Publisher's Synopsis
Year 47 BC. While the Republic of Rome is trying to get out of the civil wars between Caesar and Pompey, the young land surveyor Quintilius is engaged with a department of army engineers in the reorganization of some agricultural land south of Eporedia. Fortunately, some senior officers of the Caesarian faction offer him a way out of boredom and involve him in an unusual investigation to shed light on the sudden, dubious enrichment of unknown origin of some generals stationed in the Province of Macedonia. The investigation focuses on ancient mines abandoned for centuries in Attica, and there are even rumors of a treasure left by Philip II, Alexander the Great's father.
The freedman Hicesius, an educated man expert in mathematical calculations, is also part of the adventure. The journey to the Province of Macedonia will lead Quintilius to thrilling meetings, but these are difficult times. Civil wars and betrayals, rampant corruption, officers thirsty for money and glory, and political intrigues make life complicated for the land surveyor who will have to find a solution for his intricate investigation.