberal world… Read More »Damn Whores or God’s Police by Elisabeth Storrs
There is a tale told by Herodatus, the famous Greek historian, about a wily prince called Tyrrhenus who saved his people by encouraging gambling. The story goes like this. Once in the land of Lydia there came a time when the harvest could no longer fill the bellies of all.… Read More »Who were the mysterious Etruscans? by Elisabeth Storrs
Historical fiction is exciting to write because it offers opportunities to explore a different world from the one we live in. Inventing characters to fit into distant places and times is mostly fun, but mixing fictional characters with people who actually lived in another era ups the ante, not only… Read More »Real People in Historical Fiction by Martha Marks