Mira Sidonis

In Sidon, a city known throughout the Roman Empire for producing luxury clothing, Mira has grown up doing the work that keeps everyone else standing. Ever since her mother died in childbirth, she has spent her days caring for her younger sisters and discreetly assisting her nearly blind father as he carries out his duties as the leader of Sidon’s synagogue.

Recently, however, two new anxieties have complicated Mira’s busy life. Sara, her best friend and older sister, has begun to insist that their community recognize Mira’s contributions at the synagogue, pitting Mira’s desire for recognition against her loyalty to their proud father. In the midst of this, the birth of Sara’s first child is rapidly approaching. As the day draws near, Mira worries that her sister will share their mother’s fate.

Then, on what should be an ordinary day, a Roman soldier denies Mira entry into her father’s synagogue. Has Roman military violence against her people spread to her hometown?

A character-driven historical novella that brings the Roman world to the street level, Mira’s story offers a textured peek into several aspects of daily life in the Roman province of Syria, including synagogue leadership, education, childbirth, local identity, and women’s often-invisible labor. Written with sheltered vocabulary, it contains several images, glosses within the text, and an index of every word form so that beginner and intermediate readers can enjoy reading as they increase their Latin-proficiency level.