Ancient market place.
CHAPTER 4 – BACK IN TANAIS
14:43 (Caucasus Time)
Thursday, March 26, 66 B.C.E.
Polonius’ horse corral, Western District of the Tanais Emporium
Western shores of the delta of the Tanais (Don) River
Maeotis Lake (Sea of Azov), Bosporan Kingdom
Polonius had gone inside the small tent set up beside the gate of his horse corral, wanting to warm himself a bit with the brazier he kept inside, and was drinking from a cup of wine when his youngest son stormed inside the tent, apparently excited.
‘’FATHER, A NOMAD RIDER IS APPROACHING WITH OVER THIRTY HORSES AND A CART.’’
‘’Only one rider to guide in over thirty horses and a cart? How is that possible?’’
‘’I don’t know but he seems to be heading directly towards our corral.’’
That prompted Polonius in jumping on his feet and running out of the tent, his cup of wine forgotten. He shivered nearly at once when the cold, near freezing wind, hit him. He however saw quickly that his son had been correct: a lone Sarmatian horseman wearing an armored vest and a helmet was approaching, leading a small cart and a large group of horses, all of them linked together with ropes.
‘’By Zeus! You were right, Arkadius. This is most unusual: normally the nomads come with their horses at least one month from now, not before. Well, I suppose that we will know why soon enough. After all, we are in the horse-trading business, no matter what time of the year it is.’’
Polonius, watching the rider and his horses and cart as they approached his corral, soon had to correct his first impression about the rider.
‘’By Athena! That is a woman, not a man!’’
As the female rider arrived at the gate, Polonius finally recognized her.
‘’I know you! Aren’t you the daughter of Boraspos?’’
Nauca, tired and dirty from her two-week trip and from having to care alone for all her horses, jumped down from Tamat to face the Greek merchant, who then noticed that she was a bit taller than him.
‘’You are correct, Polonius. I am Nauca, daughter of Boraspos. However, I bring sad news with me: my father and my entire family were killed by marauding thieves over two weeks ago. I was away on a hunting trip at the time and only found that out when I returned to my family’s campsite. Thankfully, the gods were on my side and I was able to track down and then kill the bastards who murdered my family.’’
‘’I am truly saddened to hear about such a tragedy, Nauca. Did any other member of your family survive those bandits?’’
Nauca slowly shook her head in response.
‘’None did! Even my uncle Irganos and his family were killed by those marauders. I…I am now alone, by myself.’’
Seeing tears appear in her eyes, Polonius stepped forward and gently hugged the teenage girl.
‘’You are not alone, Nauca: you have friends in Tanais, starting with me. Did you bring those horses to sell them?’’
‘’Yes! They are the horses that my family were raising, plus the horses I took from the bandits.’’
‘’And what about that cart? I see that it is quite packed.’’
‘’It carries the possessions of my family, which I took back from the bandits, plus the weapons, armor and equipment that had belonged to the marauders. Since I am already well equipped, I was planning to sell much of it as well. I suppose that your brother Thanos would be the right man to whom to offer all this for sale, Polonius?’’
‘’You supposed right, Nauca. But come inside my tent to warm yourself up and drink something: you look exhausted.’’
‘’It was a long trip.’’ recognized Nauca in a tired tone of voice. ‘’Taking care of 33 horses by myself was a lot of work and demanded constant attention.’’
‘’Then, come inside to rest a bit. My son and my two horse handlers will take care of bringing your horses and cart inside my corral, where they will be safe from thieves.’’
‘’Thank you, my friend.’’
Going inside the small tent, Nauca sat in one of the two chairs furnishing it along with a small table supporting a jar of wine and four cups. When she wearily took off her iron helmet and the padded leather cap she wore under it, Polonius was able to appreciate how young she still was despite her dirty face and long hair mated by sweat. She also had grown into a truly beautiful girl. Fetching a towel hanging from a cordon of the tent and dipping part of it in a bucket of water, he then offered it to Nauca.
‘’Here, clean yourself a bit, Nauca: a pretty girl like you shouldn’t go around with a dirty face.’’
‘’Thank you! You are too kind.’’
