Fiction set in ancient Rome

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Historical novels arranged by the period of their setting[]

Rome as a Kingdom[]

If you know of works set in the pre-Republican era, please expand this section.

  • Founding Fathers (1959) by Alfred Duggan. Originally titled Children of the Wolf, this novel tells the story of King Romulus and the founding of Rome through the eyes of a variety of characters who come to the new city.
  • Roma (2007) by Steven Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history.[1]

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 Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history.[1]
  • The Etruscan by Mika Waltari. Part of the story is set on the first few years of the Republic.
  • Traitors’ Legion (Ace G-532,1963) by Jay Scotland, a swashbucker about a disgraced legion, set in Hannibal's time.

Middle Republic (264–133 BC)[]

If you know of works set in the Middle Republic, please expand this section.

  • Roma, published March 6, 2007, by Steven Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's Republican history.[1]
  • Scipio: A Novel, published March 1998 by Ross Leckie (Scottish writer). This is the second book in a loose trilogy about the Second Punic War.
  • Scipio trilogy by Santiago Posteguillo (the Punic Wars general Publius Cornelius Scipio)
  1. Africanus, el hijo del cónsul
  2. Las legiones malditas
  3. La traición de Roma
  • Of Merchants & Heroes, published 2008 by Paul Waters. Set at the end of the 3rd century BC, about the life of a fictional Roman called Marcus. In the novel Marcus becomes involved in the war against Philip V of Macedon, which was led by Titus Quinctius Flamininus, who later became Consul and is a major character in the story.
  • "The Shield of Rome", published 2011 by William Kelso. 216 BC. The novel is set during "Rome's finest hour" after the battle of Cannae when Hannibal threatens the very existence of the Republic.
  • "The Fortune of Carthage", published 2012 by William Kelso. 207 BC. The novel is set during the 2nd Punic War and covers Hasdrubal Barca's attempt to link up with the Carthaginian army of his brother Hannibal.

Late Republic (after 132 BC)[]

  • Viriato by João Aguiar (late 2nd, early 1st century BC, Viriathus)
  • The Bow of Heaven (2011) by Andrew Levkoff, a novel of events leading up to the battle of Carrhae, and the triumvir responsible for one of the greatest defeats suffered by Republican Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus
  • Young Caesar (1958) by Rex Warner
  • Imperium and Lustrum (novel) by Robert Harris, 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 BC and subsequent role in the final days of the Republic.
  • A Pillar of Iron (1965) by Taylor Caldwell, a fictionalized biography of Cicero.
  • Imperial Caesar (1960) also by Rex Warner
  • The Ides of March (1948) by Thornton Wilder, culminating in Caesar's assassination.
  • Caesar, Antony by Allan Massie
  • Freedom, farewell! by Phyllis Bentley.
  • The Roma Sub Rosa series by Steven Saylor is set in the later years of the Republic and the beginning of the Augustan period.
  • Roma, published March 6, 2007, by Steven Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history.[1]
  • The Emperor Series (2003-2013), by Conn Iggulden, Julius Caesar's life
  • The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy (2005) by Michael Curtis Ford. The career of Mithridates VI (134-63 BC)
  • The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. Beginning before the birth of Julius Caesar to after his death, it details the self-immolation of the Roman Republic.
  • Spartacus by Howard Fast
  • Spartacus by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
  • Three's Company (1958) by Alfred Duggan. The career of Lepidus, triumvir with Octavian and Marcus Antonius after the death of Julius Caesar.
  • Winter Quarters (1956) by Alfred Duggan. Two Gauls in the time of Julius Caesar, one of whom is under a curse from the Mother Goddess, whose worship he finds throughout the Roman world.
  • The Conquered by Naomi Mitchison (1923). Gaul & the Gallic Wars 1st century BC
  • Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion (1893) by G. A. Henty
  • Imperial Caesar (1960) also by Rex Warner

Early/High Empire (27 BC to AD 192)[]

