Knight: The Mainz Papers

Post-doctoral fellow Harald Jennings transcribes the writings of Janos Kohl, a putative time traveler unwittingly thrust into the role of a prophesied hero. Through the lens of Kohl's teenage memories and his eccentric mindset, readers are transported to a brutal first century BCE.

Captured by Germanic barbarians, who ascribe his arrival with an ancient prediction, the author recounts his escape, his perilous journey through Celtic lands, and the shocking reality of ancient Rome-strangely mingled with outlandish flashbacks of the late 20th century. Editorial commentaries illuminate obscure details of ancient militarism, pre-nationalistic Germania, the debauchery of Rome, and little-known peculiarities of pharaonic Egyptian culture.

Jennings states: "Our common understanding of the time relative to Kohl's descriptions of it...are so divergent that the reader might initially conclude that it's entirely fictional. True, many parts of the text are unprovable, but those episodes that become authenticated often elicit complete surprise, both to casual readers as well as scholars of the Late Republican Period."