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Period

Ancient Rome

753 BCE–476 CE

Ancient Rome stretches from Rome’s legendary foundation in 753 BC to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476. It includes the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, and the long transformation of Roman power across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Its history moves from civic myth and aristocratic politics to conquest, civil war, imperial rule, religious change, and imperial collapse.

The importance of Ancient Rome lies in the scale of its institutions and the reach of its culture. Roman law, roads, armies, cities, citizenship, slavery, patronage, trade, and imperial administration shaped daily life as much as battles and emperors did. The period also contains repeated crises over class, loyalty, ambition, legitimacy, and the cost of empire.

Robert Harris’s Cicero trilogy, Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome novels, Steven Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa mysteries, Lindsey Davis’s Falco and Flavia Albia books, and Simon Scarrow’s Eagles of the Empire series all use different parts of the Roman world. The fiction ranges from republican politics to imperial streets, legionary campaigns, provincial frontiers, slavery, religion and the long decline of Roman power.

Related people for Ancient Rome

Agrippina the Younger15–59 Alaric Ic. 370–410 Alexander Heliosborn 41 BCE Alexander the Great357 BCE–324 BCE Allectusdied 296 Amanirenasborn c. 1st century BCE Ammianus Marcellinus330–395 Antinous111–130 Antipater of Sidonc. 3rd century BCE–c. 2nd century BCE Antoninafl. 6th century; died after 565 Appianc. 95–c. 165 CE Archimedesc. 287–212 BCE Aristidesc. 530–468 BCE Aristophanes446 BCE–386 BCE Arminius18 BCE–21 Arsinoe IV of Egyptc. 68/63–41 BCE Artabanus IV of Parthiadied 224 CE Ataulfc. 4th century–415 Attilac. 5th century–453 Augustus64 BCE–14 Aulus Caecina Severus44 BCE–c. 1st century Aulus Gabiniusdied 47 BCE Aulus Plautius6 BCE–57 Aëtiusc. 390s–454 Balbinus178–238 Belisarius505–565 Boudica30–61 Britannicus41–55 Caesarion47–30 BCE Calgacusborn c. 1st century Caligula12–41 Caracalla188–217 Caratacus15–54 Carausiusdied 293 Cartimanduac. 1st century–69 Catilinec. 108–62 BCE Cato the Younger95–46 BCE Catullusc. 84–c. 54 BCE Cicero107 BCE–44 BCE Cimonc. 510–450 BCE Claudia Acte40–c. 1st century Claudia Octavia40–62 Claudius11 BCE–54 Cleopatra70 BCE–31 BCE Cleopatra Selene II41 BCE–6 BCE Clodiaborn 96 BCE Clodius Albinus150–197 Commodus161–192 Constantine the Great272–337 Constantius Chlorusc. 250–306 Constantius Gallus325–354 Constantius II317–361 Constantius III370–421 Crispusc. 300–326 Crixusdied 72 BCE Cunobelinec. 2nd century BCE–43 Decebalusc. 1st century–106 Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus86 BCE–44 BCE Didius Julianus133–193 Diocletianc. 240s–316 Domitian51–96 Elagabalus203–222 Epictetus50–138 Eugenius345–394 Eusebiac. 4th century–360 Faustac. 289–326 Fulviac. 83/77–40 BCE Gaisericc. 389–477 Gaius Cassius Longinus83 BCE–43 BCE Gaius Julius Civilisc. 25–after 70 Gaius Marius158 BCE–87 BCE Gaius Servilius Glaucia143 BCE–101 BCE Gaius Suetonius Paulinus10–c. 60s Gaius Terentius Varrodied c. 3rd century BCE Galba4 BCE–69 Galla Placidia386–450 Gallienus218–268 Germanicus16 BCE–19 Geta189–211 Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo7–67 Gnaeus Julius Agricola40–93 Gnaeus Mallius Maximusfl. 105 BCE Gordian I159–238 Gordian IIc. 190s–238 Gordian III225–244 Gratian359–383 Hadrian76–138 Hamilcar Barcac. 275–229/228 BCE Hannibal247–c. 183 BCE Hasdrubal Barcac. 245–207 BCE Herod Antipasborn 21 BCE Herod the Great75 BCE–5 BCE Honorius384–423 Horace66 BCE–9 BCE Jesus Christc. 6–4 BCE–c. 30/33 CE John the Baptist7 BCE–30 Josephus37–100 Juba IIc. 48 BCE–23 CE Judas Iscariotdied c. 30s Julia Domnac. 160–217 Julia Mamaea180–235 Julian331–363 Julius Caesar101 BCE–45 BCE Justinian Ic. 483–565 Juvenal55–c. 2nd century Libanius314–393 Liciniusc. 