Nauca took a few seconds to thoroughly clean her face of the dirt and mud from her trip, then gratefully accepted the cup of wine just poured by Polonius. She sighed with relief, both from tasting the wine and from the relief from the stress of her trip.
‘’By Cybele, I think that I could sleep for two straight days.’’
‘’I will be happy to offer you the hospitality of my house during your stay, Nauca.’’ replied Polonius. ‘’You will be able to sleep to your content after a hot bath and a good meal. We can discuss business about your horses once you are fully rested. I suppose that you wish to keep your own mount and baggage horse?’’
‘’Correct! The other horses are however yours to buy and I insist on getting only a minimal price from you for them, Polonius.’’
‘’Why do you say that, Nauca? You are entitled to a fair sum for those horses and I am not in the habit of fleecing my customers, even though us Greek merchants have a reputation for doing just that.’’
Nauca smiled weakly at that joke.
‘’Why am I saying that? First, because you are a good man whom I consider a friend. Second, because I wouldn’t be able to sleep calmly if I end up with a mountain of gold and silver: I would be constantly afraid that some thief could take it away while I sleep. Third, because I really don’t give much of a damn right now. I would gladly exchange all the gold in the World in order to get my family back.’’
Polonius, struck by her words, stared in silence at Nauca for a moment before speaking in a soft tone.
‘’First, thank you for your declaration of friendship, Nauca. Know that I will never betray it. Second, there are ways to pay you a decent price for your horses without loading you down with gold and silver. Certain items, like precious gems and spices, are worth more than their weight in gold and are easy to both carry and conceal. I know a couple of merchants who would be glad to trade your metal coins for those items. Third, the money you will get for your horses and things on your cart is going to be your main, if not only source of revenue to support you in the coming years. It will be too important in sustaining you to be thrown away. I will thus give you 350 drachmas per horse. Please accept that.’’
Nauca hesitated for a moment, her mind foggy from exhaustion, then nodded once her head.
‘’Very well, I accept your offer, Polonius.’’
‘’Excellent! Now, let’s go to my house, so that you could wash, eat and sleep. ARKADIUS! I AM GOING TO BRING NAUCA TO OUR HOUSE. TAKE CARE OF THE HORSES FOR THE TIME BEING AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING DISAPPEARS FROM THAT CART!’’
‘’WILL DO, FATHER!’’
Polonius then smiled to Nauca while offering his hand.
‘’It is indeed good to have a family and I fully understand the depth of your loss, Nauca. Come, I will lead you to my house.’’
Taking his hand, Nauca pulled herself up from her chair and patted the merchant’s shoulder, a grateful expression on her face.
‘’Family is important, but good friends are a close second, my good Polonius.’’
‘’Well said, Nauca. Get back on your horse and I will then lead you on foot to my house.’’
They were soon heading towards the fortified main district of Tanais, where Polonius had his house, with Nauca still leading her baggage horse Minad by a rope. She had however transferred from Minad to Tamat’s saddlebags the heavy purse containing the gold and silver which had been either the money belonging to her family or the loot previously stolen by the now dead bandits. It would have been too easy for a trained thief to lift that purse off Minad while it was trotting through the narrow streets behind Tamat. After going through the narrow streets of the western district and entering the fortified main city section, the duo soon arrived at Polonius’ large mansion, entering its walled courtyard where two servants took charge of Nauca’s horses. Nauca however loaded her saddlebags and weapons over her shoulders before letting them guide her two horses into the mansion’s stables. When she followed Polonius inside the mansion they were met by the merchant’s wife, a small and thin woman in her mid-forties and with black curly hair. The woman froze for a moment as she eyed the much taller, yet much younger Nauca, before giving her a warm smile.
‘’Welcome to our home, young girl. You look like you could use a bath and a bed.’’
Seeing Nauca hesitate in her answer, Polonius hurried to make the presentations.
‘’Sorry if I didn’t warn you in advance of our arrival, Cilicia. This is Nauca, daughter of Boraspos, a Sarmatian from whom I bought horses on a few occasions in the past. Unfortunately, Nauca’s whole family was recently killed by marauding thieves and she just arrived from a two-week trip while leading 31 horses, which she sold to me.’’
