Dominī Secrētum
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Reading level
The author’s introduction states that this novella was written for readers in their second or third year of study. As of this writing, it has not been rated by Comprehensible Antiquity.
Diverse & Multicultural Identities
For information about how representation of multicultural and diverse identities is analyzed in LNDb, see here.Parallel cultures
The protagonist, Aquilinus, was born into slavery from a Greek mother (also born into slavery) and a Gaulish father (captured and enslaved). Thus all three characters identify as being from parallel cultures.Gender
Features one cis male main character (Aquilinus). Features no cis female main characters or transgender main characters.Sexual identity
Features a depiction of heterosexual identity: Aquilinus has a mother and father.SES/class
The protagonist of the story is Aquilinus, an enslaved young man. This makes this novella one of the few to include an enslaved person as a main character. Aquilinus is initially enslaved by Valens, who is very cruel and abusive, and is later sold to Salvius, who is benevolent by comparison and ultimately grants Aquilinus freedom.Religion
Features a depiction of Roman religion: some scenes take place during Saturnalia. Aquilinus’s father, who is Gaulish, refuses to participate in Saturnalia because he does not want to celebrate Saturn.Disability
No depictions identified.Language Statistics
Vocabulary
Word List
A complete word list for Dominī Secrētum can be found here.
Glosses
This novella contains glosses in the form of footnotes with English translations or cultural notes in English.
Of the 228 unique words (not counting proper nouns) used in the text, 46.0 of them (20.2%) are glossed at their first appearance in the text. Of the 8,095 total words in the text, 168 of them (2.1%) are glossed.
Of the 228 unique words (not counting proper nouns) used in the text, 46.0 of them (20.2%) are glossed at their first appearance in the text. Of the 8,095 total words in the text, 168 of them (2.1%) are glossed.
Glossary
This novella contains a Latin-English glossary, with every form of each word listed separately. A second, separate glossary lists the words by headword only. The glossary is complete.
Syntax
The ratio of complex sentences indicates what proportion of the total sentences are complex sentences, on average. A complex sentence is defined as a sentence with one or more subordinate clauses or verb phrases.
Summary
Genre & Sources
This novella is in the genre of historical (Classical).
It is not an adaptation of any particular piece of Classical literature. It references the Battle of Atuatuca in 54 BCE, described in Caesar's Dē Bellō Gallicō (5.24–27).
It is not an adaptation of any particular piece of Classical literature. It references the Battle of Atuatuca in 54 BCE, described in Caesar's Dē Bellō Gallicō (5.24–27).
CONTAINS SPOILERS
Aquilinus is a young sculptor who is enslaved, along with his mother and father, by a Roman man named Valens. On Saturnalia, when social roles are reversed, Valens forces Aquilinus’s father to be the leader of Saturnalia. Aquilinus’s father, a Gaul who fought against the Romans and was captured, lashes out against Valens and says that he knows his secret. Valens beats Aquilinus’s father and later sells him to work in the mines. Later, Aquilinus’s mother tells him Valens's secret: though Valens claimed that he had informed Caesar about the Romans’ loss at Atuatuca, he actually ran away from the battlefield, which Aquilinus’s father witnessed. If the Romans knew about Valens's cowardice, this would ruin his political career. Then, Aquilinus learns that his father has died in the mines. Aquilinus confronts Valens and reveals that he knows the secret. Valens beats him, but Aquilinus fights back. Valens, furious, arranges to sell Aquilinus, but he does not sell him to the mines because he would get more money sold as an sculptor rather than a laborer. Aquilinus is bought by a man named Salvius, a political rival of Valens, who tells him to build a sculpture of his son who was killed at Atuatuca. Later, Aquilinus learns that Valens is preparing to sell his mother. Aquilinus does not have enough money to buy his mother's freedom, so Aquilinus tells Salvius about Valens’s cowardice at Atuatuca. Salvius provides Aquilinus with enough money to buy her freedom and employs her as a cook. The truth about Valens gets out, and Salvius wins the election against him. During the dinner celebrating his election, Salvius invites Aquilinus to recline to dinner, signififying that Aquilinus is now a free man.
First 100 Words
Underlined words are glossed in the text. See also the preview found here.Rōmānī servī semper sciēbant dominī sēcrēta. Ego, autem, nescīveram dominī maximum sēcrētum. Ego certē nesciēbam patrem meum scīre dominī maximum sēcrētum. Esse servus erat difficillimum, sed ego habitābam cum familiā meā. Nōs in domō magnā dominī Rōmae habitābāmus, sed nōs habēbāmus nihil nisi nostrum pecūlium.
Servus eram quia māter et pater servī erant. Ego nātus sum servus, et māter etiam nāta erat serva. Meus pater, autem, in Galliā līber nātus erat. Pater in bellō captīvus fuerat, et tum servus erat.
“Aquilīne! Aquilīne! Venī!” māter, quae erat in culīnā, clāmāvit.
Ego īvī ad culīnam quia māter mea voluit mē. Māter mea erat coqua optima, et semper in culīnā erat.
Supplementary Materials
The book itself contains information about Saturnalia, slavery, and the Battle of Atuatuca. If you have resources for Dominī Secrētum and would like to share them on LNDb, please contact me.Presentation
| Illustrations? | yes |
| Illustrator | various public domain artwork/clip art |
| Macrons? | yes |
| Font | Georgia, 14 pt |
| Pages of story | 101 |
| Total pages | 181 |
| Chapters | 19 |
Key Information
| Publication date | April 16, 2020 |
| Publisher | Bombax Press |
| ISBN | N/A |
| ISBN-13 | 979-8629036289 |
