Roma (2008 book)
Encyclopedia
Roma is a historical novel
by American
author Steven Saylor
, published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2008. The story follows two ancient Roman families, the Potitii and Pinarii, as members of their generations experience some of Rome's greatest historical events. The epic style is similar to James Michener's
historical novels. The story takes Roman myths and intertwines them with historical facts and fictional characters.
Roma was followed in 2010 by a sequel, Empire
.
, Hercules
came to Italy, where he was received by the families of the Potitii
and the Pinarii. He taught them a form of worship, and instructed them in the rites, by which he was later honored. For centuries, these families supplied the priests for the cult of Hercules, until the Potitii were wiped out in a plague at the end of the fourth century B.C.
The extinction of the Potitii was frequently attributed to the actions of Appius Claudius Caecus
, who in his censorship in 312 B.C., directed the families to instruct public slaves in the performance of their sacred rites. Supposedly the Potitii were punished for their impiety in doing so, while the Pinarii refused to relinquish their office, which they held until the latest period.
Another tradition asserts that until their extinction, the Potitii were always superior to the Pinarii in the performance of their sacrum gentilicum, because at the sacrificial banquet given by Hercules, the Pinarii did not arrive until after the entrails had been eaten. In anger, Hercules declared that the Pinarii should be excluded from partaking of the entrails of the sacrifice, and that in all matters relating to the worship they should be inferior to their brethren.
The disappearance of an entire gens was extraordinary, as was the lack of any magistrates or other persons of importance belonging to such an ancient family. This has led to speculation that the legend referred to some branch of another gens known to history, such as the Valerii Potiti. But at the same time it was possible for a family to exist for centuries without attracting any notice, and the ancient historians are unanimous in making the Potitii a distinct gens. The historian Niebuhr
suggests that, if the story regarding the destruction of the Potitii is based on fact, they may have perished in the great plague which raged in 292 B.C., some twenty years after the censorship of Caecus.
It is not altogether certain that the entire gens perished in this disaster; the legendary account says that thirty grown men were killed, but perhaps some children survived. Although hardly any members of the gens are known to history, a Publius Potitius is mentioned several times by Cicero
as one of the guardians of the son of Publius Junius, custodian of the temple of Castor
, who died in 80 B.C. Five years later, the boy's guardians and stepfather became embroiled in a dispute with Verres
, who extracted considerable sums of money, supposedly to make extensive repairs to the temple, which in fact was in sound condition.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author 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....
, published by St. Martin's Griffin in 2008. The story follows two ancient Roman families, the Potitii and Pinarii, as members of their generations experience some of Rome's greatest historical events. The epic style is similar to James Michener's
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
historical novels. The story takes Roman myths and intertwines them with historical facts and fictional characters.
Roma was followed in 2010 by a sequel, Empire
Empire (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....
.
Chapter Summaries
- Chapter 1: the origin of early Roman settlers, who started as salt traders. This chapter also introduces the winged phallus, or fascinusFascinusIn ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinus or fascinum was the embodiment of the divine phallus. The word can refer to the deity himself , to phallus effigies and amulets, and to the spells used to invoke his divine protection...
, that acts as a family heirloom and is referenced in each subsequent chapter. - Chapter 2: the legend of CacusCacusIn Roman mythology, Cacus was a fire-breathing giant monster and the son of Vulcan.-Mythology:Cacus lived in a cave in the Palatine Hill in Italy, the future site of Rome. To the horror of nearby inhabitants, Cacus lived on human flesh and would nail the heads of victims to the doors of his cave...
, his alleged death by Hercules, and the creation of the Ara Maxima. - Chapter 3: the discovery of the twins Romulus and RemusRomulus and RemusRomulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth, although the former is sometimes said to be the sole founder...
and the creation of the Roman KingdomRoman KingdomThe Roman Kingdom was the period of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a monarchical form of government of the city of Rome and its territories....
. - Chapter 4: the rape of LucretiaLucretiaLucretia is a legendary figure in the history of the Roman Republic. According to the story, told mainly by the Roman historian Livy and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus , her rape by the king's son and consequent suicide were the immediate cause of the revolution that overthrew the...
, the dethroning of Tarquin the Proud by Lucius Junius BrutusLucius Junius BrutusLucius Junius Brutus was the founder of the Roman Republic and traditionally one of the first consuls in 509 BC. He was claimed as an ancestor of the Roman gens Junia, including Marcus Junius Brutus, the most famous of Caesar's assassins.- Background :...
, and creation of the Roman RepublicRoman RepublicThe Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. The chapter culminates with the attack by Roman traitor Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. - Chapter 5: the story of decemvir Appius Claudius CrassusAppius Claudius CrassusAppius Claudius Crassus was a decemvir of the Roman Republic ca 451 BC.His father was Appius Claudius Sabinus, Consul in 471 BCE...
and the rape of VerginiaVerginiaVerginia, or Virginia, was the subject of a story of Ancient Rome, related in Livy's Ab Urbe Condita.The people of Rome were already angry with the decemviri for not calling the proper elections, taking bribes, and other abuses. It seemed that they were returning to the rule of the Kings of Rome...