‘’My poor girl! Please accept my most sincere condolences for your cruel loss, Nauca.’’
‘’Thank you, Lady Cilicia.’’
Polonius then spoke more.
‘’I offered our hospitality to Nauca, so that she could wash and rest after her long and stressful trip. Could you lead her to our guest room and then have a hot bath prepared for her while I go take care of something?’’
‘’Of course, my dear husband. Please follow me, Nauca.’’
Still carrying her weapons and saddlebags, Nauca followed Cilicia down a short hallway and finally entered a small room containing a bed, a small table with stool, a few wall shelves and a chamber pot. The wooden bed supported a thick mattress filled with hay and the single window could be covered with curtains.
‘’Here you are, Nauca. Take the time to store your things away while I go have a hot bath prepared for you. Do you have clean spare clothes?’’
‘’I am afraid that the few spare clothes I have are now all dirty because of my trip, Lady Cilicia.’’
‘’Then, I will borrow something from my daughter Elena, so that you could change after your bath. I will be back soon.’’
On that, the Greek woman left Nauca alone in the room.
First taking off her helmet and scale mail armored vest and lining them against a wall, under a shelf, Nauca then laid down her weapons in front of them in a way that would make them easily accessible. Not that she expected to be attacked in Polonius’ house but rather out of simple habit. The saddlebags, with the precious pouch full of gold and silver, went under the frame of the bed, on the stone floor. With the absence of banks in this century, Nauca and the people of her time had no choice but to keep her valuables with or near her at all times. The only alternative was to ask a dependable friend or relative to safeguard one’s gold and silver during an absence or trip. She had time to take out her dirty clothes and pile them in one corner before Cilicia came back with a female servant.
‘’This is Thalia, one of my servants. She will guide you to the bathroom. Are these clothes in need of cleaning?’’
‘’Yes, Lady Cilicia.’’
Cilicia nodded her head, then spoke briefly in Greek to the servant, a woman in her thirties, before looking back at Nauca.
‘’Thalia will take care of your dirty clothes after leading you to the bathroom. Clean spare clothes and a towel are waiting for you there. I will now go make sure that a good meal is prepared for you for supper.’’
With Cilicia leaving again, Nauca made a sign of the head to the servant, signifying to her to lead her to the bathroom, which she did. The bathroom turned out to be a fairly large room which included a large rectangular tub made of clay, a separate washing area with wooden tubs, sponges and washing boards and a small brick stove on which a large pot of water was heating up. Two other servants, a teenage girl and a preteen boy, both naked, were waiting for her in the bathroom. None of them appeared to be able to speak Sarmatian, so Nauca had to interpret their signs in order to start her bath. With the older woman leaving, probably in order to go fetch Nauca’s dirty clothes, the teenage servant helped Nauca undress and, once the latter was fully naked, took her hand and led her to one of the wooden tubs, which was half full of lukewarm water, making her step inside the tub. With Nauca staying in a standing position, both the teenage girl and the preteen boy grabbed sponges and wooden cups full of water and started splashing down water on her in order to wash away the worst of the mix of dirt and sweat covering her body. That turned the water in the tub to a murky brown color. Nauca was then made to step in a second tub with clean water, where more water was splashed down on her, followed by the scrubbing of small blocks of rudimentary soap over her whole body. After a final rinsing, the teenage servant made Nauca kneel next to the tub, time for her to wash her long hair. Only once all that was done was Nauca shown to the waiting bathtub. The water proved quite hot but still manageable and Nauca let out a sigh of contentment as she sat in the tub, hot water up to her chest. She had to fight off her fatigue in order not to fall asleep right there and then. However, the hot bath did miracles in relaxing her tired muscles. As she laid in the bathtub, the teenage girl and the young boy started washing by hand her set of dirty clothes, to which were soon added the dirty clothes she had left in her room.