  • Someday Never Comes by Mk Kayem[2]
  • An Imaginary Life by David Malouf. A fictional account of the poet Ovid's exile from Rome.
  • The Quest For the Lost Roman Legions by Tony Clunn, Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, with his account of his discovery of the battlefield
  • Persona Non Grata, Terra Incognita, Medicus and Caveat Emptor, a series of mysteries featuring the "reluctant sleuth" Gaius Petreius Ruso by Ruth Downie, set around 120 AD.
  • Three Legions series by Rosemary Sutcliff set in Roman Britain c. 130 AD. The three novels consist of The Eagle of the Ninth (1954), The Silver Branch (1957), and The Lantern Bearers (1959). The three were first collected in one volume as Three Legions in 1980.
  • Empire published August 31, 2010, by Steven Saylor. The book follows two families through Rome's Imperial history, from the reign of Augustus to the reign of Hadrian. The sequel to Roma.
  • Vespasian series by Robert Fabbri. The series details the early career and rise to power of Vespasian.

The Julio-Claudian Dynasty[]

  • The Nero Prediction by Humphry Knipe
  • The Roman (1964) by Mika Waltari
  • The Tribune: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Patrick Larkin
  • Augustus by John Williams
  • Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Nero's Heirs by Allan Massie
  • Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome by Steven Saylor
  • Let the Emperor Speak: A novel of Caesar Augustus by Allan Massie, Doubleday & Company, Inc, New York, 1987 (First published in Great Britain in 1986 by the Bodley Head as Augustus). Also by this author: Caesar, Anthony, Tiberius, Caligula and Nero's Heirs.
  • Pretender by Lion Feuchtwanger

Books about early Christians or the Christ include:

  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880) by Lew Wallace; famously made into a film starring Charlton Heston; set in the reign of Tiberius in Judaea, the Mediterranean, and Rome. Epilogues carry the story into the reign of Nero
  • I Am a Barbarian (1967, written 1941) by Edgar Rice Burroughs; the fictionalized memoirs of Caligula's slave.
  • A Voice in the Wind (1994) by Francine Rivers; the story of Hadassah, a Christian slave taken from Jerusalem and taken to Rome in the time of Titus and his father
  • An Echo in the Darkness (1995) by Francine Rivers; the continuing story of Hadassah and Marcus.
  • As Sure as the Dawn (1995) by Francine Rivers; the continuing story of Atretes.
  • The Robe (1942), by Lloyd C. Douglas, set in the same period as Ben-Hur; like Ben-Hur, more famous as a film.

Books about Claudius or set in his reign include:

  • I, Claudius (1934) and its sequel, Claudius the God (1935), by Robert Graves. The classic and influential dramatised account of the life of the emperor Claudius, made into a popular TV series (see below).
  • The Eagle series by Nigerian-born British novelist Simon Scarrow. The first book Under the Eagle (part of the Eagle series) was published 2000 by Simon Scarrow. Story of Roman invasion of Britain, featuring a young Vespasian. Other books in the series include The Eagle's Conquest (2001 set in 42 AD (introducing Boudicca at the end); When the Eagle Hunts (2002) set in 44 AD. Other books in the series include The Eagle and the Wolves (2003), The Eagle's Prey (2004), The Eagle's Prophecy (2005), The Eagle in the Sand (2006), and the forthcoming Centurion (January - 2008).

Books set in Nero's reign include:

  • Beric the Briton, A Story of the Roman Invasion (1893) by G. A. Henty; the story of a Romanized Briton captured as a rebel and sent to Rome as a gladiator
  • Quo Vadis (1895/1896), by Henryk Sienkiewicz set in the reign of Nero in 64 AD.
  • The Flames of Rome by Paul L. Maier
  • A Song for Nero (2003) by Tom Holt, writing as Thomas Holt.
  • Nero, the Bloody Poet by Dezső Kosztolányi
  • Imperial Governor (1968, reprinted 2002), George Shipway, the Icenii revolt under Boudicca.
  • The Roman (1964) by Mika Waltari
  • The Cleft by Doris Lessing is a book supposedly written by an historian during Nero's reign.

