Fiction set in Ancient Rome
Encyclopedia
There is a large body of modern fiction set in ancient Rome
. The following titles listed include only those that are substantially (more than half) or entirely set in the city of Rome during any period up to the Byzantine
empire. It does not include works set partially in Rome, nor does it include all works set in the Roman Republic or the Roman Empire. For works set in the Roman empire but not in the city of Rome, please see Fiction set in the Roman empire
for a list of all works set in the ancient Roman world.
Titles include:
"Lavinia" by Ursula K Leguin
Books about early Christians or the Christ include:
Books about Claudius or set in his reign include:
Books set in Nero's reign include:
Julian
(1964 by Gore Vidal
, fictionalized biography of the emperor Julian who tried to revive Paganism
Gods And Legions: A Novel of the Roman Empire (2002) by Michael Curtis Ford
The Sword of Attila: A Novel of the Last Years of Rome (2005) by Michael Curtis Ford
The Fall of Rome: A Novel of a World Lost (2007) by Michael Curtis Ford
Sand of the Arena by James Duffy
In the Army of Marcus Batallius by David M. Ross
68 A.D. by D.G. Bellenger
Three's Company, Winter Quarters, Conscience of the King, The Little Emperors and Family Favourites by Alfred Duggan
Domitia & Domitian by David Corson
Games of Venus by Sylvia Shults
Antonia by Brenda Jagger
The Virgin's Tale by Sherri Smith
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn
Den of Wolves by Luke Devenish
Nest of Vipers by Luke Devenish
series (1991–2005) by Steven Saylor
, starts with Roman Blood (1991); the books cover the period 80 BC
to 48 BC
. The Marcus Didius Falco
series by Lindsey Davis
, starts with The Silver Pigs
; set in the reign of Vespasian
. The SPQR series by John Maddox Roberts
. The I, Claudia series of novels by Marilyn Todd featuring her picaresque heroine Claudia Seferius
The Publius Aurelius
series by Danila Comastri Montanari
The Marcus Corvinus series by David Wishart
Roman Justice: SPQR: Too Roman To Handle, by Anne Hart
The Roman Mysteries
young adults' detective/drama series by Caroline Lawrence
The Caius Trilogy by German author Henry Winterfeld
: Caius ist ein Dummkopf (Caius is an Idiot); Caius geht ein Licht auf (Caius has an Inspiration), and Caius in der Klemme (Caius in a Fix). The first part was published in English with the alternate title Detectives in Togas. The second was published in English with the alternate title Mystery of the Roman Ransom. The Third Princess: A Septimus Severus Quistus Roman Mystery by Philip Boast
Rubies of the Viper (2010) by Martha Marks. A Roman woman sets out to uncover the identity of her brother's murderer.
The Green Bronze Mirror (1966) by Lynne Ellison(young adult); set in reign of Nero
Seven Hills (2005) by John Maddox Roberts
The following alternate history novels are set in fictional universes where the Roman Empire never fell, and has endured to the present day:
(2005), by Sophia McDougall
Rome Burning (2006), sequel to Romanitas, by Sophia McDougall
Roma Eterna
, a 2003 novel by Robert Silverberg
series by René Goscinny
(stories) and Albert Uderzo
(illustrations), of which some titles are set substantially in Rome. The adventures of Alex series by Jacques Martin, of which some titles are set in Rome and the Ancient World. This series has a spin off, called The travels of Alex, that gives illustrated information on famous places and empires of the Ancient World during the Roman Era.
- U.S. 1951 director Mervyn LeRoy The Robe
- U.S. 1953 director Henry Koster
Demetrius and the Gladiators
- U.S. 1954 director Delmer Daves (sequel to The Robe) Jupiter's Darling
- U.S. 1955 director George Sidney
, based on a play by Robert Sherwood
Ben-Hur
U.S. 1959
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
- U.S. 1966 director Richard Lester
Satyricon
- Italy 1970 director Federico Fellini
Sebastiane
- UK 1976 director Derek Jarman
Caligula
- U.S. 1979 director Tinto Brass
Gladiator - U.S. 2000 director Ridley Scott
Quo Vadis
- Polish/U.S. 2001 director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, remake of 1951 film
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The following titles listed include only those that are substantially (more than half) or entirely set in the city of Rome during any period up to the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
empire. It does not include works set partially in Rome, nor does it include all works set in the Roman Republic or the Roman Empire. For works set in the Roman empire but not in the city of Rome, please see Fiction set in the Roman empire
Fiction set in the Roman empire
The following article Fiction set in the Roman Empire lists some works set in the Middle and Late Roman Republic and in the Roman Empire but not those set in the city of Rome or Byzantium....
for a list of all works set in the ancient Roman world.