After a good ten minutes passed soaking in the hot tub, Nauca was made to step out of it by the returning mature servant, who then toweled her and dried and combed her hair. Finally, she slipped over Nauca’s head a Greek long chiton dress made of light blue wool and knotted a wool belt around her waist. With the woman making a sign to follow her, Nauca did so and was led to the central, open air atrium of the mansion, where she found Polonius, Cilicia and a teenage girl of about seventeen sitting and waiting on stone benches while chatting together. All three stopped talking and looked at Nauca when the latter showed up, with Polonius smiling to her and showing her one of the benches.
‘’Aah, our guest is here! You look splendid in this dress, Nauca. By the way, this is my daughter Elena. You are wearing one of her chiton dresses. Unfortunately, she speaks very little Sarmatian.’’
‘’Well, I can’t blame her for that, as I myself can’t speak any Greek. But thank you for the compliment, Polonius.’’
A servant came forward as soon as Nauca sat down, bringing her a cup of wine that she accepted. She however smiled in an apologetic way to her hosts before taking a first sip.
‘’Please don’t think that I do not appreciate your wine if you see me only take small sips: I am so tired from my trip that it wouldn’t take much wine to get me drunk and fast asleep.’’
‘’We understand.’’ replied Polonius. ‘’Would you mind telling us in detail what happened to your family. I will translate in Greek as you go, for the benefit of Elena.’’
‘’Very well, but there is really not much to say.’’ said Nauca before starting to tell her story, speaking slowly and making frequent pauses to allow Polonius to do his translating. At the end of it, she had the three Greeks looking at her with big eyes and opened mouths.
‘’But that is a lot more than not much, my poor Nauca!’’ exclaimed Polonius. ‘’To track and kill eight thieves at night, and this by yourself, is quite a feat of arm.’’
‘’I was actually lucky, as the circumstances played in my favor then. The snow layer and the fact that they had to drive a herd of horses and a cart made it easy for me to follow their trail and catch up with them. As for killing those thieves, they probably did not expect anyone to follow them so quickly after their evil deed. Sleeping men are quite easy to kill, after all.’’
Her words made both Cilicia and Elena shiver, with Cilicia making a cautious remark about them.
‘’I must say that us Greeks are generally not accustomed to see girls fight and kill. You certainly would live up to the old legends about the Amazons. After having lived here for nearly twenty years, I however realize that those legends must have been based on the lives of Sarmatian women warriors.’’
‘’I actually prefer to think of myself as a huntress rather than as a warrior, Lady Cilicia. I know that war may sound glorious to many young men, but my own father had grown to dislike this business of raiding and looting other tribes living around the steppes. He believed that there was ample space around the steppes for everybody. That was why he and his brother Irganos had split from our previous tribe and led our families to a separate pasture and hunting area: to live in peace, without bringing harm to others. Many other Sarmatians had laughed at his peaceful ideas, but I believe that my father was right to think that way.’’
‘’And I believe so as well, Nauca.’’ agreed Cilicia. ‘’Your father was a wise man.’’
‘’Thank you, Lady Cilicia.’’ replied Nauca, who was then silent, images of her family coming back to her mind. Polonius understood how she was feeling and changed the subject of the conversation.
‘’So, what do you plan to do next, Nauca? Do you have plans for your future?’’
‘’I had time to think about that during my two-week trip to Tanais. My first visit to Tanais showed me how little I knew about the World and the various people living around. In fact, I knew only about the steppes and still speak only Sarmatian, while I can’t read, write or count. Maybe I should use my money to take the time to educate myself, learn to speak Greek and to read, write and count.’’
‘’Those are certainly good, useful goals to aspire to, Nauca. Then, what?’’
‘’Then, I would like to travel wide and far, to learn about the World while being able to ride where I want. However, I have no wishes to go participate in a war, unless of course I get accidentally caught into one while travelling.’’
Polonius nodded his head thoughtfully at those words.
‘’Another worthy goal indeed, Nauca. In view of what you have done to date, nobody could honestly accuse you of cowardice for trying to avoid getting involved in wars. As a merchant, I have seen all the damage wars cause, wars which end up profiting only a tiny number of men…for a while. In contrast, commerce, the free exchange of goods, ideas and knowledge are so much more positive things than wars.’’
As he said that, his son Arkadius and another, younger teenage boy walked into the atrium, making Polonius greet them with a smile.
