The Roman Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novel
s 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 titles.
The books take place in the ancient Roman Empire
during the reign of the Emperor Titus
. They detail the adventures of four children who solve mysteries and have adventures in Ostia
, Rome, Greece, and beyond: Flavia, a Roman girl who lives in Ostia; Nubia, a slave girl from Africa; Jonathan, a Jewish boy; and Lupus, a mute
beggar boy.
In April 2010, author Caroline Lawrence announced that she is planning a spinoff for younger readers. The main character will be Threptus, an 8-year-old Ostian beggar boy who makes appearances in the final Roman Mystery, The Man from Pomegranate Street
& the final short story in The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries.
which were Roman 'books', and are numbered with Roman numerals
. The glossary
explaining Roman terms is called "Aristo's Scroll", after Flavia's tutor, and the author's note, which separates fact from fiction, is called "The Last Scroll".
produces a television series based on the books, entitled Roman Mysteries. The first season was broadcast in 2007, the second season in 2008.
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...
s for children 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...
. The first book, The Thieves of Ostia
The Thieves of Ostia
The Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
, was published in 2001, finishing with The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the seventeenth and last in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set immediately after the death of Titus, primarily in the countryside around Rome.-Title:Pomegranate Street is a...
, published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries" and companion titles.
The books take place in the ancient Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
during the reign of the Emperor Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
. They detail the adventures of four children who solve mysteries and have adventures in Ostia
Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
, Rome, Greece, and beyond: Flavia, a Roman girl who lives in Ostia; Nubia, a slave girl from Africa; Jonathan, a Jewish boy; and Lupus, a mute
Muteness
Muteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
beggar boy.
The four detectives
- Flavia Gemina: A rich Roman girl.
- Jonathan ben Mordecai: A kind but pessimistic Jewish/Christian boy.
- Flavia Nubia: An African girl, former slave of Flavia.
- Lupus: A mute beggar boy.
Characters based on historical persons
- Pliny the ElderPliny the ElderGaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, admiral of the Misenum fleet and an accomplished natural historian. - Pliny the YoungerPliny the YoungerGaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
, nephew of the Elder - TitusTitusTitus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
, Emperor of Rome - DomitianDomitianDomitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
, his younger brother - Gaius Suetonius TranquillusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, the famous historian, who appears as a young man initially betrothed to Flavia. - Gaius Valerius FlaccusGaius Valerius FlaccusGaius Valerius Flaccus was a Roman poet who flourished in the "Silver Age" under the emperors Vespasian and Titus and wrote a Latin Argonautica that owes a great deal to Apollonius of Rhodes' more famous epic....
, the poet, who appears in several novels as a teenaged man, and a love interest of Flavia's. - Titus Flavius Josephus, famous Jewish historian.
Novels
- The Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of OstiaThe Thieves of Ostia is a 2001 historical novel for children written by Caroline Lawrence, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. It is set in Ostia Antica, the harbour of ancient Rome, in the last month of the reign of emperor Vespasian....
(2001) - The Secrets of VesuviusThe Secrets of VesuviusThe Secrets of Vesuvius is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the second in the Roman Mysteries series; sequel to The Thieves of Ostia and prequel to The Pirates of Pompeii novels...
(2001) - The Pirates of PompeiiThe Pirates of PompeiiThe Pirates of Pompeii is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the third in the Roman Mysteries series.- Plot :...
(2002) - The Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of RomeThe Assassins of Rome is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 17 October 2002 by Orion Books. It is the fourth book of The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Ostia and Rome in September AD 79...
(2002) - The Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of LaurentumThe Dolphins of Laurentum is a historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on February 6, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the fifth novel in the The Roman Mysteries series.-Plot:...
(2003) - The Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia GeminaThe Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 19, 2003. The sixth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in Ostia in December AD 79, during the Saturnalia. Its central themes are love and marriage.-Plot introduction:The action of...
(2003) - The Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of JupiterThe Enemies of Jupiter is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence published on 6 November, 2003 by Orion Books. It is the seventh book of the Roman Mysteries series.-Plot introduction:...
(2003) - The Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from CapuaThe Gladiators from Capua is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published on June 3, 2004. The eighth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set primarily in the city of Rome in March AD 80, during the Inaugural Games at the newly-built Flavian Amphitheatre, now known as the...
(2004) - The Colossus of RhodesThe Colossus of Rhodes (novel)The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. The ninth book of the Roman Mysteries series, it is set in spring AD 80, partly aboard ship in the Mediterranean, partly on the Greek islands of Symi and Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes is a children's...