Titles include:
Rome as a Kingdom
If you know of works set in the pre-Republican era, please expand this section.- Roma (2007) by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history. - The Seven Kings of Rome series: The Arms of Quirinus (2005), The Scent of Hyacinth (2005), The Warrior's Dance (2008) by Sherrie Seibert Goff
Early Republic (before 264 BC)
If you know of works set in the Early Republic, please expand this section.- Roma, published March 6, 2007, by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history. - Viriato by João AguiarJoão AguiarJoão Casimiro Namorado de Aguiar was a Portuguese writer and journalist.He spent his youth in colonial Mozambique....
(1st century BC, ViriathusViriathusViriathus was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of Western Hispania , where the Roman province of Lusitania would be established...
)
"Lavinia" by Ursula K Leguin
- Numancia by José Luis Corral (1st century BC, NumantiaNumantiaNumantia is the name of an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located 7 km north of the city of Soria, on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the municipality of Garray....
) - The Wedding Shroud, published September 2010 by Elisabeth Storrs. This book is set on the cusp of the C5th & C4th BC, about a Roman girl married to an EtruscanEtruscan-Etruscan civilization:*Etruscan alphabet*Etruscan architecture*Etruscan art*Etruscan cities*Etruscan civilization*Etruscan coins*Etruscan language*Etruscan mythology*Etruscan numerals*Etruscan society*Etruscan terracotta warriors*Etruscan warfare...
man in the events leading up to the war between Rome and VeiiVeiiVeii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
. The great Roman general Marcus Furius CamillusMarcus Furius CamillusMarcus Furius Camillus was a Roman soldier and statesman of patrician descent. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome....
is featured.
Middle Republic (264 BC-133 BC)
If you know of works set in the Middle Republic, please expand this section.- Roma, published March 6, 2007, by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's Republican history. - Scipio: A Novel, published March 1998 by Ross Leckie (Scottish writer)Ross Leckie (Scottish writer)Ross Leckie is a Scottish writer of historical novels, best known for his Carthage trilogy. He is not to be confused with the Canadian poet of the same name.-Biography:...
. This is the second book in a loose trilogy about the Second Punic WarSecond Punic WarThe Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
. - Africanus trilogy (Africanus, el hijo del cónsul, Las legiones malditas, La traición de Roma) by Santiago Posteguillo (the Punic WarsPunic WarsThe Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place...
general Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic.A member of the Corneliagens, Scipio served as consul in 218 BC, the first year of the Second Punic War, and sailed with an army from Pisa to Massilia , with the intention of arresting Hannibal's advance on Italy...
) - Of Merchants & Heroes, published 2008 by Paul Waters. Set at the end of the third century BC, about the life of a fictional Roman called Marcus. In the novel Marcus becomes involved in the war against Philip V of MacedonPhilip V of MacedonPhilip V was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of Rome. Philip was attractive and charismatic as a young man...
, which was led by Titus Quinctius FlamininusTitus Quinctius FlamininusTitus Quinctius Flamininus was a Roman politician and general instrumental in the Roman conquest of Greece.Member of the gens Quinctia, and brother to Lucius Quinctius Flamininus, he served as a military tribune in the Second Punic war and in 205 BC he was appointed propraetor in Tarentum...
, who later became Consul and is a major character in the story.
Late Republic (after 132 BC)
- The entire Masters of RomeMasters of RomeMasters of Rome is a series of historical fiction novels by author Colleen McCullough set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompeius Magnus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and the early...
series, dates of publication spanning from January 1, 1990 to January 16, 2007, by Colleen McCulloughColleen McCulloughColleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...
. This series chronicles ancient Rome from the year 110 BCE to 27 BCE. - Young Caesar (1958) by Rex WarnerRex WarnerRex Warner was an English classicist, writer and translator. He is now probably best remembered for The Aerodrome , an allegorical novel whose young hero is faced with the disintegration of his certainties about his loved ones and with a choice between the earthy, animalistic life of his home...
