Roma

Claudius smiled. “You enthusiasm is flattering.”

“I speak from the heart, Censor.”

“I can see that. Strange! The Fabii have always been warriors, and a few have allegedly been statesmen, but never builders. I wonder how you came by such a trait?”

Kaeso did not care for the question, as it reminded him of his unknown origins, but he tried not to let his vexation show.

“Does your father know that you’ve come to me?”

“Yes, Censor. Although he disapproves of your politics—he calls you a radical populist—”

“Radical? Because I give common citizens well-paid work on public projects that benefit all of Roma? I suppose he calls me a demagogue, as well.”

Kaeso cheeks turned hot. His father had indeed used that despised word, imported from the Greek, for an unscrupulous leader who exploited the unruly passions of the mob. “Despite our political differences, Censor, my father understands how greatly I desire to work for you. He will do nothing to prevent me.”

“And your cousin Quintus?”

“I haven’t discussed it with him. But I don’t need his approval. I am—”

“Yes, I know: You are your own man.” Claudius drummed his fingers on his knees for a while, then nodded and smiled. “Very well, Kaeso Fabius Dorso. I shall find a suitable place for you on one of my projects.”

“Thank you, Censor!”

“And in the meantime, to please me, perhaps you will consider changing the ‘K’ in your name to a ‘C’.”

“Well—if you really think it’s necessary…”

“Kaeso, I’m only joking—alas!”

At dawn the next day, following the instructions of Appius Claudius, Kaeso set out from his home on the Palatine. He walked past the ancient Hut of Romulus and the fig tree called the ruminalis, a descendent of the tree which shaded Acca Larentia when she suckled Romulus and Remus. He descended the winding walkway known as the Stairs of Cacus.

He walked through the Forum Boarium (originally Bovarium, as Appius Claudius had informed him, but the letter ‘V’ had long ago been dropped by common usage). The workers in the shops and markets were just begi

His destination was a work site at the foot of the Aventine Hill, between the Temple of Ceres and the north end of the Circus Maximus. He knew he had reached the place when he saw the great piles of earth and the network of ramparts that had been built around the excavation. A small army of workers, made up of freedmen and freeborn citizens, had gathered. They milled about, joking and complaining about having to wake up so early.

The sky, growing lighter every moment, was dotted with small clouds, and there was a breeze from the east. “Looks to be an excellent day for working outdoors,” said one of the men. “Too bad we’ll be stuck underground!”

A foremen appeared. The men formed a queue. One by one they were issued shovels and spades, then disappeared into a cave-like hole at the base of the hill.

Kaeso waited until the foreman had a spare moment, then approached him and introduced himself, as Claudius had instructed him to do.

The man was tall and slender, but wiry with muscle. His tunic was spotless, but there was dirt under his fingernails. “So you’re the young Fabius, here to learn about the aqueduct. My name is Albinius. I’m in charge of all aqueduct operations within the city walls, the most interesting part of the project from an engineering standpoint. Do you know where the city gets its water, currently?”

“From the Tiber, I suppose, and from springs here and there inside the city. And some people collect rainwater.”

“That’s right. And so it’s been from the begi

“What to do? ‘We’ll simply bring the water we need from elsewhere,’ said Appius Claudius. ‘What, carry it by the wagonload?’ said the skeptics. ‘No, you fools!’ said Claudius. ‘We shall make the water flow here of its own accord, through the cha

“Ten miles west of the city, at the springs near Gabii,” said Kaeso.

“That’s right. The fresh water from those springs will pour into an underground cha

“Claudius wants the water to come here, to the place where we’re standing. The natural way to do it—to let the water follow the lay of the land and run downhill—would mean digging a cha

They walked along the foot of the Aventine, crossing the open area to the south of the racing track. As they approached the city wall and the Capena Gate, Claudius’s novel solution for transporting the water loomed before them. To bridge the space between the high ground to the left of the gate and the high ground to the right, a cha

“To bring the water to Roma, Claudius will not only make it run underground—he’ll make it flow above our heads!” said Albinius. “This elevated part of the aqueduct runs for only a few hundred feet, out of a total distance of many miles. But it’s a brilliant solution—a river in the sky! There’s no reason this kind of construction can’t be repeated elsewhere, and no reason that such an elevated aqueduct can’t be built on an even larger scale, ru