''Roma Sub Rosa'' is a series of

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

novels by

Steven Saylor Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and classics. Saylor's best-known work is his '' Roma Sub Rosa'' historical myster ...

set in

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, 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 ...

and therefore populated by famous historic roman citizens. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose." If a matter was ''

sub rosa ''Sub rosa'' (New Latin for "under the rose") denotes secrecy or confidentiality. The rose has an ancient history as a symbol of secrecy. History In Hellenistic and later Roman mythology, roses were associated with secrecy because Cupid ga ...

'', "under the rose," it meant that such matter was confidential. The detective is known as Gordianus the Finder, and he mixes with non-fictional citizens of the Republic including

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had t ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, Marcus Crassus,

Catilina Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the R ...

Catullus Gaius Valerius Catullus (; 84 - 54 BCE), often referred to simply as Catullus (, ), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His ...

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

, and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

Characters

For an ancient Roman, Gordianus has an unconventional family: * Bethesda, his beautiful Egyptian

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

purchased from a slave market in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

. Bethesda and Gordianus have a mutually affectionate relationship and are later married after he frees her. * Eco, his oldest adopted son, was a mute boy when he first appeared as a key player in the book Roman Blood. He recovered his speech in Arms of Nemesis. He followed in his father's (meaning Gordianus) footsteps as an investigator. * Meto, his second adopted son, was a slave of Crassus who became a soldier serving under Julius Caesar. * Rupa, his third adopted son, brother to Cassandra; a mute. * Diana, his intellectual and headstrong daughter (by Bethesda). * Davus, his son-in-law (Diana's husband) who was Gordianus' former slave and bodyguard. * Aulus, his grandson (by Diana). * Little Bethesda, his granddaughter (by Diana).

Titles

The books are listed below in chronological order. For publication order, see the author's page. #'' The Seven Wonders'' (2012) — 92-90 BC: The young Gordianus travels to see the Wonders of the Ancient World. #'' Raiders of the Nile'' (2014) — 88 BC: The young Gordianus must travel into the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to ...

to find a gang of bandits. #'' Wrath of the Furies'' (2015) — 88 BC: Gordianus travels to

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built i ...

during Mithridates' war against Rome #'' Roman Blood'' (1991) — 80 BC: Gordianus investigates a murder case for the famous lawyer

. #'' The House of the Vestals'' (1997) — 80-72 BC : Short stories. #'' A Gladiator Dies Only Once'' (2005) — 77-64 BC: Short stories. #'' Arms of Nemesis'' (1992) — 72 BC : Gordianus tries to save the lives of 99 slaves, while

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

threatens Rome. #'' Catilina's Riddle'' (1993) — 63 BC: Gordianus is embroiled in the

Catiline conspiracy The Catilinarian conspiracy (sometimes Second Catilinarian conspiracy) was an attempted coup d'état by Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline) to overthrow the Roman consuls of 63 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida – a ...

. #'' The Venus Throw'' (1995) — 56 BC: Gordianus tries to discover who murdered an Egyptian diplomat. #'' A Murder on the Appian Way'' (1996) — 52 BC: Gordianus investigates the death of

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher (93–52 BC) was a populist Roman politician and street agitator during the time of the First Triumvirate. One of the most colourful personalities of his era, Clodius was descended from the aristocratic Claudia gens, one ...

. #''

Rubicon The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini. It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius Ca ...

'' (1999) — 49 BC: Gordianus investigates a murder close to home as Rome nears civil war. #'' Last Seen in Massilia'' (2000) — 49 BC: Gordianus looks for his son Meto in the city of Massilia as it is besieged by the army of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

. #'' A Mist of Prophecies'' (2002) — 48 BC: Gordianus searches for the killer of a seeress. #''

The Judgment of Caesar ''The Judgment of Caesar'' is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2004. It is the tenth book in his Roma Sub Rosa series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roman Republi ...

'' (2004) — 48 BC: Gordianus travels to Egypt in an attempt to find a cure for his wife's illness. #''

The Triumph of Caesar ''The Triumph of Caesar'' is a historical mystery novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by St. Martin's Press in 2008. It is the twelfth book in his '' Roma Sub Rosa'' series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the R ...

'' (2008) — 46 BC: Gordianus investigates a conspiracy to murder Caesar. #''

The Throne of Caesar ''The Throne of Caesar'' is a historical mystery novel by American author Steven Saylor, first published by Minotaur Books in 2018. It is the thirteenth book in his '' Roma Sub Rosa'' series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the Roma ...

'' (2018) - 44 BC: the Ides of March and the conclusion of the series. - "Ill Seen in Tyre" (2014), in the cross-genre anthology ''

Rogues A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software com ...

'', edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, set in 91 BC just before the Epilogue of '' The Seven Wonders''

References

External links

''Roma Sub Rosa'' web page
{{Roman novels by Steven Saylor Novel series Novels about slavery in ancient Rome Fictional historical detectives Minotaur Books books