- ImperiumImperium (novel)Imperium is a 2006 novel by English author Robert Harris. It is a fictional biography of Cicero, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Tiro, beginning with the prosecution of Verres....
and Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert HarrisRobert Harris (novelist)Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
, the first two volumes of a trilogy of fictionalized biography told by his slave, later freedman, Tiro depicting Cicero's rise to the consulship in 63 BC63 BCYear 63 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cicero and Hibrida...
and subsequent role in the final days of the Republic. - A Pillar of Iron (1965) by Taylor CaldwellTaylor CaldwellJanet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell was an Anglo-American novelist and prolific author of popular fiction, also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner, and by her married name of J. Miriam Reback....
, a fictionalized biography of Cicero. - Imperial Caesar (1960) also by Rex WarnerRex WarnerRex Warner was an English classicist, writer and translator. He is now probably best remembered for The Aerodrome , an allegorical novel whose young hero is faced with the disintegration of his certainties about his loved ones and with a choice between the earthy, animalistic life of his home...
- The Ides of MarchIdes of March (novel)The Ides of March is an epistolary novel by Thornton Wilder that was published in 1948. It is, in the author's words, 'a fantasia on certain events and persons of the last days of the Roman republic... Historical reconstruction is not among the primary aims of this work'...
(1948) by Thornton WilderThornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
, culminating in Caesar's assassination. - The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy (2005) by Michael Curtis FordMichael Curtis FordMichael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist, writing novels about Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. He has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in Economics and Linguistics and lives in...
- The Key (1988), The Door in the Wall (1994), The Lock (2002) by Benita Kane Jaro
- Catiline (2007) by Brandon Winningham
- Barbarians in the Republic: The Long Journey to Rome (2005) by Skarr One
- Caesar, Anthony by Allan MassieAllan MassieAllan Massie is a well-known Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist.-Early life:Born in 1938 in Singapore, where his father was a rubber planter for Sime Darby, Massie spent his childhood in Aberdeenshire...
- Freedom, farewell! by Phyllis BentleyPhyllis BentleyPhyllis Eleanor Bentley, OBE , was an English novelist.The youngest child of a mill owner, she grew up in Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and was educated at Halifax High School for Girls and Cheltenham Ladies' College. During World War I she worked in the munitions industry...
.
Early/High Empire (27 BC to 190 AD)
- Hay luz en casa de Publio Fama by Juan Miñana (Barcino 60's AD)
The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
- The Nero Prediction by Humphry KnipeHumphry KnipeVictor Humphry Knipe is a sociology and history author, and adult film writer, director, and website administrator. He is a co-author of The Dominant Man: The Pecking Order in Human Society, a sociology book which has been translated into five languages, and the sole author of The Nero Prediction,...
- The Roman (1964) by Mika WaltariMika WaltariMika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel The Egyptian .- Early life :...
- The Tribune: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Patrick LarkinPatrick LarkinPatrick Larkin is a bestselling novelist specializing in historical, military, and espionage thrillers. His collaborations with Larry Bond, including Red Phoenix, Vortex, Cauldron, The Enemy Within, and Day of Wrath, have won critical acclaim for their suspense, realism, and unblinking appreciation...
i - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Nero's Heirs by Allan MassieAllan MassieAllan Massie is a well-known Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist.-Early life:Born in 1938 in Singapore, where his father was a rubber planter for Sime Darby, Massie spent his childhood in Aberdeenshire...
. - Empire: The Novel of Imperial RomeEmpire (2010 book)Empire is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, published by Corsair in 2010. It is the sequel to Roma, and follows the lives of five generations of the Pinarius family from the reign of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, to the height of Rome's empire under Hadrian....
by Steven SaylorSteven SaylorSteven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
Books about early Christians or the Christ include:
- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) by Lew WallaceLew WallaceLewis "Lew" Wallace was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author...
; famously made into a film starring Charlton HestonCharlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
; set in the reign of TiberiusTiberiusTiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
in Judaea, the Mediterranean, and Rome. Epilogues carry the story into the reign of NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
- I Am a BarbarianI Am a BarbarianI Am a Barbarian is a historical novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs written in 1941 but was not published until after the author's death, first appearing in hardback on September 1, 1967 as published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.. The book was originally to have been published by Canaveral Press. When...
(1967, written 1941) by Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
; the fictionalized memoirs of CaligulaCaligulaCaligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
's slave.
- A Voice in the Wind (1994) by Francine RiversFrancine RiversFrancine Sandra Rivers is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels...