The Flavian Dynasty[]

  • Josephus Trilogy (1959), by Lion Feuchtwanger about Flavius Josephus, but set in Ancient Rome during Reign of Vespasianus and Titus
  • The Course of Honour (1998), the first novel by Lindsey Davis (later author of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries, which also take place during the reign on Vespasianus) narrates the history of Vespasian's imperial freedwoman mistress Antonia Caenis.
  • The Light Bearer (1994), by tells the story of a Germanic female warrior who becomes a gladiator in Rome in the reign of Domitian.
  • The Last Days of Pompeii by E.G.Bulwer-Lytton
  • Pompeii by Robert Harris, tells the story of Pompeii and the volcano Vesuveus during the reign of Titus.
  • The Jew of Rome by Lion Feuchtwanger

The Nervan-Antonian (Ulpio-Aelia) Dynasty[]

  • Empress of the Seven Hills by Kate Quinn is set during the reign of Trajan.
  • Lady of the Eternal City by Kate Quinn is set during the reign of Hadrian.
  • Memoirs of Hadrian (1951) by Marguerite Yourcenar
  • The Emperor by Georg Ebers, another fictitious biography of Hadrian
  • A God Strolling in the Cool of the Evening (1994) by Mario de Carvalho, set mainly in Roman Lusitania

Middle Empire (AD 193–293)[]

  • (1960), by Alfred Duggan; a tale of court life under the teenage emperor Elagabalus, as recounted by his personal bodyguard
  • Warrior Of Rome series by historian Harry Sidebottom, takes place in the years 238 to 264, mostly from 256 to 264, six books so far published
  • Iron And Rust also by historian Harry Sidebottom, takes place before the Warrior Of Rome series

Late Empire: West (AD 293–457)[]

  • Helena by Evelyn Waugh; follows the quest of the Empress Helena, a Christian and the mother of Emperor Constantine to uncover the remains of the cross upon which Christ was crucified.
  • Julian (1964) by Gore Vidal, fictionalized biography of the emperor Julian the Apostate, who tried to revive Paganism
  • The Last Legion: A Novel by Valerio Massimo Manfredi; fictionalized story of the emperor Romulus Augustulus and what might have happened to his surviving retinue.
  • Eagle in the Snow (1970) by Wallace Breem; set in Britannia and Germania in the late 4th and early 5th century; features a Mithraic Roman general.
  • The Little Emperors (1951) by Alfred Duggan. A succession of coups in late-Roman Britain.
  • 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
  • Raptor (1993) by Gary Jennings is an historical novel set in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. It purports to be the memoirs of an Ostrogoth, Thorn, who has a secret.
  • Threshold of Fire: A Novel of Fifth Century Rome (1966) by Hella Haasse
  • Legionary (2011) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Viper of the North (2012) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Land of the Sacred Fire (2013) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: The Scourge of Thracia (2015) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Gods & Emperors (2015) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Empire of Shades (2017) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: The Blood Road (2018) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Dark Eagle (2020) by Gordon Doherty
  • Legionary: Eagles in the Desert (2020) by Gordon Doherty
  • Sons of Rome (2020) by Gordon Doherty &
  • Masters of Rome (2021) by Gordon Doherty &
  • Gods of Rome (2021) by Gordon Doherty &

Byzantine Empire (AD 457–1453)[]

Unknown period[]

  • by Paolo Monelli
  • Three's Company, Winter Quarters, Conscience of the King, The Little Emperors and Family Favourites by Alfred Duggan
  • Antonia by Brenda Jagger
  • The Tribune: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Patrick Larkin
  • Hadrian's Wall: A Novel by William Dietrich
  • The Centurion: A Novel (1986) by Jan de Hartog
  • The Nero Prediction by Humphry Knipe

Detective fiction[]

  • Search the Seven Hills (The Quirinal Hill Affair) (1987) by Barbara Hambly
  • The Roma Sub Rosa series (1991–2012) by Steven Saylor, starts with Roman Blood (1991); the books cover the period 92 BC to 46 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 Publius Aurelius series by Danila Comastri Montanari
  • The Marcus Corvinus (fictional character)series by
  • The Roman Mysteries young adults' detective/drama series by Caroline Lawrence
  • The 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 .
  • The Eagle series by Simon Scarrow (see above)
  • The series by Rosemary Rowe - set in later Roman Britain

Science fiction/time travel novels[]

  • Caesar's Bicycle (1997) (Timeline Wars series) by John Barnes
  • Arria Marcella (1852) by Théophile Gautier set in 79 AD in Pompeii
  • Household Gods (1999), by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove set in the reign of Marcus Aurelius
  • The Time Travelling Cat and the Roman Eagle (2001) by Julia Jarman
  • "Codex Alera" Jim Butcher's fantasy take on what happened to the Lost Roman Legion.