‘’Aah, here are my two sons, Arkadius and Sisyphus.’’
‘’Uh, if they are here, who then is guarding your horse corral and my cart, Polonius?’’
‘’Soldiers of the Archon!’’ replied at once the horse merchant. ‘’While you were washing, I went to see him to offer to sell him your horses. The Archon is presently buying on behalf of King Mithridates all the horses he can get, so that he can then send them to the King, who has retreated into Armenia with the remnants of his army and is now busy rebuilding a new army. Your 31 horses are a significant quantity for the Archon and he both agreed to buy the horses and to post four of his guards around the corral until tomorrow, when his men will take delivery of the horses. He will also probably be interested in the weapons and armor you brought in your cart, which is now in the courtyard of this house by the way, but I prefer to give a chance to my brother Thanos to buy your stuff first, so that he could then resell them to the Archon at a good profit. Don’t worry about Thanos fleecing you for your weapons and armor, Nauca: he is still as honest and dependable as ever. In fact, I often wonder how such an honest merchant like him could still make a profit and do good business.’’
That made both Nauca and Cilicia giggle briefly before Nauca replied to that.
‘’Probably because he is known to be dependable. The word must have spread mouth to ear, attracting more customers to Thanos at the expense of the other merchants.’’
‘’AH AH!’’ exclaimed triumphantly Polonius on hearing that while pointing an index at his wife. ‘’I told you that she was an intelligent girl, Cilicia: she understood the point at once!’’
‘’And how are Thanos and his family these days, Polonius?’’
Nauca then saw Polonius hesitate briefly before answering with a smile.
‘’They are doing well and making more money than ever with incoming caravans and ships. Tomorrow, we will go see my brother with your cart full of goods, so that you can negotiate a fair price with him.’’
While suspecting that Polonius was not telling her something, Nauca decided to let it pass and changed the subject.
‘’You said earlier that King Mithridates had to retreat into Armenia to rebuild his army. Is he going to lose the war? Are the Romans this powerful?’’
Her questions sobered up at once the expressions of her hosts, with Polonius answering her in a neutral voice.
‘’I am afraid that he will ultimately lose this third war against the Romans. The question is only in how many months or years from now. As for the Romans, they may not have had more soldiers than King Mithridates, but they won naval supremacy early on, which allowed them to quickly get supplies and reinforcements and also let them interdict the King’s own maritime supply lines. As well, the Roman Army is made of well experienced and disciplined soldiers who are hard to defeat in a set piece battle. Remember that the Romans have conquered the whole of Greece decades ago, on top of occupying the Anatolia{12} and gaining control of most of the Mediterranean. Their only weakness is their inferior cavalry, which is equipped with bows less powerful than the kind of bow you use.’’
‘’Talking of bow, I would like to take out a few select things from my cart before we bring it to your brother tomorrow. I want particularly to keep my father’s bow, which he himself got from my grandfather.’’
‘’We will do that tomorrow, once you wake up, Nauca. Now, I believe that supper is ready, if I can judge from the aroma floating out of our kitchen. Let’s go eat!’’
Getting up from their benches around the atrium, the group moved inside to a large room furnished with padded couches and low tables. More wine was served before what could nearly be called a feast was served. However, despite of the quality of the food, Nauca ended up not eating much, her exhaustion quickly winning over her appetite. Seeing and understanding that, Cilicia gently led Nauca to her room and told her to sleep all she wanted, an advice she accepted readily enough. Removing her dress and lying down in her bed, it took her only a few seconds to be fast asleep.
10:19 (Caucasus Time)
Friday, March 27, 66 B.C.E.
Polonius’ house, Tanais
Nauca slowly woke up to find from a look through her window that the Sun was already quite high. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she took a moment to fully wake up and focus her eyes before getting on her feet. She then noticed that her Sarmatian clothes had been returned to her, cleaned and folded in a neat pile in a corner of her room. Even her armored vest, helmet and weapons belt had been cleaned of the dried mud and dirt from her trip to Tanais. She thus happily put on her Sarmatian trousers, tunic and soft leather boots. She was finishing to get dressed when someone knocked on the door of her room.
