In Cambridge Latin Course Book 1 we met the Caecilius household and became involved in their daily lives.
The master of the house was Lucius Caecilus Iucundus. He was a Roman citizen, a resident of Pompeii and a successful banker and auctioneer. He existed. We know this from records retrieved in the late 1800s when archaeologists discovered his house.
Whatever Caecilius was like in actual life, students who meet him in the pages of The Cambridge Latin Course Book 1 are inevitably drawn to him. We view his home; we meet his family; with him, we grumble at the slaves; we tolerate the dog.
In reality he was most probably an unscrupulous, successful businessman ; never tolerated fools gladly; indulged his wife, Metella; firmly ruled his household and was a shrewd money-lender. A scholarly examination of his house has revealed that he was an ex-slave, (and ex-slaves notoriously made harsh masters), for the decorations reveal that he was trying to create an "ancestral house."
How strange then that one feels a sense of real loss when Vesuvius erupts and the Caecilius house is destroyed.
On the Internet there are a few websites dedicated to Caecilius, notably the Caecilius Store. Here one can find a variety of merchandise "related to that ancient banker." I have a sneaking feeling that Caecilius would have approved of this and of the following site: AnimaAltera.
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