; the story of Hadassah, a Christian slave taken from Jerusalem and taken to Rome in the time of Titus and his father Mark of the Lion Trilogy book 1
- An Echo in the Darkness (1995) by Francine RiversFrancine RiversFrancine Sandra Rivers is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels...
; the continuing story of Hadassah and Marcus. Mark of the Lion Trilogy book 2
- As Sure as the Dawn (1995) by Francine RiversFrancine RiversFrancine Sandra Rivers is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels...
; the continuing story of Atretes. Mark of the Lion Trilogy book 3
- The Centurion's Wife (2009) by Davis Bunn, Janette Oke life for an early Christian woman and her marriage to a Roman soldier. Acts of Faith book 1
- The Hidden Flame (2009) by Davis Bunn, Janette Oke Acts of Faith book 2
- The Damascus Way (2010) by Davis Bunn, Janette Oke Acts of Faith book 3
Books about Claudius or set in his reign include:
- I, ClaudiusI, ClaudiusI, Claudius is a novel by English writer Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. As such, it includes history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41...
(1934) and its sequel, Claudius the God (1935), by Robert GravesRobert GravesRobert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
. The classic and influential dramatised account of the life of the emperor Claudius, made into a popular TV series (see below).
Books set in Nero's reign include:
- Beric the Briton, A Story of the Roman InvasionBeric the Briton, A Story of the Roman InvasionBeric the Briton, A Story of the Roman Invasion is a book by British author G.A. Henty. It was published by Blackie and Son Ltd, London. It tells of the Roman invasion of Britain through the eyes of a "half Romanized" Briton, Beric.-Plot:...
(1893) by G. A. HentyG. A. HentyGeorge Alfred Henty , was a prolific English novelist and a special correspondent. He is best known for his historical adventure stories that were popular in the late 19th century. His works include Out on the Pampas , The Young Buglers , With Clive in India and Wulf the Saxon .-Biography:G.A...
; the story of a Romanized Briton captured as a rebel and sent to Rome as a gladiator - Quo VadisQuo Vadis (novel)Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero, commonly known as Quo Vadis, is a historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz in Polish. Quo vadis is Latin for "Where are you going?" and alludes to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, in which Peter flees Rome but on his way meets Jesus and asks him why he...
(1895/1896), by Henryk SienkiewiczHenryk SienkiewiczHenryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz was a Polish journalist and Nobel Prize-winning novelist. A Polish szlachcic of the Oszyk coat of arms, he was one of the most popular Polish writers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905 for his...
set in the reign of NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in 64 AD. - The Flames of Rome by Paul L. Maier
- A Song for Nero (2003) by Tom HoltTom HoltTom Holt is a British novelist.He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London....
, writing as Thomas Holt. - Letters from the Realms of Nero (2007) by George Kapo; story of British slave girl in household of Seneca
- Rubies of the Viper (2010) by Martha Marks; interwoven stories of a Roman woman who inherits a fortune when her brother is murdered and a Greek slave she inherits as part of the estate; set in AD 53-56.
- Nero, the Bloody Poet by Dezső KosztolányiDezso Kosztolányi-Biography:Kosztolányi was born in Szabadka, Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1885, the town belongs today to Serbia. The city serves as a model for the fictional town of Sárszeg, in which he set his novella Skylark as well as The Golden Kite....
The Flavian Dynasty
- The Course of Honour (1998), the first novel by Lindsey DavisLindsey DavisLindsey Davis is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire.-Biography:...
(later author of the Marcus Didius FalcoMarcus Didius FalcoMarcus Didius Falco is the central character and narrator in a series of novels by Lindsey Davis. Using the concepts of modern detective stories , Davis portrays the world of the Roman Empire under Vespasian...
mysteries) narrates the history of VespasianVespasianVespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
's imperial freedwoman mistress Antonia Caenis.
- Pompeii by Robert HarrisRobert Harris (novelist)Robert Dennis Harris is an English novelist. He is a former journalist and BBC television reporter.-Early life:Born in Nottingham, Harris spent his childhood in a small rented house on a Nottingham council estate. His ambition to become a writer arose at an early age, from visits to the local...
tells the story of Pompeii and the volcano Vesuveus during the reign of Titus.
- The Light BearerThe Light BearerThe Light Bearer is historical novel written by Donna Gillespie, about the Roman Empire and its clash with the tribes of Germania, focusing on war and pagan rituals. The events take place during the reigns of two Emperors Nero and Domitian, but it is the saga of Auriane, a Germanic chieftain's...