‘’Come in!’’
Her visitor turned to be Polonius, carrying a fat leather bag and a small purse in his hands.
‘’Aah, you look much better now, Nauca. How do you fell?’’
‘’Fully rested: this long sleep was exactly what I needed. What do you have there?’’
‘’The payment for your horses. I already sold them to the Archon, who paid me on the spot for them. I then went to see a friend of mine who is a master goldsmith and an important trader of jewelry and art works, with whom I exchanged most of your cash money from your horses for precious stones that are much easier to carry around and hide than a bag full of gold and silver. This large purse contains 800 drachmas in gold and silver coins, while this small purse contains a collection of large, beautiful polished emeralds and rubies from India and Bactria{13}. Let me show you.’’
Walking to the bed and putting on it the larger purse, Polonius then emptied the small purse on the mattress, making about two dozen big, splendid emeralds and rubies roll out, all of them polished ‘cabochon’ style in the shape of small eggs. As Nauca approached the bed to better look at the gems, Polonius took one of the rubies between two fingers and showed it to her.
‘’These stone represent the other 10,000 drachmas that your horses were worth. My jeweler friend told me that, if you ever need to trade one of those stones for cash money or goods, then ask an absolute minimum of 400 drachmas for each of them, or the equivalent of a good horse. If someone offers you less than that, then he is trying to fleece you and you should either bargain a better price or find another buyer.’’
Nauca took the blood red stone from Polonius and admired it from up close for a moment.
‘’These stones are magnificent. They will certainly prove a lot easier to carry around than the equivalent in silver. Thank you, my friend!’’
‘’It was my pleasure. I also brought you a money belt, in which you will be able to hide your gems on your body, instead of in a belt purse that could be cut away by a thief.’’
Nauca took the thin leather belt, which had small compartments lined with soft cotton, and examined it before smiling to the Greek man.
‘’Thank you again, Polonius. You are a real friend.’’
‘’Bof! I am only pleasing someone who may bring me more good horses in the future. Now, if you are ready for it, we could go to your cart, so that you could take out the items which you don’t want to sell.’’
‘’I certainly am ready for that, Polonius.’’
Taking first the time to put her precious gems inside the money belt, she then pulled down her trousers and raised her tunic in order to tie the belt around her waist, denuding in the process her groin area. Polonius couldn’t help stare for a moment at her groin, obviously liking what he saw. He however didn’t comment on that and led Nauca out as soon as she had finished. Going together to the front courtyard of the mansion, they arrived at Nauca’s cart, which had been covered with a large linen tarp and was guarded by an armed servant. Pulling away the tarp, Nauca then searched for a few minutes in the pile of things filling the cart, taking individual items out one at a time. Once finished, she put the tarp back in place and explained her choices to Polonius.
‘’I basically took out a full spare set of weapons and armor, including my father’s bow, in case I somehow lose my present weapons. I also took out a good provision of arrows, plus the few small jewels which had belonged to my family. The rest will be up to Thanos to buy.’’
‘’Excellent! Know that I advised him this morning of your arrival, while you were sleeping. He said that he is most eager to buy your excess weapons and armor and is also offering you a permanent room of your own in his residence in the caravanserai. Know that his daughter Artemisia offered at once to be your teacher, so that you can learn to speak Greek, to read, write and count.’’
‘’But, that’s great!’’ exclaimed Nauca enthusiastically, finding that the perfect solution to her various needs and wants. When could we go see him?’’
‘’As soon as you will have collected your things, harnessed your horses and said goodbye to my wife and daughter.’’ replied the smiling merchant.
‘’Then, I won’t be long, I promise!’’
True to her word, she was back in the courtyard after less than five minutes, fully equipped and carrying her few possessions. Harnessing her horse Tamat and attaching Minad to her cart took another fifteen minutes. With Polonius using his own horse and with two of his armed servants riding in the cart, one to drive it and the other to prevent thieves from grabbing objects from the cart as it rolled through town, they then left the courtyard, with Lady Cilicia and Elena in attendance to wave goodbye to Nauca. As they rode out side by side after leaving the courtyard, Nauca
