ROMAN GLASS

By Miriam’s time, the first century of the Common Era, Roman glass was being manufactured into everyday containers and plain tableware. But glass was also being made into windows, jewelry, and magnifying glasses as well as some of the finest pieces of art.

In THE DEADLIEST THIEF, Miriam encounters in the agora her friend, the potbellied dwarf ben Ruben, and invites him to join her in her favorite café:

A moment later, a mousy-haired knock-kneed waiter cut a clean line around the empty tables. Shouldering a tray of finger foods and beverages, he sailed right over. The glassware chinked as my guest grabbed a goblet of pomegranate wine sweetened with honey and pawed four apricot tarts.

There ben Ruben describes for her the brute of a man who’s been following him. Although, he didn’t exactly see him, the dwarf caught a glimpse of him in the window of a glassmaker’s shop where the artisan makes those exquisite Alexandrine glass beads (see my blog of February 20, 2018):

“The brute was big and dark. Somehow the set of his jaw looked familiar. I don’t know. His head was remarkably small, but his shoulders were bullish, his chest massive, and his neck like a tree trunk. Oh yeah, and his hair was unkempt, almost wild.”

And so, Miriam sets out to investigate the brute and why he has singled out her friend. But the case quickly gets complicated. You see, the brute is out to recover the gems stolen from the Temple of Artemis, brought to Alexandria, and hidden somewhere in the city. There’s plenty Miriam will not discover until it’s too late, but you can help, of course, if you’ve got the guts. Just click here.