A Slave’s Story

What if you discovered that you were not who you thought you were—that your true family history had been hidden from you since birth? What if the true story of your origins would make others despise you? What if the man who arranged the deception was seriously ill and needed your help? What if you were a slave and that man held your life in his hands—and you his?

Lucius Coelius Felix has everything a Roman nobleman could desire—wealth, honor, a retinue of clients, and the chance to rise at last into elite society in Antioch-near-Pisidia (a Roman colony in central Turkey). All he lacks is a sound body. When a mysterious illness robs him of his strength, he turns to the Greek healing god Asklepios, journeying hundreds of miles to his sanctuary at Pergamon in search of a miracle.

Traveling with him is Selena, a former slave whom he freed to make his wife, and Marcus, a bright young slave who manages his records and correspondence. Marcus’s loyalty is challenged when he learns that Lucius lied about his ancestry and identity while Lucius faces a similar test from the god Aslepios. Neither will ever be the same, but what will become of them is yet to be seen.

From the bustling markets and elite homes of Antioch and Ephesus to the sanctuary at Pergamon, A Rooster for Asklepios brings to life a little-known corner of the Roman world that has been neglected by other storytellers.

Fans of Conn Iggulden, Ken Follett, and Robert Graves will be captivated by this richly detailed and compelling exploration of life in first-century Roman Asia Minor.

Christopher D. Stanley is an emeritus professor at St. Bonaventure University who studies and writes about the social history of early Christianity and the Greco-Roman world. He has written or edited seven academic books and dozens of professional articles on the subject and presents papers regularly at conferences around the world.