Mark Knowles
I was a relatively junior officer stood half frozen on a crimescene one morning, by a canal in central London. I was talking to another officer and we were discussing how such scenes might have been handled in Victorian times, when The Met was still in its infancy. I think he mentioned an urban myth that a body had once been pushed to the other side of a canal so that it came under another borough's jurisdiction.
This got me thinking about how - of indeed if - murders were investigated in Ancient Rome by the city authorities. 'vestigia' means 'traces' in Latin, from where we get the modern concept, but there is really no evidence, written or otherwise, that tells us anything about the procedure at scenes of crime, although we do know about various punishments. I decided on my next set of rest days to become a member of the British Library to research the roles of the 'vigiles', the night watch, and the concept for the book really came from there.
This got me thinking about how - of indeed if - murders were investigated in Ancient Rome by the city authorities. 'vestigia' means 'traces' in Latin, from where we get the modern concept, but there is really no evidence, written or otherwise, that tells us anything about the procedure at scenes of crime, although we do know about various punishments. I decided on my next set of rest days to become a member of the British Library to research the roles of the 'vigiles', the night watch, and the concept for the book really came from there.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more