Good Novels set in Ancient Rome

[Venerable Bede]

Recently, I realized that I am aware of almost no classic novels (or modern literature) set in Ancient Rome. It seems odd because the Roman empire has been a widely studied subject for hundreds of years and along with Greece, it was adopted as the father of western culture. There are several great works of literature dealing with the Middle Ages, but as far as I know, there are almost none about Ancient Rome, aside from some Christian classics like Ben-Hur. Perhaps it is because I am more familiar with English literature than that of other European countries. Does anyone here know of well written novels, classic or modern, that are set in Ancient Rome?

[stlukesguild]

Gore Vidal's Julian
Henryk Sienkiewicz' Quo Vadis
Pär Lagerkvist' Barrabas (partially set in Rome)
Thornton Wilder- The Ides of March
David Malouf- An Imaginary Life
Robert Graves- I, Claudius, Claudius the God, and Count Belisarius
Marguerite Yourcenar- Mémoires d'Hadrien

[Whifflingpin]

Colleen McCullough's series, covering the end of the republic to the beginning of the Empire - starting with "The First Man in Rome." These novels have the quality that marks them as 'classic', whatever you might mean by the term.

I second Marguerite Yourcenar's "Memoirs of Hadrian"

Alfred Duggan - "Founding Fathers" about the founding of Rome, and then others touching on different times up to the end of the empire in the Middle Ages. I think "He Died Old", about Mithridates, is one of the best.

The twenty books of Lindsey Davis's Falco series give a brilliant picture of the state of the Roman Empire in the time of Vespasian. I warn you, however, not to read these unless you want to enjoy as you learn.

Amanda Prantera's "The Side of the Moon" gives a less than usual slant on Commodus.

Everyone should read Gibbon.

[Paulclem]

Robert Harris has done a few set in Rome:

Pompeii - which was brilliantly written, Imperium and Lustrum which are two novels about the orator Cicero. Harris does a good job of making the business of oratory and the political shenanagins of the senate interesting.

I really enjoyed all three, and learnt a lot about those eras.

[Venerable Bede]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Now I just have to cram a few of these in before the fall term begins again.

A few of these I have actually heard of before, but I wasn't sure exactly how good of quality they were. Seeing them recommended by litnetters is encouraging though. I am especially intrigued by Memoirs of Hadrian.

[Charles Darnay]

If you are looking to see what Ancient Rome is all about through literature, you need The Satyricon and Golden *** - two works that give excellent insight into Rome at the time - not the high court intrigue of the empire (for that, go to Graves) but the every day commoner.

[cafolini]

If you are looking to see what Ancient Rome is all about through literature, you need The Satyricon and Golden *** - two works that give excellent insight into Rome at the time - not the high court intrigue of the empire (for that, go to Graves) but the every day commoner.

The Golden *** is one of the very few good ones.

[Charles Darnay]

The Golden *** is one of the very few good ones.

I would switch the "very" and "few" around, but otherwise I agree.

[Chrysostomos]

I've been impressed by Steven Saylor, and by Roman blood in particular. It is a sort of detective story set in Roman Republic : Gordianus, the Finder, has to help Cicero, an obscure young orator, to speak in Amerinus' favour, which turns out to be difficult. A very thrilling and stirring plot !

[Paulclem]

I've been impressed by Steven Saylor, and by Roman blood in particular. It is a sort of detective story set in Roman Republic : Gordianus, the Finder, has to help Cicero, an obscure young orator, to speak in Amerinus' favour, which turns out to be difficult. A very thrilling and stirring plot !

Yes I liked that one. I didn't realise that there were high rise blocks in Rome until I read this. Urban dwelling isn't new.

[Alexander III]

Read the Satyricon, a very good novel, one of the finest of literature's picaresque satires, and better than near everythng because it was not written by a guy on a laptop but by an ancient roman of the times who was describing the world around him.


Also I really liked Artaud's Elagabalus, though it is a very graphic and sometimes disturbing novel, but then again that is too be expected considerings that emperor's particular infamy.

[Venerable Bede]

If you are looking to see what Ancient Rome is all about through literature, you need The Satyricon and Golden *** - two works that give excellent insight into Rome at the time - not the high court intrigue of the empire (for that, go to Graves) but the every day commoner.

Yes, I want to read more actual Roman literature at some point, but right now I'm more interested in historical novels set in Ancient Rome.


I've been impressed by Steven Saylor, and by Roman blood in particular. It is a sort of detective story set in Roman Republic : Gordianus, the Finder, has to help Cicero, an obscure young orator, to speak in Amerinus' favour, which turns out to be difficult. A very thrilling and stirring plot !

I once bought a book of Saylor's short stories about Gordianus and read several of them. They didn't really do much for me; maybe his novels are better.

[dfloyd]

Roman Empire. To learn about the emperors, the entire Julian clan from Julius Caesar through Nero, read Robert Graves' I. Claudius and Claudius the God; then watch the Masterpiece Theater dramatization of the two books which only uses the title of the first book, I, Claudius.

After this, read The Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius.

The Satyricon by Petronius Arbiter is an incomplete novel with many parts missing, but it is a worthwhile read. To learn more about the reign of Nero and Petronius Arbiter, read Quo Vadis?

[Venerable Bede]

I'm actually not really looking to learn more about the Roman empire since I already have a decent grasp of it. I've read most of Tacitus' Annals, Suetonius' Lives, and Livy's History of Rome. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres though, and I wanted to read some of the greats in Roman historical fiction.