(1994), by Donna Gillespie tells the story of a Germanic female warrior who becomes a gladiator in Rome in the reign of Domitian.
The Nervan-Antonian Dynasty
- The Equinox (1966) by Carol Saylor, of Rome in the time of Commodus
- Memoirs of HadrianMemoirs of HadrianMemoirs of Hadrian is a novel by the French writer Marguerite Yourcenar about the life and death of Roman Emperor Hadrian. The book was first published in France in French in 1951 as Mémoires d'Hadrien, and was an immediate success, meeting with enormous critical acclaim...
(1951) by Marguerite YourcenarMarguerite YourcenarMarguerite Yourcenar was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist. Winner of the Prix Femina and the Erasmus Prize, she was the first woman elected to the Académie française, in 1980, and the seventeenth person to occupy Seat 3.-Biography:Yourcenar was born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie...
Middle Empire (191 AD to -- AD), when Diocletian splits the Empire
No historical works are known that are set entirely or substantially in the city of Rome.Late Empire: West (-457 AD)
Julian (historical novel)
Julian by Gore Vidal is a work of historical fiction written primarily in the first person dealing with the life of the Roman emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus, , who reigned 360-363 CE.-Novel:...
(1964 by Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, fictionalized biography of the emperor Julian who tried to revive Paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Michael Curtis Ford
Michael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist, writing novels about Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. He has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in Economics and Linguistics and lives in...
Michael Curtis Ford
Michael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist, writing novels about Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. He has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in Economics and Linguistics and lives in...
Michael Curtis Ford
Michael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist, writing novels about Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. He has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in Economics and Linguistics and lives in...
Unknown period
Alfred Duggan
Alfred Duggan was an English historian, archeologist and best-selling historical novelist during the 1950s. Although he was raised in England, Duggan was born Alfred Leo Duggan in Buenos Aires, Argentina to a family of wealthy landowners of Irish descent. His family moved to England when he was...
Detective fiction
- The
Roma Sub Rosa
Roma Sub Rosa is the title of the series of mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in, and populated by, noteworthy denizens of ancient Rome. The series is noted for its historical authenticity. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose"...
series (1991–2005) by Steven Saylor
Steven Saylor
Steven Saylor is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and Classics....
, starts with Roman Blood (1991); the books cover the period 80 BC
80 BC
Year 80 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sulla and Metellus...
to 48 BC
48 BC
Year 48 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vatia...
.
Marcus Didius Falco
Marcus Didius Falco is the central character and narrator in a series of novels by Lindsey Davis. Using the concepts of modern detective stories , Davis portrays the world of the Roman Empire under Vespasian...
series by Lindsey Davis
Lindsey Davis
Lindsey Davis is an English historical novelist, best known as the author of the Falco series of crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire.-Biography:...
, starts with The Silver Pigs
The Silver Pigs
The Silver Pigs is a crime novel by Lindsey Davis. Set in Rome and Britannia during AD 70, just after the year of the four emperors, The Silver Pigs stars Marcus Didius Falco, informer and imperial agent....
; set in the reign of Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
.
John Maddox Roberts
John Maddox Roberts is an author who has written many science fiction and fantasy novels, including his successful historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal's Children....
.
Claudia Seferius
Claudia Seferius is a fictional heroine created by author Marilyn Todd. The heiress to a wine merchant's business, she is also an amateur sleuth, living in Ancient Rome during the reign of Augustus Caesar.-Character history:...
Publius Aurelius
Publius Aurelius Statius is a detective, main character of a series of novels by Italian author Danila Comastri Montanari. Statius, a member of the ancient Senatus Romanus, solves mysteries in ancient Rome and other places in Italy and Gaul....
series by Danila Comastri Montanari
Danila Comastri Montanari
Danila Comastri Montanari is an Italian mystery fiction writer. She created the Publius Aurelius Statius series.-Publius Aurelius series:*1990 - Mors tua*1991 - In corpore sano*1993 - Cave canem...
David Wishart
-Life and work:Wishart was born in Arbroath, Scotland. He studied Greek and Latin classics at Edinburgh University and after graduation taught for four years in a secondary school. He then retrained as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and worked abroad for eleven years, in Kuwait, Greece...
