The Testimonium (7 page)
“I first noticed the fallen masonry from the top of the staircase,” said Rossini as the team approached the entrance. “When I reached the bottom and was able to view the entire wall, I saw this opening that had been revealed by the collapse. I had a pocket flashlight with me, and poking my head inside—being careful not to actually step into the chamber—I saw the very thick coating of stone dust, as well as the table and stool, plus the square object to the rear of the chamber. I immediately realized that this had the potential to be a find of some significance, so I backed out and called Dr. Sforza.”
Isabella took up the narration from that point. “I arrived about four hours later. Giuseppe did not have a camera, but he had prepared detailed sketches of the staircase, the opening, and the shape of the chamber as much as he could see from the entrance. I immediately began taking pictures and video to document what we found as we went inside. Since it was Giuseppe’s discovery, I let him begin to uncover the first artifacts while I filmed.”
As she spoke, Rossini deftly removed the tarp Isabella had covered the entrance with. He stepped inside and illuminated the writing table with his flashlight. The others congregated at the entrance as she continued her narration. “The stone dust on top of the table was about a centimeter and a half deep, shrouding every object. We decided to start with the table as the easiest choice. The largest object on the tabletop proved to be this inkwell. As we uncovered it, it was apparent that some of the ink from it had dripped out and stained the tabletop—which led us to conclude that the inkwell was actually used on this table. We still had no idea how old it was or who may have used it, but it was Roman era glass. Next we found a red wax candle and a bronze candleholder. Again, obviously Roman in age—in fact, the candleholder was embossed with a Roman eagle and the SPQR of the Republic. That puts it squarely in the first century. But it was the next object that made us realize the true significance of the site.”
Rossini had been using his pocket torch to illuminate the various objects as they were described, and now he brought it to bear on the golden ring. It had not been moved since they uncovered it, but the insignia was facing toward the door, so that the seal was plainly visible. As Isabella described it, the three archeologists leaned forward in fascination. “This sealing ring bears the name and title of Tiberius Julius Augustus Caesar, Second Emperor of Rome. It is lying next to the sealing wax candle—and, when I enlarged the photos on my laptop, there actually appear to be remnants of sealing wax embedded between the embossed letters on the ring. Someone—most likely Tiberius himself—used this ring at this table two thousand years ago.”
Father MacDonald let out a low whistle of amazement. “Amazing!” he said. “This is the first artifact ever uncovered that can be said with certainty to have belonged to a Roman Emperor of the first century.”
Isabella smiled. “It gets better;” she said. “I will add that at this point Dr. Rossini suggested that we cease uncovering artifacts and secure the site. It was my decision, and mine alone, to continue uncovering the items on top of this table. If it was the wrong decision, I want the record to reflect that. We did continue to record our progress both on film and with still shots, so that there would be no question of any tampering with the site or its artifacts. There was one object still visible on the tabletop, covered by the same thick layer of dust. We bagged up samples of the dust covering each artifact, by the way, Dr. Apriceno.”
“Excellent!” the paleobotanist interjected.
“This time, we uncovered a quill pen, lying in the center of the desk. I was the one who realized that it was not, in fact, lying directly on the desk but on a sheet of papyrus completely concealed by the stone dust. Dr. Rossini very carefully proceeded to remove the dust from the sheet, which was covered with Latin writing. We did not take the time to decipher the handwriting, which was terribly shaky and rather small. We were a bit shaky ourselves by that point! But what we were able to read was a signature that was large enough and bold enough to be legible. It is the signature of Tiberius Caesar.”
Although Bernardo had already been told what they found, actually looking at the ancient document took his breath away. The other two team members were too stunned to speak for a moment. Finally Father MacDonald spoke up. “This is an incredible find, but that papyrus needs to be stabilized immediately. The longer it is exposed to the air the harder it will be to preserve. May I step inside?”
Isabella stepped back a bit and let him in to look at the ancient text. He carefully studied it from every angle, then took a very fine-bladed pen knife and tried to insert it under one corner of the letter for the slightest fraction of an inch. Then he turned to the others. “I was afraid of this. The lacquer on the tabletop has bonded to the papyrus, and there is not going to be any easy way to detach the sheet from this table. I will have to move the whole thing to the lab and work on it there—which means that the other artifacts will have to be removed from the tabletop and all the stone dust cleared from it as well. Simone, I presume you will want to take some samples from the remaining undisturbed dust layer first?”
