You don’t know the language or the customs. If you lose your guide, you could find yourself in fatal trouble very fast. Our porters will carry your luggage, since neither free-born men nor free-born women carried their own parcels. You’ve already been warned not to venture out after dark. Rome is a deadly city by night.
Not even the ruling classes walk the streets after dark.
Now… are there any questions?”
”What do we do after you show us the hotel?” a man near the center of the group asked.
”You’ve already been assigned to your tour groups. Each group will follow an itinerary based on the selections you made at the time station. Today is the Sacrifice of Attis, with an historic first procession of the sacred pine, plus the regular annual celebrations and the dedications of new priests. Three days from now the Hilaria begins. The Ludi Megalenses games begin on April fourth and will continue through the tenth, with Circus games and races daily. Chariot races, horse races, and bestiaries are scheduled for the mornings, gladiatorial combats for the afternoons.
”As you know, when the Games open, it will be arena seating”-another ripple of laughter went through the crowd at the silly pun-”so we’ll need to find seats quickly to be assured of places. Be ready to enter the Circus by sunrise. The gate back to the time terminal reopens shortly after midnight on the eleventh. You’ll probably be exhausted-so don’t arrive late!”
”What about the lottery?”
The speaker was another man, near the edge of the crowd.