Res Publica: The Gift of Mars

The lives of three generations of the plebeian Tempanius family are woven through the struggles and conflicts against Etruscan, Latin and other enemies of the young republic, and the fight for rights and power between the aristocratic Patricians and the common people of Rome in the first decades of the Roman Republic. Lucius Tempanius, eldest son of Marcus and Drusilla, loves war and pleasure. His goal in life is to be the greatest soldier of Rome and abjures his role as head of the family and leaves the farm to his brother, Titus. His move into the city causes a deep rift in the family and brings dishonor to the Tempanius name. But when his youngest brother is murdered by a patrician and allowed to escape punishment, Lucius Tempanius finally dedicates himself to a cause. That cause is vendetta; vengeance for his brother, and breaking the power of the patricians.