ScottOden

Thank you, Gaius, Neil, and Macro, for the warm welcome! I've been lurking about the forums, getting a feel for the place, for the past couple of days. It is impressive! VERY glad to be here! Neil, I do hope you enjoy the books when you read them! I'd urge you to start with Memnon; it's my personal favorite, followed closely by The Lion of Cairo. I love Men of Bronze as my first-born, but it very much reads like a first book, warts and all. Macro, it is surreal, interacting with authors I know and love. My penultimate moment was getting a signed copy of The War of Art from Pressfield, and his note to me in the envelope made mention of Memnon . . . I was pinching myself for a week Best, Scott

Thanks, Gaius and Bryaxis! Bryaxis, I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed Memnon and Men of Bronze! Memnon remains my favorite of the two. I've been plugging away at Serpent of Hellas (which is now due out in 2013, sadly) and was suddenly struck by the notion to turn away from a straightforward, linear narrative style and embrace something more akin to an ancient Greek Canterbury Tales: a decade (perhaps?) after the battle of Artemisium, a young man whose father was killed in that action journeys to the site to witness the dedication of the monument; along the way, he learns the tale of the battle -- and of Themistokles -- through a series of encounters with those who survived, from the young Athenian who lit the warning beacon on Skiathos, to Abronichus who sailed the message-boat between Thermopylae and Artemisium, to a priestess of Artemis who helps remember the dead. Since I can find nothing concrete on the monument at Artemisium, I'm thinking of having it dedicated at the same time as the monument at Thermopylae, which will probably mean I'll have to shorten the time frame for my protagonist's journey from a decade after the battle to just a year or two after. Anyway, my thanks for your help! Best, Scott

Hello, all! I was guided here by Russell Whitfield, who assures me this enclave knows everything there is to know about the ancient world Very glad to be here. I'm a 44 year old married author of three books: Men of Bronze, Memnon, and The Lion of Cairo. I'm researching and writing my fourth and fifth (the former is a tale of Artemisium; the latter a fantasy involving Orcs). I like ancient Greek history, gaming, and long walks on the beach . . . Thanks! Scott Scott Oden www.menofbronze.com

Greetings! This is my first post to your excellent forum; I was directed here by Russell Whitfield, who swears this enclave can answer all my ancient Greek questions. Here we go: In the Penguin Classics edition of Plutarch's Life of Themistokles, there is mention of a monument at Artemisium: "This stone, if you rub it with your hands, gives off the color and odor of saffron." Is this monument still in existence, and is there any indication when it was erected? Many thanks, in advance! Best, Scott Oden www.menofbronze.com