Apriceno stepped forward. “It looks like all their samples were carefully collected and labeled, but I am going to remove dust from the undisturbed areas of the tabletop to be certain. At that point you can remove the other items from the tabletop and carry them all to the mobile lab. Then I’ll need to chase all of you out of here while I get samples from every other surface inside the chamber. Ideally, that dust should be identical in makeup to that which you removed from the tabletop, which will confirm the antiquity of the chamber and a lack of any tampering with the site.”
Isabella nodded. “I don’t see any problem with that,” she said. “I think cleaning, cataloguing, and studying the other pieces will take up the next couple of days. Hopefully when Dr. Apriceno finishes collecting all her samples we can vacuum out the chamber and get a look at what lies under all this lovely ancient stone dust.”
They stepped out of the chamber to let the pollen specialist collect her samples. For some time they discussed the site’s potential, and the best means of curating what had been found so far. After some time Dr. Guioccini’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the incoming text message. “It seems Dr. Parker will arrive at Capodichino Airport in Naples at six PM. I’ve directed the chopper pilot who delivered us to pick him up there, so our team will be complete by the end of the day. So while we are waiting for Dr. Apriceno to complete her work, let’s finish getting the mobile lab set up.”
The four archeologists entered the lab. The equipment had all been secured for transport, and for the next hour or so they unbuckled straps, adjusted sensitive equipment, and opened various cabinets to check the instruments within. Rossini plugged the main power line into a small but powerful portable generator and started it up. MacDonald took a quick inventory of the chemicals he would need, and then lowered the viewing hood he would be using to study what they were already calling the “Tiberius manuscript.” Guioccini walked around the small trailer, checking to see that everything they needed would be there, and listing the items that would have to be flown in. Once the mobile lab was set up, he asked the three to step outside.
“I will be leaving on the chopper that brings Dr. Parker in,” he said. “For the time being I will be operating out of the Antiquities Bureau office in Naples. I want updates on any new discoveries, and any progress made with the ones already documented. Hopefully in a few days we can make some kind of public statement. This is already a remarkable find and has the potential to become even more so, depending on what else is in that chamber. MacDonald, I would like a rough translation of the Tiberius manuscript within the next forty-eight hours, if possible. Make sure that you and Dr. Parker agree on the translation before you forward it. The sealing ring, candle, quill, and everything else should be carefully analyzed, photographed, and documented so that I can present them to the Bureau before the week is out. Any questions?” There were none. He had chosen his team well.
“I’ve collected all necessary samples of the dust from on and around the table,” Dr. Apriceno interrupted the briefing. “We can begin moving it from the chamber to the lab in a few moments. The table is not secured to the floor, but we will need to remove the other artifacts from the top of it before we transport it.”
Guioccini nodded his agreement and dismissed the team. They waited outside the chamber while Giuseppe donned a pair of gloves. Moving carefully, Dr. Rossini reentered the chamber and used a pair of padded forceps to gingerly lift each object from the tabletop and place them in clear plastic boxes, which he then sealed with airtight lids before handing them to Isabella and Dr. MacDonald, who gingerly carried them to the lab. Once the inkwell, ring, candle, and candleholder were removed, Rossini asked MacDonald to take a careful look at the ancient document and the quill that rested on it. The Vatican archeologist very carefully prodded the quill with a long-handled pair of tweezers. It shifted easily, without any of the papyrus adhering to it. Breathing a sigh of relief, he gently placed it in an oblong plastic box and handed it out to Dr. Rossini. Then he carefully lifted the ancient stool that had sat under the writing desk for twenty centuries and carried it to the mobile lab as well, shielding it from direct sunlight with a thin sheet of opaque, acid-free plastic wrap. It was surprisingly light from dry rot, and he doubted that it would ever be able to bear a person’s weight again. While it was an interesting and rare find, it could wait until after the ancient manuscript had been translated and analyzed.
Returning to the chamber, he carefully studied the writing table and the ancient document it held. He pulled a small tape measure out of his pocket and measured the width of the table itself, then the entrance of the chamber. He also measured the height of the table and compared it to the opening as well, frowning for a moment. “Dr. Rossini,” he said, “is this block of stone removable?” He indicated a block that protruded near the bottom of the opening.
