In the Duero Valley lie the ruins of a 4th-century Roman villa. In what used to be the home's entrance, there is an impeccably preserved mosaic of Pegasus. But Pegasus has no wings. Why? This episode's character is a Latin translator who travels to the villa with his boss (and clingy romantic partner) for a work assignment, all while dealing with abnormal back pain. When he discovers a tablet with an ancient inscription, his boss strangely insists on ignoring it. He also insists on our character never taking off the shiny black bracelet he gave him when they made things official. Even though it hurts his wrist. It turns out the voices are trapped inside this bracelet. They take us back to 409 AD, where we meet the final owner of the villa, at a time when the Alans, Visigoths, and Suebi are overrunning Hispania. But the owner of the villa isn't concerned. Because Rome is unbeatable...right? The power of the Roman god Mars, Christian beliefs and AI collide in a story spanning millennia. Discover with our character the true nature of the black bracelet he is not allowed to remove, where his back pain comes from, and why Pegasus doesn't have any wings. --- 1. Visit the Museo de las villas romanas website here. 2. Take a look at the series filmed at the reconstruction of the villa, El Corazón del Imperio. IMDb here. 3. I took images of the museum, the archaeological dig with the wingless Pegasus mosaic, and the reconstruction of the villa while researching and recording this episode. You can see them on Spanish Sundown’s webpage, or on Facebook, Instagram or Reddit, where you can also join our online community. © 2025 Samuel Mattern. All rights reserved.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related