The stories are told in first-person form by Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (born c 90-95 BC), nephew of
Metellus Pius and member of the powerful
Caecilius Metellus family of the
Roman Senate. The stories are told in flashback-form by the old Decius, writing during the reign of
Augustus Caesar. The stories range from 70 BC (The King's Gambit) to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices"), and have both an exciting and comedic tone.
Decius' companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greek
gladiatorial physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politician
Titus Annius Milo; and his staunch enemies, the siblings
Clodia and
Clodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as by
Cicero and a young
Julius Caesar. In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. The dates are all listed at the end of each book in the ab urbe condita calendar system.
In 2015, a German company had planned to adapt the series for TV,[1][2] however, they have withdrawn from the project in 2022 for financial reasons.
Novels
The King's Gambit: In 70 BC, Decius uncovers a plot to subvert
Lucullus' army in the war against
Mithridates[3]
The Catiline Conspiracy (63–62 BC): Decius uncovers
Catiline's plot to overthrow the
Republic.[4]
The Sacrilege (62–61 BC): Decius investigates
Clodius's desecration of the
Bona Dea rites.[5]
The River God's Vengeance (53 BC): Decius investigates a collapsed
insula, uncovering systematic fraud in the construction trade.[10]
The Princess and the Pirates (51 BC): Decius investigates the murder of his host, the Roman governor of
Cyprus, while on the island to deal with an upsurge in
piracy. The eponymous princess is the young
Cleopatra VII of Egypt.[11]
A Point of Law (51–50 BC): While running for election to the office of
praetor, Decius must deal with accusations that he murdered a man who had threatened to denounce him for actions he took while on Cyprus the previous year.
Oracle of the Dead (50 BC). As
praetor peregrinus, Decius investigates the murders of a group of priests of Apollo during the period just before Caesar
crosses the Rubicon.[13]
The Year of Confusion (46–45 BC): During Caesar's
dictatorship, Decius is commissioned to oversee the adoption of Caesar's
new calendar, and investigates the murders of several astronomers who developed it.[14]
Dolabella (forthcoming)
Short stories
The series also includes the following short stories, in chronological order:
"The Statuette of Rhodes" (60 BC): Decius finds a corpse at the base of the
Colossus of Rhodes.[15]
"Mightier Than the Sword" (53 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a victim found in the basement of a townhouse in Rome.[16]
"The Etruscan House" (52 BC): Decius investigates a senator's murder.[17]
"An Academic Question" (51 BC): Decius investigates a murder during his visit to Athens mentioned as part of his leisurely trip to Cyprus at the beginning of "The Princess and the Pirates"[18]
"Venus in Pearls" (46 BC): Caesar hires Decius to locate his stolen breastplate before his Pompeian
triumph[19]
"Beware the Snake" (45 BC): Decius must locate the missing sacred snake of the
Marsi.[20]
"The Will" (44 BC): Decius investigates Caesar's will following his
assassination.[21]
"The King of Sacrifices" (20 BC): An elderly Decius investigates the death of a candidate for
Rex Sacrorum[22]
Roberts also wrote a short story, "The Mountain Wolves", which is also set in ancient Rome, but is not part of the SPQR series.[23]
Chronology
The above dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts.
For instance, in The Sacrilege, which can be dated at 62 BC, Decius claims to be turning 29, indicating he was born in 91 BC; however, in The Tribune's Curse, he finds that he was born in the same year as
Marcus Porcius Cato (95 BC). Confusingly, however, in the same book, Cato claims to have been born "when
Valerius and
Herennius were consuls.", which was 93 BC.
In "The King of Sacrifices", dated at 20 BC, Decius claims to be in his 73rd year, indicating he was born in either 93 or 92 BC. However, in the story itself Julia is claimed to be "betrothed" to Agrippa, whom she married 21 BC, i.e. at least one year earlier.
The
AUC dates given in The Sacrilege, The Temple of the Muses and "The Statuette of Rhodes" are clearly erroneous.
The Sacrilege has a clear external date and there is a strong indication that "Statuette" takes place in the same year as Saturnalia.
Roberts has noted that events in The Year of Confusion have been modified for dramatic effect.
