Marcus Artorius Bato

Marcus Artorius Bato
First appearance	"The Thieves of Ostia"
Last appearance	"Ongoing"
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Magistrate

Marcus Artorius Bato, generally referred to as simply Bato is a recurring fictional character in the popular children's' books The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence.

Profile

Little is known of Bato's life prior to The Thieves of Ostia, although it can be presumed he achieved the rank of Junior Magistrate sometime before AD 79. During this time, he assisted Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus in catching a potential thief and murderer. Despite occasional flashes of genius, he appears mainly as a foil for Flavia.

During The Assassins of Rome, Bato is aware of a possible assassination attempt on Doctor Mordecai from Simeon ben Jonah, a notorious killer, and informs the doctor, unknowing that the assassin and his target are actually brothers-in-law and good friends, and that Simeon is no assassin but on an important mission to Rome. Bato wrongly imprisons Mordecai for harbouring a known criminal, although he is released when new evidence comes to light.

Bato's term as Junior Magistrate came to an end in December AD 79, but four months later he began a private investigation in finding the freeborn children illegally sold as slaves by Venalicius. These are portrayed in The Colossus of Rhodes, in which Bato boarded The Delphina and allied himself to Flavia and her friends once more, as well as Gaius Valerius Flaccus in a bid to 'break the chain' forever. He is badly injured by a sabotage attempt on the ship, when he is pinned down by a mast. Despite his intelligence (which is shown prominently for the first time), Bato is led into a trap by the slave-dealer, Magnus, but successfully manages to repel the attackers alongside Flaccus.

During The Case of the Talking Statue, Bato, now apparently a fully qualified magistrate and aedile is nominated for the position of Pontifex Volcani. Although not specifically stated who eventually earned this post, it is implied that Bato is unsuccessful.

His next major appearance would be in The Slave Girl from Jerusalem, in which his character takes a turn. After being paid very respectfully, Bato appears in court as an esteemed lawyer against a friend of Flavia's. He coolly betrays the four friends, giving a cruel and twisted testimony of their character. Despite his brilliance and carefully chosen words, Bato is outwitted by his previous companion, Flaccus, and loses the case, his friendship and alliance with the detectives in tatters.

An insightful look at Bato appears in Death by Vespasian, in which Bato narrates a letter to the Emperor Titus, and tells the story of a certain murder mystery that he solved (although the true hero is apparently Flavia). He has apparently moved to Green Fountain Street, four houses away from Jonathan, his parents and Lupus.

It has been implied that Bato will appear again, as he now lives in close proximity to the detectives, although whether he will change back to being a friend of Flavia's, rather than a foe, is unclear.

Age

Bato's age is disputable. While often being described as the young magistrate, he is also mentioned as of having thinning hair. More perplexing, Flavia once describes him as of being around her father's age. It can be assumed he is in his late twenties or early thirties.

Appearances

Marcus Artorius Bato has appeared in the following novels in the series:

• The Thieves of Ostia
• The Assassins of Rome
• The Dolphins of Laurentum
• The Colossus of Rhodes
• The Slave Girl from Jerusalem
• Trimalchio's Feast and Other Mini-mysteries