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How can historical fiction approach ancient slavery when primary sources largely erase the lives of the oppressed? James Hynes addresses this question through his novel Sparrow, which brings to life the experiences of a fictional enslaved boy raised in a brothel in ������ Iberia. Gut-wrenching in its depiction of the physical and sexual violence the boy endures, the novel simultaneously emphasizes his evolving relationships with the other prostitutes (“wolves”) and his neighbors. Crossing the traditional divide between literary art and classical history, Hynes demonstrates how narrative craft and imaginative empathy can restore presence, agency, and subaltern voices to the ancient Mediterranean, revealing human resilience and emotional labor where historical records fall silent.