The Roman Mysteries
The Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, The Thieves of Ostia, was published in 2001, finishing with The Man from Pomegranate Street, published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries" and companion...
young adults' detective/drama series by Caroline Lawrence
Caroline Lawrence
Caroline Lawrence is an English American author, best known for The Roman Mysteries series of historical novels for children. The series is about a Roman girl called Flavia and her three friends: Nubia , Jonathan and Lupus...
Henry Winterfeld
Henry Winterfeld , published under the pseudonym Manfred Michael, was a German writer and artist famous for his children's and young adult novels.-Bibliography:...
: Caius ist ein Dummkopf (Caius is an Idiot); Caius geht ein Licht auf (Caius has an Inspiration), and Caius in der Klemme (Caius in a Fix). The first part was published in English with the alternate title Detectives in Togas. The second was published in English with the alternate title Mystery of the Roman Ransom.
Science fiction/time travel novels
John Barnes (author)
-Writing:Two of his novels, The Sky So Big and Black and The Duke of Uranium have been reviewed as having content appropriate for a young adult readership, comparing favorably to Robert A. Heinlein's "juvenile" novels...
Alternate history
John Maddox Roberts
John Maddox Roberts is an author who has written many science fiction and fantasy novels, including his successful historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal's Children....
John Maddox Roberts
John Maddox Roberts is an author who has written many science fiction and fantasy novels, including his successful historical fiction, such as the SPQR series and Hannibal's Children....
The following alternate history novels are set in fictional universes where the Roman Empire never fell, and has endured to the present day:
Romanitas (novel)
Romanitas is an alternate history novel by Sophia McDougall, published by Orion Books. It is the first of a planned trilogy of novels based on a world where the Roman Empire has survived to contemporary times and now dominates much of the world....
(2005), by Sophia McDougall
Sophia McDougall
Sophia McDougall is a British novelist, playwright, and poet.-Novelist:McDougall is best known internationally as the author of alternate history novels published by Orion Publishing Group and based on the premise that the Roman Empire survived to contemporary times.-Books:*Romanitas , Orion Books...
Sophia McDougall
Sophia McDougall is a British novelist, playwright, and poet.-Novelist:McDougall is best known internationally as the author of alternate history novels published by Orion Publishing Group and based on the premise that the Roman Empire survived to contemporary times.-Books:*Romanitas , Orion Books...
Roma Eterna
Roma Eterna is a 2003 novel by Robert Silverberg which presents an alternate history in which the Roman Empire survives to the present day.-Plot introduction:...
, a 2003 novel by Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg
Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
Comic books
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
series by René Goscinny
René Goscinny
René Goscinny was a French comics editor and writer, who is best known for the comic book Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and for his work on the comic series Lucky Luke with Morris and Iznogoud with Jean Tabary.-Early life:Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926, to a family...
(stories) and Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo is a French comic book artist, and scriptwriter. He is best known for his work on the Astérix series, but also drew other comics such as Oumpah-pah, also in collaboration with René Goscinny.-Early life:...
(illustrations), of which some titles are set substantially in Rome. The adventures of Alex series by Jacques Martin, of which some titles are set in Rome and the Ancient World. This series has a spin off, called The travels of Alex, that gives illustrated information on famous places and empires of the Ancient World during the Roman Era.
Movies
Quo Vadis (1951 film)
Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
- U.S. 1951 director Mervyn LeRoy
The Robe (film)
The Robe is a 1953 American Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope.It was directed by Henry Koster...
- U.S. 1953 director Henry Koster
Henry Koster
Henry Koster was born Hermann Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany. He became a film director and later moved to Hollywood. Koster's father, a salesman, left home when Henry was a young man...
Demetrius and the Gladiators
Demetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C...
- U.S. 1954 director Delmer Daves (sequel to The Robe)
Jupiter's Darling (film)
Jupiter's Darling is a musical romance film released by MGM in 1955 and directed by George Sidney. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiance...
- U.S. 1955 director George Sidney
George Sidney
George Sidney was an American film director and film producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Career:...
, based on a play by Robert Sherwood
Robert Sherwood
Robert Sherwood may refer to:*Robert Emmet Sherwood , American playwright, editor, and screenwriter*Robert Edmund Sherwood , American clown and author*Bobby Sherwood , American bandleader...
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
U.S. 1959
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
- U.S. 1966 director Richard Lester
Richard Lester
Richard Lester is an American film director based in Britain. Lester is notable for his work with The Beatles in the 1960s and his work on the Superman film series in the 1980s.-Early years and television:...
