Fiction set in ancient Rome

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:

Historical novels listed in chronological order

Rome as a Kingdom

"If you know of works set in the pre-Republican era, please expand this section."
* " [http://www.stevensaylor.com/ROMA.html Roma] ", published March 6, 2007, by Steven Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history. [http://www.stevensaylor.com/ Saylor, Steven. "Steven Saylor website". Retrieved May 16, 2007]

Early Republic (before 264 BC)

"If you know of works set in the Early Republic, please expand this section."
* "Coriolanus (play)" [http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/coriolanus/full.html (full text)] (16th century), by Shakespeare. Features a Roman hero-turned-villain Gaius Marcus Coriolanus, considered legendary by modern historians.
*"Roma", published March 6, 2007, by Steven Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's early history. [http://www.stevensaylor.com/ Saylor, Steven. "Steven Saylor website". Retrieved May 16, 2007]

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 Saylor. According to the author's website, the book covers part of Rome's Republican history. [http://www.stevensaylor.com/ Saylor, Steven. "Steven Saylor website". Retrieved May 16, 2007]

Late Republic (after 132 BC)

* "The "Masters of Rome" series by Colleen McCullough.
*"Young Caesar" (1958) by Rex Warner
* "Pro Caelio" by Stephen Ciraolo, possibly based on Cicero's famous speech Pro Caelio defending a friend on various charges.
* "Imperium (novel)" by Robert Harris, showing Cicero's rise to the consulship in 63 BC; a fictionalized biography told by his slave, later freedman, Tiro
* "A Pillar of Iron" (1965) by Taylor Caldwell, a fictionalized biography of Cicero.
* "Imperial Caesar" 1960) also by Rex Warner
* "The Ides of March" by Thornton Wilder, culminating in Caesar's assassination."Julius Caesar (play)" (16th century) by Shakespeare
* "The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy" (2005) by Michael Curtis Ford

Early/High Empire (27 BC to 190 AD)

The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

* "The Nero Prediction" by Humphry Knipe

* "Caesar", "Anthony", "Augustus", "Tiberius", "Caligula" and "Nero's Heirs" by Allan Massie.

Books about early Christians or the Christ include:
* (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.

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).

Books set in Nero's reign include:
* "Quo Vadis" (1895/1896), by Henryk Sienkiewicz set in the reign of Nero in 64 AD.
* "A Song for Nero" (2003) by Tom Holt, writing as Thomas Holt.

The Flavian Dynasty

* "The Course of Honour" (1998), the first novel by Lindsey Davis (later author of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries) narrates the history of Vespasian's imperial freedwoman mistress Antonia Caenis.

* "The Lightbearer" (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), a novel by Carol Saylor, of Rome in the time of Commodus.Library of congress catalog No.; 66-11162

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)

* "The Young Julian" by Thomas J., Ph.D. Hairston
* "Julian" (1964 by Gore Vidal, fictionalized biography of the emperor Julian who tried to revive Paganism
* "Titus Andronicus" (play) (16th century) by Shakespeare, based on a fictional Imperial Roman general fighting the Goths.
* "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

Unknown period

* "Avventura nel primo secolo" by Paolo Monelli
* "The Roman" (1964)by Mika Waltari
* "The Door in the Wall", "The Key", "The Lock" by Benita Kane Jaro
* "Sand of the Arena" by James Duffy
* "In the Army of Marcus Batallius" by David M. Ross
* "68 A.D." by D.G. Bellenger
* "Gods and Legions: A Novel of The Roman Empire" by Michael Curtis Ford
* "The Quest For the Lost Roman Legions" by Tony Clunn
* "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
* "The Flames of Rome" by Paul L. Maier
* "Antonia" by Brenda Jagger
* "The Tribune: A Novel of Ancient Rome" by Patrick Larkin

Detective fiction

* The "Roma Sub Rosa" 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
* "", 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

cience fiction

=Science fiction/time travel novels=

* "Caesar's Bicycle" (1997) (Timeline Wars series) by John Barnes

Alternate universe fiction

"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

Comic books

* "Asterix" series by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations), of which some titles are set substantially in Rome.

Movies

* "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 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
* "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

Plays

*Joseph Addison
** "Cato"
*Albert Camus
** "Caligula"
*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
**"The Road to Rome" (1927), on which a little-known 1955 film "Jupiter's Darling" was based.
*Stephen Sondheim
** "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"

Television

* "I, Claudius"
* "Rome"
* "Spartacus " miniseries by Robert Dornhelm (director)

Video Games

Shadow of Rome

Colosseum Road to Freedom

ee also

*Fiction set in the Roman empire
*Fiction set in Ancient Greece

References

External links

* [http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/page.cfm?siteID=78&pageID=1 Fictional Rome]
* [http://histmyst.org/ The Detective and the Toga - Roman mysteries]