Alternate history[]

The following alternate history novels are set in fictional universes where Rome's struggle with Carthage went differently

  • The Seven Hills (2005) by John Maddox Roberts
  • Delenda Est
  • Lest Darkness Fall (1939) by L. Sprague de Camp; a time-travelling American alters history, set in 535 AD.
  • Agent of Byzantium by Harry Turtledove set in an alternate 14th century with no Islam.
  • Hannibal's Children (2002) and its sequel The Seven Hills by John Maddox Roberts. A victorious Hannibal sends all the Romans into exile, but they found a new city and their descendants return for vengeance.

The following alternate history novels are set in fictional universes where the Roman Empire never fell, and has endured to the present day:

  • Romanitas (2005), by Sophia McDougall
  • Rome Burning (2006), sequel to Romanitas, by Sophia McDougall
  • Roma Eterna, a 2003 novel by Robert Silverberg
  • Warlords of Utopia by Lance Parkin
  • Gunpowder Empire by Harry Turtledove
  • The Aquiliad (1983), by Somtow Sucharitkul. Circa 50 AD. A light-hearted novel in which Roman legions discover America, battle the Aztecs, encounter Big Foot, and drive off flying saucers.
  • (2002), by Scott Mackay. Romans return to a modern-day Earth to retake it from alien invaders who exiled them centuries ago and imposed a strange form of Christianity.
  • The Germanicus trilogy, a collection of books by Kirk Mitchell.
  • Emperor (2006), by Stephen Baxter. After a Celtic chieftain obeys an ancient prophecy, and sides with the invaders, the history of Roman Britain takes a different path. First in a series.

Comic books[]

  • The Adventures of Alix (1948–now) 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 Alix, that gives illustrated information on famous places and empires of the Ancient World during the Roman Era.
  • Astérix (1959–now) series by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). A tiny village in Gaul holds out against the Roman Army, and its doughtiest warriors meet all the famous Romans.
  • Murena (1997–now) series by Jean Dufaux and
  • Le Fléau des Dieux (2000–2006) series by Valérie Mangin and Aleksa Gajic. Science fiction set in a remote future

Movies[]

Main article: List of films set in ancient Rome
  • Quo Vadis - 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 E. Sherwood
  • Ben-Hur - U.S. 1959 director William Wyler
  • Spartacus - U.S. 1960 director Stanley Kubrick
  • King of Kings - U.S. 1961 director Nicholas Ray
  • Cleopatra - U.S. 1963 director Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • The Fall of the Roman Empire - U.S. 1964 director Anthony Mann
  • The Greatest Story Ever Told - U.S. 1965 director George Stevens
  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - U.S. 1966 director Richard Lester
  • Fellini Satyricon - Italy 1969 director Federico Fellini
  • Jesus Christ Superstar - U.S. 1973 director Norman Jewison
  • Sebastiane - UK 1976 director Derek Jarman
  • Caligula - U.S. 1979 director Tinto Brass
  • Monty Python's Life of Brian - U.K. 1979 director Terry Jones
  • History of the World Part 1 - U.S. 1981 director Mel Brooks
  • The Last Temptation of Christ - U.S. 1988 director Martin Scorsese
  • Titus - U.S. 1999 director Julie Taymor
  • Gladiator - U.S. 2000 director Ridley Scott
  • Quo Vadis - Polish/U.S. 2001 director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, remake of 1951 film
  • King Arthur - U.S. 2004 director Antoine Fuqua
  • The Passion of the Christ - U.S. 2004 director Mel Gibson
  • The Nativity Story - U.S. 2006 director Catherine Hardwicke
  • Agora - Spain 2009 director Alejandro Amenábar
  • Centurion - UK 2010 director Neil Marshall
  • The Eagle - UK 2011 director Kevin Macdonald

Plays[]

  • Joseph Addison
    • Cato
  • Albert Camus
    • Caligula
  • Pierre Corneille
    • Cinna
  • Henrik Ibsen
    • Emperor and Galilean
  • Ben Jonson
    • Sejanus, His Fall
  • Heinrich von Kleist
    • Die Hermannsschlacht
  • William Shakespeare
    • Titus Andronicus
    • Julius Caesar
    • Antony and Cleopatra
    • Coriolanus
    • Cymbeline
  • Robert Sherwood
  • Stephen Sondheim

