Part 2: Cloacina - Beneath the Waters

I. The Smell of Necessity

After summer storms, the Tiber swelled, and the lower markets turned to soup. Rome learned early that a city cannot rise above its filth unless someone loves the unseen work. Under arches of old stone, a great channel gathered the runoff and carried it away. People spat the name with a wrinkled nose, yet when the channel flowed, the city breathed easier.

Marcus, a young ...