265–325 Livia60 BCE–29 Livy60 BCE–17 Lucan39–65 Lucius Aemilius Paullusdied 217 BCE Lucius Appuleius Saturninus131 BCE–101 BCE Lucius Cornelius Cinna136 BCE–85 BCE Lucretiusc. 99–c. 55 BCE Lucullus118 BCE–58 BCE Lysanderd. 395 BCE Macrinusc. 164–218 Magnus Maximus335–388 Magoc. 243–203/202 BCE Majorianc. 420–461 Marciac. 2nd century–193 Marcus Aemilius Lepidusc. 90–13 BCE Marcus Aurelius121–180 Marcus Claudius Marcellus271 BCE–209 BCE Marcus Junius Brutus86 BCE–43 BCE Marcus Licinius Crassus116 BCE–54 BCE Marcus Oclatinius Adventusc. 160–218 Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa64 BCE–13 BCE Mark Antony83–30 BCE Martialc. 40–c. 104 Mary Magdalenedied c. 1st century Mathosdied 238 BCE Maxentius278–312 Maximianc. 250–310 Maximinus Thrax173–238 Maximus of Ephesus310–372 Messalina20–48 Mithridates VI of Pontus135 BCE–64 BCE Nero37–68 Nerva30–98 Octavia the Youngerc. 69–11 BCE Odaenathusc. 220s–267 Odoacer433–493 Ovid44 BCE–17 Paul the Apostle5–66 Periclesc. 495–429 BCE Pertinax126–193 Pescennius Nigerc. 135/140–194 Petroniusc. 27–66 Philip V of Macedon238–179 BCE Phraates IV of Parthiadied 2 BCE Platoc. 420s BCE–c. 340s BCE Plautusc. 254–184 BCE Pliny the Elder23/24–79 Plotinus205–270 Plutarchc. 46–after 119 CE Polybiusc. 200–c. 118 BCE Pompey106–48 BCE Pontius Pilatusfl. c. 26–36 CE Poppaea Sabina30–65 Postumusc. 3rd century–269 Priscus of Epirus305–395 Procopiusc. 5th century–565 Ptolemy IX Lathyros143 BCE–82 BCE Ptolemy X Alexander I141 BCE–89 BCE Ptolemy XII Auletesc. 117–51 BCE Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator63 BCE–48 BCE Publius Clodius Pulcherc. 90s BCE–53 BCE Publius Cornelius Lentulus Surac. 114–63 BCE Publius Quinctilius Varus47 BCE–9 Pupienusc. 2nd century–238 Quintus Petillius Cerialis30–83 Quintus Sertorius124 BCE–73 BCE Quintus Servilius Caepio151 BCE–c. 2nd century BCE Ricimerc. 405–472 Romulus Augustusc. 460–after 507 Saint Peter2 BCE–65 Sallust87 BCE–36 BCE Salome Ic. 65 BCE–c. 10 CE Scipio Aemilianus186 BCE–130 BCE Scipio Africanusc. 236–c. 183 BCE Sejanus21 BCE–31 Senecac. 0s BCE–65 Septimius Severus146–211 Serviliaborn 101 BCE Severus Alexander208–235 Sextus Afranius Burrus1–62 Shapur Ic. 3rd century–272 Shapur II309–379 Spartacus104 BCE–72 BCE Spendiusdied 239 BCE Sporus49–69 Sullac. 138–78 BCE Surena85 BCE–53 BCE Terencec. 195/185–c. 159 BCE Themistoclesc. 524–c. 459 BCE Theodorac. 500–548 Theodoric the Great454–526 Theodosius I347–395 Tiberius43 BCE–37 Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnusc. 1st century–c. 1st century Tiberius Gracchus163 BCE–134 BCE Tigellinus10–69 Titus39–81 Titus Annius Milo96 BCE–49 BCE Titus Quinctius Flamininus230 BCE–175 BCE Trajan53–117 Valens328–378 Valentinian I321–375 Valentinian III419–455 Valerian200–c. 260s Vercingetorixc. 82–46 BCE Vespasian9–79 Vibia Sabina86–136 Vindex25–68 Virgil71 BCE–20 BCE Xanthippus526 BCE–476 BCE Xerxes I520 BCE–466 BCE Zeno425–491 Zenobiac. 240–after 274

Series

Series about Ancient Rome (2 series)

The Dream of Rome in Order

by Richard Foreman 5 books 4.1(3,394)

The Dream of Rome is an omnibus collection rather than a single continuous saga. Its volumes gather the complete Sword of Rome campaigns, the two Augustus novels, the first three Spies of Rome investigations, the complete Sword of Empire sequence and three later Rufus Varro novellas. The collection…

Roma Trilogy in Order

by Steven Saylor 3 books 4.0(15,200)

The Roma Trilogy follows generations of the fictional Pinarius family across the long history of Rome. Roma begins with the city’s legendary foundation and continues through the Republic and the rise of Augustus; Empire carries the family through the Julio-Claudian, Flavian and adoptive-emperor periods; Dominus follows the later…

Books

30 Best Novels About Ancient Rome

Non-Fiction

30 Best Non-Fiction Books About Ancient Rome

Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.