Buried

A fictional recovered manuscript from 400 AD details several years in the lives of two aristocratic Roman pagans in their late twenties, the siblings Aeneas and Honoria, as they defend their traditional values against a hostile, militant Christianity bent on obliterating every trace of paganism. The brother and sister both find lovers, but face overwhelming difficulties as the empire is drawn into a maelstrom of intrigues, religious and political rivalries, warfare, mayhem, and murder. Aeneas, an amateur boxer who loves the philosophy of Aristotle, is a soldier, adventurer, scholar, and high-ranking government official. Honoria is a vestal priestess dismissed from office by a recently Christianized emperor. They are ideally positioned to convey the brilliant and sophisticated achievements of pagan civilization and defend it against the Christian charge of worldliness and theological error. Their concise, vivid portrayals reveal intimate details of life in pre-Christian Rome, the most advanced civilization in the Western world prior to the modern era. Fast paced, suspenseful, sweeping in scope and rich in historical details and allusions to real events, Buried: The Discernment of Pagans in Ancient Rome will leave you with new insight into the pagan world and the human capacity for love.