“I can trace the materials used in the breastplates to the region during that time,” replied Davidson, “but it’s the other artifacts discovered along with them that really push me in that direction.”

“How so?”

“Well, we have coins from the Iberian Peninsula, spearheads from ancient Egypt, arrowheads from Gaul, even the stirrup of a Numidian cavalry soldier. It’s a real hodgepodge. Based upon the weapons and armor, my hypothesis is that this collection belonged to either a military unit that was widely traveled throughout the ancient world, in and around the Mediterranean in particular, or-”

“It came from an army made up largely of mercenaries from in and around the Mediterranean,” said Harvath. “Just like Hannibal ’s.”

I didn’t know Hannibal ’s soldiers were mercenaries,” said Jillian.

“According to one of the articles Vanessa had in her office,” explained Harvath, “the Carthaginians were predominantly merchants. There was no need to maintain a large standing army when they could just hire out the best one money could buy whenever they needed it.”

“Which would explain the presence of a Numidian cavalry soldier,” said Davidson. “They were considered some of the best horsemen of their day.”

“Normally each family in Carthage,” continued Harvath, “committed at least one son to a life of military service, and like Hannibal, those men were extremely well trained. They were the ones who led Carthage ’s mercenary army.”

Dr. Davidson watched Harvath as he walked over to the breast-plates. “What can you tell us about these?” he asked.

“Not as much as I would like,” responded Davidson. “That’s what I was hoping you could help me with. Based on what my husband told me, your colleague at the University of Durham seems to believe that the snakes represent the Azemiops feae viper?”

“They do bear a great resemblance,” replied Harvath, “but like you, we’re feeling our way around this to a certain degree as well. What else can you tell us?”

Davidson pulled a pair of white cotton gloves from her pocket and put them on before handling the armor. “Each one of the plates shows exceptional workmanship, especially for the third century B.C. The Greeks were some of the best armorers of the period, but these surpass any of their work. Based on our metallurgical testing, we know the metal came from somewhere in North Africa.”

“Just like the war hammer,” said Harvath.

Davidson nodded her head.

“How about the purple stones used for the bodies of the snakes, “He said. “What are they?”

“Amethysts,” replied Davidson.

“Interesting,” said Jillian. “Any special reason amethysts might have been chosen?”

“I wondered about that too and did a little research. Like most stones, amethysts have a long mythological history. Da Vinci believed they possessed incredible powers, not the least of which was the stone’s ability to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.”

“But we’re talking about a time period way before da Vinci,” interjected Harvath.

“Right,” agreed Davidson. “That’s why I went as far back as I could, to locate the first reference to amethysts having any sort of special power. After all, it wasn’t unusual for ancient armies to employ specific talismans to give them particular advantages over their enemies in battle.”

Jillian couldn’t help but anxiously coax the woman forward. “And you found a connection of some sort?”

“Sort of. Ancient Greek mythology claims that Dionysus, the god of wine, had been insulted by a passing mortal and swore that he would take revenge on the next one that came his way. He conjured up a team of ferocious tigers just as a beautiful young maiden was approaching. The maiden’s name was Amethyst, and she was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Artemis. As Dionysus released the tigers, Artemis turned Amethyst into a statue of pure crystalline to protect her from the tiger’s claws. Upon seeing the beautiful statue, Dionysus wept wine-filled tears of regret, which stained the statue a deep shade of purple.

“From that moment on, the amethyst stone was known to hold significant protective properties. Apparently, as the myth recounts, amethysts could even protect you from the wrath of the gods themselves.”

“So knowing that the Carthaginians had extensive contact with the Greeks, it’s possible they might have been familiar with this myth?” asked Harvath.

“Most likely,” replied Davidson. “We know that a tremendous amount of religious practices in the ancient world were actually borrowed from the Greeks.”

“Do you have any idea where these particular amethysts came from?” Scot asked as he took a closer look at one of the breastplates.

“Most of us in the modern world automatically think of South America when we think of amethysts. Places like Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Argentina come to mind, but most of the amethysts in the ancient world actually came from Africa.”

Yet another African connection, Harvath thought to himself, though at this point he needed no further convincing that the artifacts were connected to Hannibal. “What about the stones used for each of the snakes’ heads?”

“Rather unimpressive milk opals. They can be found all over the world.”

“Any significance there?”

“I don’t know, though they certainly aren’t being used as talismans in this instance.”

Harvath tilted the breastplate he was holding in the light. “Why not?”

“Amethysts,” said Davidson, “are revered for offering protection. But opals, on the other hand, are traditionally known to bring bad luck. The combination of the two stones seems to send a mixed message. Protect me, yet bring me bad luck.”

“Or from a soldier’s perspective,” offered Jillian, “they could mean Protect me from the bad luck I am bringing upon my enemy.”

Davidson set her breastplate down thoughtfully. “That’s also a possibility, but if these are Azemiops feae vipers, why would the Carthaginians depict them on their breastplates at all? What’s the purpose? From what my husband tells me, Azemiops feae is an East Asian viper. Armies in the Mediterranean never would have seen one, much less have known how deadly they were. If these breastplates were intended to inflict some sort of psychological damage, why not depict cobras, which were much feared and much better known? Or better yet, since we’re very likely talking about the Carthaginians here, why not use obviously ferocious creatures from their part of the world like crocodiles, rhinos, or even lions?”

“If these are in fact representations of Azemiops feae vipers,” replied Jillian, “then they must have been very significant to the men who were wearing the breastplates.”

“I’d have to concur,” replied Davidson. “But significant how? And why?”

Jillian looked up from the table and caught the look in Harvath’s eye. They were both thinking the same thing. It was time to get to the bottom of things. “Dr. Davidson, we need to know who sent you these artifacts,” said Jillian.

“Why?” she asked incredulously.

“Because people’s lives may depend on it,” stated Harvath.

“People’s lives may depend on a table full of military relics over two thousand years old?”

“This goes much deeper than military relics,” said Jillian.

“How?”

“We’re not at liberty to share that with you.”

“Mr. Guerin,” said Davidson as she used Harvath’s alias, “ don’t insult my intelligence. Any lives concerned with what I am doing here have long since passed. If you’d like to tell me the real reason we’re talking, maybe then we can help each other out. Are you suggesting that these relics are connected to some sort of crime? If so, I’d like to know how a respected paleopathologist like Vanessa Whitcomb fits into all of this.”

“We can appreciate that you have questions of your own,” said Jillian as she tried to take control of the conversation and prevent things from turning too adversarial. She was a scientist herself and understood the way Davidson’s mind worked. She wouldn’t respond well to intimidation, and Harvath looked all too ready to jump into his “bad cop” uniform. It was obvious what her role was going to have to be. “We, on the other hand, need you to appreciate that we’re limited in what we can tell you.”