Satyricon (film)
Satyricon is a 1969 Italian fantasy drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini. It is loosely based on Petronius's work, Satyricon, a series of bawdy and satirical episodes written during the reign of the emperor Nero and set in imperial Rome.-Plot:The film opens on a graffiti-covered...
- Italy 1970 director Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
Sebastiane
Sebastiane is a controversial 1976 film written and directed by Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress. It portrays the events of the life of Saint Sebastian, including his iconic martyrdom by arrows. Most of the controversy surrounding the film derives from the homoeroticism portrayed between the soldiers...
- UK 1976 director Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
Caligula (film)
Caligula is a 1979 American-produced Italian biographical film directed by Tinto Brass, with additional scenes filmed by Giancarlo Lui and Penthouse founder Bob Guccione. The film concerns the rise and fall of Roman Emperor Gaius Caesar Germanicus, better known as Caligula...
- U.S. 1979 director Tinto Brass
Tinto Brass
Giovanni Brass , better known as Tinto Brass, is an Italian filmmaker. He is noted especially for his work in the erotic genre, with films such as Così fan tutte , Paprika, Monella and Trasgredire...
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
Quo Vadis (2001 film)
Quo Vadis is a 2001 Polish film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz based on the book of the same title by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It was Poland's submission to the 74th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not nominated....
- Polish/U.S. 2001 director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, remake of 1951 film
Plays
- Joseph AddisonJoseph AddisonJoseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
- Cato
- Albert CamusAlbert CamusAlbert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
- Caligula
- Henrik IbsenHenrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
- Emperor and GalileanEmperor and GalileanEmperor and Galilean is a play written by Henrik Ibsen. Although it is one of the writer’s lesser known plays, on several occasions Henrik Ibsen called Emperor and Galilean his major work...
- Emperor and Galilean
- Ben JonsonBen JonsonBenjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
- Sejanus, His FallSejanus (play)Sejanus His Fall, a 1603 play by Ben Jonson, is a tragedy about Lucius Aelius Seianus, the favorite of the Roman emperor Tiberius. It was possibly an allegory of James I and his corrupt court....
- Sejanus, His Fall
- Heinrich von KleistHeinrich von KleistBernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer. The Kleist Prize, a prestigious prize for German literature, is named after him.- Life :...
- Die Hermannsschlacht
- William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- Titus AndronicusTitus AndronicusTitus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...
- Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (play)The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
- Antony and CleopatraAntony and CleopatraAntony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
- CoriolanusCoriolanus (play)Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
- CymbelineCymbelineCymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...
- Titus Andronicus
- Robert SherwoodRobert SherwoodRobert Sherwood may refer to:*Robert Emmet Sherwood , American playwright, editor, and screenwriter*Robert Edmund Sherwood , American clown and author*Bobby Sherwood , American bandleader...
- The Road to Rome (1927), on which a little-known 1955 film Jupiter's DarlingJupiter's Darling (film)Jupiter's Darling is a musical romance film released by MGM in 1955 and directed by George Sidney. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and George Sanders as Fabius Maximus, Amytis's fiance...
was based.
- The Road to Rome (1927), on which a little-known 1955 film Jupiter's Darling
- Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Television
- I, ClaudiusI, Claudius (TV series)I, Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it proved one of the corporation's most successful drama serials of all time...
- RomeRome (TV series)Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
- Spartacus miniseries by Robert Dornhelm (director)
Video games
- Rome: Total WarRome: Total WarRome: Total War is a PC strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and released on by Activision...
- Shadow of RomeShadow Of RomeShadow of Rome is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console. It is a hybrid fighting/stealth game set in ancient Rome and loosely based around the assassination of Julius Caesar.-Gameplay:...
- Colosseum: Road to FreedomColosseum: Road to FreedomColosseum: Road to Freedom is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console. It is a hybrid fighting/RPG game loosely based on the Roman Empire around the time of the Emperor Commodus....
See also
- Fiction set in the Roman empireFiction set in the Roman empireThe following article Fiction set in the Roman Empire lists some works set in the Middle and Late Roman Republic and in the Roman Empire but not those set in the city of Rome or Byzantium....
- Fiction set in Ancient GreeceFiction set in Ancient GreeceThere is a body of ancient and modern fiction set in ancient Greece and ancient Greek culture, including Magna Graeca and Hellenistic kingdoms. Titles include:-Books:*The Dancer from Atlantis, by Poul Anderson...