AN ADVENTUROUS TALE OF ROMAN CHARIOT RACING AND IMPERIAL POLITICAL INTRIGUE "Panem et Circensus." Bread and Circuses. It was the Roman poet Juvenal that coined that often quoted phrase. In his opinion a great many Romans were interested in only two things: free handouts of bread, and chariot races. A.D. 96-Rubio, son of Aulus Artorius Celsus, arrives in Alexandria to seek his fortune fleeing Rome after the assassination of Emperor Domitianus. He tries to enlist in the Legions but is rejected because of his youthful age. Afterwards he seeks employment in several different trades but has no success; he either quits or gets sacked. Desperate to earn a descent living in something in which he excels, Rubio gets a job as a horse groom at the "Factio Russata," a local racing stable. He begins a menial career cleaning out stalls, grooming horses, feeding them, etc. Aurelius Falco, a prominent equestrian and a widower, is the stable's owner, and he takes to the Germani boy once he discovers his extraordinary knowledge of horses. Rubio slowly works his way up the stable hierarchy. But his progress is hampered by a cruel, foul-mouthed foreman named Titus Buccio, an ex-circus driver turned circus trainer. Then during a practice race, a driver is injured and Rubio steps in and shows off his driving skills as a charioteer, much to the surprise and delight of Aurelius Falco. Buccio vehemently rejects Falco's suggestion that Rubio become a permanent driver for the stable, and for the "Red Faction" which Falco represents. Buccio is overruled and Rubio becomes a regular charioteer or "Auriga."