(2005) - The Fugitive from CorinthThe Fugitive from CorinthThe Fugitive from Corinth is the 10th book in the popular Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2005. It is set in Greece in AD 80, between Corinth and Athens...
(2005) - The Sirens of SurrentumThe Sirens of SurrentumThe Sirens of Surrentum is a children's historical novel set in Roman times by Caroline Lawrence. The novel is the eleventh in The Roman Mysteries series.- Plot summary:...
(2006) - The Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of DelphiThe Charioteer of Delphi is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2006. It is the twelfth volume of the Roman Mysteries series. Like several of Lawrence’s novels, it explores a particular aspect of daily life in Ancient Rome: in this case, chariot racing.-Plot...
(2006) - The Slave-girl from JerusalemThe Slave-girl from JerusalemThe Slave-girl from Jerusalem is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the thirteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007. It is set in December A.D. 80 in and around Ostia, and deals with death, slavery and the Roman legal system.-Plot summary:Jonathan's...
(2007) - The Beggar of VolubilisThe Beggar of VolubilisThe Beggar of Volubilis is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the fourteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2007...
(2008) - The Scribes from AlexandriaThe Scribes from AlexandriaThe Scribes from Alexandria is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the fifteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2008. It is set during the reign of Titus, primarily in Roman Egypt.-Plot introduction:...
(2008) - The Prophet from EphesusThe Prophet from EphesusThe Prophet from Ephesus is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the sixteenth in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set during the reign of Titus, primarily in the Roman province of Asia.-Plot introduction:...
(2009) - The Man from Pomegranate StreetThe Man from Pomegranate StreetThe Man from Pomegranate Street is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the seventeenth and last in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set immediately after the death of Titus, primarily in the countryside around Rome.-Title:Pomegranate Street is a...
(2009)
Omnibus
- The Roman Mysteries Omnibus I: The Thieves of Ostia, the Secrets of Vesuvius and the Pirates of Pompeii
- The Roman Mysteries Omnibus II: The Assassins of Rome, the Dolphins of Laurentum, the Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina.
Mini-mysteries
- Bread and Circuses (short story published in 2003 in The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunits); re-published in a shorter version as a novella, titled The Code of RomulusThe Code of RomulusThe Code of Romulus is a children's novella by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Book Day. It is a re-publication of the short story Bread and Circuses that appeared in the anthology The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunits published in 2003.The story takes...
for World Book Day in April 2007) - Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteriesTrimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries is a collection of stories by Caroline Lawrence, published in 2007 as part of the Roman Mysteries series. The stories are set in Ostia and Rome between AD 79 and AD 81, in the intervals of time between the novels...
(2007) - The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries (2010)
Companion books
- The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
- The Second Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
- The Roman Mysteries Treasury (2007)
- From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina: Travels with Flavia Gemina (2008)
Sequel Trilogy
In 2008 a sequel trilogy for young adults was proposed, with the main characters being Jonathan's 14 year old orphaned twin nephews. The stories would have been partly set in Roman Britain. The first book was to be published in March 2010. The working title for the trilogy was the Flavian Trilogy, with individual stories "Brothers of Jackels", "Companion of Owls" and "Prey of Lions". On her blog and website, Caroline Lawrence has said the content was deemed "too edgy" for the Roman Mysteries brand and as a result has been put on hold indefinitely.In April 2010, author Caroline Lawrence announced that she is planning a spinoff for younger readers. The main character will be Threptus, an 8-year-old Ostian beggar boy who makes appearances in the final Roman Mystery, The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street
The Man from Pomegranate Street is a children's historical novel by Caroline Lawrence. The novel, the seventeenth and last in the Roman Mysteries series, was published in 2009. It is set immediately after the death of Titus, primarily in the countryside around Rome.-Title:Pomegranate Street is a...
& the final short story in The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries.
Special features
Each of the novels has at least one map of the area covered in the story, sometimes also plans or diagrams; these are by Richard Russell Lawrence. The chapters are called scrolls, after the rolls of papyrusPapyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
which were Roman 'books', and are numbered with Roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
. The glossary
Glossary
A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...
explaining Roman terms is called "Aristo's Scroll", after Flavia's tutor, and the author's note, which separates fact from fiction, is called "The Last Scroll".
Movies
The film rights belong to The Little Entertainment Group Ltd and all queries should be addressed to them.TV series
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
produces a television series based on the books, entitled Roman Mysteries. The first season was broadcast in 2007, the second season in 2008.