''The Code of Romulus'' is a children's novella by

Caroline Lawrence Caroline Lawrence (born 1954) 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 (a freed slave girl), Jona ...

, 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 place in

Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...

in November 79 AD, between the events of the fifth and sixth books (''

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 17 ...

'' and '' The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina''.)

Plot summary

The story begins with

Flavia Gemina Flavia (Latin for " blonde") may refer to: Places * Flavia Caesariensis, a 4th-century Roman province in the Diocese of the Britains * Flaviac, a commune in southern France People * Flavia (gens), the Roman clan and imperial dynasty * Flavia (n ...

, the protagonist of the book, arguing with her tutor, Aristo. Flavia insists that she is a detective, though Aristo doubts there is such a word. Aristo says that if Flavia can solve the mystery of who has been stealing rolls from Pistor the Baker, then they will not do maths for a month, just read stories. However, if Flavia fails, she can never mention the word "detective" again. Flavia and her friends realise that the theft must be an inside job, and decide to find out more about the baker's household. They make friends with the baker's younger son, Porcius, who shows them around the bakery and introduces them to his family and the slaves who work there. He also shows them his "Circus Minimus", where he races mice. Nubia is especially interested in the donkeys who turn the

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

. The next day they split up to follow the different suspects.

Lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

follows Porcius and his brother to school, Nubia follows his sister to the temple, and

Jonathan Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

follows the slave Teneme to the granary, while Flavia talks to the slave Tertius, the bakery accountant. He shows her the magic square puzzle, the Sator square, which eventually leads her to the solution of the mystery. Flavia and Nubia attend a secret pre-dawn gathering of Christians and unmask the well-meaning thief, but promise not to tell on condition the stealing stops.

Allusions to other works

Aristo is shocked to hear that Flavia has been reading Ovid's '' Metamorphoses'', which is full of "unsuitable" stories, but he admits it is a masterpiece and agrees to read them excerpts. Flavia later secretly consults the scroll to understand Tertius's reference to Erysichthon. Jonathan refers to the Tanak, particularly the Psalms which he appears to know by heart. He also begins to teach Flavia the Pater Noster.

External links

Books for Keeps: World Book Day 2007
2007 British novels The Roman Mysteries 2007 children's books Children's novellas Orion Books books 79 Ostia (ancient city) Children's books set in ancient Rome Children's books set in the 1st century {{2000s-child-hist-novel-stub