The Scribe of Akrai

"The Scribe of Akrai" was inspired by a hill town in Sicily. Named by the Greeks who established it in 663 BC it has been inhabited by tribes since pre-historic times. The book deals with the problems of migration, colonization, government, and culture in ancient times, and yet, so current in today's world. It follows the threads of fictitious genealogies weaving a tapestry to the birth and life of one of the greatest men who ever lived, Archimedes. Combining the colorful myths and history of this ancient land, we can see, as through a looking glass, our own 21st century world. "The Scribe of Akrai" is fiction as is Luxo and the archeologist, Enzo, who discovers the caves in the 20th Century. The story begins in 1974 historically with my visit to Palazzolo Acreide, the Akrai of the Greeks, my grandparent's ancestral home. There Enzo shares with me his monumental discovery - 9 caves in which Luxo inscribed the history of southeastern Trinacria (Sicily) in 200 BC. I am tasked by Enzo to write Luxo's history in English and am helped by a mysterious Muse. As we follow Luxo through each cave, he weaves the threads of myth and history into a tapestry. A tapestry where I add fiction so we can discover Trinacria's hidden past.