Saronia A Romance of Ancient Ephesus

The sun crowns the marble pillars of the Temple of Diana as the river Cayster mingles with the Aegean, washing the bustling streets of ancient Ephesus. Merchants hawk fragrant fruits, ribbons, and wine in a market that throbs with colour and the chatter of citizens hurrying to temples, theatres, and workshops. Into this splendor walks Saronia, a tall, solemn‑eyed slave from Sidon, carrying a basket of pomegranates, citrons and olives, her heart a restless flame yearning for more than the quiet servitude of her Roman mistress.

Venusta treats her with fairness, yet the young daughter Nika watches Saronia with a cold, unexplainable hatred that seems to rise without reason. Between the fragrant groves of oleander and the looming marble, Saronia feels the pull of destiny, a promise of freedom that flickers in the shadows of the city's grand temples. Listeners will be drawn into a world where love, envy, and the whisper of the gods shape the fate of a woman caught between luxury and longing.