historical | Alison Morton Author

Trust, betrayal and the Roman way

Tarpeian Rock, site of execution of traitors in Ancient Rome

Betrayal, treachery, treason, deceit, perfidy – all names for the calculated violation of trust.

Trust is something we build up gradually, firstly, in our parents and carers, then teachers, friends, mentors, colleagues, in lovers and partners, in a organisation, an ideal, a country. […]

2014 Historical Novel Society conference (1)

Hot, tired and stressed out after flight delay and snail-slow taxi ride from Liverpool Street Station, I arrived at Marylebone Hall, the accommodation block at the University of Westminster, fit to drop. I flung on a clean shirt, combed my hair and abandoning unpacking, I hurried down to the lobby. The sound of chatter and […]

What’s in a (Roman) name?

Me and G.J.Caesar

An awful lot!

This is only a brief introduction, but hold on tight because this may seem a little confusing…

Even in the earliest times, Romans used a different system of names from most other European and Mediterranean countries. They used two names, one of which became a hereditary surname. […]

RNA Conference pictures

Although it seems ages ago, the Romantic Novelists’ Association Conference was only a couple of weeks ago! It took place at the Harper Adams University, a renowned agricultural college near Telford, Shropshire – a beautiful setting, plus a light whiff from the animal areas! Needless to say, our meals had the shortest food mileage ever […]

Roman holidays?

My Roman trip!

A ‘holiday’ today means is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. But the concept of taking a vacation is a recent invention, and has developed through the last two centuries. Historically, the idea of travel for recreation was a luxury only wealthy people […]