Rossini studied the projecting block for a moment, and gave it a gentle nudge with his foot. It shifted outward easily, so he gently pulled it from its resting place and laid it alongside the other blocks that had kept the chamber walled up for twenty centuries. MacDonald nodded his thanks, and then stepped out of the chamber to breathe some clean air and retrieve a large sheet of the acid-free plastic wrap. Coming back, he carefully stretched it over the entire tabletop and fixed it to each side of the table with a rubber-tipped pair of clamps.
“Dr. Sforza,” he said. “You are young and sure-footed. I want you to very carefully lift the far side of this table out of the chamber, keeping it perfectly level the entire time. I will grasp the opposite side. Then we will carry it quickly across to the mobile lab. Ancient documents do NOT like sunlight, so we will expose it for the briefest period possible. Just please, don’t trip!”
Isabella laughed nervously. “If I do, please don’t fall after me!” she said, envisioning the priceless relic smashed between their falling bodies like a prop in a slapstick comedy movie. But they were both exceedingly careful, and covered the thirty feet between the mobile lab and the chamber entrance in a few seconds, while Dr. Rossini held the lab door open for them. In a moment the ancient teakwood table was positioned on a low workbench, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
The sound of a helicopter began to grow in the distance. Guioccini smiled. “It looks like our final team member will be here just in time to help you get the real work started,” he said. “Let’s cover that entrance back up and go greet him, shall we?”
* * *
Josh knew he should be exhausted, but the events of the last twenty-four hours had him on such an adrenaline rush his body was feeling no fatigue. As soon as he got the call out on Lake Hugo, his father had headed for the boat ramp. Once the Bass Tracker was loaded up, Josh had dialed the number for Dr. Guioccini and gotten through. The Italian antiquarian sounded sleepy but responded to Josh’s name very positively. He thanked Josh for calling back so quickly and then filled him in on the nature of the discovery and the need for a Latin historian and archeologist to assist in translating the document that had been found—and any more that might still be hidden in the chamber. As the reality of the discovery sunk in, Josh could hardly contain his excitement. At his father’s house near Texarkana, he had thrown some clothes into his satchel, grabbed a handful of reference books for his carry-on, and been back out the door by the time his dad had gotten the boat unhooked and hosed out.
“Are you really going to fly to Italy smelling like dead shrimp?” his father asked him, and Josh looked down at his stained fishing pants and gave a laugh. He ducked back in the house, grabbed a clean change of clothes, and then showered and washed his hair in record time. The drive to D/FW International Airport had taken just over three hours, and Josh had used his phone to go online and find last-minute seats on a flight to London Heathrow, with a forty-five-minute layover before picking up the connecting flight to Naples. If all went as planned, Josh would arrive in Italy less than twenty-four hours after pulling his dad’s boat out of the water in Oklahoma.
Josh had tried to immerse himself in the works of Cassius Dio during the trans-Atlantic flight, but not even the lively Latin narrative by the gossipy Roman consul who had served under the Emperor Commodus could keep him from speculating about what had been found on the island of Capri. He finally put the book down and tried to remember what he had learned about the reclusive emperor who had made the island famous. Tiberius was one of the least popular Roman emperors, mainly because he was portrayed as a sour, bitter old man who hated the city that was the capital of the Empire he governed from 14 to 37 AD. Following in the footsteps of his legendary stepfather, Augustus, he had always been jealous of the enormous popularity of his nephew and adopted son, Germanicus. Not long after Tiberius succeeded to the imperial throne, Germanicus had died under mysterious circumstances—many said he had been poisoned by order of the jealous emperor, a suspicion that was enhanced when the accused poisoner died before his trial. In an effort to dispel these suspicions, Tiberius had adopted Germanicus’ young son Gaius as his own heir. Gaius was already known to the soldiers of his father’s legions as “Caligula,” or “Little Boots,” because of the miniature general’s uniform his father had loved to dress him up in. It was Caligula, grown into a deeply psychotic and perverted young adult, who had reportedly ordered Tiberius to be smothered with his own pillows when the old man’s illness proved to be less fatal than Gaius had hoped. Caligula had reigned for four brief years before the Roman army had enough of his paranoia and rapidly accelerating lunacy, and he was murdered, along with his wife and infant daughter, by two generals who had been companions of his father.
