Ancient Rome has fascinated me since I was a kid watching gladiator movies I was probably too young for. There's something about the combination of civilization and brutality, democracy and tyranny, philosophy and conquest that feels endlessly relevant. Rome created much of the world we live in while also being utterly alien.
Historical fiction set in Rome has to navigate this tension: making the world feel familiar enough to be relatable while honoring how different their values and assumptions were from ours. The series below achieve this balance while telling great stories.
The Scope of Roman History
One challenge with Roman historical fiction is deciding which Rome you want. The Roman Kingdom, Republic, and Empire span over a thousand years, and each era has its own flavor:
The Early Republic offers underdog stories of Rome rising from a small city-state. The Late Republic gives us Caesar, Cicero, Cleopatra, and the civil wars that ended republican government. The Early Empire has emperors like Augustus, Nero, and Claudius. The Later Empire chronicles decline, Christianity's rise, and eventual fall.
Most historical fiction focuses on the Late Republic and Early Empire because that's where the famous names are, but don't sleep on other periods.
Essential Roman Series
Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough
This is the definitive fictional treatment of the Late Republic, spanning from Marius to the death of Antony and Cleopatra. McCullough was a research obsessive who filled notebooks with historical detail before writing. The result is exhaustively accurate and genuinely epic.
Warning: these are long, dense books. But if you want to understand the Roman world in depth, nothing compares.
Roma Sub Rosa Series by Steven Saylor
Gordianus the Finder is a detective in the Late Republic, solving mysteries that bring him into contact with Caesar, Cicero, and other historical figures. Saylor combines accurate historical detail with compelling mysteries, and Gordianus is wonderful company.
The series covers Gordianus's entire life, so you watch him age across the books—a nice touch.
SPQR Series by John Maddox Roberts
Another detective series set in the Late Republic, following Decius Caecilius Metellus. Where Saylor's Gordianus is lower-class, Decius is an aristocrat, which gives him different access and different blind spots. The mysteries are solid and the historical setting is vivid.
Roman Empire Series by Simon Scarrow
Military historical fiction following two soldiers—one a veteran centurion, one a young recruit—through Rome's legions. If you want to understand what it was like to be a Roman soldier, Scarrow delivers. The action is intense, the military detail convincing, and the brotherhood of the legions compelling.
The Falco Series by Lindsey Davis
Marcus Didius Falco is a private informer in Vespasian's Rome (69-79 AD), solving crimes while navigating the city's social strata. Davis brings wonderful wit to her mysteries, and Falco's voice is distinctive and charming. The later books featuring Falco's adopted daughter Flavia Albia continue the series' quality.
Emperor Series by Conn Iggulden
Fictional biographies of Julius Caesar, from childhood through assassination. Iggulden takes some historical liberties but creates compelling narratives. If you want to follow Caesar's life specifically, this series delivers.
Beyond the Big Names
Don't limit yourself to Caesar and Cleopatra. Some of my favorite Roman fiction explores lesser-known periods: Robert Harris's Cicero trilogy for political intrigue, Ruth Downie's Medicus series for Roman Britain, Harry Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome for the crisis of the third century.
The Roman world was vast and varied, and fiction set in the provinces often feels fresher than another retelling of Caesar's assassination.
— mrod