Television[]

Video games[]

Video game Year Platform Score[3]
Ryse: Son of Rome 2013 Microsoft Windows, Xbox One 60
Total War: Rome II 2013 Mac, Microsoft Windows 76
Roman Empire 2013 Microsoft Windows Phone, Microsoft Windows 76
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising 2011 Microsoft Windows 50
Gladiator Begins 2010 PSP 59
Tournament of Legends 2010 Wii 45
Grand Ages: Rome 2009 Microsoft Windows 72
Cradle of Rome 2008 Nintendo DS, Wii 63
Europa Universalis: Rome 2008 Microsoft Windows, Mac 73
Imperium Romanum 2008 Microsoft Windows 63
Caesar IV 2006 Microsoft Windows 74
CivCity: Rome 2006 Microsoft Windows 67
Glory of the Roman Empire 2006 Microsoft Windows 66
Colosseum: Road to Freedom 2005 PlayStation 2 56
Imperivm: Great Battles of Rome 2005 Microsoft Windows
Legion Arena 2005 Mac, Microsoft Windows 65
Shadow of Rome 2005 PlayStation 2 75
Spartan: Total Warrior 2005 PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox 74
Nemesis of the Roman Empire 2004 74
Rome: Total War 2004 Microsoft Windows, Mac 92
Gladius 2003 GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox 82
Praetorians 2003 PC 78
Celtic Kings: Rage of War 2002 PC 82
Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars 2002 PlayStation 2, Xbox 67
Catechumen 2000 Windows
Nethergate 1999 Mac, Windows
Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome 1998 Microsoft Windows
Caesar III 1998 Mac, Microsoft Windows
The Settlers II 1996 Mac, MS-DOS, Nintendo DS
SPQR: The Empire's Darkest Hour 1996 Windows
Caesar II 1995 Mac, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows
Walls of Rome 1993 DOS
Caesar I 1992 Amiga, Atari ST, DOS
Rome: Pathway to Power 1992 Amiga, DOS
Warrior of Rome II 1992 Sega Mega Drive, Sega Genesis
Warrior of Rome 1991 Sega Mega Drive, Sega Genesis
Centurion: Defender of Rome 1990 IBM PC DOS, Amiga, Mega Drive
Legions of Death 1987 Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Annals of Rome 1986 Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum
Legionnaire 1982 Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64

Works inspired by Roman history, or by works of fiction and non-fiction about Rome[]

Science fiction[]

  • Empire of the Atom, by A. E. van Vogt, translates Graves' novel about Claudius(above) into a science fiction context.
  • The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, about the fall of a galactic empire, is derived from Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
  • Dominic Flandry series by Poul Andersen, a space empire similarly inspired by Gibbon's history (and by Asimov) is decaying and about to collapse into a Long Night of barbarism; a heroic secret agent fights to stave off this fate.
  • Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson, about a post-apocalyptic America transformed into a neo-Roman Empire, and a high born youth who, like Julian the Apostate, fights the power of the Church.
  • Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series)
  • Tarzan and the Lost Empire by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a surviving fragment of the Roman Empire is discovered hidden in a corner of 20th century Africa.
  • In Philip K. Dick's VALIS ancient Rome is superimposed over the present (California in the 20th century) and the far future world of The Android Cried Me a River to reveal "the Empire" – a supra- or trans-temporal constant. Furthermore, it is often repeated that the empire never fell. Also the novel's protagonist is described as living in two spacetime-continua with one of the personalities presently living in ancient Rome. Ancient Rome is also described as to breaking through into the modern world and "real time" is speculated as to having ceased in 70 AD with Roman times still being present.[4]

Comic books[]

  • Leading Comics - in the 1940s, a series called "Nero Fox" (about a funny animal named Nero Fox, who was emperor of Rome) was published as a backup series in this comic title.
  • Trigan Empire was a Science Fiction comic series telling of adventures on the planet Elekton with many similarities to the Roman Empire

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d http://www.stevensaylor.com/ Saylor, Steven. "Steven Saylor website". Retrieved May 16, 2007
  2. ^ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/213651
  3. ^ Metacritic Score
  4. ^ Dick, Philip K. The VALIS Trilogy. Retrieved 21 July 2015.

External links[]

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