. It ends with the creation of the Twelve TablesTwelve TablesThe Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centrepiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum...
. - Chapter 6: the story a Vestal VirginVestal VirginIn ancient Roman religion, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins , were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of the Vestals and its well-being was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome, as embodied by their cultivation of the sacred fire that could not be...
that falls in love with 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....
. The chapter culminates with the first sack of Rome by the Gaul Chieftain BrennusBrennus (4th century BC)Brennus was a chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, and Yonne, but which had expanded to occupy northern Italy....
. - Chapter 7: the creation of the Appian WayAppian WayThe Appian Way was one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, Apulia, in southeast Italy...
and the Samnite WarsSamnite WarsThe First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
. - Chapter 8: the battles between Scipio AfricanusScipio AfricanusPublius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , also known as Scipio Africanus and Scipio the Elder, was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic...
& Hannibal BarcaHannibal BarcaHannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca Hannibal's date of death is most commonly given as 183 BC, but there is a possibility it could have taken place in 182 BC. was a Carthaginian military commander and tactician. He is generally considered one of the greatest military commanders in history...
. - Chapter 9: the struggles of the Gracchi BrothersGracchiThe Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were Roman Plebian nobiles who both served as tribunes in 2nd century BC. They attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians. For this legislation and their membership in the...
. - Chapter 10: the bloody dictatorship of Lucius Cornelius SullaLucius Cornelius SullaLucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
and the introduction of young Julius CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
. - Chapter 11: the assassination of Caesar and the aftermath with Cleopatra, Marcus Antonius, Marcus Junius BrutusMarcus Junius BrutusMarcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
, and Gaius Octavius Thurinus.
Historical Accuracy
There were several traditions attached to the Pinarii. The first held that a generation before the Trojan WarTrojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
, Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
came to Italy, where he was received by the families of the Potitii
Potitia (gens)
The gens Potitia was one of the most ancient patrician families at Rome. It never attained any historical importance.The story of the Potitii is inextricably intertwined with that of the Pinarii. According to legend, a generation before the Trojan War, Hercules came to Italy, where he was received...
and the Pinarii. He taught them a form of worship, and instructed them in the rites, by which he was later honored. For centuries, these families supplied the priests for the cult of Hercules, until the Potitii were wiped out in a plague at the end of the fourth century B.C.
4th century BC
The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects...
The extinction of the Potitii was frequently attributed to the actions of Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus was a Roman politician from a wealthy patrician family. He was dictator himself and the son of Gaius Claudius Crassus, dictator in 337 BC.-Life:...
, who in his censorship in 312 B.C., directed the families to instruct public slaves in the performance of their sacred rites. Supposedly the Potitii were punished for their impiety in doing so, while the Pinarii refused to relinquish their office, which they held until the latest period.
Another tradition asserts that until their extinction, the Potitii were always superior to the Pinarii in the performance of their sacrum gentilicum, because at the sacrificial banquet given by Hercules, the Pinarii did not arrive until after the entrails had been eaten. In anger, Hercules declared that the Pinarii should be excluded from partaking of the entrails of the sacrifice, and that in all matters relating to the worship they should be inferior to their brethren.
The disappearance of an entire gens was extraordinary, as was the lack of any magistrates or other persons of importance belonging to such an ancient family. This has led to speculation that the legend referred to some branch of another gens known to history, such as the Valerii Potiti. But at the same time it was possible for a family to exist for centuries without attracting any notice, and the ancient historians are unanimous in making the Potitii a distinct gens. The historian Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr
Barthold Georg Niebuhr was a Danish-German statesman and historian who became Germany's leading historian of Ancient Rome and a founding father of modern scholarly historiography. Classical Rome caught the admiration of German thinkers...
suggests that, if the story regarding the destruction of the Potitii is based on fact, they may have perished in the great plague which raged in 292 B.C., some twenty years after the censorship of Caecus.
It is not altogether certain that the entire gens perished in this disaster; the legendary account says that thirty grown men were killed, but perhaps some children survived. Although hardly any members of the gens are known to history, a Publius Potitius is mentioned several times by Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
as one of the guardians of the son of Publius Junius, custodian of the temple of Castor
Castor and Pollux
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces were twin brothers, together known as the Dioscuri . Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who visited Leda in the guise of a swan...
, who died in 80 B.C. Five years later, the boy's guardians and stepfather became embroiled in a dispute with Verres
Verres
Gaius Verres was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. It is not known what gens he belonged to, though some give him the nomen Licinius.-As governor:...
, who extracted considerable sums of money, supposedly to make extensive repairs to the temple, which in fact was in sound condition.