Caroline Lawrence (born 1954) is an English American author, best known for ''

The Roman Mysteries ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 17 ...

'' series of

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

s for children. The series is about a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

girl called Flavia and her three friends: Nubia (a freed slave girl), Jonathan (a shunned Jewish boy) and Lupus (a beggar boy without a tongue). The series has won numerous awards and has been published in many different languages worldwide. In March 2010, Lawrence was commissioned to write another history mystery series of books called The Western Mysteries, set in

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boomto ...

Nevada Territory The Territory of Nevada (N.T.) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until October 31, 1864, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Nevada. Prior to the creation of the Nevada ...

in the early 1860s.

Biography

Lawrence was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Her American parents returned to the United States shortly afterwards and she grew up in Bakersfield, California with her younger brother and sister. Her father taught

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

and drama in a local high school and her mother was an artist. When she was twelve, Caroline's family moved to Stanford University in northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

so that her father could study

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

. She afterwards studied Classics at Berkeley, where she won a

Marshall Scholarship The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious sc ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

. There, at

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millice ...

, she studied Classical Art and

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

. After

, Caroline remained in

, and later took an MA in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Studies at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

. She then taught

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

and art at a small

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

. In 2000 she wrote ''

The Thieves of Ostia ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'', the first in a series of children's adventure stories set in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

, the book was published in 2001. ''

'' combine Caroline's love of art history, ancient languages and travel. Her other passions include cinema, jazz and London. Caroline has a son Simon, from a previous marriage, and she now lives by the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

with her husband Richard, a graphic designer. In 2009, Caroline won the Classical Association Prize of £5000 for "a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics". Lawrence has also worked on the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

's educational website ''Romans Revealed'', creating stories about Roman Britain closely based on archaeological finds. In 2013 she was chosen to be President of JACT (The Joint Association of Classical Teachers) following in the footsteps of

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

Bettany Hughes Bettany Mary Hughes (born May 1967) is an English historian, author and broadcaster, specialising in classical history. Her published books cover classical antiquity and myth, and the history of Istanbul. She is active in efforts to encourage ...

and

Paul Cartledge Paul Anthony Cartledge (born 24 March 1947)"CARTLEDGE, Prof. Paul Anthony", ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010online edition/ref> is a British ancient historian and academic. From 2008 to 2014 he was the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek C ...

Bibliography

The Roman Mysteries series

# ''

'' (2001) # ''

The Secrets of Vesuvius ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 17 ...

'' (2001) # '' The Pirates of Pompeii'' (2002) # ''

The Assassins of Rome ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 17 ...

'' (2002) # ''

The Dolphins of Laurentum ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2003) # ''

The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2003) # '' The Enemies of Jupiter'' (2003) # ''

The Gladiators from Capua ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2004) # '' The Colossus of Rhodes'' (2005) # ''

The Fugitive from Corinth ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2005) # '' The Sirens of Surrentum'' (2006) # ''

The Charioteer of Delphi ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2006) # '' The Slave-girl from Jerusalem'' (2007) # '' The Beggar of Volubilis'' (2007) # ''

The Scribes from Alexandria ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels 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 totaling 1 ...

'' (2008) # '' The Prophet from Ephesus'' (2009) # '' The Man from Pomegranate Street'' (2009)

Roman Mystery Scrolls

# ''The Sewer Demon'' (2012) # ''

The Poisoned Honey Cake ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (2012) # '' The Thunder Omen'' (2013) #'' The Two-Faced God'' (2013)

Roman Quests

#''

Escape from Rome Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

'' (2016) #''

The Archers of Isca ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (2016) #''

Death in the Arena Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

'' (2017) #''

Return to Rome Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

'' (2018)

The Time Travel Diaries

#'' Adventure in Athens'' (2020) ;Short stories :* ''

The Code of Romulus ''The 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 M ...

'' (World Book day promotion) (2007) :* '' Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries'' (2007) :* '' The Legionary from Londinium and other mini-mysteries'' (2010) Associated non-fiction books include: :* '' The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book'' (2007) :* ''

The Roman Mysteries Treasury ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2007) :* ''

From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina From may refer to: * From, a preposition * From (SQL), computing language keyword * From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email * FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company * Full range of motion, the travel in a range of ...

'' (2009)

Western Mysteries/P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries

# ''

The Case of the Deadly Desperados ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2011) # ''

The Case of the Good-Looking Corpse ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2012) US title " P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man " # ''

The Case of the Pistol-Packing Widows ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2013) # ''

The Case of the Bogus Detective ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2015)

References

External links

The Roman Mysteries homepage

Interview with Caroline Lawrence on the Coffee & Circuses podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Caroline Living people English children's writers English historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical mysteries Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Writers from London 1954 births