The stories are told in first-person form by Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger (born c 90-95 BC), nephew of
Metellus Pius and member of the powerful
Caecilius Metellus family of the
Roman Senate. The stories are told in flashback-form by the old Decius, writing during the reign of
Augustus Caesar. The stories range from 70 BC (The King's Gambit) to 20 BC ("The King of Sacrifices"), and have both an exciting and comedic tone.
Decius' companions include his slaves Cato, Cassandra, and Hermes; his friends, the Greek
gladiatorial physician Asklepiodes and the gangster/politician
Titus Annius Milo; and his staunch enemies, the siblings
Clodia and
Clodius. Along the way, he is often helped by his father, as well as by
Cicero and a young
Julius Caesar. In later books, Decius is betrothed and then married to the (fictional) niece of Caesar, Julia Caesaris. The dates are all listed at the end of each book in the ab urbe condita calendar system.
In 2015, a German company had planned to adapt the series for TV,[1][2] however, they have withdrawn from the project in 2022 for financial reasons.
Novels
The King's Gambit: In 70 BC, Decius uncovers a plot to subvert
Lucullus' army in the war against
Mithridates[3]
The Catiline Conspiracy (63–62 BC): Decius uncovers
Catiline's plot to overthrow the
Republic.[4]
The Sacrilege (62–61 BC): Decius investigates
Clodius's desecration of the
Bona Dea rites.[5]
The River God's Vengeance (53 BC): Decius investigates a collapsed
insula, uncovering systematic fraud in the construction trade.[10]
The Princess and the Pirates (51 BC): Decius investigates the murder of his host, the Roman governor of
Cyprus, while on the island to deal with an upsurge in
piracy. The eponymous princess is the young
Cleopatra VII of Egypt.[11]
A Point of Law (51–50 BC): While running for election to the office of
praetor, Decius must deal with accusations that he murdered a man who had threatened to denounce him for actions he took while on Cyprus the previous year.
Oracle of the Dead (50 BC). As
praetor peregrinus, Decius investigates the murders of a group of priests of Apollo during the period just before Caesar
crosses the Rubicon.[13]
The Year of Confusion (46–45 BC): During Caesar's
dictatorship, Decius is commissioned to oversee the adoption of Caesar's
new calendar, and investigates the murders of several astronomers who developed it.[14]
Dolabella (forthcoming)
Short stories
The series also includes the following short stories, in chronological order:
"The Statuette of Rhodes" (60 BC): Decius finds a corpse at the base of the
Colossus of Rhodes.[15]
"Mightier Than the Sword" (53 BC): Decius investigates the murder of a victim found in the basement of a townhouse in Rome.[16]
"The Etruscan House" (52 BC): Decius investigates a senator's murder.[17]
"An Academic Question" (51 BC): Decius investigates a murder during his visit to Athens mentioned as part of his leisurely trip to Cyprus at the beginning of "The Princess and the Pirates"[18]
"Venus in Pearls" (46 BC): Caesar hires Decius to locate his stolen breastplate before his Pompeian
triumph[19]
"Beware the Snake" (45 BC): Decius must locate the missing sacred snake of the
Marsi.[20]
"The Will" (44 BC): Decius investigates Caesar's will following his
assassination.[21]
"The King of Sacrifices" (20 BC): An elderly Decius investigates the death of a candidate for
Rex Sacrorum[22]
Roberts also wrote a short story, "The Mountain Wolves", which is also set in ancient Rome, but is not part of the SPQR series.[23]
Chronology
The above dates are approximate because there is contradictory information within the texts.
For instance, in The Sacrilege, which can be dated at 62 BC, Decius claims to be turning 29, indicating he was born in 91 BC; however, in The Tribune's Curse, he finds that he was born in the same year as
Marcus Porcius Cato (95 BC). Confusingly, however, in the same book, Cato claims to have been born "when
Valerius and
Herennius were consuls.", which was 93 BC.
In "The King of Sacrifices", dated at 20 BC, Decius claims to be in his 73rd year, indicating he was born in either 93 or 92 BC. However, in the story itself Julia is claimed to be "betrothed" to Agrippa, whom she married 21 BC, i.e. at least one year earlier.
The
AUC dates given in The Sacrilege, The Temple of the Muses and "The Statuette of Rhodes" are clearly erroneous.
The Sacrilege has a clear external date and there is a strong indication that "Statuette" takes place in the same year as Saturnalia.
Roberts has noted that events in The Year of Confusion have been modified for dramatic effect.